How Can You Cook In The Car?

If I had a dollar for every mile I drive carting kids to their various activities, I could probably retire.  If I had a dollar for every mile I drive carting kids to activities on Tuesdays, I would be wealthy.  Our Tuesdays during the school year are usually jam packed with activities - if I am not driving somewhere, I am waiting somewhere.  If we are lucky we get to eat a quick dinner as a family squished somewhere between activities, if not, we split up so that each child dines with a parent.  Cooking on these crazy days is always a challenge - how do you cook a meal, when you are in the car and not the kitchen?  Admittedly I am not always up for the Tuesday Taxi challenge and there are some Tuesdays when Noodles or Chipotle are the easy answer, if not the best answer.  

However, given that the Tuesday Taxi dinner dilemma has been around in our household for a few years, I have thankfully found some dinner solutions that can be largely made in advance and then quickly brought to the table, in shifts if needed.  Beef Stroganoff is one of these happy solutions and it was what I cooked this afternoon in anticipation of an afternoon of activities that will keep me out of the kitchen until dinner time.  The original variation of this recipe was shared by a family friend of my mother-in-law.  The original calls for cooking the Beef Stroganoff on the stove - not a good idea if you are not going to be home.  However, when my mother-in-law made it for us years ago (and my boys devoured it and licked their bowls) she cooked it low and slow in the oven because she was out for the afternoon.  The oven version has since become a staple in our household on busy nights when someone (or in this case something else) needs to do the cooking while I drive.  

I typically serve this over brown rice if the schedule permits me to get it in the rice cooker so it is cooked and warmed when we return home.  If not, simple (and quick) white rice or egg noodles work too.  Steamed broccoli and cut fresh fruit quickly round out the meal.  

OVEN BEEF STROGANOFF

2 pounds sirloin steak cut into one-inch (or so) cubes, trimmed of excess fat

olive oil 

6 tablespoons flour

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 to 2 cups sliced mushrooms (depending on family taste)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Whisk/mix together the flour, pepper, salt and paprika.  Put in a large tupperware with a lid, add the cubed sirloin.  Put the lid on the tupperware and shake to nicely coat the beef.  Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven.  Add the meat and brown well.  (The original recipe used one pound of meat, but with two boys it was not enough.   With the two pounds of meat you could do this in two batches so as not to crowd the meat which would be more "chefy" but honestly I am usually pressed for time so I crowd it all in and it works fine.)  When the meat is browned well, add the broth, water, what is left of the flour mixture from the tupperware, and the mushrooms.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat, cover, and put in the preheated oven.  Cook for two to two-and-a-half hours (or three) stirring occasionally (if you can).  For the last half-hour remove the lid to thicken (or you can thicken it on the stove if needed). 

Note:  You could add sour cream before serving (1/2 cup to 1 cup), but I never do because I rarely have sour cream on hand.  

Written and posted August 26, 2014