VALENTINO STEAK BISQUE

Pair with Nebbiolo

Recipe by Patrick Doyle – Ancient Peaks Assistant Winemaker

Of all the many wonderful characteristics Nebbiolo carries, from a culinary perspective, we notice one thing for sure — it is tannic and acidic at the same time. This makes pairing Nebbiolo with food quite simple. Nebbiolo can handle fat and cream well and its acidity goes a long way in making herbaceous and floral aromatics really pop in a meal. So as things start to cool down outside, please enjoy this hearty and comforting bisque.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound diced steak (round or tri-tip, avoid chuck roasts as they take too long to tenderize)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups broth (mixture of beef and veggie broth works wonders)

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 medium russet potatoes, diced

1 cup half and half

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (remove leaves from stems)

1 tablespoon sage, diced

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

**This is a one-pot recipe. I recommend a 4-quart pot.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1.  Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 4 quart or larger pot. Add onion, garlic, and steak. Cook until onions begin to become translucent. Season with a dash of salt and pepper — don’t go overboard, we can always add more later! As we say in winemaking, “you can’t unblend it!”
  2. Remove steak and onions from the pot and set aside. Scrape crispy pieces from the pan.
  3. Add mushrooms and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes until they begin to brown.
  4. Pour in the mixture of broths, Worcestershire sauce, and potatoes. Bring to a boil and set to simmer. Add steak and onions back into the pot. Simmer for 25- 30 minutes until the potatoes soften to your preference.
  5. Now it’s time to add cream and turn this soup into a bisque! But first, let’s temper our half-and-half to ensure it doesn’t curdle. Pour your half-and-half into a separate cup or bowl with plenty of room. In this cup, very slowly add a quarter cup of the warmed broth from the pot into the bowl of half and half. Stir while doing this. (This will warm the half-and-half enough to prevent the thermal shock that causes curdling when you pour it into the pot).
  6. Slowly add tempered cream while stirring. Remove the pot from heat at this time.
  7. Add sage and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
  8. Pour a glass of Nebbiolo and enjoy!