Chestnut Tagliatelle With Mushrooms
I'd never tasted London Broil until my husband, in the early days of our marriage, tossed together a quick meal of it with French fries on the side and deli cole slaw.
The meat was a surprise to me: I thought London Broil was something you made from scratch. Somehow I missed the fact that it can be purchased in a cute little spiral shapes in most meat departments.
London Broil is not a cut of meat, but a way of preparing either flank steak or top round roast. It can be a bit tough, since it's threaded with muscle, so marination is necessary. It is not London at all. In fact, it is a purely American invention, I am told.
You can certainly prepare your own London Broil, of course, and when you do, it looks different than those little meat department packages. But since at our house it's a meal reserved for nights of limited time and energy, we purchase it. I marinate it for several hours in red wine and olive oil with garlic and onion. I spread a bit of crushed garlic on top, along with a very small amount of mustard and some dried herbes de Provençe and stick it under the broiler, turning often. When the meat is finished, I top it with sel de fleur and freshly ground pepper.
One of these days, I will make it instead of buying it and then report back. Maybe during spring break, when I only have my day job to worry about.
Here's what accompanied our London Broil last night: Quick Chestnut Tagliatelle with Mushrooms.
Pour stock into heavy sauce pan. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, wine, tomato purée and soy sauce. Cook under medium heat for about five minutes. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Add chopped herbs, a dash of salt and pepper.
Toss with freshly cooked and drained tagliatelle and top with Parmesan cheese.
Note: The chestnut pasta offers a slightly sweet taste that contrasts nicely with the earthy mushrooms. You could certainly use other pastas.
The dish passed My Ultimate Test: It tasted better the next day.
P.S. Am I the only lazy slug who uses store-bought London Broil? Anybody else want to share techniques or marinades?
The meat was a surprise to me: I thought London Broil was something you made from scratch. Somehow I missed the fact that it can be purchased in a cute little spiral shapes in most meat departments.
London Broil is not a cut of meat, but a way of preparing either flank steak or top round roast. It can be a bit tough, since it's threaded with muscle, so marination is necessary. It is not London at all. In fact, it is a purely American invention, I am told.
You can certainly prepare your own London Broil, of course, and when you do, it looks different than those little meat department packages. But since at our house it's a meal reserved for nights of limited time and energy, we purchase it. I marinate it for several hours in red wine and olive oil with garlic and onion. I spread a bit of crushed garlic on top, along with a very small amount of mustard and some dried herbes de Provençe and stick it under the broiler, turning often. When the meat is finished, I top it with sel de fleur and freshly ground pepper.
One of these days, I will make it instead of buying it and then report back. Maybe during spring break, when I only have my day job to worry about.
Here's what accompanied our London Broil last night: Quick Chestnut Tagliatelle with Mushrooms.
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2/3 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 8 ounces button and crimini mushrooms, slice or quartered
- 4 tablespoons red wine
- 2 teaspoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- dash sel de fleur
- dash freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces chest tagliatelle
- grated Parmesan cheese
Pour stock into heavy sauce pan. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, wine, tomato purée and soy sauce. Cook under medium heat for about five minutes. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Add chopped herbs, a dash of salt and pepper.Toss with freshly cooked and drained tagliatelle and top with Parmesan cheese.
Note: The chestnut pasta offers a slightly sweet taste that contrasts nicely with the earthy mushrooms. You could certainly use other pastas.
The dish passed My Ultimate Test: It tasted better the next day.
P.S. Am I the only lazy slug who uses store-bought London Broil? Anybody else want to share techniques or marinades?
Comments
Believe it or not, we have an Italian market here, Lu and it was in the gourmet food section. I tried to post a link but it did not work.
The brand is Rustichella d' Abruzzo.
Hmm, chili, now you're talking — perfect for the coldest weekend of the year.
We are expecting a cold snap here — so I've stocked up on lean meats and vegetables. It should be a delicious weekend.
Your meal looks divine!
Tanna, I love it! Don't tell the foodie police.
F2B, my mother and her friends dislike mushrooms and wonder why their kids love them — if only they knew what they are missing!
Without marinade: Shoe Leather!
I hope you are not completely frozen up there in Wisconsin today.
It was cold, I mean brutal.
It made a great, easy meal by itself that way, even without the London Broil. I really love this recipe of yours! It's turned into one of our favorites.
I have a huge French cookbook — posted about it in mid-October — and it's pretty much based on some basic recipes that are used and tweaked in 1000s of diiferent ways.