Bife a Portuguesa Recipe

See Also: Beef Dishes · Meat Dishes

Bife a Portuguesa

From Dorothy McNett's Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns
4 beef tenderloin steaks, about 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf, broken in half
8 thin slices Prosciutto or Serrano ham
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine the slivered garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper to make a smoth paste and rub it into the steaks. In a heavy bottomed 10-12 inch skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil and add the bay leaf. Cook for one minute, and then remove and discard the bay leaf pieces. Add the steaks and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned nicely but still pink inside. Transfer the steaks to individual baking dishes or a large platter and put in the oven to keep warm. Quickly warm the ham slices in the skillet and then arrange 2 slices on top of each steak. Add the wine and lemon juice to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping in any browned bits. Pour sauce over steaks, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon. Serve with the fried potatoes.

Recipe created 2006-01-24.