Beef Scaloppine with Mushrooms

Step 1

Place each piece of beef between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet (or the bottom of a heavy skillet) to pound it flat until it is about 1/8-inch thick, like thin deli meat. Work gently so it doesn't tear.

Step 2

Place each mushroom cap stem-side down on the cutting board and slice straight down through the cap and stem into 1/4-inch-thick slices, like slicing bread.

Step 3

Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots.

Step 4

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it foams and the foam subsides, about 1 minute. This means the butter is hot enough to sear the meat quickly.

Step 5

Working in batches so the meat is not crowded, lay the beef pieces flat in the hot skillet in a single layer and cook without moving them for 90 seconds until the surface turns light golden brown.

Step 6

Flip each piece of beef and cook on the other side for 60 seconds until the surface turns golden brown, then transfer all the beef to a clean plate.

Step 7

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the mushroom slices in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3 minutes until the bottoms turn golden.

Step 8

Stir the mushrooms once and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring once more halfway through, until they are soft and have released their liquid.

Step 9

Add the minced garlic to the mushrooms and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the smell becomes strongly fragrant — this blooms the garlic flavor.

Step 10

Pour in the 1/2 cup of white wine or broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring gently for 30 seconds.

Step 11

Return the beef pieces to the skillet, laying them flat in a single layer on top of the mushroom sauce, and cook for 1 minute without stirring so the beef is heated through.

Step 12

Taste the sauce and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the top, stirring gently once to combine. If the sauce tastes too salty or too bland, adjust with a tiny pinch of salt or a splash of water.