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Beef With Jalapeno Cream Sauce
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5:30 Challenge / 5 ingredients / 30 minutes
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of international travel is exploring native cuisines. Over the recent holidays, my family was lucky enough to visit Nicaragua. We ate at mostly small family-owned restaurants and tried all the local dishes. Interestingly, the food was very simple and without a lot of spice.
For most meals, the prime offerings were either grilled steak, chicken, seafood or pork, with a few toppings to pick from. There was usually a garlic and oil combination; a slightly sweet tomato sauce flecked with onions; and a piquant jalapeño cream sauce. After trying them all, the universal favorite was the jalapeño cream sauce on steak.
I tried to re-create it at home, and while it wasn’t the same, it was still quite delicious. The one caveat is that the heat of each jalapeño varies so much from pepper to pepper, it’s hard to predict how much fire you’ll end up with. Taste a small sliver to gauge and have an extra one or two peppers on hand if needed to spice things up. -- Jeanne Besser
Hands on time: Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
Ingredients:
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2 (8-ounce) filets mignon, sliced horizontally into 1/2-inch thick steaks or 1 pound sirloin steak
2 to 3 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, julienned
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
In a large, lightly oiled skillet over high heat, sear meat for 1 minute per side. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until meat begins to feel almost firm to the touch, but with a little spring. Remove meat to a plate.
If necessary, add a little more oil to the skillet. Over medium-high heat, sauté jalapeños, garlic and onion for 4 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Add cream and bring to a light boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
If necessary, add a little more oil to the skillet. Over medium-high heat, sauté jalapeños, garlic and onion for 4 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Add cream and bring to a light boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Notes:
I find it much easier to cook filet mignon when it’s not so thick, so the outside is seared and the inside rare but not raw. For me, it’s easier to use touch rather than time to predict exact length of cooking. If you put your thumb and forefinger together and feel the fleshy, slightly squishy area between them, that’s about what a rare steak will feel like. The firmer the steak the more well cooked it is.
To make the meal: roasted potatoes and broccoli
Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don't need to be included in the ingredient list.) Send recipes to 5:30 Challenge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta GA 30303. Or by e-mail to fivethirty@ajc.com.
To make the meal: roasted potatoes and broccoli
Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don't need to be included in the ingredient list.) Send recipes to 5:30 Challenge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta GA 30303. Or by e-mail to fivethirty@ajc.com.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 449 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 23 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 38 grams fat (20 grams saturated), 153 milligrams cholesterol, 82 milligrams sodium.
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