Beef up Elinor’s bid for top dish!

A former Welshpool High School pupil competed in the final of a festive Welsh Beef cooking competition last night (Wednesday).

Elinor Bright, 23, impressed a panel of judges when she sent in her Welsh beef recipe to be chosen as one of four finalists to compete in a cook-off at Llanerch Vineyard in Cardiff.

She now needs your votes if her dish - a roast sirloin of Welsh beef with a Perlas cheese, sundried tomato and pine nut stuffing, served with a generous helping of Pembrokeshire new potatoes, sautéed leeks and a jug of traditional farmhouse gravy - is to be crowned ‘Best Festive Welsh Beef Recipe 2012’.

During the cook-off final, Elinor was given two hours to cook and present her meal to a panel of three judges.

Award-winning food writer Nicki Tudor said: “Rare-roast Welsh Beef sirloin with a rich, cheesy stuffing. The stuffing is a balance of sweet tomatoes, crunchy pine nuts and salty cheese. Great for a Christmas dinner with a twist."

Food blogger Matt Appleby and Pip Gill, from Welsh Beef, were also impressed.

Elinor, (third left) who went to Berriew Primary School and now lives in Llanidloes, said: “Beef is a fantastic alternative to turkey at Christmas, especially when served with some of the finest ingredients Wales has to offer.

“Stuffed with Perlas cheese - a traditional Welsh blue veined cheese made using organic pasteurised cows milk to develop a creamy texture with long after-taste - and pine nuts and sundried tomatoes it makes for the perfect Christmas indulgence.

"Served on a bed of crushed Pembrokeshire new potatoes and thinly diced sautéed leeks it is just perfect."

* To vote for Elinor email ‘Elinor Bright’ to welshbeef@golleyslater.co.uk

Like the sound of Elinor’s recipe? Here, she shares her secret with us.

Serves: 8 people

* 1.4Kg beef sirloin
* 70g Perlas cheese
* 75g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
* 60g pine nuts
* 60g shallots
* 2 cloves garlic
* 100g breadcrumbs
* Handful of parsley
 
Perparation time: 30 minutes - Cooking time 40 minutes to 1 hour
 
1.     Preheat over to 220 C
2.     Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Toast the pine nuts until golden brown, remove and drain on a piece of kitchen roll. Fry the shallots until tender. Mix in the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the frying pan from the heat and add the pine nuts, breadcrumbs and parsley. Season as needed with salt and pepper and cool. Once cool crumble in the Perlas cheese.
3.     Make a pocket in the sirloin about 2/3 of the way through the meat. Fill the pocket with the stuffing and secure it in place with kitchen twine.
4.     Rub the meat with olive oil and season.
5.     Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180 C and continue cooking for a further 20-40 minutes, depending on how well done you require the meat.
6.     Remove from the roasting cover with foil and let the meat rest for 15 minutes before serving.

READY STEADY COOK: Elinor Bright (third from left) prepares to compete in the final of a national cooking competition in Cardiff. Picture: Steve Pope

PREP: 23-year-old Elinor Bright prepares her Christmas Welsh Beef meal. Picture: Steve Pope