Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Go All Out Beef!

We're often asked, "What's the deal with 'Happy Hippie Sunday' and you guys?" Well, that's the subject of a 'soon to come' post but I will briefly touch on it here as it relates to this story, and the recipe that follows.

One of our rituals associated with this special day that we call 'Hippie Sunday' is to share coffee or tea on our lanai with Kona and Malu, while enjoying an array of fresh fruit and maybe a muffin, bagel or steel cut oatmeal. We also put on the music. Or sometimes, we do our Hippie Sunday Brunch watching CBS Sunday Morning because it's full of happy, peaceful, interesting, entertaining, and educational stories. It's not the dreadful CNN or FOX News drama and media-hyped, attention-getting stories of death and destruction. Ya see, even writing that was kind of a buzz kill. We no like drama; we like happy and peace. More later on HHS.

Yesterday was Sunday and life is good! ツ

So, it was another relaxing day of resting, swimming, being together, being outdoors, good eats [as Alton Brown would call it], and great wine, BUT.....Yes, there was fresh fruit for breakfast and some nuts and veggie snacks during the day, but yesterday was one of those....beef days!

Sometimes ya just gotta go all out beef! And if you're going to do it, you must do it right. We have many friends and relatives who are Vegetarian or Vegan and I certainly salute you folks. But, you better look away now, because this won't be pretty for you.

This Sunday, yesterday, I made a recipe from my book. Well, it was 3 recipes, made into a perfect Sunday meal.

Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce

 Grilled Balsamic Artichoke with Lemon Garlic Aioli
Onolicious Baked Stuffed Potato 

Served with a Bold Cabernet

Here you go!...Bliss on a plate, brah

Look good? So, how was it? Amazing, I believe. It rocked! Hey, but I'm a little biased, though. Dawn took charge of the sauces and quik-steaming and cleaning out the artichokes and I did the grilling. We purchase our meat from a local butcher called the Roseville Meat Company. Our great friends Jeff and Suzie turned us on to them. A couple of months ago I began talking with the owner about their meats, and especially their 'secret' Maui Marinaded chicken and ribs. Well, the owner and his family are originally from Maui and it's his Grandfather's own 'secret' recipe', handed down. You gotta love those things in life! And small world syndrome too struck once again. Having your own local butcher on the corner is kind of like having your own...well...you know what I mean. You trust them and you know where their stuff comes from and it's good. Yeah, Foodland, Safeway, or whateva..they're not meat stores, if you get my drift.

Moving right along now, tonight we sat down to this meal and watched the premiere to Amazing Race. By the way, the filet on this plate cost $11.28. Definitely better than going out, huh? I elected to not show pre-cooked or sliced open pictures. Why? I don't know. Yup, they will be in the book, though.

The Grilled Artichoke recipe I've posted before and the 'perfect' baked potato is one of mine too. Yeah, I know an artichoke or baked potato may not seem hard or even special, but these are worthy enough to add. I'm sure everyone has his or her own recipe, but this is mine. Most of the creations I have are complex, but these two in particular are simple and always good to have on hand. More importantly, if you don't cook them right, they're not worth cooking at all.

So, what about the bacon wrapped filet recipe? Well, that you're going to have to get from the book, or contact me personally. Cooking the 'perfect' filet is an art, to say the least. It takes a lot of practice, experience, timing, etc. to get it just right. But when you do, it is worth every penny.

To properly sear and grill a filet in not just temperature and timing. It about those in addition to touch, pushback, resting, timing, thickness, open or closed BBQ, placement, and flipping. I mean, how many times have you heard Gordon Ramsay yell, "Shut it down!" after his so-called chefs on Hell's Kitchen waste filet after filet after filet? It's not easy. So, if you'd like to try one, let me know and I'd be glad to throw a filet on the barbie for ya.

One last look and a little closer this time.

Mmmmm...Grill marks too....Now that is onolicious, brah! Cheers to you and yours this and every Sunday!

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel