Lately, I’ve been craving more protein and specifically, beef. I come from a long line of females with anemia so I try to eat lean red meat at least once a week. With summer over, my steak every couple of weeks is no longer an option and I get tired of beef stew. I finally tried a braised beef tenderloin. I’m now a huge fan.
I made braised pork tenderloin a few weeks ago and I was amazed at how tender and flavorful the meat was after braising it in the oven. I wanted to try the same thing with beef tenderloin that I found at Whole Foods. I quick sautee’d some vegetables and bacon and then deglazed the pan in a fabulous (and cheap!) red wine before adding the seared tenderloin back to the pan. I let the whole thing slow cook at 350* for 2 hours.
Slice onion, carrots, mushrooms. Add fresh thyme. Cook for ten minutes in 2 Tablespoons of oil. Then add 1 small can of tomato PASTE. Yes, the paste.
Add 1 cup of wine to vegetables. Use silicone spoon to stir vegetables and tomato paste, scraping bits off the bottom of the the pot. Add tenderloin back to pot.
Put lid on the pot (make sure knob is oven safe to 350*) and cook for 2 hours. No need to stir.
The tenderloin will be very tender. If you cut it across the grain into slices, it will fall apart, it’s that good. Serve with potatoes, rice, noodles, quinoa, etc. Any grain will work with this.
