Black pepper and beef is a classic combination. This recipe steers away from rich, creamy, peppery sauces and remains a light dish. Serve this with a rocket and parmesan salad, a selection of roasted vegetables or an Asian-style salad.
600g beef fillet, trimmed of sinew
Black peppercorns
Sea salt
Vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 180C. Crush peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or grind in a coffee grinder until coarse. Pour pepper evenly onto a tray, adding some sea salt. Roll fillet over pepper and press into meat so it sticks and forms a crust. Heat oil in a frypan or barbecue hotplate until very hot then brown the fillet, to seal it, on all sides. Place on a tray in the oven for approximately 10 minutes to cook the fillet rare, 15 minutes for medium and 25 minutes for well done. Remove from the oven and rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Pepper tip
Before crushing the pepper to roll the beef, dry fry the whole peppercorns in a frying pan or roast them in the oven for five minutes. This brings out the essential oils and aroma. We use a coffee grinder to crush spices such as pepper, making sure to wipe it out thoroughly between ingredients. It's handy instead of a mortar and pestle, especially when crushing large amounts, such as the pepper needed for this dish.
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