Labor Day BBQ

It is Labor Day weekend and time for a BBQ at the barn! Today we smoked 4 Boston butts. This is so easy. One tip I will give for preparing the meat is to wear gloves, the surgical kind, to apply the rub. It is amazing what a difference it makes -- the rub adheres to the meat, not to your hands! We smoked the butts at 250 degrees F. for 8 hours and they are cooling the frig, waiting to be reheated tomorrow and "pulled" for the meal.

This year's BBQ is pot luck, with friends bringing the sides and desserts and using all the mismatched plates and napkins. It is going to be a perfect end to the summer season, visiting with family and friends.

Skirt Steak Tacos with Guacamole and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

It has been a while since I have written on my blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Spring is a very busy time at Quail Hollow. The frequent rains have created a challenge when it comes to gardening. This is the time we are tilling the garden and getting it ready to plant, but the persistent rains have not made this an easy task. I know I should welcome the rain after a couple of years of drought, and I do, just not when I need to be in the garden!

There is very little in the garden for harvest at this time, so I have turned to the grocery store for my inspiration. As Kenny and I wandered through Publix we noticed skirt steak on sale, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. A search on the Internet resulted in a number of recipes that sounded good, and for our meal I used several and this was the result.

Skirt Steak Tacos with Guacamole and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

1 onion, cut into wedges
1 pound tomatillos, halved
2 serrano peppers
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound skirt steak
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon achiote molido (ground annatto)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 flour tortillas
Fresh salsa, your favorite brand from the grocery store

Place the onion, tomatillos, serrano peppers and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and broil in the oven for 5-8 minutes until slightly charred, stirring once. Moisten the skirt steak with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine the dry spices. Pat the steak dry and rub the dry spices on the steak.

Place half of the cooked onions in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Remove the charred skin from the serrano peppers, cut in half and remove seeds. Place tomatillos, serrano peppers, remaining onions, 3 cloves of garlic (reserved 1 clove for the guacamole), 1 teaspoon lime juice and cilantro in a food processor and chop finely. Chill the salsa.

Grill steak on an oiled rack until medium rare. Remove the steak and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut diagonally into thin slices.

While the steak sits, grill the tortillas until puffed and lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Serve steak, onions, tomatillo salsa and guacamole wrapped in the tortillas. Yield: 2 servings.

Guacamole

1 avocado
1 garlic clove, roasted and minced
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and chop. Combine the remaining ingredients.

Madiera and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

It doesn't get much better than beef tenderloin. For our March meal with Dale and Susan, we attempted to make Paula Deen's Madeira and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. I say attempted because we made some changes in the preparation. First of all, we had to trim the tenderloin which is not one of my favorite preps and is better left to the butcher. And the directions were hard to follow when it came to cutting the meat for stuffing. But the results were delicious. Here is our version.

Madeira and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces proscuitto, finely chopped
24 ounces baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup Madeira wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 (6 pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Roasted Garlic Madeira Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add proscuitto and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until crispy. Remove the proscuitto, leaving the drippings. Add mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked proscuitto, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.

Cut the tenderloin down the center to within 1/2 inch. Open the tenderloin and spread 3/4 of the mushroom mixture over the tenderloin. Reshape the tenderloin and tie at with butcher's twine. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Place tenderloin on a greased baking rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake in oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 145 degrees. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve diwth Roasted Garlic Madeira Sauce.

Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Madeira Sauce

1 head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Madeira wine
Reserved mushroom stuffing
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut off the top of the garlic and place on a square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, seal in the foil and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze pulp form the garlic into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and mushroom stuffing and simmer until the wine is reduced by half.

In a small bowl, combine the beef broth and cornstarch. Add to the wine mixture and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.