Pan-fried fillet is a quick and easy recipe that, if cooked well and accompanied by a good side dish of vegetables, represents a complete and low-calorie dish . The fundamental prerequisite is that the meat is of excellent quality . The meat is dark pink , lean and tasty.
As for the CUTTING of the meat, the fillet must be cut at least 1 cm , 1 and a half cm thick , even if true connoisseurs often prefer at least 2 cm.
COOKING.
To prepare the Beef Tenderloin, start by taking the meat out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking it. The tenderloin, like any other type of meat, should always be cooked at room temperature and never cold from the refrigerator.
Place the fillet on a plate and season it with oil and a generous amount of pepper. Massage it well with your hands to distribute the flavors evenly. In this first phase, do not salt the meat.
Heat a pan, preferably iron or cast iron, and when it is red hot, place the fillets, pressing lightly. This step is very important because it serves to seal the meat thanks to the formation of a crust that, retaining the juices, will allow you to obtain a perfect consistency and cooking. The best degree of cooking for the Beef Fillet is rare. Cook it for two minutes on each side, turning it with tongs so as to avoid piercing it: piercing the meat will cause the cooking juices to come out, returning a dry and stringy fillet. Let it rest for a couple of minutes on a plate, season with a pinch of salt and serve the best Beef Fillet ever cooked!
Cooking times for the fillet vary from 1 to 5 minutes per side:
- 1 minute: very rare
- 2 minutes: rare
- 3 1/2 minutes: medium rare
- 5 minutes: well done
Obviously a lot also depends on the thickness of the meat and for a more accurate check you will have to use a thermometer and measure the temperature at the core: 45°C very rare, 50°C rare, 60°C half cooked and 70°C for a well-done fillet.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Here are 5 ideal side dishes for a super fillet!
-Grilled Fruit
Let's start with something unusual, grilled fruit. Yes, fruit can be grilled and it turns out to be a particularly tasty side dish, especially when paired with red meat.
All you need to do is cut your favorite fruit in half, then start grilling it from the cut side. Stop cooking only when the fruit is soft and caramelized. Also, by adding honey or sugar, you can serve it as a dessert at the end of a meal.
-Corn cob in foil
Corn on the cob in foil is a simple and delicious side dish. Leave aside your fork and knife because this side dish must be eaten strictly with your hands.
First, remove the end part and the leaves from the cob. Do not throw away the innermost leaves which, once washed carefully and with the addition of a pinch of salt and pepper, will be the perfect bed for your cob. Wrap everything in aluminum foil, being careful to seal the ends. Then place the parcel on a baking tray sprinkled with coarse salt and bake. We recommend using the oven in static mode, preheated to a temperature of 180. The cooking time is approximately 35 minutes.
-Coleslaw Salad
Directly from the Anglo-Saxon culinary tradition, Coleslaw Salad is a perfect side dish for your veal and beef with a fresh and tasty flavour.
To start you will need 500g of cabbage, 150g of carrots and a fresh spring onion. After washing the vegetables and removing the outer leaves of the cabbage, slice all the vegetables very thinly.
It's time to prepare the sauce. Take a bowl and mix 150g of yogurt with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Then add 1 tablespoon of vinegar, one of sugar and a teaspoon of mustard. Continue mixing adding salt, pepper and chives.
-Potatoes in beer
The combination of beer and potatoes is always a classic. Let's see now how to combine these two elements to create an excellent hot side dish.
After washing them well, cut the potatoes into cubes without removing the peel. Then place them on a square of baking paper, which in turn you will place on a square of tin foil larger than the first. Then season the potatoes with fine salt and rosemary, also adding some butter, about 5g for every 100g of potatoes.
Finally, pull up the edges of the parcel and pour in the beer (we recommend a red beer). To adjust, follow the proportion of 10ml of beer for every 100g of potatoes, then close the parcel very carefully and bake in a preheated oven at 220° for 35 minutes.
-Grilled Ratatouille Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes
And finally, a side dish that is a little more challenging to prepare, but which will make your dishes unique. We are talking about Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Grilled Rataouille .
First you will have to empty the tomatoes. To do this, cut a slice of one and a half centimeters, then with a carving knife cut the pulp of the tomato about 1.5 centimeters from the peel, so as to be able to empty the tomato of seeds and juice. Then salt the base.
It's time to prepare the ratatouille.
To fill 4 tomatoes you will need 1 zucchini, 1 sweet onion and 1 bell pepper. After washing all the vegetables and removing the seeds from the bell pepper, brush all three vegetables with oil and cook them in a pan with the lid closed until they reach a soft consistency. At this point remove the vegetables from the pan and cut them into pieces. Add a few tablespoons of grated mozzarella, chopped fresh basil and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!
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