Bistro Beef with sun-dried tomatoes

For the first Sunday in March I decided to keep with comfort food. I clipped this particular recipe back in March 2005 from Chatelaine. I've been avoiding it as it contains some ingredients I thought my fussy family would balk at, but now that we've instituted the Sunday dinner rule I decided to give it a try.

The Sunday dinner rule at our house is that everyone tries one bite of every dish served. During the week I tend to stick with the classics, the crowd pleasers, i.e. any dish that doesn't evoke whining and eye rolling. So Sunday is a day to go outside the comfort zone. Well, not my comfort zone since I have the most adventurous palate of the family. The Sunday dinner rule also states that we eat in the dining room. And I make a dessert. So despite the rules, everyone wins since I can't think of a dessert I've made yet that has been rejected.

Back to Bistro Beef. The sun-dried tomatoes likely attracted me to this dish initially. I make a mean chicken dish that involves sun dried tomates and I don't care if the ingredient is tired or cliched, it eats great. I've also only just recently, in the last five years or so, discovered that I do like olives. The recipe suggested serving the beef over mashed potatoes with a side of green beans. Good suggestions both.


The reaction to this dish was a surprise. My husband loved it, despite not being a fan of olives or red peppers. My youngest son discovered he enjoys green beans (a surprise for us both) and my other son requested more bread with butter, please. Oh well. You can't please everyone! I enjoyed Bistro Beef more the second day, as is the case with most stews I make. The sauce, which is mostly beef stock and balsamic vinegar, seemed richer the second go round. This recipe is available via Chatelaine.com.