Veal fillet crusted with asparagus

LOCANDA SAN LORENZO – Puos D’Alpago (province of Belluno)

Chef Renzo Dal Farra

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 400g veal fillet

- 200g green asparagus spears

- 4 slices of Italian Pancetta (or bacon)

for the filling:

- 100g lean pork meat

- 50g chicken breast

- 50g Lardo (Italian cured pork fat)

- 50cl cream

- 1 sprig marjoram

Method

For the filling:

Blanch the green asparagus spears, remove the tips and set them aside for final garnishing, chop up the stems. Also cut up the Lardo, lean pork meat and chicken breast, mix it all together in a blender, adding the sprig of marjoram and cream as soon as the ingredients look well combined, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. The resulting mixture should have a paté-like consistency. Allow to rest in the fridge.

For the fillet:

Cut the fillets into 100g slices, brown in a frying pan with the clarified butter, add salt and pepper and allow to cool. Next, take the filling and, with the aid of a spatula, spread it over each fillet to a thickness of roughly half a centimetre. Using a potato peeler, slice the asparagus vertically into thin strips and blanch for a few seconds; once cooled, use them to cover the side of the fillet coated with the filling. Lastly, wrap the Pancetta (or bacon) around the coated meat. Put the fillets back in the pan you used for browning, add a knob of butter and place in the oven for 4 minutes at 220 degrees. Before serving, keep the meat warm and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes to give the temperature time to even out. Plate the dish and drizzle some of the cooking juices over the fillets.