Take The Chill Out Of Winter With A Scrumptious Beef Wellington

While we're in the grip of winter, cook up a storm with Groote Post’s scrumptious Beef Wellington recipe. It pairs beautifully with Groote Posts’s The Old Man's Blend Red and it is one of The Old Man’s favourite winter dishes.

Beef Wellington pairs beautifully with Groote Post’s The Old Man’s Blend Red
-- photograph courtesy of Landbou Boerekos

Ingredients

1 whole beef fillet of about 1 kg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil and butter, for frying
1 red onion, finely chopped
A few fresh thyme sprigs leaves stripped and finely chopped
200g mushrooms, very finely chopped
A shot of The Old Man's Blend Red
500g ready-to-use puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method

Season the fillet with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan and seal the meat in it until evenly golden-brown on the outside.
Remove the fillet from the pan and allow it to cool.
Slowly fry the garlic, onion, and thyme leaves in the same pan until soft.
Add the mushrooms and fry until cooked.
Add A shot of The Old Man's Blend Red and fry until all the wine has boiled off and the mushroom mixture has boiled dry.
Spoon out of the pan and allow to cool well.
Roll out the puff pastry, slightly thinner on a floured surface.
Now spread a layer of the mushroom mixture over and press it firmly so that the whole fillet is covered with a layer of it.
Place the fillet on the puff pastry and fold the meat neatly into it so that there are no openings.
Use any leftover dough for decoration.
Place the Beef Wellington on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Remove the Beef Wellington from the fridge, paint with a layer of beaten egg and bake for 20-25 minutes for light or 30-25 minutes for medium cooked.
Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into thick slices.
Enjoy with a glass of Groote Post’s The Old Man’s Blend Red.

GROOTE POST’S THE OLD MAN’S BLEND WINES

The Old Man’s Blend range came into being in 2001 at the behest of Groote Post’s ‘Old Man’, Peter Pentz senior, who asked the family to blend him a red wine to enjoy as his winter evening tipple. The enormous popularity of The Old Man’s Blend Red established a Groote Post tradition, with The Old Man’s Blend White subsequently added to the range.

Groote Post’s ‘Old Man’, Peter Pentz senior

Groote Post’s The Old Man’s Blend Red 2019

This wine is a blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Shiraz. “This is a fantastic vintage. The three varietals all reached optimal ripeness in perfect timing for the harvest”, says Lukas Wentzel. During the winemaking and wood maturation, the cultivars are kept apart, and The Old Man takes part in rigorous tasting sessions to decide on the final blend. This is a down-to-earth, ripe-fruit-driven blend. Captivating red fruit notes delight the senses, most notably cherry, raspberry and cranberry, with soft tannins giving a smooth finish.

Purchase: Available from the Groote Post cellar door, online at https://groote-post-wines.myshopify.com/collections/all and nationally at leading wine retailers and select restaurants.

Retail price: Approximately R93