Life’s all about defining your priorities. And comfort food is right up there for me. It doesn’t just make my tastebuds happy – it’s a way to bring people together and make them happy too.
As 1 October was World Vegetarian Day and its World Vegetarian Awareness month, we took one of the ultimate meaty comfort foods, Beef and Windhoek Beer Stroganoff, and gave it a veggie twist.
Rich, creamy, fresh and delicious – this is a family fave.
- You can easily make this vegan by substituting for vegan yogurt.
- We were in a pasta’ry mood, but you could use rice or mashed potato. Drool.
- The fresh herbs really make a difference and brighten up what can be a heavy dish.
- If you’re like me, I love a squeeze of lemon over the top for a bit of extra freshness.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 750g white and brown button mushrooms, quartered
- 250g wild mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Windhoek Beer
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup plain full cream yogurt
- 1 handful Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 handful fresh thyme leaves, whole
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooked pasta
Method
- I prep my ingredients upfront. Chop mushrooms, slice onion, crush garlic, chop parsley, I leave the thyme whole so I can easily remove them, open the Windhoek Beer (have a sip because I deserve it), measure the flour, butter, and yogurt.
- A large pan (I use my much-loved wok) goes on to a medium-high heat with the oil and butter and I fry the wild mushrooms until golden with a dash of salt, pepper and a quarter of the garlic – then it’s set aside. These go on top of the dish later.
- I then fry up the onions and chopped mushrooms until they brown slightly, then I add the garlic and the whole thyme and sizzle for 2 more minutes.
- Next goes in the Windhoek Beer and I stir. This needs to simmer to burn off the alcohol for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Next up, I lightly sprinkle in the flour and stir immediately to combine and ensure there are no lumps. Let this bubble away for the sauce to thicken.
- Once thickened, add the yogurt and stir again.
- Lastly, I safely fish out the thyme sticks (the leaves will have fallen off), throw in the salt, pepper and fresh parsley, and give it one last stir.
- On to cooked pasta this mix goes and then topped with the crispy wild mushrooms, some extra parsley if you like, and even a squeeze of lemon.
Mmmmm…. Delicious.
