In last week edition of our regular cooking page Pieter Germishuys - Executive Chef of Hedgehogs Nest put up a stunning display when he gracefully prepared a taste three course treat. In the same edition we have shared Pieter’s secret for a dreamy starter and a heavenly dessert - this week you will learn how to prepare an absolutely delightful main course - an oven-baked phyllo parcel filled with goujons of beef fillet, mushrooms, diced peppadew and Feta cheese served on sauteed rosemary potato, steamed asparagus ands finished off with basil and chili oil. Sure sounds like a mouthful doesn’t it?
Ok chefs - here goes...
For the oven-baked phyllo parcel: (makes 4 parcels)
Ingredients:
3 x sheets of phyllo pastry
Melted butter
80g butter or margarine
300g beef fillet, cut into strips
5 x button mushrooms, diced
5 x peppadews, roughly chopped
1 x spring onion, chopped
40g cakeflour
400ml milk
1 x round wedge creamy Danish Feta
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method:
FILLING: Place butter or margarine in a saucepan. Add the strips of beef and mushrooms and sauté until almost cooked. Add the chopped peppadews and spring onion.
Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Add the milk bit by bit and stir continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Add the crumbled feta cheese and season to taste. Keep aside to cool down.
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Place a sheet of phyllo pastry in front of you. Cover the rest of the phyllo pastry with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Brush the sheet of phyllo pastry with melted butter, put the 2nd sheet on top and brush again with melted butter. Place the final sheet of pastry on top. There is no need to brush the pastry again with melted butter. Keep covered with a damp cloth.
Cut the pastry in 4 equal squares. Place a generous amount of the filling on top and twist like a moneybag. Put the money bag in the fridge until you need to bake it. (Please note…this moneybags can be made ahead of time, place in the freezer and taken out the day that you need it). Place the phyllo parcels on a greased baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.
For the Rosemary sauteed potato: (serves 4 people)
Ingredients:
4 x medium sized potatoes, washed and cut into small dice (Keep the skin on)
3 x sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Butter or margarine
Method:
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add a little bit of butter or margarine. Add the potatoes and sauté until al dente. Add the Rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
For the Basil & chili oil: (makes approximately 250ml)
Ingredients:
4 cups of packed basil leaves
1 x Red chilli
2 cups of olive oil
Method:
In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don’t press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster.
Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
