Russian meat (festive food)

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g beef fillet(s), well-hung
• 8 tbsp mustard, medium hot
• Salt and pepper, black from the mill
• 3 bell peppers, red, yellow, green
• 1 large onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 8 capers
• 1 large gherkin(s)
• 1 large tomato(s)
• 1 lemon(s), filleted
• 300 g mushrooms, fresh, e.g. button mushrooms or mixed
• 2 tbsp paprika paste
• 3 tbsp jelly (currant jelly)
• 4 cl cognac
• 200 ml cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

from a chef who worked for my grandparents in the 50s.

Finely chop the beef fillet and mix with mustard, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Let it rest for about 1 hour. Finely chop the onion and garlic and sauté. Finely chop the capers, pickle with a little of the pickle juice, tomato, lemon segments, and mushrooms and sauté them. Add the blackcurrant jelly, bring to a boil briefly, and set aside. Brown the meat separately over high heat. Then add it to the vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes. Slowly add the cognac and light it, then deglaze with the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vegetable rice, such as basmati rice with peas, goes very well with this. It might sound like a lot of work, but it’s not that bad. A true family recipe that we’ve only had once a year at Christmas for as long as I can remember! The anticipation of this feast is always particularly great!