Advertisement Feature: A healthy classic

There’s no need to miss out on your favourite dishes with tasty, healthy recipes incorporating Benecol® foods, says Claire Sharp

Beef Wellington is often seen as a hearty dish made from rich, indulgent ingredients. If you’re concerned about your cholesterol levels you might think this dish is off the menu, but what if there was a modern, leaner version so you can still enjoy your favourite classic meal — the healthier way?

This recipe uses Benecol Olive Spread and filo pastry, which contains less fat than other pastries. Like all Benecol foods, the Olive Spread contains plant stanols which are proven to lower cholesterol*. Here it’s combined with beef fillet, earthy mushrooms, thyme, garlic and a dash of Marsala.

This dish is a favourite of Marcus Bean, a finalist on Channel 4’s Iron Chef UK and chef-patron at the New Inn near Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Like many modern chefs, he strives to create food that’s both delicious and healthy. ‘Beef Wellington is a real showpiece — one that people tend to keep in reserve for dinner parties or special occasions,’ he says. ‘But with a few clever tweaks to the original recipe, it can be enjoyed as a simple, healthy dish for everyday.’

Marcus says that the secret of great taste is to source the best ingredients possible. The fillet should be hung for around 28 days and he favours presenting it in one piece for maximum impact at the table. This requires more attention to timing when cooking, but it will impress whoever you serve it to, along with its healthy credentials.

To start, heat a knob of Benecol Olive Spread in a pan, add the beef and seal on all sides. The aim is to trap all the delicious juices inside. Keep turning for even cooking. If you prefer your meat well done, cook for a further two to three minutes, suggests Marcus.

An important part of the Wellington is the topping. In the traditional dish, pâté or forcemeat would be used with mushrooms. Marcus recommends using chestnut or seasonal wild mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms and deglaze the frying pan with them.

The mushrooms should be cooked until dry. ‘Baste the pastry with melted Benecol Buttery Taste Spread to get a glossy look,’ says Marcus. ‘Hold some back and do this again in the final minutes of cooking to give the pastry a golden finish. Take the Wellington out the oven and rest it in a warm place for about five minutes.’

To serve, cut the whole Wellington into portions. Marcus likes to present the individual parcel cut in half with one half facing upwards to get a full view of the steak inside. Serve with seasonal vegetables such as wilted spinach, kale or green beans.

The key to healthy cooking is to build good ingredients into your daily routine. ‘I keep Benecol Olive and Buttery Taste spreads in the fridge as my mother-in-law has high cholesterol,’ says Marcus. ‘They’re a useful way to incorporate healthy options into your diet. The spreads can be used in the same way that you’d use butter in cooking.’

To find out more about adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle and the complete range of Benecol® foods, including inspiring recipe ideas, visit www.benecol.co.uk

Recipe

Beef Wellington

Serves 4 15g Benecol Olive Spread 450g beef fillet, cut into 4 pieces 450g mushrooms, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried

4 tbsp Marsala 40g Benecol Light Cream Cheese

Style Spread 8 x 25g filo pastry sheets 15g Benecol Buttery Taste Spread, melted

● Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Melt Benecol Olive Spread in a pan and use to seal the beef. Set the meat aside, add mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and Marsala.

● Remove from heat and mix in the Benecol Light Cream Cheese Style Spread. ● Lightly grease a baking sheet with Benecol Buttery Taste Spread. Brush 2 filo sheets with melted Benecol Buttery Taste Spread, then place on top of each other. Put meat in the middle, top with mushroom mixture then fold pastry over and tuck underneath. Brush with Benecol Buttery Taste Spread. Repeat for all 4 filo parcels, then cook for10 minutes until golden.

● For one big Beef Wellington, use all the pastry in a rectangle; bake 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition per 300g serving

Kcals 361, protein 30.2g, carbohydrate 24.3g, fat 14.5g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 3g, sugars 2.5g, salt 0.3g, plant stanol content each serving contains 0.9g of your daily requirement of 1.5 to 2.4g of plant stanols.

*Consuming 1.5 to 2.4g of plant stanols a day has been proven to lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Heart disease has multiple risk factors; you may need to alter more than one to cut overall risk. Do not consume more than 3g of plant stanols a day. Consuming more has no additional benefit and is not recommended.

Win Le Creuset cookware

To inspire you to prepare tasty, everyday homemade food, there are 10 sets of stylish Le Creuset cookware to be won online. While there, you can also download delicious, healthy recipes to make quickly and easily in your own kitchen. You can cook with Benecol foods in many of your everyday favourite recipes. To enter and download the recipe ideas, visit www.benecol.co.uk

Terms and conditions: competition open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over. Entries must be received by 31 May 2011. For full terms and conditions, go to www.benecol.co.uk