This extremely tasty dish is perfectly achievable, even for the less experienced chef. The trick is wrapping the meat in the pastry in just the right way.
You'll Need:
Olive oil, for frying
35 oz filet of beef
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh Thyme sprig leaves only
1 sheet of filo pastry
10 slices of thin bacon
3 Fresh Garlic bulbs dices
2¼ cups fresh spinach
8 very thin slices of parma ham or
3 Shallot
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt
Instruction:
Wrap each piece of beef tightly in a triple layer of cling film to set its shape, then chill at least 3 hours or overnight.
Remove the cling film, then quickly sear the beef fillets in a hot pan with a little olive oil until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Chop and fry bacon till soft.
Finely chop the spinach, garlic, onions, and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil, add thyme leaves, and some seasoning. When the spinach begins to release liquid, continue to cook over low heat until all the excess moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mixture you can make into a paste (known as a duxelle). add bacon Remove the duxelle from the pan and leave to cool.
Roll the filo pastry sheet out on a baking tray covered with parchment and lay out the slices of ham. They should be arranged in a square. Store-bought filo pastry is normally rectangular. You can make the ham square so that one of its edges exactly aligns with one of the longer sides of the pastry — but make sure there is a border of pastry around the other three sides of the square. Now place the spinach mixture over the ham to create as even a layer as possible. Lastly, place the browned meat on top of the spinach and ham mixture, along the edge where there is no pastry border.
Season the beef fillets, then place them on top of the spinach-covered ham. Using the cling film, roll the ham over the beef, then roll and tie the cling film to get a nice, evenly thick log then chill for at least 30 minutes.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Remove the cling film from the beef, then wrap the pastry around each ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
When you are ready to cook the beef wellingtons, to add to the look of the finished roll, take a sharp knife and carefully make incisions widthwise along the top of the roll about an inch apart. Make a second set of cuts at an angle to create a diamond pattern. and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 200° for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. If you want your beef a bit more cooked, cook for 20 min's at 150° then turn the heat up to 200° to finish. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, make a sauce. from the beef trimmings left in your pan. Stir in the diced shallots with the peppercorns, thyme and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown.
Pour in the beef stock or wine and let it bubble for a few minutes until it boils. Lower the heat and simmer gently removing any scum from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency. Check for seasoning and set aside.
Serve the beef wellingtons sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment.
This Beef Wellington with Spinach and Bacon a the perfect dinner roast. Enjoy!
