The Lush Chef

Libations used: 2 cups Tempranillo
Libations left over: Less than half the bottle, so pour a couple of glasses while the sauce is simmering, or serve with dinner...
Valentine's Day is coming up, and whether or not you're celebrating it with a special someone, you owe yourself a delicious and sexy homemade meal.  If you're not a big cook, you at least know how to cook pasta, right?  This Fettucine with Tempranillo Sauce, Beef Tenderloin and Goat Cheese from GreatFood360.com is a relatively simple dish that is perfect for a romantic evening, or heck - dinner for one (treat yourself).  This dish doesn't take that long to make, so you don't need to stress out about slaving over the stove all night.  Instead of doing a whole coin of goat cheese on top, I crumbled some large pieces so that it would mix in better with the sauce.  Roughly chop some Italian parsley and chiffonade some fresh basil to give this dish a little color and extra flavor.  Using fresh herbs will always impress.  Buy a nice bottle of Tempranillo (a full-bodied plumy red wine from Spain), so while that sauce is reducing, you can pour yourself (and your honey) a glass.

Fettucine with Tempranillo Sauce, Beef Tenderloin and Goat Cheese - serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 cup dehydrated Portobello mushrooms or chopped fresh wild mushrooms
• 1-2 Tbs flour
• 1 lb of beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• One 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 2 cups Tempranillo
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 12 oz fettucine
• Goat cheese for garnish
• Italian parsley & basil for garnish

- If you're using dehydrated mushrooms, reconstitute them by covering them in hot water.
- Reserve the mushroom broth — if you find you need to loosen the sauce, you can add this or just stuff it in the freezer and use for risotto.
- Season the beef cubes in salt and freshly ground black pepper, then dredge in the flour.
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan, add the olive oil and 1 Tbs of butter over medium-high heat.
- Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides.
- Meanwhile, bring your water to a boil to cook that pasta al dente (that's about 8 minutes, lushes).
- Remove the beef from the pot and turn the heat down to medium.
- Add the other Tbs of butter to the pot, add the onions and cook until they're soft.
- Add the mushrooms and crushed garlic, stirring for a couple of minutes until the garlic starts to caramelize.
- Add the tomato paste and stir in for about 1 minute.
- Slowly add the wine and beef stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan by scraping up browned bits.
- Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until it's thickened and reduced by a third.
- Add the beef back into the pan so it can heat up for at least 5 minutes.
- When your pasta is cooked, plate it and top with the sauce and beef.
- Sprinkle some goat cheese crumbles, parsley and basil on top.