Hi, I am Gee Charman, and welcome to my series of back to basic recipes.
In this episode, I am going to show you a delicious, marinated fillet of beef in red
wine, juniper, and thyme.
[music] So I am going to marinate my beef in three
of the main flavors that go with in which is red wine, thyme, and juniper.
Then for a little bit of an extra kick, a bit of garlic.
Now when you are marinating beef or any meat really, it is all about trying to get as much
flavor as you can into the meat itself rather than having it sitting on the outside as you
would if you were coating it in a sauce.
So first of all, instead of getting, put the bag inside out and the beef can just go into
the bag like that, and then it is just to add some flavoring.
So I have got some thyme.
It is beautiful, fresh thyme, not the dried stuff, and I am just going to pop that in
with it, and then a couple of cloves of garlic.
Now instead of chopping them, I am just going to crush them with the back of the knife just
so that the skin opens up and the flesh starts to break.
If you want all of the recipe details, why not check out the description box.
So the garlic goes in and then I have got juniper.
Now juniper is classic with venison, but I think that it works really well with beef.
They have got that sort of smell of gin about them and it just gives a really nice aroma.
So I have just got a couple of those.
Maybe five or six, and again, just give them a little bit of a helping hand to release
some of their flavor by crushing them with the back of a knife.
So they go in as well.
Then into this to help all of those flavors marinate in the meat, I am going to add a
good glug of red wine.
Do not use cheap red wine because this is going to become your sauce later.
Pop that in and then a little bit of black pepper, but I am not going to add any salt
at this stage.
The reason being that if you add salt it will start to pull the moisture out of the meat.
It withdraws the water and then you end up with a slightly drier, tougher bit of meat.
Then simply just seal up the bag.
Let a little bit of the air out.
So I am just going to put this aside for a couple of hours for all of those flavors to
infuse into the meat.
So the beef has been marinating in the red wine, garlic, thyme, and juniper for about
two hours, and I am just going to remove it from the bag, and I have got a little bit
of kitchen paper here because I want to just pat it dry before cooking it.
All of this beautiful sauce, I am going to pour into a hot saucepan.
Then I am just going to bubble that for about ten or fifteen minutes until it is reduced
by about half and it is beautiful and sticky, and that bag can go straight into the bin.
Now for the beef, I am just going to pick off any of the bits of marinade that have
come out with it, and then just pat it dry.
The reason why I am doing this is because if it has got a lot of wine on the outside
still and it is still quite wet, when you try to sear it, it is going to stew rather
than color.
So you want it nice and dry.
So a little drizzle of olive oil, a good grind of black pepper, and then this is where you
add your paper.
My pan is nice and hot.
You want it really hot because you want to seal it on the outside and get a good color.
Not black, but nice and brown because that is all flavor.
So that can go in now.
Then you are going to cook it for about thirty seconds on each side and just roll it around.
Make sure that you do the ends as well and then we will pop it into the oven.
So now that this is browned on all sides, I am just going to pop it into the oven and
this bit will take about ten minutes, that is all.
So I am just going to put it in in the pan.
If you have got a pan with a rubber handle, pop it on a baking tray and cook it on that
instead.
So the red wine the beef marinated in is now boiling and simmering away to reduce it.
But what it does produce is a little bit of, for want of a better word, scum.
Now that is just from the impurities of the wine and beef.
The best thing to do is to use a spoon to just take that off as they rise to the surface.
So keep bubbling that as your meat cooks and by the time that it is done and rested, your
sauce will be ready.
So my beef is now out of the oven.
It had about ten minutes, but the most important thing is to rest it now.
So I am going to take it out of the pan and then pop it on a plate and then leave it for
another ten minutes to rest.
So just set that to one side and then in this pan, I am going to finish making the sauce.
So I am just going to put it back on the heat, and then I am going to add a little bit of
chicken or beef stock because all of these caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan
will make wonderful sauce.
You just want to use a spatula or spoon to scrape off all of the caramelized bits on
the bottom of the pan.
So this is just going to bubble away and reduce.
Now to my red wine that I have reduced, the marinade, I am just going to add a little
bit of sweetness from some red currant jelly.
Depending on your wine, you may or many not need it.
But this just needs a little bit of sweetness.
So I will just let that melt in.
Give that a stir.
So I am just going to add some of this red wine sauce into the chicken stock.
Then grab a quick spoon.
Have a bit of a try.
I think it can take a little bit more of the red wine.
The best thing to do is taste it.
If you put all of that red wine in, it might be too acidic.
But you might need it all for a boost of flavor.
Then just to finish that sauce off, I am going to turn the heat off.
But to make it into a nice, glossy sauce, I am going to add that little bit of butter
and splash it all over my work surface, and just mix it in.
This will give a really nice gloss to the sauce.
To serve with this, I am going to have some mashed potatoes and some beautiful fresh tender
stem broccoli that I have just fried very lightly in a bit of olive oil and a splash
of water.
So now that butter is all incorporated, I will have one more quick taste to check the
seasoning.
A bit of black pepper.
So your sauce is done, made from that beautiful marinade.
Your beef is beautifully rested, and all of those resting juices that are coming from
the beef can go straight into your pan.
It will just add a little bit more flavor to the sauce.
Then pop it on a board, ready for carving.
Before I carve my beef, I have just got some lovely, buttery mashed potatoes.
Now I love mash with this sort of thing because the sauce gets soaked into it.
I am just going to warm this through slightly.
Now if you like this recipe and want to see more, why not click on the subscribe button.
So that is perfect, nice and smooth, and then I am just going to plate some of this up.
Not going to be too chef like about it, and then some tender stem broccoli.
I have literally just fried this in a little bit of olive oil, add a splash of water, and
then steam it for a couple of minutes.
It keeps it nice and crunchy and that beautiful bright green color.
Then just finish it off with bit of butter if you are not watching the calories and some
salt and pepper.
Now I am going to carve my beef.
Now some people like it really thin.
Some people like thick chunky slices.
I think for me, I am going to do one chunky slice as if it were a steak.
But whatever takes your fancy really.
How gorgeous is that?
Simply spoon over some of this delicious sauce and because it has been made with a marinade,
it will marry the flavors of the beef and sauce together, and then one final little
sprinkling of salt on the beef, a little grind of black pepper.
There you have it beautifully marinated beef in red wine, juniper, and thyme.
I really hope that you have enjoyed this back to basics series and that you have picked
up some tips to help you along your way.
Happy cooking.