Ingredients
1 beef tenderloin (about 1.6kg), trimmed
1 Tbsp ground bush tomato
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
24 vine leaves, rinsed
1kg fine salt
3/4 cup plain flour
2 Tbsp water
300g snake beans, trimmed
3 green banana chillies (or green capsicum), seeded and sliced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons, plus charred lemon slices to serve
1 tsp native thyme
Fresh coal-roasted bread, to serve
Method
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Rub beef with bush tomato and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange vine leaves on a workbench, overlapping to make a rectangle about 40 x 25cm. Place beef on near edge and roll up. Mix fine salt and flour in a bowl, add water and mix well to a paste.
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Take a large cotton tea towel and rinse thoroughly with water. Place on a workbench and top with the salt mixture to form a rectangle 40 x 25cm. Place wrapped beef on near edge and use the tea towel to lift and roll, enclosing the meat with salt and tea towel. Secure with kitchen twine.
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Bury wrapped beef in hot coals for 25 minutes. Cloth will scorch. Lift beef gently from coals and set aside for 5 minutes. Remove salt shell and vine leaves, then brown beef over hot coals on a grill.
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Meanwhile, toss beans with chillies and olive oil in a large bowl, and season generously. Mix lemon juice and thyme in a small bowl. Arrange bean mixture in a barbecue basket, then cook over flames for 5 minutes until lightly blackened and tender, drizzling with lemon mixture as it cooks.
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Slice beef and serve straight away with beans and charred lemon slices and bread.
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