16 June 2011

London Broil with Mushrooms


London broil is great for broiling or outdoor grilling, but I wanted to see what I could do with it in a frying pan. London broil can be other cuts of meat, but at Rocky Mountain Organic Meats it is a 2- to 3-inch-thick, 1- to 1.5-pound piece of top round. (I didn't weigh it, but it seemed like more than the 1 pound marked on the label. But I'm not complaining!)

Since it's a lean cut, marinating is recommended. (And, since it's a lean cut, I felt I could go a little crazy with the butter in the sauce! But more about that later.) I marinated it for about 7 hours, but I'm sure a shorter time or a longer time would have been fine. A total of 30 minutes in the pan gave me medium. You can adjust the time to suit your preferred degree of doneness. And if you're using a different cut that is thinner, you won't want to cook it quite so long.

I know this dish would look so much better with a sprinkling of flat-leaf parsley, but I haven't managed to revive my herb garden yet and I refuse to pay big bucks for another bunch of parsley that will go bad before I can use it all. But you be sure to garnish it properly! (Did you notice my feeble attempt at fluting that one whole mushroom?)

Note: Check out my Pan-Seared Ribeye Steaks with Shallot Pan Sauce.

London Broil with Mushrooms

(Serves 2 to 4)

The Marinade

1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon marjoram

The Beef

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1-pound organic grass-fed top round London broil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

The Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, finely minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

1 Combine marinade ingredients in glass dish. I used a Pyrex loaf pan because it most closely matched the size and shape of the meat. Place meat in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours, turning meat over a couple times.

2 Heat heavy-bottomed large skillet (I like the All-Clad 5112 Stainless 12-Inch Fry Pan) over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the oil.

3 Thoroughly dry the marinated meat with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. The oil should be shimmering in the hot pan.

4 Place meat in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, not moving the meat, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn meat; cook 5 minutes. Turn steaks again and reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Turn once more and cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes or so while making the sauce.

5 Add butter and shallots to pan and cook over low heat until softened, about 1 minute or so. Turn heat to medium; add mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and dry sherry. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping up browned bits. Stir in lemon juice. Add butter, whisking constantly until melted. Spoon over sliced meat and serve immediately.

20 comments:

Marc-Frederic said...

Jean, I'm coming round to your place, right now!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Marc! I do cook some meat once in a while, makes a break from the legumes!

Unknown said...

Oh, Jean, that looks.... AMAZING! I just want to dive right into that plate. Delicious!

(p.s..I made the fudge ripple ice cream last weekend.. oh my was it so very good.. my pictures didn't turn out that great so I might have to make another batch so i get a better picture so I can post it... darn it!!! lol)

Cranberry Morning said...

Looks delicious! I love having instructions for making it in a skillet, for the weather doesn't always cooperate for grilling. I think I'll try my ancient family-heirloom cast iron skillet.

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

"…fluting a mushroom"? Sounds kinky. Not sure I want to go down that road. Well, I suppose the ice cream had to end, but if it did, my carnivore incarnation is ready to take on a well-marinated cut of McCow. Rarely see a London broil I like, but the operative word here is "rare," and you've presented a really compelling dish, Jeani. Last week I made a killer batch of stroganoff, which, like London broil, is all but inedible to me unless it's marinated properly. You got it, kid! I may even try to flute that mushroom. Where do you get the music for that?

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Jenn! Glad my ice cream recipe worked well for you. Hope this one does too. (Isn't it sad that it's "all about" the photos, now that we're bloggers?!)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, thanks! Wish I had an heirloom cast-iron skillet. Can't think what happened to it when my dad died. But I have my mother's good stainless cookware (the 1940s/50s version of All-Clad) and think of her every time I use it.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sully, I took the "music" right out of my head. For official instructions on how to properly flute a mushroom, see the book I reviewed in this post: http://delightfulrepast.blogspot.com/2011/01/winter-salad-and-book-review-complete.html. It's a great book!

TONY said...

Oh that sounds incerdible, Jean.

have you ever been to the loire? The vineyards there use caves in the limestone cliffs that line the river valley. These caves have been extended and tunnelled to create vast caverns to store millions, probably billions of bottles of wine, maturing slowly. In amongst the vats and the bottles they grow mushrooms as a side line. There many restaurants in the Loire Valley that do the most exquisite mushroom dishes. It's always the sauce that goes on the meal with the French isn't it!!!!!!!! And, of course a nice bottle of wine.

This has got me thinking . Must book my summer holiday. France beckons.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Tony, for the compliment AND the travel tip! Of course, the reason I haven't been to the Loire Valley is it would be time I could have spent in England!

Grant said...

Hey Jean, looks delicious. I could almost forgo the steak and just eat those mushrooms. I do love a good shroom, regardless of what instrument they are playing :-)

many healthy smiles,
Grant

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Grant, thanks! Isn't it amazing how delicious fungus can be?

Mrs. Tuna said...

Yum, my caveman husband will love this.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Mrs. Tuna! Yep, cavemen like their big hunks of beef, don't they! I like the mushrooms.

wishful nals said...

yum! that marinade sounds so good.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you! I love to marinate!

Mark said...

Save that excess flat-leaf parsley next time by cutting the remaining bunch into thirds and layering between sheets of paper towels in the fridge. It will dehydrate over the course of a week and you can save the cold dehydrated parsley for another meal. After dehydrated, the leaves will easily separate from the stems. Alternately I occasionally chop up the leftover parsley very fine and add lemon juice and salt. It will keep for about a month in the fridge like that.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks for the parsley tips, Mark. It's the only thing standing in my garden just now, so I think I'll try these soon!

JHill said...

I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious, thank you so much for sharing!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, JHill. So glad you liked it. I am so in the mood for this right now, but have only chicken in the house for the weekend!