Five Simple Ingredients

My mom reads this blog and she loved the entry I made referring to our lunches of filet and avocado. Really, I mean, it is so simple, yet it seems that the simplest items can always be the most satisfying and comforting. And, when your Mom is involved in the cooking process, you know there is some major TLC involved.

I was recently home for my birthday and one day while I was working from their home my Mom and I got to talking about memories during my catering days. These were the days that I was cooking so much food at one time that I completely lost my appetite. My mom was always there, asking to help, keeping my "glass half full" (ahem...), and making sure that I was eating something. We reminisced about how she would always ask me what I wanted for lunch and I never could decide, only because I was surrounded by so many other food items. She would then make the executive decision that filet and avocado would be the most satisfying. I didn't hesitate to change her mind.

Off she would drive to our neighborhood Gelson's market where she swore by their center cut filet mignon steaks and their Haas avocadoes. I mean, she SWEARS by Gelson's and claims that they have "the best", a fun statement my family loves to joke around with. As a chef, I should pay attention to where the avocados are grown and where the beef comes from, but because it is such a special shared moment between my Mom and me, I just forget to care.

So being home my Mom asked what I wanted for lunch, and in that moment, I knew what I wanted. Filet and avocado - Party Marty style. With a smile she whisked herself out the door and came back with her center cut beef filet mignon and what she claimed were avocados that she sent the produce men to the back to pick out because she wasn't thrilled with the selection on the floor. Gotta love Party Marty - she means business.

She picked the "best" center cut filet:



My mom liberally salts the filets and uses no oil to sear the meat, just a non stick pan.





Here is a shot of Party Marty fixing up the plate. She insists on letting the meat rest for 10 minutes. So I patiently wait.



The "best" avocados generously "dusted" with Lawry's Seasoning Salt.



Diggin' in and no knife required. Another part of this is we always used to eat standing up, which I always reminded my mom wasn't a good thing. Well, some habits can't be broken.



Simple goodness.




So, five simple ingredients is all it takes - beef filet mignon, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, Lawry's Garlic Salt, avocado, and a glass of chardonnay.