Beef Wellington is known for its impressive appearance and melt-in-your-mouth texture, but it’s tricky to make from scratch.
As many recipes call for expensive ingredients, it’s a tough pill to swallow if the dish doesn’t turn out how you expect.
But with Jamie Oliver’s method, it’s easy to avoid buying expensive cuts of beef, plus, it takes just one hour to cook.
Sharing the recipe on his website, the chef said: “If you’ve never tasted wild venison you’re in for a real treat. Not only is it leaner than beef, but it’s a great source of zinc and iron, too.
“This fancy, flavour-packed Wellington (as seen on Friday Night Feast) has all the makings of a show-stopping feast. Next-level deliciousness.”
Venison wellington recipe
Before doing any cooking, it’s important to remove the venison from the fridge at least one hour prior. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
Crush the juniper berries in a pestle and mortar until fine, then pick the leaves from three sprigs of thyme and all the rosemary, then finely chop them together.
Take the room-temperature venison, place it on a clean chopping board and rub it all over with one teaspoon of olive oil. Next, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, then scatter over the juniper and herbs, and give everything a good rub.
Preheat a large frying pan over high heat, then sear the venison for two minutes on all sides, turning with tongs. Transfer to a plate and move onto the filling.
Clean the mushrooms and roughly tear any larger ones, then place the porcini in a small bowl, just cover with boiling water and leave to soak for a few minutes.
Peel and finely chop the garlic, wipe the pan clean, then add the garlic and mushrooms with the butter and a lug of olive oil. Strip in the remaining thyme leaves, roughly chop and add the soaked porcini and its soaking liquid (straining to remove any grit).
Cook on medium to low heat for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has disappeared and the mushrooms are soft, stirring regularly. Tip the contents of the pan to a board, and drizzle with half a teaspoon of truffle oil and some nutmeg gratings. Chop or blitz everything until it resembles a coarse pate consistency, then taste and season before leaving it to cool down.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. Face one of the long edges towards you and spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border. Beat an egg and use it to brush the edges, then sit the venison on the pastry and start to snugly fold the pastry around the meat, pushing it away from you.
Press the ends together to seal and indent with a fork. Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and brush it all over with egg wash. Before putting it in the oven, heat the tray on the hob over medium heat for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven for 30 minutes for blushing, juicy venison.
Once cooked, leave the Wellington to rest for five minutes, then slice.
