beef medallions, fettucine and vegetables with a red wine reduction

I spent last week in Santa Fe with my family at my grandparents’ awesome house. What an inspiring place to be. And inspired did I get… my grandma showed me one of her favorite cookbooks, The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook. I love cookbooks with pictures and this one had fabulous pictures! It was only 9:30 a.m. and I already wanted to eat everything I saw. So typical impulsive me made it the very next night. I made a few changes — used less butter, whole wheat pasta, and more vegetables, but wow, it was still fabulous.

This one is a bit of a challenge, but everyone will be praising you after they take their first bite. So if you’re trying to impress someone, this is no-brainer.

Sauce:

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• I cup finely chopped leeks
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 cups red wine, good enough to drink
• 1 qt beef stock
• 4 slices of prosciutto, fat removed and cut into 1/8” wide strips
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, cut into a chiffonade

Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, leeks, carrots, celery, tomato paste and fresh thyme and cook on medium-high heat until they are a deep golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Add the red wine and stir to scrape any brown bits off the bottom. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer until thick and syrupy. Add beef stock and continue to simmer until reduced by half. The slower you reduce the sauce, the more flavorful, so allow several hours. For a thicker sauce, puree vegetables (remove thyme first) and then pass through a chinois or fine strainer. Set aside and keep warm.

Meat:

• 1 ½ lbs. beef tenderloin cut into 12 equal pieces (2 per plate)
• S & P

Season each side with salt and pepper, in a skillet, spray with PAM and sear meat on each side for about 3 minutes until browned. Lower heat and cook until desired doneness. Remove from pan, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 36 pearl onions
• 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups fresh English peas
• 1 ¼ lbs. whole wheat pasta
• 3 Tbsp minced shallot
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• ½ tsp. salt

Boil pearl onions for 3 minutes, remove from pot and let cool. Reserve water for peas. Once cool remove stem and root ends and peel, place in a separate bowl. Boil peas for 4 minutes, drain and shock in an ice bath. Once cool, about 3 minutes, remove from ice bath and add to onions. Add chopped shallots and garlic to the bowl and set aside. In a skillet heat olive oil until shimmering, add mushrooms and sauté on medium –high heat until cooked. Add onions, peas, shallots, garlic and salt and continue to cook until heated through.
Cook pasta according to directions.

To plate: Add 3 oz. of pasta to bottom of shallow bowl or plate. Place meat on top then top with equal portions of sautéed vegetables and 1/3 cup of sauce.
Serve immediately on hot plates and get ready to be profusely complimented.