What’s Burnin – Innovative student cooking

I’m sure that even amid the splendour of Holland Hall, “student” and “beef Wellington” are not words which are often heard together: at around £30 a kilo, large joints of fillet steak are probably few and far between in the average student kitchen.

However it seemed a shame to let such a stylish and satisfying dish fall victim to the reaper’s scythe of the student budget, to be replaced with another thrilling combination of pasta and sauce. I resolved to recreate the essence of a beef wellington – that crisp pastry with the lovely soggy bit underneath, the sozzled mushrooms and the tender meat inside – without having to live off bread and water for the next two weeks.

I was very fortunate to find a thick slice of ribeye steak reduced to 70p in a local supermarket, which helped bring the costs of this down considerably. Buying a single slice at full price would probably be around £5, so my advice would be to keep an eye out for offers towards the end of the day – unless you’re trying to impress a certain someone and don’t mind splashing out slightly. (After all, £5 won’t even get you a couple of pints anymore…)

You’ll need:
1 Slice of steak (I used a nice thick piece of ribeye) <£5 depending on offers
5 Button mushrooms – 25p
1 small glass of red wine – £1 (assuming you find something to do with the rest of the bottle…)
250g Puff pastry – 55p
Butter or oil to fry

1) Preheat the oven to 180. Clean, remove the stems from then slice the mushrooms. Melt some butter in a small frying pan and fry the mushrooms until soft and golden, stirring regularly. Add the wine and lower the heat, simmer gently while you prepare the steak.
2) In another frying pan, melt some more butter or heat oil then fry the steak for no more than a minute on each side. (Less if it's thin.)
3) Roll out the pastry into a long oval shape. Place the steak in the middle and top with the mushrooms, using a slotted spoon to leave the wine in the pan. Fold the pastry over and press the edges together.
4) Bake in the oven for approx 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden. Perfect served with fresh vegetables and crispy roast potatoes.

Like it? Hate it? Improved it? Tell us in the comments! Check out www.whatsburnin.com for more creative student recipes…