Beef Wellington

With Madeira gravy

Beef Wellington

Serves Serves 6
Time Cooks In1 hour 30 minutes
DifficultyShowing off
Nutrition per serving Plus
  • Calories 797 40%
  • Fat 43.3g 62%
  • Saturates 19.3g 97%
  • Sugars 9g 10%
  • Salt 2.1g 35%
  • Protein 50.9g 101%
  • Carbs 63.6g 24%
  • Fibre 5.3g -
Of an adult's reference intake
recipe adapted from

Jamie's Comfort Food

By Jamie Oliver
Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • 1 kg centre fillet of beef , trimmed (the timings below work perfectly for a fillet of roughly 10cm in diameter)
  • olive oil
  • 2 knobs of unsalted butter
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 600 g mixed mushrooms
  • 100 g free-range chicken livers , (cleaned)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon truffle oil , (optional)
  • 50 g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 x 500 g block puff pastry
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • For the gravy:
  • 2 onions
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 heaped teaspoon blackcurrant jam
  • 100 ml Maderia wine
  • 1 heaped teaspoon English mustard
  • 2 heaped teaspoons plain flour , plus extra for dusting
  • 600 ml organic beef stock , (hot)
Tap For Method

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recipe adapted from

Jamie's Comfort Food

By Jamie Oliver
Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat. Rub the beef all over with sea salt and black pepper. Pour a good lug of oil into the pan, then add the beef, 1 knob of butter and 1 sprig of rosemary.
  2. Sear the beef for 4 minutes in total, turning regularly with tongs, then remove to a plate.
  3. Wipe out the pan and return to a medium heat. Peel the onion and garlic, then very finely chop with the mushrooms and put into the pan with the remaining knob of butter and another lug of oil.
  4. Strip in the rest of the rosemary leaves and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise, stirring regularly.
  5. Toss the livers and Worcestershire sauce into the pan and cook for another few minutes, then tip the contents onto a large board and drizzle with the truffle oil (if using).
  6. Finely chop it all by hand with a big knife, to a rustic, spreadable consistency. Taste and season to perfection, then stir in the breadcrumbs (you can use pancakes to line the pastry and absorb the juices, but I prefer using breadcrumbs like this).
  7. Preheat the oven to 210°C/425°F/gas 7.
  8. On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. With one of the longer edges in front of you, spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 5cm gap at either end and at the edge furthest away from you – eggwash these edges.
  9. Sit the beef on the pâté then, starting with the edge nearest to you, snugly wrap the pastry around the beef, pinching the ends to seal.
  10. Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, with the pastry seal at the base, and brush all over with eggwash (you can prep to this stage, then refrigerate until needed – just get it out 1½ hours before cooking so it’s not fridge-cold).
  11. When you’re ready to cook, heat the tray on the hob for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven and cook for 40 minutes for blushing, juicy beef – the two end portions will be more cooked, but usually some people prefer that.
  12. For the gravy, peel and roughly chop the onions and put into a large pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil and the thyme leaves. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the jam and simmer until shiny and quite dark.
  13. Add the Madeira, flame with a match, cook away, then stir in the mustard and flour, gradually followed by the stock. Simmer to the consistency you like, then blend with a stick blender and pass through a sieve, or leave chunky.
  14. Once cooked, rest the Wellington for 5 minutes, then serve in 2cm-thick slices with the gravy and steamed greens.

Tips

BUDGET-FRIENDLY SWAPS:
For a more cost-friendly Wellington, swap in 1.6kg of turkey breast – check out the full recipe here.

FAQs

What is the best cut of meat for beef Wellington?

Fillet of beef.

How do you keep the bottom of Beef Wellington from getting soggy?

By adding breadcrumbs to the mushroom mixture like we do in this recipe, the juice from the beef gets soaked up before reaching the bottom layer of your Wellington, leaving the pastry to get nice and crisp for the most satisfying beef Wellington ever. Just make sure you cook all the juice out of the mushrooms.

How do you know when beef Wellington is done?

It’s impossible to know how well-done a Beef Wellington is until you cut into it but, as we know, beef is a meat that can be eaten pink, and Beef Wellington is a dish famously served rare. The timings for this recipe are perfect for a beef fillet that’s roughly 10cm in diameter. Just remember to allow your Wellington that all-important resting time before serving.

What do I serve with beef Wellington?

Simple steamed or sautéed greens work perfectly well as a side for beef Wellington, especially with a good glug of homemade gravy drizzled over the top. Otherwise, creamy mashed potatoes make an even more indulgent Wellington side dish that tastes divine.
recipe adapted from

Jamie's Comfort Food

By Jamie Oliver