It has been another long hot summer here and now we are in the fire season. Growing up in Wyoming I was educated on fire danger. We doused and stirred any fire until Dad was sure it was out. A small thing, but it made an impact. As an adult I remember watching helicopters scoop water from a mountain lake during the Yellowstone Fire of 1988. I remember a frank discussion taking place where the cause of the fire was determined to be a lack of forest management, not clearing brush, nor cutting down dead or beetle infested trees. It saddens me to see this happening on a much larger scale in California. Why would I bring this up? Those of us that live in northern Nevada are impacted every year by the wildfires in California. Since the end of July, I have tasted the smoke in the air and seen the haze in the sky. Now the smoke is so thick that most of us are driving with our lights on twenty-four hours a day. The air quality probably ranks right up there with some of the most polluted cities in the world. I pray daily for the safety of the fire fighters and for the fires to be brought under control.
This year definitely has us sitting on the edge of our seats, first the coronavirus, the shutdown, mandated masks, riots, and fires. I think we need tee shirts and hats that read “I Survived 2020.” It’s as if God is trying to get our attention and wants us to listen to an important message. Having pointed all that out, it has not all been bad news. I have read news about children being rescued from human traffickers; heard a vaccine for the coronavirus is being developed and will hopefully be out shortly; noticed a growing awareness among US citizens who are paying attention to what our elected officials are doing, and have seen an increase in the belief in God. It has been a wild and crazy ride this year, but that is often when growth occurs. I look forward to seeing all the new innovations across the country.
This year has taken a toll on the Cowbelles as well. We were moving steadily toward our goal of sponsoring a Carcass Contest for the Churchill County Jr. Livestock Show, but we have had to cancel. We are anticipating working again toward imbedding the carcass contest into the livestock show this upcoming year. I greatly appreciated every individual that stepped up and donated to this endeavor. I believe that individuals who assist their communities are rewarded, and will trust it will be true in this case as well. A huge thank you is due to Jack Payne, Donald Shank, John Hancock Construction, Lane & Associates, and Mackedon for your contributions.
Personally, this year in Cowbelles I am looking forward to sharing our mission with as many people as possible. Last year we revised our mission slightly. We plan on using social media, Ag in the classroom, and participating in community events like The Cantaloupe Festival and Country Fair to “Promote the beef and agricultural industries in the community, schools, and youth organizations in Churchill County.”
By Susan Van Patten, President
Our Favorite Beef Recipes
Easy Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington may look intimidating but it’s really not. Trust us, it will taste like it took way more time than it actually did! Be brave and give this tasty showstopper a try.
It’s the perfect meal to impress your holiday guests!
INGREDIENTS:
1 (2 lb.) center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
kosher salt & fresh black pepper
Olive oil, for greasing
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 lb. mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
Leaves from 1 thyme sprig
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
12 thin slices prosciutto
Flour, for dusting
14 oz. frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS:
Using kitchen twine, tie tenderloin in 4 places. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Over high heat, coat bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil. Once pan is nearly smoking, sear tenderloin until well-browned on all sides, including the ends, about 2 minutes per side (12 minutes total). Transfer to a plate.
When cool enough to handle, snip off twine and coat all sides with mustard. Let cool in fridge.
Meanwhile, make duxelles (mushroom stuffing): In a food processor, pulse mushrooms, shallots, and thyme until finely chopped.
To skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add mushroom mixture and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then let cool in fridge.
Place plastic wrap down on a work surface, overlapping so that it’s twice the length and width of the tenderloin. Shingle the prosciutto on the plastic wrap into a rectangle that’s big enough to cover the whole tenderloin.
Spread the duxelles evenly and thinly over the prosciutto. Season tenderloin, then place it at the bottom of the prosciutto. Roll meat into prosciutto-mushroom mixture, using plastic wrap to roll tightly. Tuck ends of prosciutto as you roll, then twist ends of plastic wrap tightly into a log and transfer to fridge to chill (this helps it maintain its shape).
Heat oven to 425°. Lightly flour your work surface, then spread out puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that will cover the tenderloin (just a little bigger than the prosciutto rectangle you just made). Remove tenderloin from plastic wrap and place on bottom of puff pastry. Brush the other three edges of the pastry with egg wash, then tightly roll beef into pastry. Once the log is fully covered in puff pastry, trim any extra pastry, then crimp edges with a fork to seal well. Wrap roll in plastic wrap to get a really tight cylinder, then chill for 20 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap, then transfer roll to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake until pastry is golden and the center registers 120°F for medium-rare, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.
To see how easy it is to make this dish, view a step-by-step How-To Video at delish.com