Impress the guests - and yourself.
Ingredients
- 500g stewing beef, diced
- 200g button mushrooms, halved
- 2 onions, diced
- 50g smoked bacon, diced
- 100ml Guinness
- 400ml beef stock
- 1 tblsp chopped thyme
- 100ml cream
- 4 sheets of filo pastry
- 20g melted butter
- 150g spinach
- Rapeseed oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp corn flour, dissolved in cold water
- For the Parsnip Purée:
- 400g chopped and peeled parsnip
- 50g butter
- 100ml milk
- 150ml water
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Chef's Tips:
- 1) Really brown the meat for extra flavour.
- 2) Place the Wellingtons on a preheated tray for really crispy pastry.
- 3) Rest the Wellingtons before you slice them.
- Place a casserole pan on a high heat, add 1 tsp of oil and brown off all the meat.
- Add the mushrooms, onions and bacon to the same pan and brown them off for 3 to 4 minutes until dark and golden. The more colour you get on the meat, the better the flavour will be.
- Deglaze the frying pan with the Guinness then add the beef stock, thyme and bring to the boil.
- Place a lid on the casserole dish and bake at 160° for 2 to 2½ hours until the meat is tender.
- When the meat is cooked, place the casserole dish back onto of the stove, add the cream and bring to the boil. Thicken the liquid with some corn flour until the sauce becomes thick like custard then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- To make the Wellingtons lay out one sheet of filo pastry, brush it with butter and fold in half. Place 150g of the beef mix in the centre of the filo pastry sheet and fold in both edges to cover the meat. Then butter the other edges and roll the pastry away from you to make a sausage roll shape. Repeat this process to make 3 more parcels and chill in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Bake at 200° for 18 minutes until dark and golden, leave to rest for 5 minutes and then slice in half.
- When the beef is in the oven, make the parsnip purée. Place all the puree ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 8-10 until the parsnips are soft and then blitz to a purée in a food processor. Then add the spinach to a hot pan with a tsp of oil and fry for 30 seconds until wilted and serve with the Wellingtons and parsnip purée.
