Roast Beef Tenderloin

I don't usually cook with such upscale cuts like the tenderloin so this was a special occasion.  This recipe is interesting because I seared the beef after it had roasted slowly in the oven, and I really think that cooks it the best.  It also prevents there from being the ugly grey ring around the outside.  I personally think this is best cooked medium rare, and no more.  Because tenderloin is a relatively lean cut, it can dry out easily so be sure not to overcook it.  I like to serve it with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans.  If you have time, a quick horseradish cream goes nicely with the beef as well.  

Ingredients for Jus (fancy word for gravy)

1 onion

3 stalks celery

2 carrots

1 lb ground beef

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic

1 sprig rosemary and/or thyme

1 cup red wine

1 quart chicken broth

water, as needed

Ingredients for Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream

Beef Tenderloin (you can use as much as you want here.  I think I had about 3 lbs?)

Salt, to taste

2 tbsp softened butter

Pepper, to taste

1 three inch piece fresh horseradish (more on this later)

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp vegetable oil

 You only need to (very) roughly chop the onions, carrot, and celery.  You should know by now that this is called a mirepoix and is the base flavor of almost any sort of braised or stewed dish in France.  

 Cook the ground beef over high heat, crumbling it up while you go.  

 When the beef is a bit browned and all the liquid has evaporated off, add the tomato paste and cook until you think the bottom of the pan is just about to burn.  

The add the wine and reduce slightly.  Make sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  

Next add the broth, and enough water until it looks right.  Throw in the rosemary, garlic, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for at least one hour, preferably more like three.  Once the stock has finished simmering, strain it through a sieve and sprinkle the gelatin over the top.  Stir to dissolve the gelatin, then reheat.  The purpose of the gelatin is to mimic the collagen rich meat from veal bones that traditionally would be added to a demi-glace.  

Meanwhile, I trimmed the beef of any silverskin and tied it up just to keep it in a fairly uniform shape.  

Salt the meat, but don't add the pepper yet.  Place the salted meat in the fridge for an hour before roasting.  This will make the steak more moist after cooking.  

While I was waiting on the beef, I peeled about a 3 inch piece of horseradish.  This stuff is really spicy, but a different kind of spice than, say, a hot pepper.  

I just use a knife to peel it, but you could certainly use a vegetable peeler.  

Next, grate in on a micro-plane and transfer to a small bowl.  You could do this in a food processor, but since I was only making a little bit I didn't want to go through all the hassle.  

Mix the grated horseradish with the vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Set aside until ready to use.  

After the meat had been in the fridge for an hour with the salt on it, I patted it dry and sprinkled it generously with pepper.  Then I rubbed it with the softened butter and place it on a wire rack set in a roasting pan.  The butter adds some much needed fat to the lean tenderloin and also helps the meat brown in the oven.  

Don't listen to those health maniacs; butter is perfectly good for you.  Heat your oven to 300 degrees, and once heated, throw in the tenderloins.  

Next whip the cream (you can do it by hand) until it holds peaks.  Then stir in the horseradish and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Set aside.  

Horseradish is a classic accompaniment to beef.  

This is what the meat looked like after 45 minutes in the 300 degree oven.  You want an internal temperature of 125 degrees for medium rare

Next heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan until just smoking.  

I seared the steaks two at a time, very briefly until the sides were well browned.  

Then repeat with the other two filets.  As will all meat, you want to let this rest under a tent of foil for 5-10 minutes before you cut into it.

 All you have to do now is slice and serve, making sure to ladle some jus over the beef and the potatoes.  I also steamed some green beans.  

Enjoy!

Next Up: Roast Beef Tenderloin

I hope to have this recipe up sometime over the weekend.  It's roast beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and a horseradish cream.  

Pancetta Experiment Update

I just wanted to let you guys know that my pork belly is still in the fridge curing.  I have been flipping it over onto its other side everyday, and at the same time pouring off any juices that have accumulated.  I've definitely noticed that it has gotten noticeably firmer, which it is supposed to.  It has been curing for a little less than a week and I plan to take it out of the fridge this weekend to let it hang for another 2-3 weeks in the basement.  If you are only now joining us, click here and here to see the previous posts on homemade pancetta making to get caught up.  

I placed the pork belly with the spices and salt in a zip-lock bag placed in a baking dish to avoid any possible cross-contamination.  

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

This recipe can be served as a light main course with a salad or it can be used as a side dish.  I had it with braised pork and lightly breaded eggplant.  The recipe is interesting because the rice cooks in the black liquid from cooking the beans, which gives it an interesting color.  I prefer using basmati rice for this dish.  Bacon can be substituted for the salt pork.  

Ingredients

I cup dried black beans

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 green bell pepper

1 large onion

10 cloves garlic, 5 of them minced

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

olive oil

6 oz salt pork (or bacon)

Pinch of oregano

Large pinch cumin

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

scallions, cilantro, parsley, or lime, to garnish

 Soak the beans overnight with 1 1/2 tbsp salt in 2 quarts water.  When ready to use, drain and rinse.  

 Add the soaked beans, broth, water, 1/2 of bell pepper, half of onion, 5 cloves garlic (whole, with skins), bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt to a large dutch oven.  

 Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cook until beans are just tender, 35 to 40 minutes.  After the 40 minutes, drain the beans through a colander set over a large bowl, BEING SURE TO RESERVE 2 1/2 CUPS OF THE BEAN COOKING LIQUID.  You dont need to wash out the dutch oven.  

 Meanwhile, finely dice the remaining halves of the pepper and onion.  By the way, I actually used an extra quarter of bell pepper because I had it in the fridge.  

 This, along with the garlic, makes up the sofrito which gives it the fundamental Cuban flavor.  

Next, finely dice the salt pork.  

 Saute the salt pork in the now empty dutch oven over medium heat until the fat has rendered and it is crisp.  Drain all but 1 tbsp of the fat, and add the peppers and onions until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.  Then add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  

 Next add the drained beans, raw rice, the 2 1/2 cups of black bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and salt, to taste.  Cover the dutch oven and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  

 Fluff the rice with a fork, and garnish with lime and herbs.  

Enjoy!

Update: Homemade Pancetta

This is the second installment of my attempts at curing my own pancetta.  This post will cover the salts and spices needed to cure the pork.  You will also need a pork belly, which is the same cut that bacon is made out of.  I got mine at an Asian market near my house, but some grocery stores are starting to offer them as well.  

Ingredients

1/4 cup table salt

2 tsp pink salt (see the previous post for more info)

2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp minced rosemary

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme (fresh is preferable, but I used dry)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 bay leaves, crumbled

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp brown sugar

 Start by mixing all curing ingredients together.  Note: pancetta is traditionally cured with juniper as well but I didn't have any.  If you do have it in stock, add about 1 tsp.  

 Like I mentioned earlier, the pink salt is a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrate, which is necessary to achieve the proper flavor, and to stop the growth of bacteria while the meat is hanging.  

 I used a 3 lb piece or pork belly.  This wasn't the most uniform belly that I've seen but it should work.  If you can, get one that has a uniform thickness and a good mix of lean meat to fat.  You will also want to remove the skin if it is still attached.  

 Then rub all of the spice/salt mixture over the pork, covering all sides.  I placed mine in a zipper-lock bag in a baking dish, and then put that in the fridge.  I should stay there for about a week.  Also, everyday you should flip the pork over onto the other side and let any juices drain out.  

I should probably have another update out in a few days, and then we can move on to letting it hang.  

Grilled Flank Steak

Flank steak is a moderately priced steak that is also tender and moist.  For this recipe, I coated it with a unique dry rub consisting of cumin, coffee, chocolate, and garlic.  Spring is officially here so we can start grilling again, which is what I did for this steak.  Flank steak is very versatile and it is frequently made in to a Roulade, meaning to roll.  Flank is unique because the grain goes the long way, making it ideal for rolling.  In case you didn't know, you always want to cut steak against the grain because it makes it feel more tender when you are eating it.  This is best cooked no more than medium rare; if cooked well-done it gets too dry, in my opinion.  I served it simply with mashed potatoes.  

Ingredients

2 to 3 lb flank steak

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

2 tsp cumin

3 large cloves garlic

salt and pepper, to taste

My steak was a little over 2 lbs.

Trim away any large globs of fat or gristle.  Also, Flank steak will occasionally have some silverskin attached to it.  You will want to be sure to remove this as it will not melt during cooking.  Then season liberally with salt and pepper.  I like to add the salt before the rest of the rub so that I can control it better.  

Mince the garlic as fine as you can.  

 Combine all the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl, including the minced garlic.  Then rub onto the meat.  

 Like I said, I grilled the meat for about 7 minutes a side on medium-high heat.  I find that this gives you a perfect medium rare.  As with any steak, you'll want to let this rest for about 5 minutes before you cut into it.  

 Then slice the meat into 1/2 inch pieces (making sure to go against the grain).  Try to save the meat juices to serve along with the steak.  

I had this with mashed potatoes and a salad.  Enjoy!

Homemade Pancetta- Part One

I am about to embark on a 3 week long journey of making my own house-cured pancetta.  For those of you who don't know, pancetta is essentially an Italian bacon, except that it is not smoked and is flavored with a number of different spices.  I ordered the "pink salt" (pictured below) online and it arrived this weekend.  You need this because it contains the sodium nitrate that makes bacon taste so good but will probably give us all cancer later in life.  Hopefully I will be posting frequent updates about the process of the pancetta making.  Feel free to follow along if you'd like.  

This was the smallest size I could find and I only need 2 teaspoons.  Oh well...