Google+ Surprise Ingredient Cook-off

You may remember back around Thanksgiving time when I dominated graciously won the Google+ sponsored Thanksgiving Leftover Cook-off. Well I’m back to defend my title! This is for all the marbles. Or something. Please vote for me here. All you have to do is leave a comment saying my dish is the winner. This time, the theme was surprise mystery ingredients. Google Local Austin sent each contestant a box of mystery ingredients that we couldn’t open until we were live on air! Cool, right? Cool. We got canned pineapple, smoked chipotle peppers and whole fennel seeds. Loved it! I don’t normally use fennel in my cooking but I really need to! It’s super tasty. Here is what I made:

What the heck is that? I’ll tell ya. Fennel Crusted Ribeye Over Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Grilled Pineapple, Baby Portobellos, Pickled Cabbage and a Smoked Chipotle Red Wine Sauce. I whipped the sweet potatoes with pineapple juice for sweetness, and a little Greek yogurt, butter, and salt and pepper and used this as the base for my dish. Then I sautéed mushrooms in olive oil with pineapple juice, salt and smoked chipotle pepper. In the same pan, I sautéed the pineapple rounds dusted in crushed chipotle pepper and then sautéed the ribeye steak that I crusted with salt, pepper, crushed smoked chipotle pepper and crushed fennel seeds and put this on top of the potatoes. I added red wine to the pan and reduced this down, mounted it with butter and seasoned it with smoked chipotle pepper and lemon. I plated the mushrooms on top of the steak, and garnished with the pineapple rounds, pickled cabbage, cilantro, green onions and the red wine sauce. Yum!

Here are a few shots from the cook-off, but you can watch the whole video on Mary’s blog. Here I am waiting to get started. Need to open the box now!!!

Here I am sautéing stuff.

Clearly doing something chefy.

With my taste-tester and unique hat connoisseur. Her review? “Taste meaty.” Score!

Please vote for me here. All you have to do is leave a comment saying my dish is the winner. Thanks so much! Jew are the best!

Fancy photo credit: Mary Makes Dinner.