A Meal Worth A Championship Served Up By Cajun Mike
This is the best time of the year if you are a professional football fan, like I am. The 49ers will be in Carolina, the Colts at New England, the Chargers play the Broncos, and the Saints will defeat the Seahawks.
Whatever your team it’s a sure bet that you’ll have the gang over and your GRILL MASTER skills will be on display. Don’t shink from this opportunity to master the wild flame…capture it, and grill that mouth watering beef.
Straight from the pages of my cooking “holy grail” comes a recipe I love to serve. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s sizzling sounds and smells send the vegan running for the hills (or wherever they go).
On page 82 of Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way (Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminsky. Artisan Publishing), is the recipe we’ll use for the playoff games. It’s called “Tournedos wrapped in Bacon and Sage.”
Follow these easy steps and YOU are the winner:
4 thick cut strips of hickory smoked bacon
4 beef tournedos, 5 oz each, should be at least 1 1/2″ thick (a tournedo is a filet)
16 fresh sage leaves
coarse salt and fresh ground coarse black pepper
Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet for about 5 minutes, or just before it becomes crisp. Wrap the bacon around each tournedo spacing 4 sage leaves evenly in each one. Tie with a string or secure with a long toothpick.
Heat a large cast iron skillet, wood grill, or gas grill. Sprinkle the tournedos with the salt and pepper (I prefer to mix the seasonings in a bowl, lay the steak on top and mash down slightly pushing the seasonings into the meat). Stand them on their sides so that the bacon is in contact with the hot surface. Cook only for about one minute, then rotate until all the sides of the bacon are crisp. Place the tournedos flat surface on the grill and cook each side an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sweet potato casserole, pumpkin bread (muffins are great), grilled asparagus, or crisp green salad with fresh made blue cheese dressing.
Your gridiron days may be over but your grilling days are still ahead…
Send me your comments about this recipe…
Cajun Mike @ [email protected]
