herby beef wellington with chimichurri butter
Chef’s note:
There’s no better way to celebrate a delicious piece of beef than in a Wellington, and we’ve given this one a twist. It’s worth getting the best meat you can; we love to know where our meat is from and we’re lucky to have our own organic grass-fed mob grazed beef cattle.
Jenny Jefferies’ book For the Love of the Land: A Cook Book to Celebrate British Farmers and their Food won plaudits galore, as did the follow up For The Love of the Sea: A Cook Book to Celebrate the British Seafood Community and their Food. Jenny has now released For the Love of the Land II, including recipes from a range of farmers across the UK. With East Anglia being so farm-focused and with so many great producers, we are sharing two recipes from her book. The first is a traditional Burns Night dish from Heather Hills Farm in Scotland.
For the Love of the Land II, £22. Order at www.mezepublishing.co.uk – nourish readers get a 15% discount for all books ordered by 7 December.
- olive oil
- 1 kilogram beef fillet
- Yeo Valley Organic unsalted butter
- 1 packet of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 8 slices of Parma ham
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander (chopped)
- 1 free-range egg
- 1 tablespoon Yeo Valley Organic milk
- 1 block of Yeo Valley Organic unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ½ small bunch of fresh coriander, parsley and thyme
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- salt (to taste)
First, make the wellington. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan on a high heat and sear the beef all over. Add a large knob of butter and once melted, baste the beef. Leave the seared beef fillet in the fridge to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Place the ready-rolled pastry on a floured surface and gently roll it slightly bigger. Lay the slices of
Parma ham on the pastry with the edges slightly overlapping, leaving a border around the edge. Sprinkle the herbs on top, then lay the beef fillet in the centre.Beat the egg with the milk in a small bowl and use this to brush the uncovered pastry. Fold the pastry over the beef and then roll it over until you get a seam at the base of the wellington. Tuck the sides under and then brush the pastry with more egg wash to coat all over. Chill the wellington in the fridge for at least an hour, or even overnight.
To make the chimichurri butter, combine all the ingredients in a blender, adding more or less chilli depending on your heat preference! Roll the butter into a sausage shape using a sheet of cling film, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 200°c/gas mark 6, and transfer the wellington straight from the fridge to a baking tray, then place in the hot oven to cook for 30-35 minutes.
Leave the wellington to rest for at least 15 minutes once cooked.
Serve with slices of the chimichurri butter, your favourite salad, and roasted beetroots.