In the past veal has got a pretty bad wrap and rightly so for animal rights issues. I wouldn’t go any where near crate reared veal which has been banned in the EU since 2007, for obvious reasons. I would on the other hand happily buy veal that is a by product of the milk industry that would otherwise go to waste. So when I happened across a whole veal tenderloin I snapped it up without a seconds thought!
The very same day I came across some baby figs which when prepared with some blueberries made a very fine lunch indeed!
Incidentally this dish wold work equally well with a pork tenderloin instead of veal. I wouldn’t substitute the same cut from mature beef though! (fillet steak)
By the way, this recipe does not disappoint! : )
ingredients (serves 2 - light course)
for the blueberry sauce
100g blueberries
8g lemon juice (quarter)
2g sugar
for the veal fillet
2x 135g veal fillets
salt & pepper
EVO
for the seared figs
8 baby figs (normal ones are fine too!)
40ml orange & thyme syrup
for the rocket & fig salad
8 seared figs
8 seared mushrooms
50g rocket
25ml lemon vinaigrette (50/50 lemon EVO)
salt flakes
for the chunky potatoes
1 large potato (cut lengthways into 6 then in half)
- double if you’re hungry
oil for frying
apparatus / equipment
2 6cm chefs baking ring (keep steaks together)
small (16cm) sauce pan
method
blueberry sauce
Reserve 20 blueberries, and put the rest into a really small saucepan with the lemon juice sugar and about 50ml water.
Cook until the liquid boils and softens the blueberries. Take the pot off the heat and blitz with a stick blender.
Pass the sauce through a sieve and return it to the saucepan. Add the reserved blueberries and put aside until needed.
seared veal
Remove the veal fillets form the fridge at an hour before using them. (Enough time to bring them up to room temperature)
Season the steaks and place them in chefs rings or tie them with butchers string.
Sear them top and bottom on a medium high heat until golden brown, remove from the ring and brown the outsides too.
Leave to rest for 10mins in a warm place.
rocket & fig salad
Quarter the mushrooms and sear the flat sides until golden brown, season and add a little butter. Keep them warm.
Dip the figs in orange and thyme syrup, place them face down in a medium hot not stick pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook until they have caramelised on the bottom and put aside in a warm place.
chunky potatoes
Take a very large potato and cut it lengthways to create 2 flat pieces. Cut into sixes and boil in salt water until soft.
Remove them from the water and allow them to release steam until dry. Fry at 160C until they’ve started to go golden, then remove from the oil and pierce them with a fork a couple of times. Fry for a further 3mins @ 180C. Serve as soon as possible.
to serve
Assemble on a warm plate and serve immediately. Serving with a crusty roll and butter would compliment this dish nicely!
variations
You could easily carry this dish off with a pork tenderloin instead of veal.
Or add panko haggis and wasabi mayo . . . . ? : _)
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