This is a quick and easy staple dinner in our home. Prep and cooking time is less than one hour, but that's taking into account that it takes a good 45 minutes or so for the brown rice to get to that perfect plump nutty state. It's a leisurely pace to get this done, something that fits in well when you have guests over and they're sitting in your den/kitchen drinking wine and having fun just talking back and forth. So this is perfect, because it doesn't take a lot of brain power to finesse a good result.

thinly sliced beef

brown rice

roasted roma tomatoes

sauce from fond

Add a pre-prepared green salad to serve on the side with sliced pepperoncini and feta cheese, and you've got a great early summer meal.

1 lb of good quality beef (this was filet purchased on sale, but other cuts would work)

1 cup brown rice cooked

6 or 8 roasted roma tomatoes, halved

1 large shallot minced

1 Tb thyme leaves

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup beef stock

1 large dried ancho chili pepper

2 Tb unsalted butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tb cornstarch

Preheat oven to 500°

Brown rice needs a longer cooking time, get that going next.

Slice Romas in half, brush cut faces with olive oil, add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place cut side up on rimmed baking sheet in upper middle of hot oven. Roast for 40 minutes or until edges begin to brown or blacken.

Slice beef thinly, about 1/8" and place in medium bowl

Add the cornstarch to the soy sauce in a 2-cup measuring cup. Stir to blend, and add water to make 1.5 to 2 cups of liquid. Pour over sliced beef and mix to blend.

Mince shallots and prep thyme leaves.

Cut Ancho chili in half crossways, shake out any loose seeds and discard seeds.

Heat large flat and thick bottomed pan medium high, add 1 Tb of olive oil. When it begins to smoke, tilt to cover and add beef. You may have to add in two batches to keep from crowding. Too many pieces will make the meat baste, not sear—and you want it to sear to leave the fond. As you add the beef, gently shake over the bowl to remove most of the soy marinade before placing in pan.

Heat only on one side until half of the pink on the upper side is gone. Remove to platter. Add other half of beef and cook the same if necessary.

Remove all the beef from the hot pan. Add a tsp of olive oil in the center and the minced shallot on top of that. Stir with wooden spoon to sauté until golden.

Add wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the fond (brown bits) with a flat ended wooden spoon. Add stocks and halved ancho chili. Reduce for 5 minutes or so over high heat. Add thyme leaves. Reduce to syrupy consistency. Remove Ancho chili and turn off heat. Add the two Tb of unsalted butter and blend to add a glossy finish to the sauce.

Add the beef back into the pan to re-warm. The rice and tomatoes should be done about the same time. 

Place 1/2 to 3/4 cup of rice on plate or shallow bowl, add beef and sauce on top. Add two tomato halves to plate, pour a fresh glass of Cabernet and...

...enjoy!

all images copyright © 2009 by barry b. doyle • all rights reserved