Fillet Balsamico

A dear Italian friend of mine and awesome cook taught me how to do this super simple and simply delicious, melt in your mouth fillet.

You marinate your fillet in an abundance of good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and bruised rosemary leaves. I use about half half oil to vinegar ration and an ample amount of rosemary leaves striped from the stalk and bruised by rubbing and crushing them in your hands. Nothing else, especially no salt. Place the fillet in a snug container so the marinade can cover it and turn it every so often if you remember. I like to leave it for about 2 hours or so.

When you are ready to cook the meat remove the fillet from the marinade place it on a baking tray and into a preheated oven, reserving the marinade. I like to have my oven on top heat so I can get the fillet crispy and crusty on the outside while still rare on the inside, but that is up to you. You should however keep the meat rare as it will cook further after removing it from the oven.

Grill the meat for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the fillet. Remove it from the oven and slice it into slices of about 1 – 2cm thickness. Arrange the slices onto a serving platter and pour the reserved marinade generously over the hot meat and place back into the oven for 5 minutes. You can then grind some salt and pepper over the top and serve immediately. The vinegar continues cooking the meat and gives a tenderness and flavour that is truly memorable.

Summer serving suggestion: crispy Mediterranean potatoes and rocket salad

Winter serving suggestion: Dijon mustard mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables

PS - if you want this recipe in a nice printable word format, please e-mail me at info@domesticgoddesses.co.za and I will gladly mail it to you.