Ingredients
- 1kg beef fillet, trimmed with sinew removed (you can ask your butcher to do this)
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- 800g button mushrooms, blitzed to a crumb in food processor
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- 3 round sandwich wraps
- 1 large sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry
- 2 egg yolks, for brushing
- Place a pan on a high heat and wait until it is smoking hot. Season the beef with salt and pepper, add the oil to the pan, then add the beef fillet and brown all over as quickly as possible. Then remove the beef from the pan, allow to cool and chill in the fridge.
- In a separate large pan, add the blitzed button mushroom mix and cook over a medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated. It is very important that the mix becomes as dry as possible. Finish the mix with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then transfer to a small bowl, allow to cool and place in the fridge.
- Place a large sheet of cling film on a work surface. Place the sandwich wraps down first, overlapping. Add the mushroom mix and spread in an even layer, about a centimetre thick. Don’t spread to the edge of the wraps, leave about 2.5cm around the edge. Place the browned beef fillet in the middle. Roll the sandwich wraps over everything, into a cylinder shape. Continue rolling the cling film around to tighten the roll into a sausage shape. Twist both ends of the cling film and place in the fridge to set for one hour.
- Place a large sheet of cling film on a work surface again. Place the large sheet of rolled puff pastry on the cling film. Brush the top of the puff pastry (which will be the inside, next to the beef) with egg yolk; this will help the pastry stick to the beef roll. Remove the beef roll from its cling film and place on the puff pastry. Roll the puff pastry over the beef roll in the same way as before, making sure to tighten the ends and leave no holes. Roll the cling film around the beef to tighten and return to the fridge to set for one hour.
- Remove the pastry roll from the cling film. Brush all over with egg yolk. Decorate the pastry by scoring with a knife. It’s now finally ready for the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Leave the Wellington at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 200 degrees for 35 minutes (or until the core reaches 50 degrees), then remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
