Filet Mignon with Shitake Mushrooms and Cold Green Bean Salad

The Full Menu:

• Cast-iron filet mignon
• Sauteed shitake mushrooms with sweet onions (with a hint of ginger)
• Cold green bean salad with cranberries, blue cheese, and sesame seeds
• Light red wine sauce

I cooked this meal as a first time dinner date.  I knew my date loved steak, mushrooms, and green beans, so I thought I would try to work all three into the meal. I hadn't planned on the recipe until once I was at the grocery store.  The steak is easy - salt, pepper, and a good skillet is all that is needed.  Mushrooms and sweet onions go naturally together.  For the green beans, I'd only blanched green beans once, so I figured I give it a try.  From eating at restaurants, I knew blue cheese would naturally compliment the steak.

While it looks daunting, this meal is pretty easy to cook.  Its about 10 minutes of prep time (chopping and pre-heating the oven) and about 12-15 minutes of cook time. You'll be sauteing, baking, blanching, and reducing all in 20 minutes.  Good luck sir.

Stove top is ready.

Even though this was a first time dinner date, there was definitely some improvising.  I realized that while cooking the mushrooms, they were drying out (so I added a splash of sherry cooking wine).  Steak filets don't have a lot of fat, so I opted to make a quick red wine sauce (by feel and guessing).  I've listed the recipes below, but the moral here is that you can make real-time substitutions and color outside the lines. Use the recipes below as a guideline:

Cast-Iron Filet Mignon
Cook time: 14 minutes

• 2 6-8 oz steak filets
• Freshly chopped rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Preheat the cast-iron skillet to medium high

1. Coat the filets with the freshly chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper.
2. Place steaks in skillet.  After 2 minutes, flip.  After 2 more minutes, flip and place in oven.
3. Cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Sauteed Shitake Mushrooms with Sweet Vidalia Onions
Cook time: Can't remember, 8ish minutes?

• 1 Package of shitake mushrooms (or other mushrooms
• 1 Sweet onion (roughly chopped)
• Small piece of ginger (cut ginger into four 1" chunks, noticeable enough to remove at the end)
• Salt, pepper, olive oil
• Sherry wine, soy sauce, OR white wine

1. Skillet to medium-high with a few tablespoons of olive oil
2. Saute the onions and ginger for about 2 minutes
3. Add the mushrooms and a dash of salt
4. Cook and stir occasionally.  
5. The pan may start to dry out, I added a splash of sherry wine, to keep a little liquid in the pan
6. Turn off when the mushroom are fully cooked.
7. Remove ginger chunks.

Cold Green Bean Salad
Cook time: 6 minutes

• Fresh Green Beans
• A few ounces of blue cheese
• Cranberries
• Vinaigrette dressing

1. Remove the ends of the green beans
2. Boil a pot of water
3. Prepare a separate bowl of ice water
4. Place green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes
5. After 3 minutes, transfer green beans to ice water bowl (stops the cooking and makes them crunchy)
6. Strain green beans once the ice water bath has cooled them
7. Arrange the remaining ingredients like a salad
8. Drizzle a little bit of dressing

Red Wine Reduction
Cook time: 4-5 minutes

• 2 Tbsp. of Butter
• 1 Shallot
• Salt, Pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp. of Sugar
• 6 oz Red wine

1. Saute butter and shallots in a small pot over medium
2. Add salt and pepper to taste
3. Pour in the red wine and turn up the heat to high to bring to boil
4. Let the red wine reduce by about two-thirds or so
5. Strain the liquid into a cup
6. If the red wine is too bitter, slowly add a little bit of sugar 

Full Meal Checklist

• 2 6-8 oz steak filet mignons
• 1 package shitake mushrooms
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 shallot
• Fresh green beans
• Cranberries
• 2-3 oz blue cheese
• 1 bottle of red wine (to drink and cook)
• Fresh rosemary
• Cast-Iron skillet

You should already have these:

• Butter, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
• Sherry cooking wine
• Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
• Vinaigrette Dressing