Recipe – Marinated Beef Tenderloin

We are currently trying to clean up the freezer from assorted stuff we had accumulated over the past year or so. Like everybody we tend to accumulate a bunch of frozen stuff and before it gets too old and needs to be thrown out, we recently decided it was time to use everything so that we can slowly restock it with things we are using more regularly.

Yesterday we took out a piece of beef tenderloin that had been frozen for a while. It was of local origin, and like most local meats it tends to be much lower in fat content, thus it has a tendency to be a lot dryer and harder than imported beef. Last week I had prepared a nice piece of the filet I had removed from a big imported T-Bone roast that we did last summer for Normita’s birthday and it was stunning as a small roast. I stir-fried half of the tenderloin I had defrosted yesterday, and it turned out a bit dry and chewy. I did not want to repeat the experience and today I decided to marinate it all day to see if we could salvage the meat.

We had not been out food shopping since last week, so I improvised something with what I had at hand in the kitchen. The tenderloins turned out very tender and juicy this time. We ate them with steamed chayotes and a carrot salad Normita made.

Ingredients

1 pound beef tenderloin cut in 4 1 ½” thick slices
1 tbs desiccated onions
1 tbs desiccated garlic
1 tbs vegetal meat tenderizer
1 tbs crushed peppercorns
1 tbs finely diced fresh ginger
1 tbs sesame seeds
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
½ bottle red wine

Preparation

1. In a large bowl place the wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire, sesame oil and seeds, ginger, peppercorns, tenderizer, garlic, and onions and mix them well.
2. With the flat part of a meat hammer flatten the tenderloin slices until they are reduced to ¾” and then with the toothed part of the hammer down to a bit over ¼”.
3. Place the flattened tenderloins in the marinade and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours.
4. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking the meal and grill over high coals, or on the stove in a grill pan.

Lucito