Easy Beef Wellington recipe

Posted on 12 September 2011

Beef Wellington with prosciutto and mushrooms

I’ve been wanting to cook this classic dish for years now, but somehow never quite got around to it. When I was a kid it was the family Christmas dinner of choice and it really is a feast-day extravaganza of a meal, perhaps a little over the top for a stay-in Tuesday night for example.

The trick, or the thing to avoid, is getting the pastry all soggy at the bottom and some recipes advocate a layer of pancakes between the meat and the pastry to soak up any excess moisture. I didn’t bother with this, partly because I’ve gone for a slight variation – mushrooms and prosciutto instead of the more traditional pâté, which I felt would have less moisture anyway – and partly because pancakes simply didn’t feel right. Why would soggy pancakes be better than soggy pastry?

Ingredients for the meat

  • 1kg beef fillet
  • 8-10 slices of prosciutto (enough to wrap round the fillet)
  • 3 large tbsp. whole grain mustard (Pommery is ideal and I added a little “˜Hot English’ into the mix as well)
  • 4 large sprigs of fresh thyme (just the leaves)
  • 2 rolls of good quality puff pastry (I used about 1.5 rolls – make a dessert with any left overs)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten to coat the outside of the pastry
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil for searing the fillet
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Flour for rolling out the pastry

Ingredients for the mushroom mixture

  • 500g button mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, also finely chopped (I used 5)
  • 3 large sprigs of fresh thyme (just the leaves)
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Roast potatoes and fresh winter vegetables go best with this dish. Try these Cypriot roast potatoes if you’re looking for a slightly different, totally delicious variation.

First things first: the mushroom mixture. Add the oil, garlic and onion to a suitably sized pan and fry over medium heat. As the onions start to clear, add the mushrooms, thyme and butter and continue on a medium heat until most of the moisture has evapourated. This is important – if you have too much moisture it’ll soak into the pastry. Rather drain any excess moisture for gravy. The final mixture should be damp, not wet. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and set the mixture to one side to cool.

Now, lay out a large sheet of cling wrap on the counter and place the prosciutto on top of it. Spoon the mushroom mixture over the prosciutto and flatten evenly. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the fresh thyme leaves.

With the prosciutto and mushroom layers ready on the side, it’s time to sear the fillet. Add the oil to a large pan and heat on full. Sear the fillet for 2 to 3 minutes – make sure you sear each end as well. Remove the fillet and drain off as much of the liquid as you can – let it rest on griddle if possible. With the fillet well drained (keep the juices for gravy!), cover as much of the surface as you can with a thin layer of the mustard and place the now mustard covered fillet on top of the mushroom mixture. If one of the fillet ends tapers off, fold it over to create an even thickness from end to end. Pull the cling wrap up around the fillet, completely wrapping it in the layers of prosciutto and mushrooms and place the whole lot in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.

When the meat has cooled it should retain its shape, even if you’ve wrapped over the ends. Throw a little flour on the counter and lay the puff pastry out on top. Unwrap the fillet and place it on the pastry, then fold the pastry over up so that it completely covers the meat on all sides, including the ends. If you have to add any extra strips, brush the pastry with some lightly beaten egg before placing over the gaps. Brush the top of the finished Wellington with the rest of the egg and add a few pastry patterns on top if you have any left and feel so inclined.

Carefully place the final product on a baking tray (if you have a tray with ventilation holes in the bottom, even better) and place in a pre-heated oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Use a flat tray, otherwise getting the Wellington out afterwards could be a disaster. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry turns a dark, golden brown.

Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes and, with a very sharp carving knife, cut into thick, juicy slices. Serve.

For excellent, rich gravy, mix the leftover juices from the mushrooms and meat in a pan and simmer over medium heat. Add half a glass of red wine, a heaped tsp. of beef stock and any left over mushroom mixture that may be lying around. If you want a lot of gravy, add more stock and hot water and you can mix a little flour in cold water and add this as well, if the final mixture is too thin.




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