Eye Fillet of Beef & Summer Farmers' Market Salad

Eye Fillet of Beef & Summer Farmers’ Market Salad
I am enjoying raw vegetables more and more these days. Just- picked scallopini and zucchini are incredibly delicious when they have been thinly sliced and lightly dressed with lemon juice and a local extra virgin olive oil. The salad ingredient quantities I have given are a guide so adjust to suit. The thick top or butt end of an eye fillet of beef is also called the Chateaubriand and is often presented for two people. If you cook a whole eye fillet this top end is perfect for those who like their beef less cooked.

Serves 4

Lemon vinaigrette
2–3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared mild mustard
1 teaspoon runny honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

Beef
500g–600g eye fillet of beef, cut from the thicker end, trimmed of silver skin, at room temperature
olive oil for rubbing black pepper
sea salt

Summer farmers’ market salad
2–3 ears of corn
4 scallopini (patty pan squash), sliced very thinly, preferably using a mandoline
3 small zucchini, trimmed and cut into thin strips using a vegetable peeler
250g green beans, trimmed and steamed
2 handfuls of small yellow tomatoes, cut in half horizontally
1 ripe but firm avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled and sliced
a handful of coriander leaves
a small bunch of chives, snipped

Lemon vinaigrette
Place the lemon juice, mustard, honey and oil in a screw-top jar. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shake well. Set aside until needed.

Beef
Preheat the oven to 210°C.

Tie the beef with kitchen string at intervals to hold its shape.

Heat a frying pan over high heat. Rub the beef with olive oil and place in the hot pan. Brown beef on both sides and on each end.

Transfer to a roasting tin, grind over some freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a little more oil. Place in the oven and cook for 18–20 minutes for medium-rare beef. Remove from the oven, season with salt, cover loosely with foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Summer farmers’ market salad
Heat a barbecue grill until medium-hot. Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Place the corn on the grill and grill for 10–12 minutes, turning regularly to grill on all sides. Remove the corn from the grill and leave to cool slightly before cutting the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife.

Place all the remaining vegetables in a shallow serving bowl, add the corn and drizzle with enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Top with the herbs.

To serve
Slice the eye fillet across the grain of the meat and serve with the salad on the side.