RECIPE: Beef Wellington with Red Wine Jus

Dr Philile Mdletshe is determined to make healthy living easy. The 39-year-old practising medical doctor has married her love for food and cooking with her medicinal career. This foodie has recently started her own food blog to share healthy recipes, lifestyle advice and easy family lunchbox ideas. Mdletshe’s prepared a lovely beef wellington with red wine jus recipe.

READ MORE: Medical doctor marries her career with her love for cooking

Preparation Time: 20 min; Cooking Time: 45 min; Serves:4-6

Ingredients:

• 800g-1kg beef fillet
• 8-12 slices parma ham or prosciutto (an Italian dry-cured ham)
• 500g mixture of wild mushrooms finely chopped
• 100ml dry white wine (optional)
• 2 sprig fresh thyme – leaves only finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 400g puff pastry (completely thawed)
• 2 egg yolks beaten with 1tsp water and pinch of salt (also known as egg wash)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil and butter for frying
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (Optional)

Method:

For your fillet to hold a nice shape, wrap it tightly in cling film and chill overnight.

1. In a hot skillet (frying pan) sear the beef fillet (approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute each side) in a little olive oil until all sides are brown, remove and set aside to cool.
2. In the same skillet, add more olive oil and butter, fry the mushrooms and add salt and pepper, stirring continuously. Wait for the mushrooms to release their juices then add the minced garlic and thyme and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add white wine and cook until all the moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste. This is called a mushroom duxelle. Remove the duxelle from the skillet and set aside to cool.
4. Lay a piece of cling film on a large chopping board, arrange parma ham on top of it, making sure the pieces overlap a little. Now spoon the mushroom duxelle and spread it over the parma ham.
5. Season the fillet with salt and pepper then place it in the middle of the mushroom covered parma ham. Using the cling film, roll the parma ham over the beef covering it completely, then twist the sides of the cling film to form a tight log. Let this chill while you are preparing your puff pastry.
6. Lightly dust your working surface with flour to prevent the pastry from sticking to the surface. Roll out the puff pastry onto the surface.
7. Brush the puff pastry with Dijon mustard and then remove the cling film from the fillet. Place the fillet on the puff pastry and wrap the pastry around it. Seal it tightly and trim the edges.
8. Use the egg wash to brush and seal the edges. Score the pastry into diamond shapes (careful not to cut all the way through the pastry) or decorate with pastry art leaves, and then brush the rest of the pastry with egg wash. Chill for about 30 minutes before baking.
9. Brush with egg wash again and bake in a preheated oven of 200°C for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. The meat in the middle should be medium rare, bake for longer if you prefer it more done.
10. Serve with mashed potatoes and/or veggies.