Sunday 8 February 2015

Rolling In It!

Involtino di Manzo con Dragoncello, Senape & Zenzero
Beef Involtino with Tarragon, Mustard & Ginger


Roll-up! Roll-up! Dinner will be served shortly- this particular one in about an hour or so! Don't miss the show!

All silliness aside, this little dish was an absolute revelation as far as the flavors involved were concerned- I combined them purely by instinct and found them to work wonderfully together... sometimes even I get lucky! Well- at least in the kitchen, haha!


 

Tarragon is one of those strange herbs that we don't use very often. I like it with egg, poultry or fish, but I don#t use it often and I am never really sure about how to use it best...

...but I DID buy some yesterday and this evening I was determined to find out!


 

I know it looks huge in the photos, but this was simply 1 very thinly sliced strip of flank steak- just 100g or so. I added a couple of small potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 shallot, 1 small pepper, 4-5 cherry tomatoes and about 2" of ginger and soon had enough to make a full meal for myself! 

Additional flavor came from 1 tablespoon of coarse, French mustard, some fresh tarragon and parsley- and the main ingredient... a sense of adventure!

 

A perfect Winter dish, full of flavor- and simple, because it all simmers together in one pot and basically takes care of itself whilst you sit back and relax.

 

I cut half of the carrot, the shallot and the pepper into a fine julienne, chopped the ginger into very thin strips, cut the other half of the carrot into slices and simply halved the cherry tomatoes.

 

And then I had some fun- and you will too! Roll out your strip of meat and pound it gently flat. Spread with mustard and then lay out the ingredients, evenly, down the whole length- it's easy... it's pretty and it's fun! Season with salt and pepper, add plenty of fresh tarragon... and get ready to roll!

 

 I can't resist showing you another shot, close-up, of all that wonderful filling!

 

Being careful to carefully tuck-in those ingredients nice and evenly all the way along, roll-up your involtino and then tie it up with a little twine, ready to brown it from each side in a little olive oil.

 

Add the other ingredients, plenty of salt and pepper and the finely chopped parsley and pack them all nicely and tightly into a small pot.

 

Add enough water to cover the vegetables, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, pop on the lid and let it bubble away for 20 minutes or so.

After 20 minutes, flip the meat over, but leave everything else where it is- you want the meat to cook evenly and thoroughly, but the potatoes can take their time. Flip the meat over again 20 minutes later and then continue simmering for a further 20 minutes.

This was only 1 small rill of meat and 2 small potatoes, so it did not take too long- if you are making more, it may take a little longer.


 

By the time it is finished, most of the water will have been absorbed or have evaporated away- and what is left is a really rich and flavorful broth, which you definitely want to spoon over the top when you serve it up!

The sweetness of the carrot, the heat of the ginger, the freshness of the tarragon and the richness of the mustard... well... need I say more? I think not! Other than simply... enjoy!
 

No comments:

Post a Comment