Food & Wine
Justine Schofield’s stroganoff-style lamb
“This well-known stew is typically made with strips of beef, but it’s equally as quick and delicious using lamb. The lean pieces of meat cooked with earthy mushrooms and tangy sour cream is truly a match made in heaven. Serve with baked rice, steamed waxy potatoes or cooked pasta, such as pappardelle,” writes Justine Schofield in her latest cookbook Simple Every Day.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 40 g dried porcini mushrooms, chopped
- 400 g lamb backstraps, sliced across the grain into 1 cm thick strips
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 350 g mixed mushrooms (such as Swiss brown, button, oyster or shimeji), sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 100 ml dry sherry (or dry white wine, such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
- 100 g sour cream
- small handful of chives, roughly chopped, to serve
- small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Method:
- Submerge the porcini mushrooms in 200 ml of warm water and set aside to rehydrate for 15 minutes. Drain the mushrooms well, reserving the soaking liquid.
- Place the lamb in a bowl and add the paprika, chilli flakes, thyme and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix well, coating the lamb with the spices.
- Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add half the porcini and half the mixed mushrooms, so the pan is not too crowded, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until they start to colour. Remove from the pan, add a little more oil and repeat the process with the remaining porcini and mixed mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Return the pan to medium heat, add the remaining oil and the onion and garlic and sweat off for 5 minutes until the onion is softened and translucent. Turn the heat to high, add the lamb and fry for 2–3 minutes, tossing a few times until browned. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and bring to the boil. Simmer until reduced by one-third, then return the mushrooms and any juices remaining on the plate to the pan, followed by the reserved porcini liquid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce reduces a little. Stir in the sour cream and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Spoon onto a large platter and serve with a sprinkle of herbs, accompanied by baked rice, steamed waxy potatoes or pasta.
Recipe courtesy of Simple Every Day by Justine Schofield (Plum, $39.99).