• Slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies

    The currant and anchovy dressing goes beautifully with the beef, a must try to impress your friends! 

    TOTAL TIME 4 hours 20 minutes + standing | SERVES 6 

     

    INGREDIENTS

    Currant and anchovy dressing

    • ⅓ cup currants
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 4  anchovy fillets
    • 1 tbsp baby capers, drained
    • 1 small red onion, chopped finely
    • ⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
    • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Slow-roasted beef fillet 

    • 1.4 kg beef eye-fillet 
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 bunch fresh oregano

     

    METHOD

    Currant and anchovy dressing

    COMBINE currants and vinegar in a small bowl; stand for 1 hour. Pound garlic and anchovies using a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add capers, pound lightly. Add currant mixture, onion, herbs and oil. Season to taste. Stir gently to combine. 

    Slow-roasted beef fillet 

    REMOVE beef eye-fillet from fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. 

    PREHEAT the oven to 75°C. Trim beef and tie with a cooking string at 4cm intervals to form an even shape. Place beef in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with half the oil. Season well. Sprinkle with sprigs of oregano.

    BAKE for 3½ hours for rare to medium-rare or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 55-60°C on a meat thermometer. 

    HEAT remaining oil in a large pan or flameproof roasting pan over high heat. Add beef; cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer beef to a tray. Rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Pour any resting juices into the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer for 1 minute. Cool slightly. Add juices to currant and anchovy dressing.

    REMOVE string from beef. Serve sliced with dressing. 

     

    FOOD TEAM TIP: Ask the butcher for a centre cut of beef eye-fillet so that it is even along its length. Roasting a lean meat like eye-fillet at a very low temperature means that the proteins don’t toughen as they would at a higher temperature, which results in a melt-in the mouth texture.

     

    Slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies

    Serves: 6
    Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins + standing

    Ingredients

    • Currant and anchovy dressing
    • ⅓ cup currants
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 4 anchovy fillets
    • 1 tbsp baby capers, drained
    • 1 small red onion, chopped finely
    • ⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
    • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Slow-roasted beef fillet 
    • 1.4 kg beef eye-fillet 
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 bunch fresh oregano

    Instructions

    Currant and anchovy dressing

    1

    Combine currants and vinegar in a small bowl; stand for 1 hour. Pound garlic and anchovies using a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add capers, pound lightly. Add currant mixture, onion, herbs and oil. Season to taste. Stir gently to combine. 

    Slow-roasted beef fillet 

    2

    Remove beef eye-fillet from fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. 

    3

    Preheat the oven to 75°C. Trim beef and tie with a cooking string at 4cm intervals to form an even shape. Place beef in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with half the oil. Season well. Sprinkle with sprigs of oregano.

    4

    Bake for 3½ hours for rare to medium-rare or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 55-60°C on a meat thermometer. 

    5

    Heat remaining oil in a large pan or flameproof roasting pan over high heat. Add beef; cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer beef to a tray. Rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Pour any resting juices into the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer for 1 minute. Cool slightly. Add juices to currant and anchovy dressing.

    6

    Remove string from beef. Serve sliced with dressing. 

     

    Made this slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies? Tag us @foodandhomesa #cookingwithFH on Instagram!

     

    ALSO SEE: Port-smoked fillet

    Port-smoked fillet

    Feature image: Aremedia