Dinner tonight: Beef with Spicy Cocoa Gravy; Autumn Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

P was out of town this week and I realized with my travel I hadn't seen the girls in nearly a month, so I had Ashleigh and Mandy over for dinner. I rarely make red meat (mostly because I don't want to be eating beef leftovers for the next three days), but I have a ton of beef recipes in my little accordion folder, so I figured this would be a good chance to use one! We had beef with spicy cocoa gravy, served over brown rice, and autumn salad with red wine vinaigrette (which I called winter salad because, well, it's winter).

The beef was not bad. I left out the green bell pepper because it didn't seem like it fit to me, but otherwise cooked it as it. The sauce thickened nicely, especially if you leave it uncovered for the last 15 min. However, as the other reviewers on the CL website pointed out, the cut of meat was a little too lean to get "tender"...it was a bit chewy. Also, although there are lots of spices, the sauce was a far cry from being spicy. If you want it spicy, I'd recommend you throw in some ground red pepper, or maybe a bird chile.

The salad was simple, but a nice contrast to the heavy, dark meat dish. I made half the recipe, so only used 1 apple and the romaine (omitting the salad greens and Asian pear). Not a stunner, but a solid salad.

Bonus factoid: When I went to buy top round at HT, I couldn't find a big enough piece on the shelves. When I asked if they had any bigger pieces, the butcher said, "Yeah. They're called London broil." Apparently it's the same cut, just thicker.
You're welcome. :)