Sausage and Lentil Soup

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• Hearty soups are an absolute favorite for me in the wintertime. Throw in some crusty French bread and a warm fireplace to sit near and I am a very happy gal. This robust one-pot dinner packs in lentils, sausage and plenty of vegetables, including mushrooms, spinach, onions and garlic. I love beef broth and red wine in soup; they give the dish an amazing richness that compliments the meat wonderfully and allow the food to be oh-so-comforting. Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods, this recipe is nutritious, filling, and delicious.  A loaf of crusty bread is the only accompaniment you need for a complete meal.
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• Yield: about 6 servings
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• Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 pound sweet and/or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 pound mushrooms (such as white, cremini, shiitake, portobello and oyster), chopped
• 1 cup (about 7 ounces) dried French or brown lentils, picked through and rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 cup dry red wine
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 pound baby spinach, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add sausage and cook, breaking into small chunks, until it begins to brown. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms have released most of their liquid. Add lentils, beef broth, mushroom or chicken broth, tomatoes and their juice, wine and pepper flakes; cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Add spinach and salt and pepper, stir well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more; stir in thyme.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan. 

Steak Stroganoff

This was my very first time ever eating Stroganoff.  It was also my dad's first time, and he is seriously raving about it as I type this right now.  My mom had Beef Stroganoff a few times growing up, but she said it was disgusting compared to this delicious recipe I cooked.  Some people would call this "Beef" Stroganoff, but that seems to me more of a Hamburger Helper type dish with ground beef and ketchup (kind of like a Sloppy Joe taste). This dish uses sirloin steak, so I'm calling it Steak Stroganoff.  The thing that makes this more unique than other Stroganoff recipes is the fact that this slow cooks for an hour, so the simmering blends all the flavors together and the meat gets super tender.  The tender meat is then mixed with a mushroom cream sauce.  I love the cream sauce because it's unlike any cream sauce I've ever had.  It's not like a rich, Alfredo sauce with heavy cream.  It's lighter, but still creamy and comforting, and uses sour cream and cream cheese.  The tartness of the sour cream balances with the sweet, red wine, and the mustard and Worcestershire sauce adds even more depth to the dish.  I served this with a side of steamed broccoli, but I recommend serving it with some french bread or garlic bread as well to soak up all the creamy sauce.  The result is a comforting, yet hearty meal that everyone will love.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef tenderloin or top sirloin, cut into 1/4 inch thick by 2 inches long strips 
• 1/2 cup red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 1/4 cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, separated into 2 4-ounce piles
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

For the noodles:

1 lb egg noodles

1 tablespoon butter

Garnish:

Sliced scallions and freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Season steak with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper, place in a large sealable bag and pour 1/2 cup red wine over the meat.  Shake to fully coat, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and pour in the beef strips along with the wine juices in the bag. Brown the beef strips, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and half of the sliced mushrooms (4-oz) into the wine/butter mixture and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
3. Stir the cornstarch into the juices on the empty side of the pan (onions, mushrooms, and steak pieces will probably get into this puddle of juices, which is fine, it's just to give you more room to work with without a bunch of food getting in the way). Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the other 4 ounces of mushrooms, sour cream, and cream cheese. Heat briefly and then salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with buttered egg noodles (below) and serve (also below).

For Noodles:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pan of boiling water and cook at a low boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, then toss the noodles with the butter to coat.

To serve:

Arrange the buttered noodles on warm serving plates and top with the stroganoff. Garnish with desired amount of sliced scallions and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

Filet Steaks with an Irish Whiskey and Mushroom Cream Pan Sauce

Oh my goody goodness this was good.  Too good.  Way too good.  I'm still amazed I was capable of making such a wonderful dinner.  Last night, we had some left over heavy cream in the refrigerator from the Chocolate Fudge Truffle Cheesecake I made for my mom's birthday last week (you can find this sinful dessert recipe here), and since we almost never have heavy cream, I insisted that I make a dinner recipe using it.  My mom had already bought steak fillets, and I had a recipe saved that I had been wanting to try since it included heavy cream and whiskey (who could go wrong with these two marvelous ingredients!?).  So I altered the saved recipe based on what we had, and it turned out to be the best steak dish I've ever had.  My parents also agree.  It was absolutely perfect....the steaks themselves cut like butter, were super duper juicy, and had a wonderful, meaty flavor.  The sauce was unlike anything I had ever had before.  It had the dominant flavor of beef - from the stock - but the whiskey gave it a zesty burst of flavor, and the cream wasn't overpowering at all; in fact, my parents couldn't even tell there was any cream in the sauce.  It simply blended all the flavors of the ingredients together and made the sauce slightly rich.  I decided to add the mushrooms to the dish last minute, and boy am I happy I did because they went so perfectly with the rich, beefy sauce.  However, if you don't like mushrooms, they can easily be omitted.  This is a heavenly dish that is sure to impress.


Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients:
Four 1 to 1.25 inch pieces beef tenderloin (about 7.5 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (if not using a cast iron pan)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
5 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/4 cup Irish Whiskey, such as Jameson
1/2 cup beef stock 
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon juice


Directions:

1.

Season each steak generously with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy-based (preferably cast-iron) skillet that's large enough to hold the steaks over high heat until quite hot. (Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil if not using cast iron.) Test by touching the edge of one steak to the pan surface; it will sizzle briskly when ready. Immediately drop in the steaks and sear one side for 2 minutes. Sneak a peek to see if the first side is nicely browned. If not, continue to sear that side for another minute or so. Flip the steaks and sear the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium high, cook for another 2 minutes, flip, and cook until a digital instant-read thermometer in the center of the meat reads 120 degrees F for rare or 125 degrees F for medium rare, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the steaks to the warm platter and let them rest, covered loosely with foil, while you make the sauce.  You can also set the steaks in a separate skillet and place on the "warming" section of your oven if you have it.

2.

To make the pan sauce: Return the unwashed pan to medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt (be careful not to let it burn if the burner is still very hot!). Add the shallots and and cook, stirring, until fragrant and just tender, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the whiskey and mushrooms and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Add the broth and Worcestershire sauce , raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Whisk in the mustard and then the cream. Continue to cook at a boil, stirring, until reduced to a saucy consistency, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Place a steak on each plate, drizzle with the juices left in the steak pan, and serve the steaks with the mushroom cream sauce.