Pan-fried fillet is a quick and hasty recipe which, 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 CUT of the meat, the fillet must be cut at least 1 cm , 1 and a half cm thick , even if true connoisseurs often prefer it at least 2 cm.
COOKING.
To prepare the fillet of beef, start by taking the meat out of the refrigerator at least an hour before starting to cook it. The fillet, like any other type of meat, should always be cooked at room temperature and never cold from the fridge.
Put the fillet on a plate and season it with the oil and a generous grind of pepper. Massage it well with your hands to distribute the flavors evenly. In this first phase, do not salt the meat.
Heat a frying pan, preferably iron or cast iron, and when it is hot, place the fillets, pressing lightly. This phase is very important because it serves to seal the meat thanks to the formation of a crust which, by retaining the juices, will allow you to obtain a perfect consistency and cooking. The best degree of cooking of fillet of beef is rare. Cook it for two minutes on each side, turning it with tongs to avoid puncturing it: piercing the meat will cause the cooking liquids to escape, leaving 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!
Fillet cooking times vary from 1 to 5 minutes per side:
- 1 minute: very bloody
- 2 minutes: rare
- 3 and a half minutes: medium cooking
- 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 and measure the core temperature: 45°C very rare, 50°C rare, 60°C halfway through cooking and 70°C for a Fillet well done.
AND THEN?
Here are 5 ideal side dishes for a super fillet!
- Grilled fruit
Let's start with something unusual, grilled fruit. Well yes, fruit can be grilled and it turns out to be a particularly tasty side dish, especially if combined with red meat.
Simply cut your favorite fruit in half, then start grilling it starting from the cut side. Stop cooking only when the fruit is soft and caramelized. Furthermore, by adding honey or sugar, you can re-propose it as a dessert after a meal.
- Corn on the cob in foil
The cob baked in foil is a simple and very tasty side dish. Leave the fork and knife aside because this side dish must be eaten strictly with your hands.
First, remove the ends and leaves from the cob. Don't throw away the innermost ones which, once carefully washed and with the addition of a pinch of salt and pepper, will be the perfect bed for your corn on the 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 35min.
-Coleslaw Salad
The Coleslaw Salad is directly from the Anglo-Saxon culinary tradition, 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 finely.
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. Keep stirring adding salt, pepper and chives.
- Potatoes with beer
The combination of beer and potatoes is always a classic. Now let's see 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 aluminum 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 flaps of the foil and pour the beer (we recommend a red beer). To adjust, follow the proportion of 10ml of beer for every 100g of potatoes, then close the bag very carefully and bake in a preheated oven at 220° for 35 minutes.
-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Grilled Ratatouille
And finally, a side dish that is slightly more demanding in terms of preparation, 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 one-and-a-half-centimetre slice, then use a small knife to engrave the tomato pulp about 1.5 centimeters from the skin, so that you can empty the seeds and juice from the tomato. Then salt the base.
It's time to prepare the ratatouille.
To fill 4 tomatoes you will need 1 courgette, 1 sweet onion and 1 bell pepper. After washing all the vegetables and removing the seeds from the pepper, brush all three vegetables with oil and cook them in a pan with a closed lid until they reach a soft consistency. At this point, remove the vegetables from the pan and cut them into small pieces. Add a few spoonfuls of grated mozzarella, chopped fresh basil and a spoonful of balsamic vinegar.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!
