Gluten Free Beef Paprika recipe

Originally posted August 26, 2008 (in memory of Stuart)

My friend Stuart has been after me to provide some more blog entries. Although he’s a vegetarian, I hope he doesn’t mind this one on beef. I think it’s worthy, and the recipe I provide later could also be made with a veggie ground round.

I have recently become a “conscientious carnivore” by purchasing locally raised beef from Markegard Family Grass-Fed Cattle. Over the last few years, I have become more and more concerned about where our beef comes from and how it’s treated. When I heard about this program, practically in my own backyard, I jumped at the opportunity. Now that I’ve had a chance to make risotto, pot roast, and grilled London broil, I am extremely pleased with both the flavor and leanness (which normally doesn’t go hand in hand when it comes to beef).

On this particular day, I had defrosted some ground beef with the intention of doing “something” with it. When I was putting the spices away the other day, I realized I had quite a bit of paprika. I had some distant memory of a beef paprika dish so I did my research; I checked my favorite recipe website, read through a few entries, picked out the ingredients and method I liked best, and decided tonight would be Beef Paprika night.

Now, remember, another “method” I use when I cook, is to try to use what’s on hand. Besides the beef, I had red peppers that I had gotten from the farmer’s market but I didn’t have mushrooms (which is sometimes called for in the recipe). I didn’t have sour cream but decided I really should make it dairy-free anyway, so I pulled out a plain soy milk. I happened to have some gluten-free fusilli and the dish sort of came together in my head. And all of this happened at 5:30; we were eating by 6:15.

When you’re cooking, it’s best to think of the whole dish. What will take the longest? What ingredients do I have? Does anything need to defrost? What can I cook at the same time and what do I need to serve right away? Since I wanted to cook pasta, the very first thing I did was boiling the water. I always put a lid on the pot to help bring the water to temperature quickest. Then the sauté pan starts up while I slice the onions. Are you getting the idea here? Working in parallel really saves you time.

So what did the little ones think of this dish? They ate it up (at least half of them). Ok, I admit that I did sort of hide the red peppers from my son; he’s not crazy about them when he sees them but by the fact that he doesn’t gag, he can’t dislike them that much. And the little girl who I made this special gluten-free, dairy-free dish decided she was going to eat carrots, cucumbers and yogurt for dinner. Sigh…But she’s such a good eater, I don’t stress about one meal with her. And I’m fairly sure she’ll eat her special pasta tomorrow when she’s hungrier. Oh, and the beef was delicious! I have been so happy at how lean it is when it cooks (there’s virtually no fat to drain), it browns wonderfully and has such a great flavor.

So, I hope you will try this one when you can’t figure out what to have for dinner. You could use different cuts of beef, ground turkey or even chicken strips. I think your kids will like it because it’s not only tasty but the sauce makes it easy to go down.

Beef Paprika with Noodles, Dairy-Free Option

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (you could also use a smoked paprika if you prefer that flavor)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef (I prefer 90% lean; you could use any ground meat in this dish)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/3 cup white wine or plain vinegar
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup milk or plain unsweetened milk substitute for dairy-free (I like almond or coconut)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, slightly defrosted
• 8 ounces gluten-free pasta like rotini or fettuccine plus 2-3 teaspoons of salt for the water
• Optional: 1 tablespoon sour cream (regular or, vegan for dairy-free like Violife)

---

1. Begin by getting the water boiling for the pasta in a large pot (you will be adding the beef mixture to this pot later). If the water boils before you are ready to cook the pasta, keep the lid on it and lower the temperature. Bring the water back to a boil before adding the pasta.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions, peppers, and spices; cook until the onion is soft and you can really smell the spices (but the spices should not smell burnt). Add the salt and take off of the heat. Place veggies in a bowl while you cook the meat.
3. Place pan back on the stove and heat to medium. Add beef in small pieces. Try not to move the meat very much so that it will brown nicely (this gives the dish a lot of flavor). Once it’s browned, turn over and cook on the other side until no more pink remains. Drain fat if necessary and return meat to the pan. Add wine or wine vinegar and scrape the bottom to get up any brown bits (this is called the “fond”). Allow the liquid to reduce slightly, simmering about 3 minutes or so.
4. While the beef is cooking, cook the pasta, making sure to salt the water before the pasta goes in. Try to time the pasta finishing cooking with the beef mixture being done. Cook the pasta according to package directions but always taste pasta to determine doneness and err on the side of less time. When pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and then drain but do not rinse. Set aside until the beef mixture is done.
5. Add broth and milk or milk substitute to the pan with the beef and bring to a simmer.
6. In a small bowl or cup, mix the cornstarch with enough water to make a slurry (about the same amount or less). Add this to the sauce to thicken it and stir. Cook a few minutes then stir in the tomato paste. Optionally add the sour cream in this step for a creamier dish.
7. Once beef mixture is thickened, add peas and turn off heat (if peas are still frozen, you may need to continue cooking the dish 3 minutes to defrost peas).
8. Place the drained pasta back in the pasta pot. Add beef mixture to this and stir gently, trying not to stir too much or the pasta may start to break. If the mixture is too thick, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
9. Taste and adjust seasoning (may need more salt) and serve.