Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without special meat treats as the focus of festive dinners. It is the time of the year when we all want to serve something special. Of course, we also have to cater for the vegetarians at the table. Decisions, decisions!
I was thinking beef and lamb when it was announced that chef Andrew Clarke of Hamilton’s Victoria Street Bistro had been chosen as one of the2016 team of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ambassadors. I know Andrew has a mean recipe for that traditional delight Beef Wellington. My mind was made up. Beef Wellington it is for Christmas Eve dinner when one half of the family will join us.
On Christmas Day we plan to barbecue and I’m favouring butterflied leg of lamb marinated in red wine and herbs. But will some family members prefer beef? Perhaps we could barbecue both.
Then on Boxing Day we expect four cousins — one a vegetarian — to arrive. For them, it’s definitely a free-range turkey from ‘Turkeyville’, the home of the Crozier family and 20,000 plus white-feathered turkeys that are free to range and forage for food outside.
And for the vegetarian, a vegetable strudel that is also great served as an accompaniment for the mains.
Congratulations to the five 2016 Beef + Lamb Ambassadors: Andrew Clarke, Victoria Street Bistro, Hamilton; Scott Kennedy, Nero Restaurant, Palmerston North; Shaun Clouston, Logan Brown, Wellington; Reon Hobson, Pescatore, The George, Christchurch; Andi Bozhiqi, Millhouse Restaurant, Millbrook Resort, Arrowtown.
Beef Wellington
Serves 6. Suggested wine match: Syrah
This recipe has been inspired by Andrew Clarke a recently appointed Beef + Lamb Ambassador for 2016. He plans to serve this dish for Christmas dinner. Andrew rolls the fillet in prosciutto and chills it before encasing it in pastry.
600g-700g whole beef fillet
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
75g mushrooms, diced
350g ready-rolled puff pastry (I used Maxwells)
2 Tbsp hot English mustard
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- Trim the fillet of silverskin, if required. Season.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sear the meat briefly on all sides, until browned. Remove from the pan and cool.
- Add more oil to the frying pan. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until very tender and there is no liquid left in the pan. Season. Cool.
- Roll out the pastry (35cm x 24cm) on a clean bench. Spread the mustard over the top of the fillet. Turn the fillet mustard-side down. Place lengthwise across the pastry in the centre. Top the beef with the mushroom mixture. Fold the pastry over to enclose the meat and filling. Fold the ends together and press neatly and firmly together. Ensure any overlapping edges are not too thick or it will not cook properly.
- Any scraps can be made into shapes to decorate the top. Chill until ready to cook.
- Heat the oven to 220C. Place the beef package in an oiled roasting pan. Brush all over with egg yolk.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190°C and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. The pastry should be golden and crisp. Stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Excellent served with a beef glaze or red wine sauce.
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Roast turkey a l'orange
Serves about 10. Suggested wine match: A well-rounded Chardonnay
Because Croziers’ Free Range turkeys are very lean you need to protect them with foil or an oven bag to prevent them drying out during cooking.
4.5kg Crozier Free-range Turkey
2 oranges
200g packet sage & onion stuffing
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ -½ cup orange juice
50g butter, melted
Glaze
¼ cup orange juice
1 Tbsp each: powdered gelatine, sugar
- Ensure the turkey is thawed enough to remove the giblets. Run cold water through the inside of the turkey then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and pat in.
- To make the stuffing, finely grate the rind of the oranges. Remove the pith and dice the flesh. Place the rind and flesh in a bowl with the stuffing mix, seasonings and enough orange juice to bind
- Heat the oven to 160C.
- Loosely fill the neck and main cavity with the stuffing. Secure the legs and neck with skewers to hold the stuffing in. Or place a large onion at the entrance to the main cavity to hold the stuffing.
- Place the turkey in a large roasting dish, breast-side up. Brush with the butter. Place about 2 cups of water in the roasting pan. Cover the pan loosely with foil.
- Roast for about 40 minutes per 500g of turkey plus 30 minutes extra, until the legs ease away from the body with gentle pulling. Baste at least twice during cooking. Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Combine the glaze ingredients and heat until the gelatine and sugar are dissolved. Prick the turkey skin with a needle then brush with the glaze. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Brush with the glaze again and continue cooking until the skin is golden and crisp. Stand for about 10 minutes before carving.
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Butterflied summer lamb
Serves about 8. Suggested wine match: Pinot Noir
Ask your butcher to bone the lamb for you but don’t wait until the day before Christmas.
2.5-3 kg leg lamb, boned and butterflied
Marinade
3 cups dry red wine
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp thyme leaves
6 stalks parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Place the lamb in a large casserole. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the lamb. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days, turning regularly.
- Drain the lamb and pat dry. Reserve the marinade.
- Grill the lamb about 10cm away from the source of heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes per side for medium-rare depending on the thickness.
- Meanwhile, strain the marinade and boil, until thickened.
- Transfer the lamb to a platter. Cover and rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the thickened marinade.
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