Country roast beef en croute.

   Picture an all time classic: Beef Welligton. And then forget about it. 

  Yes, because this roast I produced last night has a completely different character, much more robust and conforting, less sophisticated (and cheaper), rustic and tasty enough to be presented to a table of friends with all the good intentions to spend a nice evening in 'enogastronomic' harmony.

Ingredients - for 6-8 people:

for the bread crust:

400g of flour 0
170cl warm water
100cl milk
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 1 / 2 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 egg yolk to glaze

for the roast:

1kg beef joint
1 tbs olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary
salt
2 tbs mustard 'a l'ancienne'

   Start by making the dough by mixing all the ingredients, minus the egg. Let it rise for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. If you have a bread machine all the better, put it on the dough setting and let it do its business.

   While the dough is there, quietly-quietly doing its rising,  heat up a non-stick frying pan with a tbs of oil and the rosemary. Add the joint to brown and seal on all sides. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat, setting aside to cool.

   Meanwhile, the dough will have risen. Move it to a lightly floured board and stretch it to a 20 by 30cm rectangular shape. Remove any string around the joint - the sealed meat will now retain its shape. Place the joint in the centre of the dough and spread the mustard all over it. Preheat the oven to 230°C (static).

    Wrap the dough around the meat and seal well. Transfer to a baking tray lined with grease proof paper and brush with the beaten egg yolk. Let it stand for at least 15-20 min. Then bake for 30'.
    Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. What you'll be bringing to the table will look like this and have a nice surprize inside!