Recipe: Copycat Recipes for Beef or Chicken Tony and Mudega Sauce

Recipes in this file: Beef with Provel Mudega Sauce, Steak with Modiga Sauce, Chicken Modiga, and Chicken Maria

There are no explicit copycats floating around.

Beef Tony is charbroiled, aged Black Angus beef tenderloin, topped with Provel cheese sauce, fresh mushrooms and green onions. Chicken Tony uses a lightly breaded charbroiled boneless breast. These dishes use a Provel cheese sauce similar to "modiga sauce" (sometimes you'll see it spelled mudega or modega), and is typical of St. Louis restaurants. I've included some similar recipes to Beef and Chicken Tony.

Provel is a trademarked processed cheese made from cheddar, Swiss, and provolone, which you can order online, even through amazon.com, for a pretty penny. Imitating it in flavor or in texture by simply mixing those cheeses just can't be done. Various companies make processed cheeses labeled 'pizza blend' or 'pizza cheese' that are similar, as is Swiss-American combined with provolone, but to really re-live the dish the splurge might be worth it.

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BEEF WITH PROVEL MUDEGA SAUCE

FOR THE BEEF:
1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) beef sirloin steak
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

FOR THE MUDEGA SAUCE:
2 tbsp butter
1 (3 oz) pkg sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
1 cup baby bella, crimini, or button mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream or half and half
1/2 cup provel cheese ropes
1/2 cup chopped green onions (for garnish)

TO MARINATE THE STEAK:
Trim any visible fat from meat. Cut into 6 serving sized pieces. Place in large freezer bags.

In small bowl stir together oil, sherry, garlic, and pepper. Pour over meat; seal bag and turn to coat meat. Place bag on plate; marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

TO PREPARE THE MUDEGA SAUCE:
In large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add prosciutto, mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cook stirring constantly until onion is tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in flour. Add broth, lemon juice, wine, and pepper; stir constantly until bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cream and provel cheese.

WHEN COOK THE STEAK:
Remove meat from bag and very lightly coat in bread crumbs. Place meat on rack of foil lined broiler pan.

Broil until internal temperature is 145 degrees F for medium, about 6 minutes per side. Top each piece of meat with Provel mudega sauce. Return to oven briefly.

Serve with extra sauce, garnish with fresh chopped green onion.

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STEAK WITH MODIGA SAUCE

1 cup fine dry Italian bread crumbs
4 New York Strip steaks (10 to 12 ounces each)
FOR THE MODIGA SAUCE:
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons sweet cream butter
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 ounces provel or provolone cheese, at room temperature

Place bread crumbs in a large plate. Place steaks in plate and press very hard so that the crumbs cover the entire steak (encrust).

Place on grill at medium heat. Cook to desired doneness (medium rare preferred (135 degrees F) remove from heat). Prior to removing from fire, add cheese and cover each steak. Make sure lid is closed to allow cheese to melt. While steaks rest and you apply sauce, steaks will continue to cook another 5 degrees (140 degrees F).

TO PREPARE THE MODIGA SAUCE:
While steaks are grilling, place a saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add garlic; cook just until the sauce becomes fragrant, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Add mushrooms; cook approximately 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour; cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Then gradually stir in the chicken stock, wine and lemon juice; add salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and cook until sauce becomes thick, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; set aside and keep warm.

TO SERVE:
Place the steaks on a serving plate and cover each with warm sauce and serve immediately.

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CHICKEN MODIGA

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup seasoned flour (salt and pepper to taste)
Vegetable oil
4 tbsp butter, divided use
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 to 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups shredded provel cheese

Pound chicken breast; lightly salt and pepper and set aside.

Lightly dust chicken breast in seasoned flour.

Heat saute pan on medium heat. Add oil just enough to coat pan. Add 2 tablespoons butter to saute pan and melt. Add dusted chicken breast and cook over medium-high heat don't mess with them too much. Cook until golden brown 3-4 minutes per side and chicken is done, at least 160 degrees F (chicken has to be done). Pull chicken from pan and hold in 140 degree F oven.

In same saute pan on medium-high heat add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and melt. Add wine and heat for 30 seconds scraping bits in bottom of pan (this is called deglazing). Add chicken stock, mushrooms, garlic and lemon juice; let cook until mushrooms have absorbed stock.

Add cheese slowly stirring with whisk cook until cheese is thoroughly incorporated into sauce. Serve sauce over chicken breasts.

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CHICKEN MARIA

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons sherry
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided use
3/4 cup provel cheese
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup lump crabmeat
FOR THE CHICKEN:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 fresh asparagus spears

In a medium pot, combine stock, garlic, lemon juice and sherry; bring to a boil.

In a small pot, melt butter; whisk in 2 tablespoons flour to make a roux and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk roux into boiling stock mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low.

Stir in provel, cracked pepper, mushrooms and crab; keep warm until serving time.

Pound chicken breast halves between sheets of plastic wrap to a uniform 3/4-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and ground pepper to taste. Coat chicken with remaining 3/4 cup flour.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and brown on each side about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and cook until done, about 7 minutes more.

Meanwhile, steam asparagus until done. If desired, cut asparagus into bite-size pieces.

Arrange chicken on serving platter; top with asparagus, then ladle on sauce.

(Note: Can also be prepared with batter-coated chicken.)

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 Nov 2007, L8 -- recipe from Pietros in St. Louis