For the rice, preheat your oven to 200⁰C/180⁰C fan oven/Gas mark 6. Place an ovenproof saute pan on the hob and heat half the butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, gently, until the onion is softened but not browned. Add the rice to the pan and stir well until thoroughly combined. Fry for a further minute, without allowing the rice to brown. Pour in the hot chicken stock and seasoning, and drop in the bay leaf. Bring the pan to the boil while stirring with a wooden spoon. Cover the rice with buttered greaseproof paper, replace the lid on the pan, and cook in the oven for 15 minutes, so that the rice is still firm. When you take the pan from the oven, remove the bay leaf. Add the remainder of the butter to the pan and run a fork through the rice to separate the grains. Season the rice well with salt and pepper, then pour it into a warm, lidded serving dish, in which it can sit until needed.

For the stroganoff, place the beef strips in a bowl and sprinkle them with paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the vegetable oil to a large frying pan, and flash-fry the beef strips. Try to keep them as rare as possible. Drain the beef strips and reserve the juices. Add the butter, mushrooms, and shallots to the pan and allow them to cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, stir to combine the ingredients, and cook for a further few minutes. Add the white wine vinegar, and heat the mixture until the vinegar has fully evaporated. Pour in the white wine, and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the double cream and bring the pan to a boil, before seasoning well with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Tip the beef strips back into the pan along with the reserved juices. Reducing the heat, warm the stroganoff gently without allowing it boil. This will keep the meat tender and prevent overcooking.

To serve, sprinkle dill pickle over the stroganoff, then drizzle it with sour cream. Finally, sprinkle chopped parsley and pinch of sweet paprika over the dish and serve with the pilaf rice.