Here’s a great easy to make recipe that can be made fresh or from a leftover roast you may have – chicken, beef, pork etc. This particular one is made from fresh finely sliced beef and chopped mushrooms. Again, I vary this recipe greatly depending on what mood I’m in or what inspires me in the aisles of my local grocery store or what is in my fridge. This time I was shopping and it was a lovely steak – a T-bone actually. And mushrooms tend to be a staple in our house (I’ll post this great recipe for sautéed mushrooms in another blog – no really, this isn’t your everyday sautéed mushroom recipe), a really flexible and versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed on its own or added to a dish.
The nice thing about this dish is that the Romaine lettuce holds up nicely with the filling. Don’t get me wrong, I love lettuce wraps, I just don’t like having my food fall apart with every bite. Romaine lends itself to this kind of dish nicely. The leaves are firm, crisp and easy to hold when eating (not to mention they are large enough that 1 or 2 will fill up the average person). I know summer is almost over, but they are predicting a warm October, but don’t wait for it. Try this, I know you will enjoy it. I served this on a wooden platter my kids gave me as a present. I think it continues the easy casual summer eating theme nicely. Remember, recipes are just guides (in most cases), feel free to add or subtract to suit your tastes – your kitchen is your domain. Just share your variations with me! As always – enjoy!
The Filling:
1 lb beef – (I used a T-Bone steak), cut philly cheesesteak style – thin and in pieces
1 medium onion
1 cup Cremini mushrooms pulsed with the 1 medium onion from above, in a processor – or a rough chop with a knife
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and Sambal Oelek (or some other spicy sauce – harissa paste etc)
2 tsp chili flakes
Olive oil, salt and pepper – to sauté, and to taste
Brown the beef (including the bone) breaking up any bits that clump together
Drain any fat that comes into the pan remove the bone*, add about 2 tbsp olive oil to the beef and add the diced onion – you only want to soften the onions
Add the Worcestershire sauce, sambal, salt and pepper – taste, season and taste again
In a separate pan (or empty the beef/onion mixture to a bowl), add 1 tbsp olive oil and the mushrooms and onions – you want to remove the extra water from the mushrooms and onions so sauté until they are almost dry – flavor with some salt, pepper and chili flakes – remember, taste, season and taste
Once the liquid from the mushroom and onions has almost dried up, add the beef/onion mixture – stir to combine – That’s it for the filling!
*Make sure you leave a little meat on the bone, salt and pepper it before adding it to the pan, then when it’s done cooking, while no one is watching you, snack on this bone – oh my goodness – what a treat.
The Sauce:
½ cup yogurt (for a variation, try some lime or jalapeno – this is new, flavoured yogurt)
1 lime, zested and juiced
½ cucumber, deseeded and small chop/dice
1 Thai chili or other hot pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and let rest for 15 – 30 minutes before serving (or use right away)
The Topping:
½ cup peanuts
2 tbsp Sriracha
Coat the peanuts in the sriracha, let dry on their own on the counter for about 30 minutes or in a 325F oven for 10 minutes (make more than you need, they won’t last and you will regret it – really!)
The Base:
1 pkg Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried thoroughly
Bring it together:
Arrange lettuce on a platter, top with the beef and mushroom mixture, dollop with yogurt, top with peanuts – enjoy! Note, if the lettuce doesn’t lie flat, trim the bottom (middle stem) so there is a flat edge, stand it up in this edge if presenting on a platter. Otherwise, do it family style and let them make their own – one bowl of washed and dried Romaine leaves, one bowl of the filling, the yogurt sauce and the peanuts.
