Beef Roll Ups with Tomato Fondue Sauce
Instructions:
- Beef Roll-Ups
- 1 red pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/4 lbs. beef tenderloin fillet
- Tomato Sauce
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 10 basil leaves
- 5 shallots, fi nely minced
- 1 lb. vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. butter, cold, cut into cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- Beef Roll-Ups
- Slice the vegetables in long one-inch strips and toss in oil, salt, and pepper. In a deep frying pan or on the barbecue, quickly fry or roast the vegetables. Place on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Cut the tenderloin into four portions of two-inch rounds. Laying the tenderloin portion on its side, fl at side down, coming from the top of the roll, cut into the meat about one-inch, then turning the knife, and while rolling the tenderloin, cut the meat into a spiral that when unrolled will give you a rectangle of meat, ready to take the vegetables. The idea is to end up with a long, fl at strip.
- Take one of each vegetable, place them all at the end of a tenderloin strip and roll it up until tightly wrapped. Repeat with the other three portions.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, sear the tenderloin.
- Reduce to medium heat and continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.
- Tomato Sauce
- In a small pot, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and half the basil leaves for a few minutes. Add the shallots and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes over mediumlow heat. Add the sugar.
- In a food processor or blender, place the tomato mixture and purée until there are no large lumps. Pour back into the pot by passing through a fi ne sieve, then whisk in the cold butter and remaining basil leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the stuffed fi llet of beef into the middle of a plate and spoon the sauce around the fi llet.
- Tip: The key to this dish is not overcooking it. It is better to undercook it a little and allow the meat to cook to perfection while it is resting.