May 01

 Arthur Wellesley's Birthday
 

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century. Of his Irish birth, he once said, " Being born in a stable does not make one a horse."

Wellesley was appointed the first Duke of Wellington after he led the British to victory in the Peninsular War in 1814, a year before he crushed Napoleon at Waterloo during the Hundred Days War. His famous explanation of the victory was "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."

 Wellesley  was the archetype British military hero. He was a genuine military genius, his integrity was unquestionable, he was magnanimous in victory, and he was a handsome aristocrat, a combination of qualities that made him catnip to every woman in Europe.

Wellesley later served as the Commander-in-Chief of the British army and was twice Tory Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, using his position to push the Catholic Emancipation Act through Parliament which granted almost full civil rights to Catholics. However, Wellesley's  iron-handed approach that proved so successful as a military Leader proved to be his downfall as Prime Minister and also inspired Punch to nickname him the Iron Duke because of the iron shutters he had fixed to his windows to stop the pro-reform mob from breaking them.. Wellesley continued to be of the influential figures in the House of Lords until his retirement in 1846.

 The Duke of Wellington, like many battlefield soldiers, was so indifferent to food, that his cooks often gave notice since they could never use their culinary talents in his household. However, one of his chefs created a fillet of beef wrapped in puff pastry that he called Wellington Steak. Wellesley allegedly enjoyed the dish so much that he requested that this beef dish be served at any dinner that he might be hosting. So this is the only rational choice of o recipe for his birthday celebration .and we suggest pairing it with a viewing of the great biopic The Iron Duke (1934) with George Arliss as Wellesley.		    

Beef Wellington

 

Ingredients
 

1 cup beef stock
1 cup Madeira
2 lbs. of mushrooms, sliced
1 small truffle, sliced
1/2 cup butter
 

salt and freshly ground pepper
1 4lb. fillet of beef
2 lbs. prepared puff pastry
1 egg, slightly beaten

 
Instructions
 
  1. In a small pan, cook Madeira and beef stock together until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside.
  2. Sauté the mushrooms and sliced truffle n butter  for a few minutes with few dashes of of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add Madeira/wine mixture. Set aside and chill. (This can be done the day before and kept in the refrigerator.)
  3. Preheat oven to 325º F.
  4. Salt and pepper beef. Coat the beef with this mushroom mixture.
  5. Partially roast the beef (approximately 15 minutes). Allow to cool.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a rectangle large enough to enclose roast. Reserve extra pastry for decorations. Spread pastry with chilled mushroom/truffle mixture to within 3 inches of the edge; place roast on top. Wrap pastry tightly around roast; press seams to seal.
  7. Place, seam side down, on a cookie sheet. Cut a few small slits on top to allow steam to escape. Brush entire surface of pastry with egg mixture.
  8. Rollout the pastry and wrap it around the beef fillet. Top with sliced truffle and bake for 30 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should read 135º-145º F for rare to medium rare and pastry should be golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serves: 6 to 8

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes