Lemon Sausage with Artichokes

This weekend I went to Bisbee, Arizona with some friends. For dinner we made lemon sausage, fried potatoes and onions and a great salad with a lemon vinaigrette. We bought groceries from the local Bisbee farmer's market, so all of our ingredients were fresh, locally-grown and delicious! In the future, I want to add artichokes and sage to this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)

1 lemon, halved

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

Salt and pepper

4 whole artichokes

Extra virgin olive oil

4 pork sausages

4 fresh sage leaves

2 minced shallots

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Parsley to garnish

Directions:

Steam the artichokes in the broth, add parsley, garlic, wine and lemon halves. Season with salt and pepper

Take the artichokes out and run them under cold water

Using a paring knife, trim the bottom end of each artichoke stem and shave the stem down to expose the tender flesh underneath

Snap or cut off the outer petals until you reach the soft, pale green leaves in the center

Simmer the artichokes in the broth, cover the pan and cook at medium-low heat for 20 min or until the base of the each artichoke is soft

Remove the artichokes from the broth and carefully removing the choke at the center of each artichoke, keeping the artichoke in tact for presentation. Discard the chokes.

Put a skillet over medium heat and cover the bottom with olive oil

Cut the sausage into small rounds and cook for 7-10 minutes until browned over

Take the sausages out of the pan and set aside

Add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Add sage leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes to add the sage's flavor to the oil

Add in the shallots, garlic and thinly cut lemon slices. Cook for 2 minutes

Add the broth to the pan, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until reduced and thickened

Return the artichokes to the pan and cook over low heat

Serve the sausage with artichokes and the lemon, sage, shallots, and garlic reduction.

Bisbee, AZ

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

Hi internet! Hope everyone had a great holiday! I made Christmas Eve dinner since our favorite Italian family-owned restaurant closed. Here's a favorite of mine that is so easy to cook.

The tenderloin is quite lean and can easily become dry when overcooked. Wrapping the tenderloin in bacon solves this problem and adds a great deal of flavor.

Ingredients:

Salt & Pepper

5-8 oz. beef tenderloin cuts, 1 inch thick

Olive oil

2 pieces of bacon/tenderloin

2 tablespoons minced shallots

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Rub steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you prefer (onions and garlic are recommended)

Wrap two wide pieces of bacon around the steak, making sure there are few gaps

Weave a toothpick through the bacon and steak to secure the bacon in place

Place the steak presentation side down on a medium-high stove top--melt either a half-stick of butter or use olive oil

Don't crowd the pan. There should be enough space as the meat.

Cook the steaks on both sides for about 5 minutes or until the sides brown

Once all the steaks are cooked, turn off the stove and put the steaks on the pan.

Place the pan in the oven and cook the steaks to your preference, using a meat thermometer: 120-125 degrees for rare meat, 140-150 degrees for medium, and around 160-170 degrees for well-done.

Garnish with shallots and remove the toothpicks (mushrooms, sauteed onions, and bleu cheese would also be good to add)