Delicious UK - (11)November 2020

44 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

TheBIGbeefwellington

HANDS-ONTIME1 HOUR 20 MIN,OVENTIME

30-35 MIN, PLUS COOLING AND RESTING

MAKE

AHEAD

Makeuptotheendofstep 5

upto 12 hoursahead,cover

andchill.Glazewithbeaten

eggbeforebaking.Oropen-freeze

thepreppedwellingtonand,once

solid,wrapwellandfreezeforupto

3 months.Defrostinthefridge

overnight,thenbakeasintherecipe.

EASY

SWAPS

Insteadofomelettes,you

coulduseparmahamto

wraparoundthemeat.

KNOW-

HOW

Leftoverscanbeusedas

a stuffingforchicken– or

spreadontopofcrostini

as a veggie canapé (see p115).

• Oliveoilforfrying


• 850-900gwholepieceBritishbeef
  fillet(takenfromthemiddletothe
  thickerend),atroomtemperature


• 1½tbspcreamedhorseradish


• 1½tbspEnglishmustard


• 30gunsaltedbutter


• 100gcooked,peeledchestnuts
  (weusedMerchantGourmet
  wholechestnuts,availablefrom
  largesupermarketsandgood
  delis),finelychopped


• 250gchestnutmushrooms,very
  finelychopped(usea food
  processor if you have one)
  
  
  • 1 tbspbrandy(optional)
  
  
  • 6 freshsage leaves, finely
    chopped
  
  
  • 50gfreshbreadcrumbs
  
  
  • 200gbagspinach,wilted(see
    bottomleft), squeezed dry and
    chopped
  
  
  • 4 medium free-range
    eggs
  
  
  • 3 tbspwholemilk
  
  
  • 500gblockall-butterpuffpastry
    (takeoutofthefridge 15 minutes
    beforerolling)
  
  
  • Plain flour to dust
  
  
  
  

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Bakingtraylinedwithnon-stick
  compostablebakingpaper; 20cm
  non-stick frying pan

USEFULTOHAVE...

• Digital probe thermometer

1 Drizzlesomeoftheoliveoilover

thebeefandseasonwithsaltand

pepper.Heata wide,deepfryingpan

overa highheat,thensearthebeef

alloveruntilbrowned.Removefrom

thepan,putona choppingboardand

ruballoverwiththehorseradishand

Englishmustard.Setasidetocool.

2 Inthesamepanusedtocookthe

beef,meltthebutterand,once

foaming,addthechoppedchestnuts

andmushrooms.Fryovera high

heat,stirring,untiltheliquidfrom

themushroomshasevaporated(be

prepared:thiswilltakearound 20

minutes).Addthebrandy(ifusing),

thencookovera highheatfora few

moreminutesuntilalltheliquidhas

evaporatedagain.Tipthemixture

intoa largebowlandstirinthe

sage,breadcrumbsandspinach.

Checktheseasoning,addingsalt

andpeppertotaste.Leavetocool.

3 Beat1 eggina smallbowlwith

1 tbspmilk.Adda drizzleofoilto

a 20cmnon-stickfryingpan,then

addtheeggmixtureandswirlaround

thepantomakea thinomelette.Set

aside.Repeatwith2 moreeggs/

milk,soyouhave3 thinomelettes.

Whisk the final egg in the bowl to

useasa glazeforthepastry.

4 Oncethemushroommixture

(duxelles),beefandomeletteshave

cooled,pattheduxellesgenerously

alloverthebeeffillettofullycoatit

(seeKnow-how).Rolloutthepastry

ona flouredsurfacetoforma large

rectangle.Makesureit’slongenough

forthebeeftositlengthwaysinthe

middlewithenoughsparepastry

aroundit towrapthefillet.

5 Put2 oftheomelettes,slightly

overlapping,onthepastry,thensit

thebeeflengthwaysontop.Drape

thefinalomeletteoverthebeef

(theseomeletteswillsoakupanyof

therestingmeatjuicesandhelp

preventyourpastryfrombecoming

soggy).Foldonelongsideofthe

pastryoverthemeat,thenbrush

thepastrytopwitha littlebeaten

egg.Tuckintheshortedges,then

foldovertheothersideofthepastry

tofullyencasethemeat.Trimoff

anyexcesspastryasyouworkand

reserveit tomakedecorations–

presstheseontothepastry,using

theeggwashtohelpthemstick.

Carefullytransferthebeef

wellington,seamsidedown,

tothelinedbakingtray,thenbrush

alloverwithbeatenegg.Chillfor

30 minutes(seeMakeAhead).

6 Heattheovento210°C/190°Cfan/

gas6½.Glazethepastryagainwith

theremainingbeatenegg,then

bakethewellingtonfor30-35

minutesuntilthepastryisgolden

brownandpuffed.If youhavea

digitalthermometer,pushit intothe

centreofthewellington.It should

read52-56°Cforrare.Formedium,

cookfor35-40minutes(or57-59°C)

andforwelldonefor 50 minutes

(60-63°C).Restthewellingtonfor

10 minutes,thensliceandserve

withvegetables.Seep37forsome

inspiringsidestoservealongside.

PERSERVING794kcals,43.7gfat

(18.8gsaturated),45gprotein,

50.8gcarbs(8.9g sugars), 1.2g salt,

6 .1gf ib r e

Forwaystouseupcooked,

peeled chestnuts see p116

SERVES 6

Make

it big

HOWTOWILT

SPINACH

Wash,putin

a drypanwith

justthewater

clingingtoits

leaves,thenput

overa medium

heatuntilthe

leavescollapse.

Alternatively,

wiltinthebag,

in a microwave.