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“Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.” Henry Clay

I love collecting old things. My collection changed and got bigger once I discovered Tesco cutlery. Since little I was dreaming at the beauty of the old English times from 17-18 century. I was trying to imagine how beautiful and authentic were those times, like in the nobles novels of Jane Austen. Virtue, manners, authenticity and spirituality of life.

I love that authentic and strange beauty of old and rustic nature of cutlery or tableware, and I’m collecting as much as I can rare such things. I’m not in love at all with the modern design of cutlery and I’m always into the search of tableware with strong personality.

Let me share with you one of my secret corner where you can find new things with old or rustic patina. When I ran into these Tesco steak knives, I was so happy. They have beautiful modern cutlery, but what I was looking for was something more close to the rustic side of life.

Finally I found these beautiful steak knives, very sturdy, with a blade attached firmly. The handle has that antique rustic wooden beauty. The thing with new items is that you don’t have too worry yet about tarnishing or crackers in the blade or handle. These knives have a very simple, cottage design and have become a unique selection in my vintage collection.

I wanted already to test the knives, and to settle down my craving for a Beef Wellington that I had already since some time. An exquisite recipe for an English style dinner, to make use of these wonderful simple knives. With old origins, it is a classic dish that can be served at any time of the year. This dish is providing a rich palette of flavors that for sure will satisfy all tastes. With this dish I fell we were almost celebrating something, maybe the success of finding this cutlery, and the dinner was finished with big satisfaction.

 

Beef Wellington with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes  and Buttery Vegetables (recipe slightly adapted from Gourmet Traveller)
Ingredients (makes 6 servings):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.2 kg piece of trimmed beef fillet, at room temperature
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Duxelles (mixture to cover the meat) :
2 tablespoons olive oil
200g Portobello mushrooms (or Swiss brown, chestnut and pine)
20g butter, coarsely chopped
2 golden shallots, finely chopped
2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dry thyme
60ml red wine

Directions :
1. For duxelles, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add mushrooms, cook until golden (3-4 minutes). Add butter, shallot, garlic and thyme, sauté until tender (2-3 minutes), add red wine or Madeira and cook until evaporated (1-2 minutes). Season to taste, transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside to cool, then drain to remove excess liquid.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat, season beef to taste, seal in pan until golden (3-4 minutes each side). Set aside to cool.
3. Roll pastry sheets separately on a lightly floured surface to 4cm longer than beef fillet. Spread a quarter of the duxelles over one sheet of pastry, place fillet on top then spread remaining duxelles over beef. Brush edges with eggwash and cover with remaining pastry. Trim pastry edges, leaving a 3cm border, and press with a fork to seal. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate to chill (30 minutes).
4. Preheat oven to 220C. Brush pastry with eggwash and bake until pastry is golden and puffed and beefed is cooked (25-30 minutes for medium-rare). Set aside to rest (10 minutes) then thickly slice and serve with potatoes and vegetables.

This recipe is from the June 2011 issue of 
Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Garnish :
300g mix of vegetables (broccoli and carrots)
400g sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
sea salt and pepper

Directions :
1. Steam the broccoli and carrots, roughly cut, in salty boiling water, for 5-6 minutes. Strain the water and set aside to cool.
2. Wash and clean the potatoes cut them in small cubs and steam them, in salty boiling water, for 5-8 minutes.
3. In a big pan, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add the vegetables and potatoes and cook at medium heat with lid set up, for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and add the garlic clove, finely chopped. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes and vegetables are tender. Serve with the beef Wellington.

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