Beef Stroganoff

I always had this idea in my head that stroganoff was disgusting, it just never looked appetising, but then again the image I always had in my head was of this dark gray or brown mush in a tray because that's how it used to look when they served it in school..and lets face it, it probably didn't taste all that great either.  Then one day I had some lovely beef strips and wanted to do something a bit different with them from what I normally cooked.  I trawled the Internet and found a recipe for beef stroganoff and decided after all these years it might be worth giving it a go - and boy was that the right decision, this stroganoff is lush! For those following Weight Watchers each serving is 10 points and if you are serving it with rice it is 16 points

The recipe makes enough for two people and you will need the following to make it:

• 1/2 pack of button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 pack of beef strips
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of tomato puree
• 3 tablespoons of half fat creme fraiche
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

And here's what you need to do:

1) Briefly fry off the beef in a pan, then add the onions and mushrooms and cook gently until the onions and mushrooms soften.  Once the onions and mushrooms have softened add the garlic and cook for a further few minutes.

2) Dissolve the stock cube in 250ml of boiling water and add the stock to the pan, simmering for 5 minutes.

3) In a bowl or a cup, mix together the Dijon mustard and the tomato puree, adding a teaspoon of water to make it a bit easier to mix and pour into the pan.  Stir it and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.

4) Add in 3 tablespoons of half fat creme fraiche (you can add full fat if you like but I'm on a diet!) and stir into the mixture.  Leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes, then add the parsley and season to taste.

You can serve the stroganoff with rice or tagliatelle