Slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies

Slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies

The currant and anchovy dressing goes beautifully with the beef, a must try to impress your friends! 

TOTAL TIME 4 hours 20 minutes + standing | SERVES 6 

INGREDIENTS

Currant and anchovy dressing

• ⅓ cup currants
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 4  anchovy fillets
• 1 tbsp baby capers, drained
• 1 small red onion, chopped finely
• ⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Slow-roasted beef fillet 

• 1.4 kg beef eye-fillet 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh oregano

METHOD

Currant and anchovy dressing

COMBINE currants and vinegar in a small bowl; stand for 1 hour. Pound garlic and anchovies using a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add capers, pound lightly. Add currant mixture, onion, herbs and oil. Season to taste. Stir gently to combine. 

Slow-roasted beef fillet 

REMOVE beef eye-fillet from fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. 

PREHEAT the oven to 75°C. Trim beef and tie with a cooking string at 4cm intervals to form an even shape. Place beef in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with half the oil. Season well. Sprinkle with sprigs of oregano.

BAKE for 3½ hours for rare to medium-rare or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 55-60°C on a meat thermometer. 

HEAT remaining oil in a large pan or flameproof roasting pan over high heat. Add beef; cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer beef to a tray. Rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Pour any resting juices into the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer for 1 minute. Cool slightly. Add juices to currant and anchovy dressing.

REMOVE string from beef. Serve sliced with dressing. 

FOOD TEAM TIP: Ask the butcher for a centre cut of beef eye-fillet so that it is even along its length. Roasting a lean meat like eye-fillet at a very low temperature means that the proteins don’t toughen as they would at a higher temperature, which results in a melt-in the mouth texture.

Print Recipe

Slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies

Serves: 6

Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins + standing

Ingredients

• Currant and anchovy dressing
• ⅓ cup currants
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 tbsp baby capers, drained
• 1 small red onion, chopped finely
• ⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Slow-roasted beef fillet 
• 1.4 kg beef eye-fillet 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh oregano

Instructions

Currant and anchovy dressing

1

Combine currants and vinegar in a small bowl; stand for 1 hour. Pound garlic and anchovies using a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add capers, pound lightly. Add currant mixture, onion, herbs and oil. Season to taste. Stir gently to combine. 

Slow-roasted beef fillet 

2

Remove beef eye-fillet from fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. 

3

Preheat the oven to 75°C. Trim beef and tie with a cooking string at 4cm intervals to form an even shape. Place beef in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with half the oil. Season well. Sprinkle with sprigs of oregano.

4

Bake for 3½ hours for rare to medium-rare or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 55-60°C on a meat thermometer. 

5

Heat remaining oil in a large pan or flameproof roasting pan over high heat. Add beef; cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer beef to a tray. Rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Pour any resting juices into the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer for 1 minute. Cool slightly. Add juices to currant and anchovy dressing.

6

Remove string from beef. Serve sliced with dressing. 

Made this slow-roasted beef fillet with currants and anchovies? Tag us @foodandhomesa #cookingwithFH on Instagram!

ALSO SEE: Port-smoked fillet

Port-smoked fillet

Feature image: Aremedia