Fillet of beef with pesto and ratatouille
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the pesto:
2 bunches basil
50 g Parmesan, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
80 g pine nuts
100 ml olive oil
Coarse sea salt
For the meat:
700 g beef fillet
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 tbsp oil
For the ratatouille:
1 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small aubergine
1 red and 1 yellow pepper
2 small courgettes
1 small bunch of oregano
300 g passata
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
Method:
1. To make the pesto, wash the basil and strip
the leaves from the stalks. Place the basil,
olive oil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and a
pinch of sea salt in a food processor, and
whiz to a paste.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut through the middle
of the meat along its length until you are
about 1.5 cm away from the end. Open out
the meat and flatten the uncut section with
a mallet until the meat is a uniform
thickness. Spread the pesto over the meat,
and then roll it up, securing it with kitchen
string in 3 or 4 places. Season with salt and
pepper.
3. Brown the rolled meat on all sides in hot oil,
then wrap in foil, and steam in a perforated
container for 35 minutes at 85°C. Rest the
meat for 5 minutes before carving.
4. Peel the onion, garlic and aubergine. Deseed
the peppers. Cut the vegetables into bite-
sized pieces. Wash the oregano and chop
finely.
5. Place the vegetables, garlic, passata and
oregano in a solid container, and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper, and cook with
the meat at 85°C for the last 25–30 minutes
of the cooking time.
6. Slice the meat, and serve with the
vegetables. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if
you wish.
145
Tip
Small potatoes roasted in their skins
go beautifully with beef. Ratte
potatoes, which have a firm texture
and nutty flavour, are especially good
for this.
