Its the May Bank Holiday Weekend and it is freezing! Some parts of the country have even had snow, now I never expect much from the weather on a Bank Holiday, but really, this is too much. If you were thinking of rolling out the BBQ this weekend you may want to think again and try some hearty warming food instead and I have just the thing for you, Paleo Beef Stroganoff.

This Paleo Beef Stroganoff is just perfect for these chilly evenings, its rich, creamy and beyond delicious. The beef is tender and melts in your mouth, the flavours in the sauce all come together perfectly. We served ours over zoodles (spiralized courgette), but you may prefer to serve it with good old fashioned mash potato or rice. If you love other grains such as couscous or orzo for example, just serve it on what ever takes your fancy, trust me, this is so amazing that there will be clean plates all round. This dish was a great family dinner, but it really would hold its own served at a dinner party, so maybe if its too chilly to eat outside this weekend, maybe this could be the answer!

Right, I am off to the kitchen now, I currently have tapioca pearls soaking in coconut milk, these I am hoping to turn into a breakfast or dessert that is as close to the one that I fell in love with in Vegas, there maybe a few tries to get it perfect, but fingers crossed.

Buon appetito

paleo beef stroganoff

2 Tbs organic butter or ghee
2 lbs stew beef cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion chopped
1 225g/8 oz pack sliced button mushrooms (or your favorite mushrooms)
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups low sodium organic beef broth
½ cup red wine
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt (I used Himalayan)
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs paprika
¼ tsp dried dill
½ cup organic double cream (optional)
¼ cup fresh chives chopped
¼ cup flat leaf parsley chopped

For the wide zoodles:
Use one large courgette (or two small), per person.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

Cut the beef into bite-size pieces, add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large heavy based saucepan, or a large ovenproof pot with a lid. Add ½ Tbs butter to the hot pot, as soon as it melts, brown half of the beef. Be careful to not crowd the beef or it will not get that nice colour. Remove browned beef to a separate plate, add ½ Tbs butter to the pot and brown remaining beef and then remove to the plate.

beef

Add ½ Tbs butter to the pot along with onions and mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms until they start to lose most of their liquid, (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic to the pot, sauté until it becomes fragrant, be careful not to burn it.

mushrooms

Add beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire Sauce , tomato paste, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and dill to the pot, and stir to incorporate. Return the browned beef to the pot and stir. Turn heat to high, and bring mixture to a boil.

IMG_3511

Once mixture boils, turn off the heat, cover pot, and transfer to the oven. Cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

Remove pot to the stovetop, simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, to reduce liquid. Add heavy cream and chives, and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve over wide zoodles,or cauliflower-mashed potatoes, garnish with parsley.

For the zoodles:
Place spiral sliced courgette and or yellow summer squash in a microwavable bowl, salt and pepper to taste, cover the bowl with a plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Strain in a colander, and serve topped with the stroganoff. The heat of the stroganoff, will do the rest of the cooking for you.

Note: We hate using the microwave, so we steamed our zoodles.