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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Gourmet Goddess Foodie News

It's that time of the year again,

when the Good Food and Wine Show rolls into town.

It is always a fantastic source of inspiration and a great chance to try new ingredients, pick up a few supplies and sample the wine of course!
For more information on getting tickets, who's taking part and what's on,

check out the website: http://www.goodfoodshow.com.au/

The show has already toured Melbourne, but here are the dates for the other Australian cities:

Sydney - July 3,4 & 5

Perth - 31 July and 1&2 August

Brisbane - 6,7, & 8 August

If you live in Australia and you have never been before, it is really worth a visit.

I'm off to the show on Friday-

stay tuned for a rundown of Good Food and Wine Show highlights!

Quote of the day.......

"I never taste the wine first in restaurants,

- I just ask the waiter to pour."

Nigella Lawson

Huevos Rancheros

Hola amigos! Sunday brunch again and today I wanted something piquant, bold and a bit different. Huevos Rancheros fits the bill perfectly. The literal translation means "Ranch eggs" and this dish originated in Mexico, where it would be the mid-morning meal for farm workers. There are many, many variations of this dish - some are served on a corn or flour tortilla, some add red peppers, corn, black beans or cheese. Some add a side serve of avocado or even sour cream. (I suspect this is a recent Tex-Mex addition and I personally think it makes the dish too heavy) I prefer to keep it all quite simple and rustic and omit all the accompaniments. I think that it has so much flavour that it doesn't need help to be moreish and delicious. I serve my version with some warm flatbread and eat it right out of the pan.

I like my Huevos Rancheros spicy, so I have added plenty of chilli, including some fresh chilli on top to serve, but of course you can leave the chilli out completely if you want to. My version also includes Chorizo - omit it for a lovely vegetarian dish. If you were making this for a few people, you could make it in one large dish, or even do individual ones in small rammekins. As well as being a hearty brunch, this dish is perfect for a fast and easy dinner option.

You will notice that I haven't included a recipe for the tomato based sauce* - use your own basic nepolitana style sauce or even a good quality store bought sauce (my preferred brand is Barilla) if you don't want to make a special batch. My tomato sauce contains capers, anchovies, lots of garlic and chllies, but use whatever you like.

So, here it is - my version of the rustic Mexican classic....

Huevos Rancheros

You will need: 1 cup tomato based sauce* per person, 1-2 organic free range eggs per person, Half a cup of roughly chopped Chorizo, 1 tablespoon chopped black olives, A few dashes of tabasco sauce (optional) , 1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onion, flatbread or soft tortillas to serve, 1 teaspoon finely sliced red chilli (optional)

Method: Combine the olives, Chorizo, tomato sauce, tabasco together and pour into an ovenproof dish. Make a small well in the sauce and break the egg gently into the mixture. Repeat for all of the eggs.

Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 mins depending on how much you like your eggs cooked. (I like them a bit runny in the middle, so the yolk mixes with the sauce - yum!)

Top with spring onion and chilli and serve right away with warm flatbread or soft tortillas.

*

I feel like.... Italian tonight.

I felt like something Mediterranean tonight and but wasn't sure exactly what, so I went for a wander around my greengrocer on the way home from work for some inspiration. It wasn't long before I found it in the form of some beautiful, firm and glossy black eggplant. I couldn't resist it and so it is the centerpiece for tonight's dinner. Eggplant is an incredibly versatile vegetable and is used extensively in Mediterranean cooking - I used medium sized eggplant for this dish. Many recipes get you to salt and drain the eggplant first - I don't usually do this, unless the eggplant is very large or a bit old.

At the greengrocer, I also picked up some asparagus, prosciutto and mozzerella to add to the mix and did a little side dish of prosciutto wrapped asparagus - simply cooked quickly in a pan with a touch of olive oil and some freshly ground pepper. I drizzled some fruity olive on it to serve. Easy.

The eggplant dish I came up with is very simple to put together, but has a lot of flavour and looks quite pretty I think. You could serve this as a vegetarian main course or starter - I would use a smaller sized eggplant if I was doing it as a starter. You could also put prosciutto into the layers, or even crumble a little fetta into them for a richer taste.

So, here is tonight's offering - It serves two as a main course.

Parmagiania de Melanzane (Eggplant Parmigiana Stack)

You will need: 1 medium eggplant, 1 small Mozzerella cheese, 1 cup tomato based Nepolitana sauce (I used my own home made one, which has capers and anchovies, but use whatever you fancy. Even a good quality bought one would be fine if you are pressed for time) 1 tablespoon fresh continental parsley (you could use fresh basil if you prefer) Salt & Pepper, Olive oil.

Method: Cut the eggplant into slices around 1cm thick. You will need 3 slices for each person. Do the same with the Mozzerella. Heat a frypan with a little olive oil, season and cook the eggplant for about 1 minute each side, until slightly browned. It does not have to be cooked right through.

Place the eggplant in a single layer on a baking tray, top each piece with a spoonful of the Nepolitana sauce and then a slice of mozzerella. Bake for around 10 mins in a moderate oven.

To serve, stack three slices on top of each other and finish with some chopped parsley.

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