Recipe: Beef on a String Soup and Sandwiches

BEEF ON A STRING SOUP AND SANDWICHES

"This may seem like an unusual way to make soup and a sandwich, but it's actually founded on French culinary tradition. Boeuf a la ficelle (beef on a string) cooks beef by tying it with string and lowering the meat into a pot of broth, turning the meat meltingly tender. The basic principle is the same here: The meat is lowered into a cauldron of hot liquid, which cooks it, while the meat flavors the broth at the same time. Only here, the cooking liquid itself becomes a soup with the addition of pasta and the beef becomes the centerpiece of a make-your-own-sandwich spread."

4 filets mignons (about 12 ounces each)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and cut into large dice
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 1/2 quarts water
Splash dry white wine
A few drops distilled white vinegar
2 bay leaves
Pinch of sugar
1/2 pound pastina or other rice-sized pasta
Cornichons, horseradish, and Mustard Mayonnaise, for serving
Sliced white bread, for making sandwiches

Season the filets mignons with salt and pepper. Tie each filet around its equator with kitchen string, leaving about a foot of excess string. Find a spare wooden kitchen spoon long enough to rest across the top of a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Tie the end of each string to the spoon so that the filets can be lowered into and raised from the pot easily.

Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the carrots, celery, onion, porcini, and garlic. Stir and cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables soften but do not brown.

Add the 2 1/2 quarts water, white wine, white vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, and 3 1⁄2 tablespoons coarse salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Lower the filets into the pot, resting the wooden spoon across the top. Simmer for 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare, or longer if using larger cuts of beef (or if you like your beef more well done). Check for doneness by cutting into the center of 1 piece with a sharp, thin-bladed knife. For rare or medium-rare, it should be pink at the outsides and red toward the center, but warmed all the way through. As it becomes more well-done, it will be less red and more pink throughout.

Remove the filets from the pot, cut off and discard the strings, and transfer the meat to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest while you finish the soup.

Add the pastina to the pot and cook until al dente, following the time guidelines on the package. (If using millet, precook it.)

TO SERVE:
Slice the beef against the grain, arrange on a platter, and serve with cornichons, horseradish, mayonnaise, or other desired condiments and sliced bread for sandwich-making. Ladle some soup into each of 8 warm bowls and serve alongside.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman