Beef Wellington
YOU WILL NEED
800g beef fillet 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp English mustard 500g watercress 12 slices smoked prosciutto Plain flour for dusting 500g ready-made puff pastry
2 egg yolks For the gravy Knob of butter 1 shallot, finely sliced 1 sprig of thyme 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp plain flour 1 large glass red wine 1 beef stock cube
DIRECTIONS
Rub the fillet with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and season. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan until smoking hot, then sear the fillet until it’s well-browned on all sides. Remove the pan from the hob, reserving the juices for the gravy. Brush the beef all over with mustard.
Tip the watercress into a colander. Pour boiling water over the watercress to wilt it, then cover with cold water to stop it cooking. Squeeze to extract the water then set aside.
Lay the prosciutto onto cling film in a row, leaving no gaps. Cover the prosciutto with cling film then roll it out to a thin, even layer. Remove the top layer of cling film, add the watercress on top, replace the cling film and roll flat. Remove the top layer of cling film and place the beef on top. Using the cling film underneath, roll the beef, prosciutto and watercress into a tight sausage. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the pastry to a 20 x 25cm rectangle. Brush the pastry with beaten egg yolk. Remove the cling film from the beef and place the beef in the centre of the pastry. Fold the shorter edges over the beef, then roll the whole piece of pastry around the fillet to encase. Place the Wellington in the fridge, sealed side down, and chill for up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tray and place in the oven. Brush the Wellington with egg yolk, then score a criss-cross pattern across the top. Roast for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C/ 160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Cook for 25 minutes for rare, 30 minutes for medium rare or 35 minutes for medium. If the pastry begins to darken too much, cover with foil and continue cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes.
To make the gravy, heat the butter in the pan used to sear the beef. Fry the shallot, thyme and bay leaf in the pan. Scatter over the flour and fry until golden brown. Add the red wine and reduce to a thick paste. Add the beef stock cube and 250ml boiling water along with the resting juices from the beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Pass the gravy through a sieve into a jug and season to taste.
Cut the Wellington into six slices and serve with the gravy and your chosen sides.
Recipe and image courtesy of The Watercress Company, watercress.co.uk