Umami = Deliciousness. The New Yorker’s March 2015 article: You Think You Know Umami describes it in two sentences: “That deep, dark, meaty intensity that distinguishes seared beef, soy sauce, ripe tomato, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and mushrooms, among other things. It hits the back of your throat and leaves you craving more.” This simple dish is all about umami. Steak, seared and served with shiitake mushrooms, shallots and soy sauce. That’s it. Simple and delicious.
Mana Foods in Paia is my favorite market. Their shelves are stocked full of goodies and hard to find items (for residents of Maui) such as Muscovado sugar, Einkorn flour, specialty vinegars, oils and more. Particularly superb is their produce department. It is well stocked with many fresh locally grown products, including the best selection of fresh mushrooms here on Maui. Beautiful golden chanterelles are hard to find here but Mana has them when they are in season. They even sell fresh fava beans! Gorgeous shiitakes are always available at Mana.
The mushrooms and shallots are sliced thin and quickly sautéed for a few minutes. Soy sauce will be added to the mushrooms just before they are served.
Seared Filet Mignon with Sautéed Shallots & Shiitake Mushrooms
Adapted from Linda Furuya’s San Francisco Chronicle article
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 – 10 (about 6 ounces) medium-size shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 filet mignon (about 8 – 10 ounces 1 1/2″ thick) sliced into two 3/4″ thick medallions
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Preparation
Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the steak with a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the steak to the pan and sear on each side for about 2 – 3 minutes, or enough to leave the insides pink and juicy. Remove steak from the heat, but leave the juices in the pan.
Lower the heat to medium. Return the mushrooms and shallots back to the skillet to warm gently. Once heated, remove the skillet from the heat, add soy sauce and stir until mushrooms and shallots are well coated.
Cut the steak into thin slices and scatter the mushroom mixture over and around the meat. Serve with steamed rice.