Beef Fillet with Shitake mushrooms and Rustenberg John X Merriman 2003
There's really no huge magic or mystery to it all. It's quite simple,"
was how executive chef Garth Almazan modestly described this dish.
"The first thing I did was to taste the wine. Something that impressed
me was the texture - it was really nice and smooth and almost gentle, especially
after it had been open for a while." Almazan also noted its meatiness and
fruit quality.
"Ostrich immediately came to mind - but then I remembered the bird flu
scare so decided I'd better go with something else…" The something
else was a medallion of beef fillet - something within reach of every enthusiastic
amateur home cook who watches the food channel!
"It's amazing how many people enjoy watching the cooking programmes,"
Almazan said. "I've found that when I walk around the restaurant people
engage me in conversation more. Before they used to just say that the food was
good, now they chat about something they've seen or ask how a dish has been
prepared. It's great, I enjoy it because it's broken down barriers and made
people realize that food needn't be intimidating. And this dish is so easy to
prepare - anyone can do it at home."
The shiitake mushrooms and wonton wrappers, once difficult to obtain, are now
readily available and they pick up on an earthy note in the wine's flavours.
"The goat's cheese adds a nice bit of salt and also texture to the ravioli.
And using the wonton wrappers means you don't have to hassle about making pasta."
Almazan is a man who has shunned the spotlight in spite of his obvious talent
(Catharina's boasts numerous awards in recognition of its quality) but will
soon be on permanent display. Renovations will result in a large picture window
being inserted between the restaurant and kitchen, allowing diners to indulge
in some gastronomic voyeurism.
Almazan is excited about the impending change and admits that he's looking forward
to allowing diners a good look in.
Pan fried Beef Fillet
Served with shiitake and goats cheese ravioli and wilted baby spinach.
(Quantities given are for a single portion.)
60g sliced shiitake mushrooms
50g firm goats cheese, crumbled
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 sprigs parsley, chopped
2 sprigs thyme leaves, chopped
4 wonton wrappers
Half cup of red wine
3 knobs butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
180g fillet of beef (preferably from the middle)
80g English spinach
To make the ravioli, add the onion and thyme to a medium pan with a knob of
butter and sauté for about one minute. Add the shiitake mushrooms and
parsley and sauté for another minute. Leave to cool before adding the
crumbled goat's cheese.
Lay the wonton wrappers on a dry surface and place a good heaped teaspoon of
the shiitake filling in the middle of each wrapper. Using a clean pastry brush
dipped in a little water, lightly brush the wonton around the piles of filling.
Using the base of your palm, gently press the second wrapper onto the bottom
one, extracting all the air from the filling, then set aside while you cook
the fillet.
Season the fillet with salt and black pepper and cook in a frying pan with a
little oil on a medium heat for about 6 minutes for medium rare and 8 minutes
for medium. Leave to rest.
Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add the shiitake raviolis.
After two minutes add the baby spinach and cook for one more minute.
Remove both ravioli and spinach with slotted spoon, drain in colander, and then
place on absorbent paper to blot up any remaining water.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Heat the pan the beef was cooked in, add the red wine and reduce over high heat
to about three tablespoons, then stir in the butter and spoon around the beef
fillet. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
To serve, place the baby spinach on the plate, lay one ravioli on the spinach,
add the beef fillet and lay ravioli on top of the beef.
(Note: Wonton wrappers are a Chinese pastry available in all food retail outlets.)
Catharina's, Steenberg Hotel, Steenberg Road, Cape Town. Tel: 021 713 2222.
