This was a 'cooking gift' kind of Christmas. Everyone got cooking gear in their Christmas sock, and I got the bible of Italian cooking, The Silver Spoon, from my son Jeff. It's organized according to key ingredients, which is great when you want to do something new with the food you have on hand. I tried this recipe for tenderloin steaks, cooked quickly, and covered with a mushroom, wine, and tomato reduction. It was really good--hope you agree!
Steak with Mushrooms:
2 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cups diced mushrooms
6 Tbsp. white wine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 thick bread slices, crusts removed
4 tenderloin steaks
2Tbsp butter
1 sprig fresh parsley, chopped
salt
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in large pan, add shallots, cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, mix well, then add the wine and cook until it evaporates. Mix the tomato paste with 6 Tbsp warm water, add to the pan, season lightly with salt. Cover and cook until the sauce is reduced by half.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add slices of bread and toast on each side until brown. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.
Melt remaining butter in a large skillet, add steaks, cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Season lightly with salt, place a steak on each slice of bread, spoon the mushroom sauce over them, sprinkle with parsley.
A quick note--I didn't use the toast. I made Israeli couscous (that girl really gets around on this Blog!) and put the mushroom sauce on top of the couscous, topped by steaks. I wonder if rubbing the steaks with a garlic half, then searing in a grill pan might be a nice touch?
