Beef Wellington

As promised in the previous topic, this next recipe is the famous Beef Wellington, a nice piece of meat, rolled in mushrooms paste, Parma ham and pastry… heavenly. It is not hard to get it ready, the main difficulty is in getting the meat to the point (not rare not over cooked). Take one hour of your busy schedule to get it done.

You will need:

• 400g (0,88lb) beef tenderloin (filet mignon);
• +/- 400g (0,88lb) fresh mushrooms (can mix with same can ones);
• Enough Parma ham to cover all de beef, normaly for long slices will do.
• Pastry (do it yourself or buy one – 200g [0,44lb] will be enough);
• 1 egg yolk (sometimes you will need 2);
• Salt and Pepper;
• Olive oil;
• English mustard;
• Kitchen film.

How to do:

1) Season the beef with salt and black pepper;

2) Lets start by sealing the beef, allowing by that all the juices to remain inside when it is time bake. Heat a few drops of olive oil in a skillet and give a fast “fry” all around the beef. Let it cool (can use the refrigerator);

3) Cut the mushrooms into tiny pieces and put them in a chopper until they turn into puree;

4) Heat a dry skillet, when hot put the mushrooms puree in it, go trampling and stirring to evaporate the water. When dry and sticky the mixture is done. Allow with to cool (can use the refrigerator);

5) By now the beef may have cooled, so brush it generously with the English mustard;

6) Pre-heat the oven at 200º C / 392º F

7) Open the pieces of film side by side (slightly overlapping) and place the Parma ham side by side slightly overlapping the lateral tips;

8) Spread the mushrooms puree over the Parma ham;

9) And now the hardest part…. Place de beef in the center of the Parma ham (already covered with the mushrooms puree), and kindly, with the help of the film, roll the ham and the puree around the beef until it gets barrel-shaped, wrap the ends to tighten and hold the film. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes (this will ensure adherence and shape);

10)  Place the pastry on top of a sheet of cooking tracing paper. Remove the film from your beef, ham, puree barrel e place it in the center of the pastry. Brush the egg yolk all the pastry around the barrel, roll the pastry e cut off the excess if necessary;

11) Brush egg yolk in the new barrel (pastry/ham/puree/beef).

12) Without cutting the pastry, with a knife, draw tiny scratches on the top of the barrel (decoration only);

13) Let it rest for 5 minutes in the refrigerator;

14) Place it in the oven pre-heated to 200º C / 392º F for 30 minutes (if you rather a well-done beef allow it to cook more 10 minutes, beware not to burn the pastry);

15) Allow it to rest about 10 minutes and slice it.

Remember: The slicing part is very important. Slice it from the middle to the ends, and always cut 1 cm (0,4 in) or wider slices

As you can see in the pictures the side was roast potatoes, the potatoes recipe will follow, is a very special and fast one.

Enjoy your food.