"Bringing Home The Beef"

Roasted Fillet of beef wrapped in Porcini and Procuitto

Roasted Fillet of beef wrapped in Porcini and Procuitto

Ingredients (Serves 5)

12 - 18 Slices of Procuitto / Parma Ham

3 Cloves of peeled Garlic

1 handful of porcini soaked in half a pint of boiling water

3 nobs of butter

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 whole Pampas Fillet 3/4 lbs

Fresh Rosemary & Thyme

2 Glasses of Red]

1 tblsn Olive oil

Method

Pre heat oven to 230 degrees centigrade, 450 farenheight or Gas mark 8.

Soak the handfull of porcini in boiling water and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then remove the porcini and save the juice.

Chop one of the garlic cloves

Add 1 nob of butter, garlic and the soaked porcini and shallow fry for 2 minutes. Then add half the porcini juice to the pan (making sure it is grit free). Simmer and reduce for 5 minutes.

Now, place the remaining two nobs of butter and the lemon juice into the pan and add the seasoning, simmer for 2 minutes and set aside.

Lay out the procuitto on greaseproof paper, being careful to overlap each slice  so there are no gaps (soon we will roll the fillet in the procuitto, so the layers must be wide enough and long enough to cover it entirely).

Now lay the porcini over the top of the procuitto, place the herbs ontop of the porcini

Take a large frying pan and heat the olive oil, till smouldering. Now seal the fillet in the pan so that all sides are covered, you should have no raw meat showing by the end. Leave to cool

Season the fillet and now place at the beginning of the procuitto and slowly roll up the meat (making sure you leave the greaseproof paper behind).

Secure the fillet with 5 pieces of string

Place the fillet in a roasting tray with the remaining two cloves of garlic and roast for 20/25 minutes (rare),  40 minutes (medium) and 50 minutes well done. On a 4lb fillet (5mins/lb rare and 10 mins/lb medium)

Half way through the cooking add the wine to the tray.

Once the meat is cooked remove it and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Take the remaining juices and simmer to a light gravy

Slice the fillet as thick or as thin as you like, personally I like an inch size thickness. Serve with fresh greens and new potatoes sauted in butter.

Have a great meal.

Dish Prepared By Chef:


August 12, 2008