Andi's Grilled Filet Dinner with Grilled asparagus and Portabella Mushrooms

*Filet Mignon, 16 oz (4 x 4oz Filets)
Seasoning blend of choice (not listed in nutrition). (If you like your steak MW or Well I recommend a cut with more marbling/fat)

Butter, salted, .75 stick
Garlic, 6 cloves (i'm crazy for garlic but you can use less if you prefer)

Asparagus, fresh, 1-2 bunches

*Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Pepper, black, 2 dash
Salt, 2 dash

Portabella Mushrooms, 4 large caps

I made this recipe for myself. It's not an exact science you can adjust amounts and cooking times to suit your needs.

At this point I light the coals so they have time to heat up and get red hot by the time the food is prepared.

Rinse and pat dry 4 beef filets (also known as tenderloin filets or in some cases Filet Mignon)
Season with seasoning blend of choice, I use SaltGrass 7Spice Steak seasoning and it's amazing, but Cajun seasoning would also work. I season it well on both sides. Set Aside

Let butter soften at room temperature, Chop or press as many as 6 cloves of garlic and mix thoroughly into softened butter with a fork to make garlic butter. Set aside

Wash asparagus, snap the tough ends off (hold the asparagus at two ends and bend throw away the nonpointy end). Dry. On a Aluminum foil, drizzle asparagus with EVOO (Olive Oil) and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Rinse and pat dry portabella mushrooms. Set Aside.

When coals are hot (they'll be red and white and when you hold your hand over them for a count of 10 and it feels hot that's high heat). (if you grill alot you probably have a feel for when the coals are ready, or you could be using propane).

I always place the Portabella and asparagus on first. Portabellas go on the outer edges of the grill, place a peice of garlic butter on the top side of the mushroom and spread it around. You'll want to flip these every 2-3 minutes or so, making sure to add some lubricant to keep them somewhat moist, garlic butter or olive oil works for me. A little red or white wine is also a nice touch, esp on the gill side because it retains the liquid better. You want to cook these mushrooms until they're tender, through the middle when stuck. They'll shrink some. It's ok if the edges are a little dry they'll still be moist inside. I also sprinkle them with salt and pepper or steak seasoning.

Asparagus, i place near the hottest part of the fire. Ontop of the aluminum foil (unless you're lucky enough to have a grill accessory that keeps it from falling between the grates). I punch a few holes throughout the aluminum foil (with my tongs or a butter knife or even fork) to let the smokey taste in. As often as I flip the Mushrooms, i'll take my tongs and shuffle the asparagus, flipping them over and scooting them around. Add more olive oil if they start sticking. I like to cook these until they're tender at the least, i prefer it when they've turned a little brown on one side and have shrunken a fair amount and turned fairly soft. A little 'crispy' outside essentially, when the skin starts looking a little wrinkly (i like my asparagus on the grill WELL done).

Once the side items (mushrooms and asparagus) are nearly done (at least 10 minutes) I move these further off towards the side, and put the Filets on. If you like your meat well cooked you'll want to put them on sooner.

Place the filets on the grill, and put a little bit of garlic butter ontop of each one. just a little goes a long way. I flip them every 2-3 minutes. I always test my meat for doneness by touch so it retains all juices. Here's how:

Rare: Feels soft & springy like the flesh between your thumb and index finger.
Medium-rare: Feels tougher like the flesh at the base of your thumb.
Medium: Feels like the base of your thumb when you loosely close your fingers.
Well-Done: Feels firm like the base of your thumb when you make a fist.

(i've also seen comments about one type feeling like the end of your nose, another like your cheek etc). If it's your first time cooking, cut into the meat and see how well it is done and remember the feel of the meat at that stage. It gets firmer as it's been cooked longer. Juices start seeping out once you get around Medium-Medium Well

If you put the steaks for people who like the more well done over the hotter part of the grill and for those who like it rarer farther away from the coals you might be able to cook them in the same time. Or you can put more well steaks on earlier and rarer steaks later.

I put a little pea-dime sized peice of garlic butter on the top every time i flip the steak unless it's already very moist.

If you like your steak well or medium well, I advise butterflying the filet (cut into the filet from the side, leaving a little peice connected at the edge and flatten it out it'll be thinner) before you cook it so it'll cook faster without becoming tough. It also helps once filet has been seared to move steaks intended to be cooked to well or medium well into a packet of foil to retain the juices as it cooks (as you cook meat more well done it looses the natural juices, if you keep the juices and pour them over the steak when done it'll taste better)

Let meat rest for 2-5 minutes before serving so the juices don't all escape when you cut into it. I usually place the portabella under the filet and fan the aspargus ontop and pour the excess meat juices over the top. This dish is also good with sliced grilled polenta.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ANDICOONS.