A Fabulous Fillet...

Tonight's dinner is a roast beef fillet with a tasty, Italian inspired stuffing. Instead of the usual roasted vegetables, I chose a selection of vegetables which I cooked on my fabulous new grill pan whilst the meat was resting. I served the meat and vegetables without any sauces or gravy, just with the pan juices poured over the top. The dish was suprisingly light and the flavours vibrantand fresh.

I love a traditional roast with all the trimmings, but this is a great option for something a bit different that also cooks really fast. You can do the whole dish in under 45mins. Please note that the stuffing ingredients only make a cup and a half of stuffing, so it you use a bigger piece of meat, you may have to double the amounts. The stuffing also works beautifully with chicken if you aren't a red meat eater.

Gourmet Goddess handy cooking hint: After I sear the meat*, I wrap it in baking paper, tie it with string and then put it in the oven. You don't have to do this, but I find that it keeps the meat ultra moist, particulary when the piece of meat is quite small and has the potential to dry out easily.

So, here it is - a beef fillet with an Italian flavour......

Fillet of Beef

with mushroom and parmesan stuffing

You will need: 500g of whole beef fillet, 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 tablespoon continental parsley, 1/3 cup finely sliced spring onion, 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, salt and pepper, olive oil. An assortment of vegetables, sliced for grilling/pan frying. (I used green beans, mushrooms, asparagus, cherry tomatoes)

Method: Cook the mushrooms, spring onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Combine the mushroom mixture with breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, lemon rind, parmesan. Season well and mix thoroughly.

Carefully cut a pocket in the beef fillet, starting at one end, being careful not to cut the meat right through. Use your fingers to to enlarge the pocket further and then fill the fillet with the stuffing mixture. Be sure that it is packed in firmly and evenly. Rub the outside of the beef all over with olive oil and set aside.

Heat a frypan until very hot, and sear the meat on all sides until it is brown.* Transfer meat to a hot oven and cook for a further 15-20mins, depending on how well cooked you like your meat.

(I put mine in for 15 mins) Remove the meat from the oven, cover loosely and rest for 10-15 minutes.

While the meat is resting, coat the veges in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or pan cook the vegetables until cooked (I like them a bit firm and not cooked too much, but it's up to you) Drizzle any juices from the meat pan and the veges over the beef fillet. Serves 2-4

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