Poached fillet of beef with salsa verde
The vibrant green of the salsa verde makes for a striking contrast to the pink beef in Geoffrey Smeddle's excellent beef fillet recipe. This simple beef dish, developed for the Sunday Herald, is fantastic when served al fresco on a balmy summer's day. The spinach, basil, parsley, anchovies and capers make such a flavoursome sauce, you may want to make extra to use with other meals.
Ingredients
Beef fillet
- 1000ml of chicken stock
- 1 bulb of garlic , split in half
- 1 small onion , halved
- 2 carrots , peeled and cut in half lengthways
- 1 handful of thyme
- 1 handful of rosemary
- 175ml of white wine
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 600g of centre cut beef fillets , trimmed
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Salsa verde
- 20g of basil
- 30g of curly parsley
- 80g of baby spinach leaves
- 1 small tin of anchovies
- 2 eggs , boiled
- 2 tbsp of cornichons, reserving 1 tbsp of the liquid
- 1 tsp capers , reserving 1 tsp of the liquid
- 100g of breadcrumbs
- 150ml of olive oil
- 1 dash of sherry vinegar
- salt
- black pepper , freshly ground
Equipment
- Blender
Method
1
Start by making the beef. Combine the chicken stock with the garlic, onion, carrots, thyme, rosemary, wine, peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for ten minutes to infuse
- 1000ml of chicken stock
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 1 small onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 handful of thyme
- 1 handful of rosemary
- 175ml of white wine
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- salt
2
Season the beef generously with salt and lower gently into the poaching liquid. Adjust the heat to bring the poaching liquid back to a very gently simmer
- 600g of centre cut beef fillets
- salt
- black pepper
3
Cover with a lid and adjust the heat accordingly to maintain a gentle simmer. Add a little more water if necessary. Cook for 15-18 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for well done
4
Lift the beef out of the liquid and onto a plate with a slotted spoon then press gently. The beef should still feel fairly soft
5
Place the beef back in the stock, remove the pan from the heat, and leave the beef to sit in the liquid for 30 minutes. Take the meat out and allow it to chill on a plate
6
Whilst the beef is resting, make the salsa verde. Pick the basil and parsley, and pick the spinach leaves off the stalks
- 20g of basil
- 30g of curly parsley
- 80g of baby spinach leaves
7
Place all the ingredients except the spinach and herbs in a blender and process to a coarse paste
- 1 small tin of anchovies
- 2 eggs , boiled
- 2 tbsp of cornichons, and 1 tablespoon of the liquid
- 1 tsp capers , with 1 teaspoon of the liquid
- 100g of breadcrumbs
- salt
8
Add the herbs and just enough olive oil to blend into a thick paste – you can choose how much you add, rather like a pesto
- 150ml of olive oil
9
Finally, taste, season with salt and pepper and add a dash of sherry vinegar
- salt
- black pepper
- 100 dashes of sherry vinegar
10
To serve, slice the beef. Arrange in overlapping circles on a platter then season well with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
11
To finish, drizzle the salsa verde over the beef so the meat is evenly dressed. Serve immediately
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Poached fillet of beef with salsa verde
