Pasta with fillet of beef, chilli, garlic and mushroom

Serves 4

· 500 g fillet of beef or pork

· 500 g pasta (e.g. pappardelle)

· Chanterelles, Penny Buns or 1 tin of morels

· Butter

· 1 onion

· Chilli (to taste, but do dare to try a stronger variety than you planned, such as piri-piri)

· 2 garlic cloves

· 1 large head of broccoli

· 1 yellow and 1 orange pepper

· 40–50 cl cream (40%)

· 3–4 tbs veal stock

· 2–3 cl Cognac (an excellent addition, plus the chef always has the option of sampling it)

Preparations

Start by chopping all the vegetables into chunks. Mince the chilli and garlic. Parboiled chanterelles can be used as-is, morels should be rinsed and minced. If you use fillet of pork, cut into small pieces; beef can be in larger pieces. Let the cream, butter and meat stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before starting.

Cooking

Boil water for the pasta, with a pinch of salt. Heat 1–2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Cook the meat as desired. When the meat is ready, set it aside, leaving the juice in the skillet; turn off the heat. Cook the pasta, drain the water and set aside. Add 1–2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Sautée the chilli, garlic, mushrooms and a bit of white pepper until browned (2–3 min). Add the rest of the vegetables and sautée 3–4 minutes. Add a bit of Cognac. Add the cream and veal stock and let boil for 3–5 min while you cut the meat into smaller pieces. Switch off the cooker and add the meat. Stir. Serve the pasta in a deep dish with the sauce on top. Pair with a fullbodied red wine.

Take a sip of red wine between bites, and if you’re lucky you’ll have an extra taste sensation with the chilli. I’ve taught several friends this by now, so they appreciate the little kick you get from spicy food and red wine!”