Pip's favourite beef pesto

Doug Sherring

Ingredients

500 ml	Tamari sauce
1 piece	Beef fillet, mid, trimmed, about 1.2-1.5 kg (Main)
250 ml	Cider vinegar
1	Red chilli, moderately hot
12	Garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup	Mustard, seed style
½ tsp	Salt
½ tsp	Cracked black pepper
350 ml	Olive oil
3	Courgettes, diced
½ cup	Silverbeet, or chard, about 400g, shredded finely, stems and all, and washed well
2	Beetroot, medium sized, raw, peeled and finely diced

Pesto

10	Garlic cloves, peeled (Main)
3 cups	Fresh basil, leaves, loosely packed (Main)
1 cup	Fresh mint, leaves, loosely packed
1 cup	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves, roughly chopped
500 ml	Olive oil
1 cup	Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 cup	Pine nuts, lightly toasted to golden brown in a dry pan, and left to cool

Directions

1. Marinate the beef for at least two days before you eat this dish.
2. Put the tamari, the first amount of cider vinegar, the chilli and six cloves of the garlic into a blender and puree to a fine consistency for 30 seconds.
3. Lay the fillet in a long dish, just large enough to hold it, and pour the marinade over it, cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
4. Every 12 hours, turn the beef over to expose all of it to the marinade. It can be left to marinate for up to a week.
5. Just before you cook the beef, take it out of the marinade and drain well, then dry with a clean cloth.
6. Cut it into six equal pieces and leave to sit until you're ready to cook it.
7. Put the remaining garlic, the seed mustard, the second amount of cider vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil into a food processor, purée for 30 seconds and pour into a large bowl.
8. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the chard and stir well.
9. After 30 seconds add the courgettes and stir, and after 1 minute drain it all through a colander, (the chard and courgettes can be steamed if you prefer).
10. Tip the hot vegetables into the bowl with the garlic dressing and stir well, add the beetroot and stir that in, then leave the bowl in a warm place.
11. For the pesto, put the garlic, herbs, olive oil and pine nuts in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste, but be careful not to overwork it.
12. Turn into a mixing bowl and stir in the parmesan. Stir in a little more olive oil to get the consistency you want. Set aside.
13. Heat up a grilling skillet or grill to a high heat. Lightly oil the fillet on the cut sides and, for the best flavour, grill for no more than 2 minutes on each side.
14. As it's marinated the beef won't need a lot of cooking, but of course if you like your meat well done, then cook it so.
15. Serve the grilled beef on top of the warm chard salad and dollop the pesto on top