SLOW-COOKED BEEF WITH RIB MEAT SAUCE
This recipe uses the slow way of cooking beef, as it is "roasted" in a 60 C/140 F hot oven. The reason for doing so is to keep the natural tenderness of
the beef, which is lost if you cook it at high temperatures. Even though 60 C may seem to be low, it is sufficient to cook the beef, although it takes a
longer time. Ribs are used to make a nice sauce together with the traditional mirepoix ingredients.
4 servings:
RIB MEAT SAUCE
200 g/6.6 oz rib meat (remove the bone)
30 mL/1 fl oz olive oil
2 big carrots, chopped
1 onions, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 sprig of thyme
200 mL/6.6 fl oz red wine
200 mL/6.6 fl oz beef stock
30 ml/1 fl oz balsamic vinegar
BEEF FILLET
4 beef fillet steaks
60 ml/2 fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
VEGETABLES
400 g traditional potato purée
100 g wild mushrooms, sautéed in olive oil, salt, pepper
100 g carrot sticks, boiled
For the rib meat sauce:
Brown the rib meat pieces in a hot pan in olive oil and put in a baking tray. In a clean pan, sauté the veggies and thyme for 3 minutes in olive oil on moderate heat. Add red wine and reduce the volume by half. Add the stock and pour everything onto the rib meat pieces in the baking tray. Bake for 3 hours in 150 C/300 F. When done, rib meat should be tender and you should be able to separate the flesh from the fat and connective tissue (if you like to do so). Put these trimmed pieces on a borad and chop them into smaller pieces. Pass rest of the tray content through a fine sieve, making sure that everything liquid gets into a new pan. This is the sauce you will use later. Reduce it on a hot stove if needed, as the sauce should be fairly thick. Season with balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add the rib meat pieces and get ready to cook the beef.
For the beef:
The oven temperature should now be set at 60 C/140 F. Season the beef fillets with salt and pepper and quickly brown them in hot olive oil so just the surface gets cooked. Then place them in a baking tray and bake in the oven until they are medium/rare depending on your preferences. This should take about an hour, but check how well the beef is cooked, and bake it longer if needed.
Serve the beef with the vegetables and the rib meat sauce (reheated).