Stuffed Beef Tournedos with Fettucine, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Zucchini

Ingredients

• For the Tournedos:
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), minced
  • ½ cup black olives (preferably Gaeta or Nicoise), pitted and minced (about ¼ cup)
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 4 teaspoons minced thyme
  • 1 ½ pounds Omaha Steaks Chateaubriand, Beef Tenderloin
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Fettucine, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Zucchini:
  • 8 ounces dried fettuccine
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 5 Roma tomatoes, blanched (see below), peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes, (packed in oil), thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon chopped thyme
  • ¼ to ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (see below)

Blanching tomatoes:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
2. Score the base of the tomatoes with an "X" and immerse in the water for 30 seconds.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
4. Peel with the tip of a knife, starting at the base end of the tomatoes.

Toasted pine nuts:

1. Place in a hot, dry skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Toast pine nuts, chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. The nuts are toasted when they look slightly browned and smell aromatic.

To prepare the tournedos

1. Combine the tomatoes, olives, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl.
2. Slice the tenderloin into 8 equal portions (about 3 ounces each); cut portions from the tapered end longer and flatten each steak so that the tournedos are approximately the same size.
3. Cut a pocket in the side of each tournedo and fill with about 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato-olive mixture.
4. Season the steaks with pepper and set aside.

1. Cook the fettuccine al dente, according to the package directions.
2. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and zucchini and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
5. Add the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and thyme, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the mixture is relatively dry but still a little moist.
6. Add the cooked fettuccine to the pan, stir in the heavy cream, and cook over low heat until the fettuccine is warm and the cream sauce thickens a bit.
7. Season with the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

To finish the steaks, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the tournedos over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, about 2 ½ minutes per side for medium, or to the desired doneness. Serve 2 tournedos per person with the fettuccine on the side. Garnish the fettuccine with toasted pine nuts before serving.