Beef Wellington is a robust meaty dish that is popular in Britain as it makes for a hearty meal with an abundance of flavours.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo and whilst there is no clear cut evidence this dish was named after the Duke of Wellington, it is none the less always a crowd pleaser.
In more traditional recipes the fillet is coated in pate and mushroom duxelle, however a little mustard and a thin layer of spinach is best – why choose such a great cut of beef and disguise its flavour? Make sure you use a tasty wine for the sauce as it really does make all the difference.
Ingredients
- 700g Prime Beef Fillet
- 2 Tbsp Colmans English Mustard 8 slices of Parma Ham
- 500g Jus Rol Puff Pastry
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 bag of Baby Spinach
- Ingredients for the Shallot & Red Wine Sauce:
- 200g Shallots
- 4 Tbsp Napolina Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Tbsp Rosemary
- 5 Tbsp English Provender Balsamic 400ml Red Wine
- 400ml Chicken Stock (OXO)
- 50g Anchor Butter
Method
1- Season the beef fillet with salt and pepper. Heat 1
tbsp of oil in a heavy-based frying pan and sear the beef for 30 seconds on each side, remove and leave to cool.
2- Put the spinach into a colander and carefully pour hot water over to quickly cook it. Smear the mustard on the beef.
3- Lay two sheets of cling film on the counter and smooth down with a tea-towel. Layer the parma ham and spinach on the cling film and then place the beef fillet in the middle. Carefully roll it up and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4- Split your pastry into two pieces and roll them out to 5mm with a little flour. Take the cling film off the beef and place it in the middle of one of the puff pastry’s. Brush the egg yolk down the sides and place the other sheet on top, press down all around it with a fork to secure it.
5- Chill for 15 minutes and preheat your oven to 200C. Score the Wellington with the blunt side of a knife in a criss-cross pattern and glaze with the remaining egg yolk.
6- Place it into the oven for 20 minutes then reduce the oven to 180C for 15 minutes. Remove and rest for at least 15 minutes.
Method for the sauce:
1- Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and sweat the shallots, garlic and rosemary for 10 minutes on a gentle heat. Add the balsamic and stir for another 2 minutes.
2- Add the red wine and reduce by two thirds, then add the chicken stock and reduce it on the hob by half its quantity.
3- Finish by whisking in the butter.
