Meat

Beef Wellington
1. 

The mushroom mixture and beef can be cooked a day ahead, keep chilled, or assemble the entire wellington a couple of hours before cooking. Cook for 10 minutes longer if cooking straight from the fridge

15g dried Porcini mushrooms
1.2kg piece middle-cut beef fillet, trimmed
50g butter
2 shallots, peeled and frnely ehopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
250g chestnut or portabella mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
175g chicken liver pate
2 x 85g Packs Parma ham
500g ready-made puff Pastry
flour, for dusting
a little oil, for greasing
1 large egg, beaten

Put the dried porcini in a bowl and cover with 100ml of boiling water. Leave to rehydrate for 30 minutes, then drain reserving the liquor. Chop the soaked mushrooms and set aside. Season the beef all over with salt and pepper. Melt half the butter in a roasting tin or large frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, put the beef in the pan and brown all over for 4-5 minutes, taking care not to burn the butter. Put the beef on a plate and set aside to cool.

Melt the remaining butter in a separate frying pan. Add the chopped shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add the soaked mushrooms and garlic, then the reserved liquor and the fresh mushrooms, increase the heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Season and add the thyme then set aside to cool.

Put the pate in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the cold mushroom mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Transfer the cold beef fillet to a board and use a palette knife to spread half the mushroom mixture evenly over one side of the meat. Take a sheet of clingfilm longer than the fillet and lay half the parma ham on it so that the slices overlap. Lay the fillet mushroom-side down on the ham and spread the remaining mushroom mixture over the beef. Wrap the rest of the Parma ham, also overlapping over the top. Wrap the whole lot in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven 200C. Roll out one third of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2-3mm thick and 2,5cm larger than the base of the beef. Transfer to a large oiled baking sheet, prick well with a fork and bake for 12-15 minutes, until brown and crisp. Allow the pastry to cool then trim it to the size of the beef.

Take the beef from the fridge and unwrap it. Brush the parma ham all over with some of the beaten egg and place it on the cooked pastry base. Roll out the remaining pastry to a rectangle about 30 x 35cm and 2-3mm thick, Use this to cover the beef, tucking the ends under and sealing the edges. Use any leftover

pastry to decorate the wellington. Brush with more beaten egg.

To cook the wellington, place it on a large baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes for medium. Remove the wellington from the oven and leave to stand for 20 minutes before serving.

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