Beef Orloff
Doesn't Beef Orloff sound familiar to you? It's a French recipe that owes its name to the Russian ambassador in Paris, who was treated by his chef to this extravagant creation. If you've ever thought about a "beastly" roast, here it is. It involves meat—originally beef round, but for cost reasons, you can use pork loin—cut into medallions, between which you insert a mixture of mushroom puree and bacon or smoked ham, and then it's smothered in a bechamel sauce with melted cheese. In other words, each bite is at least 10,000 calories. However, it's absolutely delicious.
Here's how I make Beef Orloff, which isn't exactly like the original recipe, but the result is just as indulgent.
INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 1 kg beef round (2.2 lb) or an equal amount of pork loin
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) mushrooms
- 1 large onion
- Smoked ham or bacon
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
For the bechamel sauce:
- Milk
- Flour
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Pepper
- Grated cheese (50 grams, 1.8 oz)
- Extra virgin olive oil
Stretch the beef round and cut it into slices without completely separating the medallion (i.e., it remains attached at one end, don't separate the medallions). Each slice should be about one finger wide. Season with salt and pepper.
In a pan with a tablespoon of butter, sauté the mushrooms lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and blend until you get a paste (it's okay if it's a bit chunky).
Spread this paste between the spaces among the medallions of meat. Also, in each space, insert a slice—or a portion—of smoked ham or bacon.
Next, make a bechamel sauce. In a pot, pour a generous amount of olive oil. When it's hot, add a couple of tablespoons of wheat flour. When the flour is fried—turns brown—add a cup of milk and a little nutmeg. Stir the sauce to dissolve the flour and add the grated creamy cheese. Season with salt and pepper, let it thicken, and pour it over the meat.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 F) . Cook the meat for 45 minutes and the last 15 minutes at 200 degrees (392 F) to brown it (also using the broiler).
Comments