CHEAT’S BEEF WELLINGTON

Beef Wellington is one of those showstopper dishes that everyone loves. The traditional way is a lot of work and needs high-level skills. This version will rock your next dinner party with virtually no difficulty at all.

Preparation time 20 mins Cooking time 30 mins Serves 4

1 sheet store-bought puff pastry 1 free-range egg, beaten

1/2 bunch tarragon leaves

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp malt vinegar

Sea-salt flakes and freshly

ground black pepper

4 large portobello mushrooms

4 x 140g eye fillet steaks

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups baby spinach leaves

1 bunch parsley, leaves

picked, finely chopped Onion jam, red wine gravy, lemon

wedges and micro herbs, to serve STEP 1 Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced (220°C conventional). Use a 10cm round cutter to cut four pastry discs. Brush each with egg. Score discs with a small sharp knife, arrange on a curved bread tray (see Cook’s tip). Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Cool.

STEP 2 Meanwhile, combine tarragon, garlic and seeds in a mortar and pound until smooth. In a bowl, mix in half the olive oil and vinegar, then season. Toss with mushrooms, then arrange on a lined oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, until tender.

STEP 3 Season steaks generously and rub with remaining olive oil. Sear on a hot chargrill pan for 2 minutes on each side, until medium rare. Set aside, loosely covered, to rest and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce. Add spinach leaves to chargrill to wilt, transfer to a small bowl, then mix in parsley. Season with salt.

STEP 4 Pile spinach mixture onto serving plates, then top with steaks, mushrooms, onion jam and pastry discs. Serve with red wine gravy, lemon wedges and micro herbs.