BEEF PICCATTA

How about a twist on chicken piccata?  Beef or veal is an excellent way to make this dish.  It really is not just for chicken.  Lemon compliments beef almost if not better than it does chicken.  

I have been trying hard this past week to use some stuff up in our freezers.  We have 2 full-size freezers in the basement.  This does not include the freezer part to the fridge in the kitchen or the one in our garage.  All are rather full.  I figured it was time to get serious and use some of the stuff up.  This week, I have baked a chicken to use in chicken pies, made shepherd's pie, stuffed pepper soup, wonton soup, and sliders.  Heck, currently I have a corned beef in the crockpot and a leg of lamb defrosting.  Also thinking about a pot of veggie soup for later.   

Since we had some beef and venison tenderloin needing to be cooked, I decided to make this dish. 

Just make a seasoned flour to dust your beef with.  You want to do this as you are adding it into a hot skillet with olive oil or butter.  

You do not cook this long.  Maybe 2 minutes per side.  

Take off and put them beef pieces on a plate.  Cover with foil or keep on the stove top to keep warm.

In the meantime, cut up an onion and a few cloves of garlic.

Place this into the skillet and cook for a few minutes.  

Capers are a must in the recipe. Don't forget to Add them.

Add lemon juice. 

De-glaze with some white wine and chicken stock.  I use homemade stock that I had made the day before from the bones of the baked chicken.  Add mushrooms and allow to thicken.

Add your meat back into the skillet and allow to sit a few minutes for flavor to blend.  

BEEF PICCATA

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef tenderloin or steak.  You can also use veal.
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (not cooking wine)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1/4 cup capers
• juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup flour mixed with salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons butter

Direction

• Slice your beef thin.  Set aside.
• Mix flour with salt and pepper per taste.
• Heat skillet and add olive oil once hot.
• Once skillet is hot, dust beef with flour and place in skillet.  Cook 2 minutes per side.  Take out of the pan and cover with foil.  You need to keep it warm.
• Dice onion and mince the garlic.  Add to hot skillet and cook for 4 minutes.  
• Next, add capers and mushrooms to the onion and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Deglaze skillet with white wine and chicken stock.  Allow to thicken. 
• Once thickened add lemon juice and swirl with butter.  Add beef back in.  
• Allow this to sit about 10 minutes to flavor.  

I have to apologize this recipe turned out so good that I did not get a picture of the food plated.  Yes, it was seriously that good that we totally forgot to get a picture.  I served this with herbed capellini.  

ENJOY!!