Recipe: Fillet of Veal, Studded with Tarragon and Garlic

Fillet of Veal, Studded with Tarragon and Garlic

600 gm veal fillet
3 to 4 sprigs French tarragon
1 fat clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

SAUCE:
225 gm pink rhubarb
1 tsp caster sugar
150 ml white chicken stock
3 to 4 sprig French tarragon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 gm chilled unsalted butter

TO SERVE:
225 gm spring cabbage leaves, torn into pieces
15 gm unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 240C/gas 8. Trim veal fillet of all fat and sinew. Cut garlic into matchstick pieces. Make incisions all over the surface of the veal with the point of a small knife and insert slivers of garlic and a torn piece of tarragon leaf into each incision.

Rub with olive oil. Season. Heat a cast iron pan or skillet and sear the fillet on all sides.
Sit in a roasting tin strewn with any left over tarragon and roast for 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the piece. Rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Sauce:
Cook the rhubarb (cut into chunks) with a splash of water and the sugar until it is soft. Puree.

Reduce chicken stock by half. Add puree and tarragon.

Check seasoning and adjust. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan and whisk in a little of the unsalted butter until the sauce is thickened a little and has a gloss.

Spring cabbage:
Heat a wok. Swirl in the butter and crushed garlic. Add cabbage with just a splash of water and cook briefly to wilt the cabbage but keep the fresh flavour. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

To serve, slice the veal and serve on a bed of cabbage with the sauce poured around. A dish of buttered new potatoes completes the meal.