Beef fillet is quite satisfying, and little can be nicer on an elegant occasion. While some like to serve it as is, the bitterness of arugola is a very pleasant addition.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Marinating and resting: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings roast tenderloin
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds (1.2 k) beef fillet
- 2 shallots
- The needles from 2 4-inch (10 cm) sprigs of rosemary
- 1 garlic clove
- 2/5 cup (100 ml) dry white wine
- 2 bunches arugola (also known as rocket), preferably wild
- A hot pepper, crumbled
- Olive oil
- Salt and peppercorns to taste
- A freezer bag large enough to contain the meat
Preparation:
Peel the shallots and the garlic, and chop them with the rosemary needles. Add a few crushed peppercorns, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and the wine, and mix well. Put the mixture in the freezer bag together with the meat, and shift the meat about to coat it as evenly as possible. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it, and let the meat marinate for at least an hour, gently messaging the bag every now and again.
Come time to cook, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Drain the meat and brown it over a brisk flame in a non-stick pan, turning it this way and that to color all sides. Transfer the meat to an oven pan, salt it, and roast it for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime blanch the arugola in lightly salted water. Drain it, run it under cold water, squeeze out most of the moisture (you don't want it bone dry, but it shouldn't drip), and coarsely chop it.
When the meat is cooked, place it on a sheet of aluminum foil, distribute the arugola over it, seasoning it with the crumbled hot pepper, wrap the meat tightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it and serve it forth.
As a side dish, you could serve roasted baby potatoes (you could if you want cook them in the same pan with the meat). A wine? Red, and fairly substantial. An Aglianico would be nice, especially an Aglianico del Taburno, as would a Rosso Conero or a Negroamaro.
Come time to cook, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Drain the meat and brown it over a brisk flame in a non-stick pan, turning it this way and that to color all sides. Transfer the meat to an oven pan, salt it, and roast it for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime blanch the arugola in lightly salted water. Drain it, run it under cold water, squeeze out most of the moisture (you don't want it bone dry, but it shouldn't drip), and coarsely chop it.
When the meat is cooked, place it on a sheet of aluminum foil, distribute the arugola over it, seasoning it with the crumbled hot pepper, wrap the meat tightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it and serve it forth.
As a side dish, you could serve roasted baby potatoes (you could if you want cook them in the same pan with the meat). A wine? Red, and fairly substantial. An Aglianico would be nice, especially an Aglianico del Taburno, as would a Rosso Conero or a Negroamaro.
