Yesterday was one of those damp November days, all blows and squalls.  We wanted a casserole, but I had to make a cake first and it was 7pm before I got to it, however.....I had bought an end piece of fillet steak, and we had some mushrooms, so I thought it should be possible to fake something.  This is quick and simple.  I use a small non-stick stir fry pan.

For two:
A piece of beef fillet say 6 - 8 ozs
1 long shallot
6 -8 Chestnut mushrooms
Butter and olive oil
Plain flour
Madeira
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Stock
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, dried thyme or tarragon. Sweet smoked paprika

Peel and slice the shallot, and cook it in a scant 1/2 oz butter with a twist of the salt grinder.  Slice the mushrooms thinly.  When the shallot is just on the edge of browning, add the mushrooms to the pan and give them several good shakes to mix well.  Add plenty of pepper, some nutmeg and a good pinch of dried thyme or tarragon.  I like to add a little paprika here too but be careful not to let it overpower.
Whilst the mushrooms are cooking, trim the fillet if it needs it, and cut into approx 1" cubes.  Put a teaspoon of plain flour into a medium sized mixing bowl and add some pepper. 
The mushrooms should be ready by now.  Add a small wineglass of Madeira, a very little soy and ditto balsamic vinegar to cut the sweetness of the Madeira, and boil to reduce by 2/3rds.  Add 3 or 4 ladles of good stock and reduce by 1/2 over a strong heat.  All this should take 10 minutes or less.
Put the shallot, mushroom and sauce mixture into a bowl.  Wipe the pan and add no more than a dessertspoon of good olive oil (or walnut if you have some, better still).  The pan should be no more than thickly coated; you don't want the meat to swim about in the oil but almost dry fry.  Let the pan get hot. 
Toss the cubes of meat in the flour and pepper so that they are all well coated.  Do not throw away the surplus flour.  Quickly sear them in the pan and keep tossing them for a couple of minutes so that the flour coating is cooked.   Remove them to a plate.  Add 1/2 oz butter or so to the pan, swirl it around to deglaze and add the rest of the flour - there won't be much.  Cook for a minute or two and add back the sauce mixture.  Taste and check for consistency.  It may need a little more reduction, but remember that the cooked flour on the cubes of meat will thicken it a little.  Add the meat, reheat and serve.

We had crushed roast new potatoes and caraway cabbage.  Just the thing for a November evening!  Mashed potato would be good too.