Pork Stroganoff

Pork Stroganoff Recipe – Serves 2

Pork stroganoff – everybody’s heard of it, most people have tasted it, so I thought it would be a perfect recipe to kick of my series of recipes from around the world. Stroganoff is of course a popular dish in many countries, but originates from Russia back in the 19th century and according to “Oxford Encyclopaedia of Food and Drink” was possibly named after Count Alexander Grigorievich Stroganov.

“Stroganoff” is very often cooked using beef; in fact beef is definitely the way to go if you want to stick with tradition, however I happened to have a nice piece of pork fillet in the fridge so I cooked with what I had. If your a vegetarian then feel free to omit the meat and just use mushrooms – try and get some different types of mushrooms as this will give you a better texture and taste. I’ve tasted a lot of bad stroganoff’s in my time – most were far too sickly, usually a result of using double cream. This recipe uses sour cream / creme fraiche so is healthier without losing any of it’s taste.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 50g chestnut mushrooms. sliced
• 50g shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 200g pork fillet, sliced into strips
• 1 knob of butter
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 150ml creme fraiche or sour cream
• Rice or pasta, to serve

Method

Before you start you want to season the pork strips – this is where the taste really happens so don’t rush this bit! Slice your pork up and place in a bowl; now sprinkle in the paprika, 1/2 of the cayenne pepper, and season (be generous with the cracked black pepper). Now mix this up with your hands and if you can, leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat the butter in a wok or frying pan and fry the onions and mushrooms on a medium heat until they are soft.  Turn up the heat and fry the pork strips for several minutes until cooked. Now the fun bit… Flambe! Pour in your brandy and then, using a match, carefully set fire to the brandy in the pan and burn off the alcohol. This looks great if you have guests round! Once the flame has died, stir in the mustard and your creme fraiche / sour cream and gently simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust the cayenne pepper to taste, seasoning if required – I like it to have a bit of a kick so I go crazy with the cayenne pepper!

I have always served stroganoff with brown rice, but I know a lot of people like stroganoff with tagliatelle and this is great too. A bit of rocket or some greenery such as brocoli really completes the dish in my opinion. Enjoy!