Roast Beef With Succotash & Creamed Parsnips

Roast Beef

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• 1 beef fillet (about 1-1.2kgs/2-2.64lbs)

• 1-2 tablespoons oil

• Salt and pepper

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 170C/338F and place a rack on a baking tray and line the tray with foil to catch any drips (this is to make cleaning easier). Heat a large frypan on medium to high heat and add oil. Season with beef with salt and pepper and then brown the beef on all sides.

Step 2 - Place on oven rack and roast for 30-35 minutes for medium rare. It depends on how done you like your roast beef and use a meat thermometer in the centre of the roast to test for the temperature that you want. A guide is below (keeping in mind that it will still cook a couple of degrees after it is removed  from the oven).

Rare 52-54 °C /125-129 °F

Medium rare  55-60 °C /130-140 °F

Medium  61-65 °C /141-149 °F

Medium well 66-70 °C/150-158 °F

Well done 71-99 °C /159-210 °F

Step 3 - When the roast is a few degrees from what you want, remove it from the oven as it will continue to cook for a few degrees. Make a loose tent with foil over the roast and allow it to rest for about twenty minutes.

Sweetcorn Succotash

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Adapted from chef Blair Lebsack

• 3 corn on the cob

• 150g/5ozs. bacon

• 1/2 yellow capsicum pepper

• 1/2 red capsicum pepper

• 1/4 red onion, diced

• 1 leek, white part only, sliced

• 1 Jalapeno chilli, chopped

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 200 ml/7 fl ozs. heavy cream

• Juice of 1/4 lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

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Step 1 - Soak the corn in the silks for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill. Deseed the capsicums and place them under the grill and blacken the skins of the capsicums. Remove and cool (the skin should slip off easily) and dice the capsicum. Grill the corn for 10 minutes turning over a few times. Remove the silks from the corn and slice the corn off the cob into a bowl with the capsicum.

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Step 2 - Heat a saucepan on medium heat and cook the bacon first-it should release some fat so you shouldn't need oil. Add the onion and leek and saute. Then add the chilli, capsicum and corn mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Cook for a few minutes until the flavours combine. Then add the cream and cook down to reduce the cream-it will take about 5-8 minutes.

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Step 3 - Add salt and pepper to taste along with lemon juice.

Creamed Parsnips and Spinach

An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

• 1 kilo/2 pounds parsnips

• 1 leek, white part only, rinsed well

• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

• 3 cups baby spinach

• 3/4 cup cream

• Freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to season

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Step 1 - Peel and trim the parsnips and chop these roughly. Slice the leek in half horizontally and cut into small half moon pieces. Chop garlic roughly.

Step 2 - Heat a saucepan on medium heat and saute the leek for a minute, then add the chopped parsnips, garlic and the stock. Place the lid on and simmer for about 10 minutes until the parsnip is soft.

Step 3 - Add the baby spinach and stir to wilt the leaves. Add the cream and season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.