Pork Stroganoff – quick and easy

What do you do when handed a pile of cheap pork chops and you don't want to simply grill them yet again? The answer is to get them off the bone and do something imaginative.

Generally speaking, Stroganoff is a dish made with fillet steak – it is fast, luxurious and easy. If any recipe tells you it takes ages, then it isn’t a proper Stroganoff. After all, it was one of the staples of many a top hotel in London in the 60s, and they do not want recipes that take forever!

I have never seen why I have to limit the technique to beef only, and really, this could be applied to just about anything, maybe even fish, as long as it was something like Tuna. Anyway, here is a pork version. For this I have reduced the amount of paprika and added black pepper – it seems to suit the meat better.

Ingredients

Bone the chops and then slice the meat into thin strips. Optionally, if you want the pork to be a little more tender, squeeze over the lemon juice and put aside for a while. Then drain.

Slice up the mushrooms thinly – I used closed cup, but the choice it up to your budget. I generally like having the same physical quantity of mushrooms to meat, or maybe a little more. Once they cook, there will be less as they shrink.

Chop the onion in half and then slice very, very thinly. Crush and chop the garlic.

Heat a very large, heavy frying pan to hot. Fry half the pork quickly until brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and cook the other half. Remove and set aside. I did this in two halves to make sure the pork strips didn't end up boiling in their own juices - there lies toughness.

Put on boiling water for the beans.

Add more oil to the frying pan and fry the onions and garlic at a medium heat. Cook till the onions soften.

Add the paprika and fry for a minute or two. Then add the mushrooms.

Put the beans in the boiling water.

Fry the mushrooms until they are picking up a nice colour. Return the meat to the pan and salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you can taste the black pepper as this is the flavour we want, but don’t over do it.

Add the cream and stir until hot – just a minute or two or the meat will toughen.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately with the beans

By the way, I have used double cream here. Traditionally, it is made with soured cream, but sometimes the thicker creaminess of double cream is rather nice.

I have not served this with Pomme Frites (straw chips) which is traditional but can make it all rather heavy. I rather like it with some toasted baguette, to be honest.