Mulligan Stew

Beef Wellington

We’ve just cooked a wonderful special Beef Wellington that you might want to try. The beef fillet was for 3 to 4 people and cost about €25. The butcher cut the centre piece about 6 inches long and 2^1/2inches thick from the full fillet.

To avoid the pastry going soggy when cooking..we wrapped the fillet in prosciutto and lined it with a sheet of filo pastry before covering with the puff pastry. .

Ingredients you will need:

1 centre-cut beef fillet,
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil,
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon or English mustard
1 pound mushrooms (button, cremini, shiitake, portabello, or a mix from Tesco)
4 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup cognac or other brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 ounces fresh Pate
1 sheet fillo dough
1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced paper thin (Aldi or Tesco)
Flour for dusting
14 ounces frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1 bunch finely minced chives

Method:

Using butcher’s ties, tie tenderloin at 1-inch intervals to keep it together and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Add meat and cook without moving until well-browned on all sides,.Transfer to a large plate.

If you like your beef medium to well done then place it in a covered ovendish for 15 minutes in a pre heated oven at 180c

Combine the horseradish, mustard, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. When tenderloin is cool enough to handle, cut off the twine
Place the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped

Heat butter in a pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have exuded all their liquid and start to sizzle,

. Continue cooking until mushrooms begin to brown and leave browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, about 4 minutes longer. Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add brandy. Scrape bottom of skillet with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to release browned bits. Continue to cook until brandy is nearly dry, about 4 minutes.

Add double cream and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring frequently until mixture is thick and collects in one large mass when you shake the pan.

Lay a double layer of plastic wrap on your cutting board. Lay fillo pastry sheet on top of plastic wrap.layer the prosciutto on top of fillo to create a thin, even, overlapping layer,

. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over ham layer.

Place tenderloin along the very bottom edge of the ham/mushroom layer. Spread the pate over the meat. Carefully roll tenderloin in mushrooms, ham, and filo, using the plastic wrap to help tighten it as you roll.

. Spread puff pastry sheet on a board and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangle at least 4-inches wider than the beef roll on its shorter side.

Remove the cling film from the rolled beef and place along very bottom edge of puff pastry with the pate side facing up. Brush 6 inches of puff pastry just above beef roll with beaten egg.
Carefully roll the beef in the puff pastry until it is completely wrapped. You should end up with the pate facing up again, with the puff pastry seam meeting on the bottom. Trim pastry with a sharp knife.

Roll entire beef roll over so that the bottom is facing up, the fold up the end flaps to seal completely. Roll beef back right-side up.

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer Wellington to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush all over with beaten egg. Use a sharp paring knife to score a decorative pattern in the pastry. Sprinkle liberally with coarse sea salt.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and center of roast registers 45c for rare or 50c for medium-rare on an instant read thermometer, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for ten minutes.