CookEat Recipe
Beef Fillet with Marsala
A tied beef fillet gently cooked with onion, prosciutto and butter, then finished in strained, defatted juices with Marsala.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: About 1 kg trimmed beef tenderloin, in one piece; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 40 g prosciutto, in thin slices; 40 g butter; A little salt and black pepper; A pinch plain flour, about 1 teaspoon or 3 g; About 300 ml ready-to-use stock, added as needed; About 75 ml Marsala.
Step 2
Trim away the tough silver skin and tie the tenderloin compactly with food-safe kitchen string. Put it in a heavy casserole with the thinly sliced onion, prosciutto and butter, and season sparingly with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Brown on all sides over moderate heat until the onion has softened and collapsed, about 15–20 minutes. Sprinkle with the small pinch of flour and let it colour briefly in the fat. Add some stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 4
Cover and cook very gently for about 25–40 minutes, turning occasionally and adding only enough stock to prevent drying, until the centre reaches at least 63°C. Lift the fillet onto a warm dish and strain the cooking juices, removing the onion and prosciutto pieces. Skim off excess fat.
Step 5
Return the strained sauce and fillet to the casserole, add the Marsala and simmer gently for another 5–10 minutes. Let the sauce reduce to a small glossy quantity without making it thick with extra flour. Remove all string, rest the meat for at least 3 minutes, then slice and serve with the sauce.
Step 6
Water may replace the stock. For the simpler larded version, use the same 1 kg trimmed fillet, insert about 50 g cured pork fatback strips with a larding needle and tie compactly. Brown in 40 g butter, add the 75 ml Marsala, cover tightly and cook over very low heat, turning, for about 40–60 minutes until the centre reaches at least 74°C. This version uses no onion, prosciutto, flour or stock. Keep the heat low enough that the meat juices do not dry out, remove all string, rest for 3 minutes and serve with the small buttery Marsala juices.
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