Beef is Still What's for Dinner

Last week we discussed the Joel Gott 815 cabernet sauvignon from California.

The wine received a and was recommended as an everyday wine that was as tasty as it was affordable. My suggested food pairing was pretty vague and that stems from the fact that the wine itself was pretty “everyday,” meaning it would pair with a number of meals.

With that in mind I traveled to the in order to check out their sales flyer and see if I couldn’t whip up a tasty little midweek meal for less than $20 using items featured on sale this week. The end result was nothing short of a smashing success.

Over the years leading up to the release of my self-published cook book, I discovered a great way to invent recipes.

I realized if I had someone in the kitchen with me acting as my stenographer I could just call out what I was doing as I did it and the could write it all down. When I was done I had a complete recipe that had been tested and would work every time just as it had the first. This is how I write all my recipes these days, and so when it came time to tackle this recipe I decided why should any of that change?

Last week’s wine review garnered quite a number of responses, many of which came directly to my email, so I decided to select, at random, the name of one of my readers. The name I selected was Andrew Peters.

I emailed Andrew and let him know that I appreciated his comments and that I needed to cook the food for this recipe column. I suggested that if he didn’t mind I would simply purchase the ingredients, go to his home, prepare the meal for him and his family and give him a short version of one of my cooking lessons free of charge.

The only catch I told him is that I would need him to write down what I did as I did it so that I could write this article. This idea worked out so well that I think we'll make a habit of it—so keep those comments and emails rolling in after each column. You never know when you will get an email back inviting you to join me for a wine tasting or a free cooking demo. 

Now that you know how the game is played let’s get down to the meat of the matter and get cooking with this week’s recipe for Custom Cut London Broil with a Tomato Mushroom Gravy.

This week at ShopRite beef roasts are on sale for up to 30 percent off of regular prices if you buy a whole roast. So I went to ShopRite and purchased a three-pound top round roast.

Next time you buy a London broil cut check the sticker and it likely will say top round London broil, so this time I bought the roast and cut my own London broils from it. This quick, easy, and inexpensive recipe will provide up to six portions and even with side dishes the cost of the meal was about $18.

The meal I prepared included potato cakes and charred savoy cabbage, both of which are very easy to prepare. Here is the recipe for the meat and gravy.

London Broil Ingredients:

• 3-pound top round roast
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Half of an onion sliced thick
• The stems from the mushrooms for the gravy

Slice the top round WITH the grain in slices about 1 ½ inches thick. Rub the meat with the tomato paste and season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Sear each “mini-roast” over high heat for two minutes on each side. Place the meat in a baking dish on top of the onions and mushroom stems, then place in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the meat is medium to medium rare. Allow the meat to rest out of the oven but in the baking dish for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat AGAINST the grain to serve.

Tomato Mushroom Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• Half of a medium onion minced
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1 pound of white mushrooms de-stemmed and sliced
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 can of beef broth (low sodium is best)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and sweat the onions over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional three minutes. Add the mushrooms and again cook for an additional three to four minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir until everything is coated. Add half the can of beef broth and whisk until there are no lumps and the sauce becomes very thick. Add the rest of the beef broth and the rest of the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and simmer for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.