While we’ll take any excuse to catch up with family and enjoy a delicious meal together — especially after the last two and a half years — Christmas in July is a particularly good one. Fancy enough to warrant a feast but casual enough that everyone can just show up and have a good time with loved ones, this holiday is a great way to warm up and help shake off the winter blues.
With that in mind, we’ve collected a couple of our favourite grass-fed and grass-finished beef recipes that will create a hearty meal to go with the fun while also providing some great healthy benefits to fight off any cold weather nasties that might be floating around your neighbourhood.
Your Low-Key Hearty Option — Traditional Beef Roast with a Delicious Spice Rub
If you’re looking to keep things simple, you really cannot beat a traditional grass-fed beef roast.
Packed full of both flavour and protein, roast beef is the perfect base for your Christmas in July meal, and the spice rub that’s applied in our chosen recipe is simply to die for.
Why It’s One of Our Christmas in July Favourites
Known and loved all around Australia, roast beef is a staple during the festive season, so it makes sense to carry it over to Christmas in July.
We also love the sustainability and health aspects of this dish as, when purchased from an ethical butcher, grass-fed beef is a great option for both your body and the planet.
What Are the Health Benefits?
Speaking of giving your body a boost, grass-fed and grass-finished beef offer superior nutritional value.
Not only do they have wonderful levels of protein, but they also provide higher concentrations of antioxidants and a significantly lower amount of saturated fat.
Whole Porterhouse Roasted
Time
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 1 h
- Ready in: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg Whole Provenir Grass-fed Porterhouse
- 1.5 teaspoon Black pepper
- 3 gloves Garlic clove (crushed with sea salt (optional))
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220ºC or 200ºC fan. Mix seasonings together and rub over surface of beef with olive oil. Place on a roasting rack in a heavy flameproof baking dish.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 200ºC or 180ºC fan. Cook for another 45 minutes for rare. Cook for an extra 15 minutes for medium-rare.
- Transfer beef to a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15-20 minutes in a warm place before carving.
- Serve with vegetables and gravy, if you like.
Your All-Out Party Option — Beef Wellington Fit for a Feast
Those looking to create a fancy feast, however, will find their menu well suited to this delicious beef Wellington, complete with three side suggestions and a delicious green peppercorn sauce.
Pro Tip: We have replaced the oil that the potatoes call for with beef tallow for a crispier finish.
Why It’s One of Our Christmas in July Favourites
Sometimes you just want to go all out and have a feast with the people you love. When that’s the case, this delicious beef Wellington is simple enough to whip up while still being impressive when served.
What Are the Health Benefits?
In addition to all of the fantastic health benefits that grass-finished beef provides, the sides that accompany the star of your feast offer their own perks.
For example, mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, fibre and even protein, and their calorie count is rather low. So, if that’s something you like to keep track of, feel free to indulge.
By the same token, the garlic in the green peppercorn sauce provides a great boost to your immune system while also supporting heart health and even helping to fight off cancer.
The potatoes and winter greens contribute to your daily recommended servings of vegetables (and possibly even fruit depending on your salad selections) and provide a boost to your intake of many crucial vitamins and minerals.
Beef Wellington
Time
- Preparation: 1 h
- Cooking: 7 h
- Ready in: 8 h
Ingredients
Duxelles
- 700 grams White button mushrooms
- 2 Shallots (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 2 sprigs Thyme (leaves only)
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil (extra-virgin)
- Salt and pepper
Beef
- 1 Grass-Fed Whole Eye Fillet
- Olive oil (extra-virgin)
- Salt and pepper
- 12 Slices prosciutto
- 6 sprigs Fresh thyme (leaves only)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 500 grams Puff pastry
- 2 (large) Eggs (lightly beaten)
- Chives (for garnish)
Green Peppercorn Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 Shallots (sliced)
- 2 cloves Garlic (peeled and smashed)
- 3 sprigs Fresh thyme (leaves only)
- 1 cup Brandy
- 1 cup Provenir Beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Mustard
- 1/2 Green peppercorns in brine (drained, brine reserved)
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic
- 2 kg Potatoes
- 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs Fresh sage
- 3 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 6 cloves Garlic (left unpeeled)
- 4 tablespoons Provenir Tallow
- Salt and pepper
Warm Wilted Winter Greens
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup Walnuts (garnish)
- 3 bunches Winter greens (such as Swiss chard, radicchio, washed, stemmed, and torn into pieces)
- 1 tablespoons Grainy mustard
- 1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
- Parmesan shavings (for garnish)
- 1 shallot Shallot (Chopped for garnish)
- Olive oil (Extra-virgin)
Instructions
Duxelles
- Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
Beef
- Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board.
- Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles.
- Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard.
- Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight.
- Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
Green Peppercorn Sauce
- Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match.
- After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic
- Preheat oven to 260 degrees C and place a baking tray inside to heat.
- Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Add Provenir Tallow, season with salt and pepper and mix mixture around the potatoes Remove baking tray from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 220 degrees C.
- Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.
Warm Wilted Winter Greens
- Cook honey and balsamic together over medium-high heat in a large saute pan, about 5 minutes. Toast walnuts in a small skillet; set aside to cool.
- Pile greens on a platter. Stir mustard into balsamic-honey dressing, then whisk in about 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; pour over greens. Season greens with salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shavings of Parmesan, and shallot.
Looking to Level Up Your Family Meal This Christmas in July?
Purchase Grass-Fed Beef from an Ethical Butcher
Purchasing grass-fed beef from an ethical butcher ensures that the food you’re serving up this Christmas in July is of the highest quality possible.
At Provenir, we place a strong emphasis on providing only the highest quality, most ethical cuts to our customers. We are the only butcher in Australia that offers a direct farm to table service. And, thanks to this, we can guarantee that the cows that are providing nourishment for your family had happy, enriching lives.
We also pride ourselves on giving our customers the best value possible. As such, to coincide with this wonderful time of year, we’re running a special on everything protein-related that you’ll need for your Christmas in July meal.
That means you can get a great deal on paddock to plate porterhouse roast, eye fillet roast, beef broth and tallow right here in our online store.
So, select your preferred recipe, send out the invitations, and have yourself a fabulous Christmas in July!