Beef Tenderloin Tips with Rosemary Salt and Morels
This is quick dinner that uses the inexpensive ends of the very expensive beef tenderloin. The entrée is very quick to prepare and very yummy. The rosemary salt is easy to make and a great way to extend the life of a fresh herb. I served this over roasted winter squash puree with green beans from the market. The beef was from Fountain Prairie Farms, the morels from a stand at the market and the green beans from a group of amish farmers who are also on the square.
The winter squash was roasted in a 425F oven until a toothpick inserted easily (1 hour). I then peeled the squash and splayed it out so I could pull out the seeds. I heated the squash and mashed it with a potato masher. I then added a pinch of salt.
Recipe: Beef Tenderloin Tips with Rosemary Salt and Morels
Summary: Quickly seared beef tenderloin tips are finished with sautéed morel mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 Beef Tenderloin Tips (3/4 of pound total)
- 1 Sprig of Rosemary
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 tsp. Olive Oil
- 2 oz. fresh Morel Mushrooms – cleaned and sliced into 1/8″ thick rings
- 1 Tbl Butter
Instructions
- Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprig and put them in a heavy mortar. Add the kosher salt. Grind the rosemary into a fine paste with salt. Scrape the mixture out onto a plate and let dry for 20 minutes or until it is easy to handle. Note, you can let this dry out for much longer. The rosemary salt will keep well in a sealed jar at room temperature for a few months.
- Blot off the tenderloin tips with paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of the rosemary salt on one side of each tip. Add a good healthy grind of black pepper. Pat the salt and pepper into the meat well. Drizzle with 1 tsp of the olive oil and rub to coat well. Turn the tips and repeat on the other side. You will use about 1/2 of the rosemary salt in total. Let the tips rest and come to room temperature.
- Heat a 12″ stainless or cast-iron pan over medium high heat. Note: don’t use a non-stick pan. We actually want the meat to stick and form a “sucs” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucs_(food) or the stuck on browned bits in the pan. When the pan is hot but not smoking hot, add the beef tenderloin tips (see the note below on cooking beef).
- Sear the beef on each side for 2 – 3 minutes (see below) then remove to a plate and tent with foil and keep warm.
- Add the butter and morels to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Stir the morels scraping up any cooked on bits in the pan. The morels will start to release their moisture after a minute or two. Keep the morels moving and scrap up any cooked on bits.
- Once the morels are soft and they have quit releasing liquid, move the pan off the heat.
- To plate, slice the tips across their grain (like slicing a flank steak) into thin slices. Drizzle and juice the has formed during the rest and top with morels.
Quick Notes
Cooking beef: We serve our beef very rare. If you want your tips cooked medium rare or medium, turn the heat down on the pan and put the meat into a cooler pan. This allows the meat to cook through more through without burning on the outside. If I wanted a medium tip, I would heat the pan over medium heat for a few minutes and I would sear them for 4 minutes a side.
Variations
Use can use any number of fresh herbs to make a salt for meat or fish. Making a salt is a great way to extend the life of a fresh herb. Strip the leaves from the herb and add a small amount of salt. Bash everything up in a mortar and pestle. If it seems very wet, add more salt.
Cooking time (duration): 30
Number of servings (yield): 2
My Market Year(s) 