Filert of Beef With Fennel And ALmond Sauce

This is another recipe I brought back from France.  Europeans have such a great repertoire of sauces to accompany meat dishes which makes their food so unique but simply delicious.  Again I have translated the recipe with a program on the computer.

Filet of Beef With Fennel Served With Almond Sauce

Sauce:

3 cloves garlic 

50 g blanched almonds

100 g green pitted olives

1 teaspoon capers

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt, pepper, chili powder

1/2 bouquet oregano

 1/2 bouquet basil

Fennel:

2 fennel bulbs

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper

3/4 cup white wine

10 cherry tomatoes

Meat:

4 slices of filet of beef

Sea salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Cracked pepper 

2 Tablespoons butter

2 sprigs rosemary

***

Directions:

Peel and chop the garlic, chop the almonds and bake 45 minutes in  1 1/4 cup of water. Reduce then puree garlic, almonds, olives, capers and lemon juice in a blender. Gradually incorporate the device makes a pasty consistency. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of meeting chilli powder. Finely chop and add oregano and basil.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Clean and cut the fennel into thick slices or quarters. Heat the olive oil in a pan baking, brown the fennel 2 to 3 minutes sprinkle with sugar, stir briefly and let caramelize. Add the butter and bay leaves, salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with white wine. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and simmer vegetables covered for 1 hour. Wash and halve the tomatoes, leave out the fennel.

Meanwhile salt and brown the beef fillets 1 to 2 minutes on each side in a cast iron pan in olive oil on stove.   Pepper fillets, add the butter and rosemary. Finish cooking the meat over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes basting constantly with melted butter.

Let fillets stand a few minutes on a warm plate tented with foil.  Serve with fennel and sauce of olives and almonds. Accompany this dish with mashed potatoes or classic au gratin potatoes.