Simple Crockpot Roast

1 beef rump or round roast (lean), about 3 lbs.
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup water
dash of black pepper

PREPARATION:
Mix soup mix and water, pour over roast in crock pot. Cook on low about 8 hours, or until tender.

Variation: Add any peeled vegetables to this beef roast ...carrots, potatoes, whole onions, etc. to cook along with the roast, then make a gravy from the drippings if desired. (Thicken gravy with 2 tablespoons of flour mixed with a small amount of cold water.)

Serve leftover sliced beef on rolls with a bit of gravy...delicious! Good cold and sliced for sandwiches with mayonnaise, etc.

Beef Stroganoff

(I love this dish and it takes only about 20 minutes!)

Put a pot of water up to boil before you start this recipe, so you can make noodles while the stroganoff is cooking. Carrots or green beans round out the meal.

1 lb. sirloin steak, well trimmed and cut into ¼” strips (tenderize if needed – place meat between pieces of saran wrap & tenderize with mallot or heavy pot)

½ lb. sliced white or brown mushrooms
1 can (10 ½ oz.) condensed French Onion soup
1 Tbs. cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup cold water
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup white wine (optional)


Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium high to high heat to get pan hot. Add steak strips in 2 batches and cook 5 min. or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook 5 min. stirring until lightly browned and softened.

Add onion soup mixture, corn-starch mixture, dried thyme and wine (opt.). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook 5 min., until thickened. Add sour cream and heat through 1 minute. Return steak to skillet and heat through. Makes 4 servings.

Filet Mignon with Portobello Mushrooms

1 T. butter or margarine
1 T. olive or vegetable oil
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 4-oz. filets mignons,
each about 1 inch thick
1/2 c. beef broth
¼ c. Madeira wine
1 T. fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper


In heavy skillet over medium heat, heat half the butter and half the oil. Add mushrooms and saute quickly until lightly browned, about 5 min¬utes. With slotted spoon, remove and set aside. Add remaining butter and oil to skillet and heat over high heat. Pat filets dry on paper towels. Place filets in hot fat and brown well, about 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium-rare. Remove from skillet to platter and keep warm. Pour fat from skillet and add beef broth. Boil rapidly over high heat while scraping any brown bits from pan. Continue cooking broth until reduced to 2 table¬spoons. Stir in Madeira, thyme, salt and pepper. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Add mushrooms and heat through. Serve mushrooms next to or on top of steaks. Makes 2 servings.

TWO OTHER EXOTIC MUSHROOMS TO TRY:
There are hundreds of varieties, but these are the ones you are most likely to see in the market: chanterelles - they can be as quite small or grow to 3 to 4 inches in diameter, the texture is firm and velvety. Shiitake (pronounced she tah kee), are much larger and are generally reddish brown to brownish black on top. Many people think they taste like lobster. Both mushrooms will last about a week, refrigerated. Place in a single layer on a barely damp cloth and fold to cover.