Beef...It's definitely what's for dinner!!

Hello everybody. Time once again for a new blog and this one was a winner. I've made it before but it was before I had the blog so time to add it in. On the menu was Lemon-Garlic Sirloin Tips over Rice, Red-White Beans, and Sauteed Spinach with Bacon.

First lets tackle the sirloin tips. Now I'll be the first to admit that the idea of lemon and sirloin seemed a little odd to me. Let's be honest, you don't usually see sirloin tips in the south. You usually see them with a thick brown gravy over them ( and don't get me wrong I LOVE them that way), but I don't think I'd ever seen sirloin or beef tips with lemon. I have to say the flavor combo on this is fantastic! The lemon adds an interesting tartness to the sirloin that really works well! So lets get into how you make it. First thing to do is let the meat sit out and come to room temperature. Now I usually buy the fresh groceries for these meals the on the way home from work before I cook it so between getting it and getting out of the grocery store and then getting home and getting everything ready to cook the meat is usually already at room temperature when I'm ready to get started. If you buy yours in advance just let it sit out for a few minutes. Now at Publix they didn't have sirloin tips so I found a sirloin I liked and had the butcher trim and chunk it for me. I have to say it made me feel like such a real cook by actually having meat cut by the butcher :). Once the meat is at room temperature, pat it dry and you are ready to go. Heat the EVOO over medium-high to high heat. Once it is hot add the sirloin tips and let them go! You want to get a really nice caramelization on the meat so don't mess with it for a little while. Once the first side is caramelized you can turn he meat and brown on all sides. Once the meat is caramelized, add the salt and pepper and then add the garlic and cook together for a couple minutes. Then you stir in the parsley and lemon zest and let it go for another minute or so. At this point, you are going to add the white vermouth  to deglaze the pan. Now, I didn't wanna buy the white vermouth because I don't particularly care for wine so the Vermouth wouldn't get used and would go bad, so instead I used a little chicken stock to deglaze the pan. If you have Vermouth by all means use that or just white wine would work as well. But if you don't have either and wanna save a couple bucks, you can totally use the chicken stock, it still tastes great! At this point you turn the heat off and squeeze in the lemon juice, then toss and coat the sirloin tips. Rachael Tip: Squeeze the lemons cut side up so that you keep the seeds in the lemon, not in the dish! For the rice you just make a cup of rice according to the package directions of your rice. I use chicken stock to cook my rice so that it has a little more flavor. Once the are ready, you just serve the sirloin tips over the rice!!

Next are the red-white beans. You start out by adding some EVOO to a skillet over medium heat. You then add in a medium to large onion with rosemary, salt and pepper and cook them until the onions are soft and sweet. At this point you stir in the tomato paste and let it cook out for a minute. This is what makes them "red"-white beans. I'd recommend getting some of the tomato paste in a tube. It's usually either next to all the can tomatoes or it'll be on the ethnic foods aisle. It's great for something like this cause you don't have to open a can of tomato paste and then try to figure out what to do with the leftover paste. It's also nice to have it in the fridge so that you have it on hand for future recipes. I've used it before in rice and made a rice that's similar to the rice you get when you go to a nice Mexican restaurant! So definitely pick some up and keep it on hand. Now that I'm done product plugging, once the tomato paste cooks for a minute and in the stock and beans and the reduce heat to low and let it simmer for a couple minutes so that the flavors combine. Pour into a serving bowl and you are ready to go!

The last side dish I did was not part of the original meal but I wanted to have some kind of green with this. I had seen Rachael use bacon with greens and so I decided to just try that with spinach. So first up you chop up 4 - 5 slices of thick cut bacon and crisp up over medium-high heat. Once it is crisp you are ready to add in the spinach. Now I only used one bag of spinach. I would suggest using 2 bags for 4 people as it does wilt down a lot and didn't really leave a lot! Once you start adding in the spinach, you will season with pepper and nutmeg. Now I made a goof-up and added salt as well. With the bacon you don't need salt added so mine came out a little extra salty. Now, my friends actually really liked it but next time I'll be sure not to add any salt and see if it's better, which I'm sure it will be.  Anyway, once the spinach wilts down nicely transfer it to a serving bowl or platter and it's ready to go!

This meal is one that is a good example of why I like Rachael so much! There were things in this meal that I hadn't tried before and I wasn't sure I'd like, but by making them easy and flavorful to make, Rachael is able to open up your mind and tastes to something different. My friends neither one like wilted greens. Dawn just doesn't eat spinach at all and Jamie pretty much only eats it in salads. They both ate it and enjoyed it! So thanks Rachael!! Hope you guys enjoy it. Pics are below and as always if you like what you see and wanna make it, the recipes follow. Until next time, Happy Cooking!!

"Lemon-Garlic Sirloin Tips over Rice"

2 Lbs. sirloin tips, trimmed and cubed
into bite-sized pieces
3 Tbs. EVOO
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ C. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley,
a couple handfuls
1 lemon, zested and juiced
½ C. white vermouth or dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring meat to room temperature and pat dry. Heat the EVOO in large, heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. When the oil smokes, add the meat and caramelize before turning. Once evenly browned all over, about 5 minutes, season liberally with salt and pepper, add the garlic and toss with the meat for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and a little lemon zest and cook for another minute. Add the white vermouth and deglaze the pan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately

*For rice prepare according to package directions. Cook in chicken stock for extra flavor!

"Red-White Beans"

2 Tbs. EVOO
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
¼ C. tomato paste
1 C. chicken stock
2 (15oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, rosemary, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8 - 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute. Add the stock, then stir in the beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve.

"Sauteed Spinach with Bacon"

2 Bags of triple washed spinach

4 - 5 Slices thick-cut bacon

2 Tbs. EVOO

1 Tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Chop the bacon and add into pan to crisp 4 - 5 minutes. Once the bacon is crisped up, start wilting in spinach. Once the spinach is wilted down season with pepper and nutmeg. 1 teaspoon would be about one turn of the pan freshly grating it. Toss with the spinach and transfer to a serving dish.