Drunken Mushroom

On a regular basis, I render the fat from (or the meat from, depending on if you're an optimist or pessimist) a bunch of what we call PSMOs (Peeled Side Muscle On). These are a type of beef tenderloin cuts. First, I roast them ontop of a bed of carrots, onion, and celery (sound familiar?). I put this in an oven at 350' until the meat looks very brown and the vegetables are kinda black on the edges. Then I put everything, including juices, into a large pot. I add a pinch of dried thyme and black peppercorns. I add 3 bayleaves, and some parsley stems. Then, I cover everything with water and let it simmer until half of the water boils away. (This is called "reducing.") Next, I remove the meat, throw away the veggies, and strain the liquid through a china-cap (or a "sieve") and then a chinois (shin-wa) which is just a very fine sieve. I pull the meat from the fat and save the meat. But let's forget about this meat. I'd like to turn your attention to the yummy goodness that drained through the fine mesh chinois. Beef Stock! It's really good stuff. I love it. But since I don't have to make soup right away, I must lower the temperature of the beef stock quickly, so into the freezer it goes (about -20' brrrrr). I do this to prevent bacteria growth. Then, when the stock is cold, it's much easier to remove the fat from the stock since it's solidified on the top. This beef stock will be the base for my next soup of the day:

DRUNKEN MUSHROOM

The tools available:

1) beefstock

2) lots of mushrooms...I mean LOTS

3) some beef tenderloin medalions

4) the normal veggies, herbs, and spices

5) a whole wine cellar full of booze

The plan of attack:

1) get the mushrooms drunk in a bath of Madeira wine

2) create a mirepoix

3) go easy on the meat, but add enough so no one askes "Where's the beef?!"

A cook with wine can be a real fun-gi.

I'm using regular, 'ole, button mushrooms. These just need to be rinsed off. You don't kneed to peel them and the stems on these babies are edible (unlike shitakes or portabellas). I cut these in large pieces. Someone watching over my shoulder told me that I should slice them thinly, but I don't think they understood that the mushrooms will shrink in the soup. So what goes well with mushrooms? Well...just about anything. Some may argue that mushrooms and shrimp taste like whatever sauce you serve them in. I suppose this is due to the over use of potent ingredients to add flavor. Mushrooms will soak up whatever you cook them with and this flavor will trump the delicate taste of the mushroom. But for some reason, like salt and pepper, like chocolate and peanut butter, like lime and cilantro, like ginger and garlic, like Abbot and Costello, the combo of mushrooms and Madeira is magic.

Madeira is not just any port in a storm.

Madeira wine is a fortified wine from the Madeira Islands of Portugal. The original reason for fortification was to preserve wines. Adding alcohol before the fermentation process is complete kills the yeast and leaves behind the food that the yeast was feeding on....sugar. A popular type of fortified wine is called "Port." Which is also from PORTugal. But NOT from the Madeira Islands. Other differences are that Madeira is heated and exposed to the air. Why? Wouldn't this kill most wines? Yes! It would! But this is exactly what happed to Madeira when it was shipped over seas centuries ago. But, as it turns out, this was a happy accident. The cooking and oxidizing of the fortified wine gave it a unique taste. And for some reason this type of wine goes very well with mushrooms.

(FUN FACT: Madeira was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson and it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence.)

What kind of a 'room has no walls or doors?

The rest of the assembly is easy as mushroom pie. Just cut up the beef, brown it in a pot with a little butter and oil, let some of it burn to the bottom (It's ok...trust me.) Then simmer your mirepoix with the meat and add some Madeira to deglaze and just watch as the brown bits at the bottom of the pot dissolve away into some soupygoodness. Then add the mushrooms and the beefstock. That's it. And it's good stuff. Garnish with a little cheese if you like. Or put it in an oven-safe dish add piece of crisp bread and cover with some swiss or provalone as if it were French Onion Soup. Only...it's not French...and um...I used mushrooms instead of onions....but you get the idea.

Enjoy!

And don't worry if you forget to put the cork back in the bottle of your Madeira...it was designed to last.