Beef Tenderloin Stracotto Style

You will also need:

1. A lidded, deep ceramic casserole, or any deep casserole made from a nonreactive material.
2. A large strainer.
3. 3 bowls.
4. A food processor or blender.
5. A heavy-bottomed, medium-sized pan.
6. A whisk or wooden spoon.

A note about the beef: You want it tied together. You can have this done by the butcher or, if you must tie it yourself, simply tuck the short end of the filet under, wrap cotton kitchen string tightly around the length of the tenderloin and tie it. The result doesn’t have to be pretty.

Making the tenderloin and sauce:

1. Pour the wine into the casserole. Add half the onion, the garlic, celery, carrot, nutmeg, bay leaves and cloves. Add the meat. Cover the casserole, put it into the refrigerator and marinate for an hour.
2. At the end of an hour, remove the meat from the casserole and pat it dry. Strain the marinade through the strainer into a bowl. Reserve the liquid and place the vegetables in a second bowl and reserve them as well.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 F or, if the weather is hot and you don’t wish to heat up your kitchen, the meat may be braised on top of the stove instead.
4. Wipe the casserole dry and add 4 tablespoons of the butter into it. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and the second half of the chopped onion and fry them until the bacon just begins to crisp around the edges and the edges of the onion begin to turn golden. Transfer the bacon and onion to a third bowl and reserve them. Set the casserole off the heat for a minute so that the drippings don’t burn while you prepare the meat for browning.
5. Rub the meat with coarsely ground black pepper and salt. Then rub the flour over it.
6. Heat the drippings in the casserole over medium heat until they are hot. Brown the meat in the drippings on all sides. Then return the bacon and onion mixture into the casserole. Add the reserved vegetables to the casserole as well. Cook over a low-ish heat for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables just begin to turn golden around the edges. Pour in the reserved marinade, bring the mixture to a boil, then cover it and braise it in the oven until the meat is tender. This will take about 1 hour for a good quality tenderloin. Alternatively, braise the beef, covered over a very low flame on top of the stove. Using either method, turn the meat occasionally as it braises so that both sides spend some time down in the cooking liquid.
7. While the beef cooks, cut the second portion of butter into pieces and place it in the freezer.
8. When the meat is done, remove it to a platter and cover it lightly with foil to keep it warm while you make the sauce. Skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the braising liquid. Remove the bay leaves and cloves and discard them. Remove the 4 tablespoons of butter from the freezer and set it nearby for finishing the sauce.
9. Place the braising liquid in a food processor or blender and process it until it forms a smooth sauce.
10. Pour the sauce back into the pan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Turn down the heat to low. Whisk in the butter, a piece at a time, until all of it is incorporated into the sauce. Once all of the butter is melted into the sauce, remove the sauce from the heat.
11. Remove the string from the tenderloin and slice it against the grain. Place several slices on each plate and spoon sauce over them. A few sprigs of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley on each plate make a pretty garnish.

A suggestion: Beef Tenderloin Filet Stracotto Style is very good served on a bed of fresh spinach pasta. There is a recipe for the pasta, along with the beef, on the related link.