Fileno al Mirtillio (Filet Mignon with Blueberry Steak Sauce)

This recipe is a copy cat of a steak sauce that is from a restaurant in Florence, Italy called Acqua al Due.  The recipe was created by Sara and posted on tastebook.com.  There are many food bloggers posting about how wonderful this steak is.  It sounds absolutely yummy. 

Fileno al Mirtilio (Blueberry Steak Sauce)

based on original dish from Acqua al Due in Florence from Sara @tastebook.com

3 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 small shallots (or 1 medium), finely chopped
2 tbsp. flour
¼ c. sherry vinegar
¼ c. ketchup
3 tbsp. dijon mustard
¼ c. orange juice
¼ c. molasses
½ tsp. dried thyme
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
¼ tsp. dried sage, crumbled
salt and ground pepper to taste

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and saute 3-4 minutes, until shallots are translucent, but not browned. Sprinkle in flour, stir to blend and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to bubble.

Add - vinegar, ketchup, mustard, orange juice, molasses, thyme and sage and stir to combine. Add blueberries and stir to combine. Increasing head to medium-high, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often for about 15 minutes until the mixture is thickened and glossy.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool then transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree for 30-40 seconds until very smooth.

Grill filet fignon to your taste and pour blueberry steak sauce over steak.

Enjoy!

Savory Wild Blueberry Chicken Breasts

This time I found a recipe that is actually called a "savory" blueberry recipe! It sounds wonderful to me.  I don't have wild blueberries but I am going to try it with my regular blueberries.  I wonder what the difference is between "wild" blueberries and regular blueberries.  I am thinking that the wild ones would probably be smaller and maybe the taste would be more intense?  Either way, this recipe sounds great.  It comes from the www.food.com website.  I also included a recipe for cajun spices in case you are like me and don't have a clue what cajun spices are.  I am a New York City/East Coast gal all the way so I am clueless as far as anything cajun.  

Savory Wild Blueberry Chicken Breasts

Servings:  4

Prep. Time: 10 mins.

Total Time: 30 mins.

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon Cajun spices

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup red wine

2 cups wild blueberries

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:

1.        Dust chicken breasts with Cajun spices.

2.       Sauté in olive oil until brown and almost cooked through 7 to 10 minutes.

3.       (If thick, cover for 3 or 4 minutes more.)  Remove chicken breasts from pan and keep warm.

4.       In same pan, sauté garlic and onion until transparent, scraping remaining bits of chicken from bottom of pan.

5.       Add red wine and cook down until most of the liquid is evaporated.

6.       Add Wild Blueberries, lemon rind and salt.

7.       Simmer for 5 minutes.

8.       (If blueberries are frozen, until berries are heated through.)  Add salt and pepper to taste.

9.       Let sit for 5 minutes, heat off, for flavors to blend.

10.   Spoon over chicken breasts and serve.

Cajun Spices Recipe

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Stir together salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes until evenly blended. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!