Nature Foods

Ingredients
1 kg centre fillet of beef , trimmed
20 g dried porcini mushrooms
1 large bulb of garlic
50 g unsalted butter
½ a lemon
olive oil
10 large slices of higher-welfare prosciutto , or Parma ham
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
250 ml red wine

Method
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.
Get the meat out of the fridge and leave to come up to room temperature before you cook it. Cover the porcini with 300ml of boiling water and leave to rehydrate for 5 minutes.
Peel and finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves, then place in a large frying pan on a high heat with a k**b of the butter. Add the porcini and half the soaking liquor, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick and syrupy.
Squeeze in the lemon juice, stir in the remaining butter, and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Leave to cool slightly.
Drizzle the beef with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with black pepper. Sear in a sturdy roasting tray over a medium heat on the hob until browned all over, then remove from the heat.
Lay out the slices of prosciutto on a large piece of greaseproof paper, overlapping them slightly, making a sheet big enough to wrap around the fillet.
Spread the mushroom mixture lengthways over one half of the prosciutto, then sit the beef on top. Carefully roll up, tuck in the ends, then discard the paper. Secure with butcher’s string.
Squash the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and put into the roasting tray with the herbs, then carefully place the beef on top. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes for rare, 30 to 35 minutes for medium, or 40 minutes for well done.
When the time’s up, remove the meat to a board to rest for 5 minutes, pouring any juices back into the tray.
Transfer the tray to a medium-high heat on the hob, pour in the wine and the remaining porcini soaking liquor (discarding just the last gritty bit) and simmer to your desired consistency, scraping up all the goodness from the bottom of the tray.
Remove from the heat, and sieve before serving, if you like – I also like to whisk in an extra k**b of butter for maximum silkiness.
Carve up the beef and serve drizzled with the red wine sauce – delicious with celeriac and potato mash, and steamed greens.

Ingredients
2 cups chopped onion , (1 medium)
2 cups chopped celery , (about 4 large stalks)
1½ cups chopped green bell pepper , (about 1 large)
½ cup diced red bell pepper , (about 1 small)
½ cup minced garlic
8 cups vegetable broth
1 x 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
½ cup red wine
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons + ½ cup chopped fresh parsley , plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper , (optional)
1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard , or Creole mustard
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup peanut oil
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 to 8 bay leaves
½ cup chopped green onions , plus more for garnish
2 to 3 cups chopped okra , or desired amount
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
3 to 4 cups cooked rice , for serving
CREOLE SPICE BLEND
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon smoked or plain sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon dried ground sage
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Method
In a bowl, combine the onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Remove 1½ cups of this mixture and transfer to a separate bowl (you’ll add this to the gumbo toward the end). Set both bowls aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, wine, tamari, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the oregano, thyme, jalapeño, if using, mustard, and liquid smoke. Set aside.
Now you are ready to make the roux! In a large clean, well-greased cast-iron skillet (be sure to wipe out any residue), heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the flour and stir constantly with a large wooden spatula, until it is well combined. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring until the roux is dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes. The goal here is to toast the flour and oil while preventing the mixture from burning. You do this by moving the flour and oil mixture constantly. If you stop for only a moment, the roux will burn and you will have to start over.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the larger amount of the onion mixture (not the reserved 1½ cups). Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
Mix all of the Creole spice blend ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined, then add to the vegetables and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, toasting all of the spices. Now you have the base of your gumbo!
Transfer the base to a large stockpot. Add the broth mixture and bay leaves. Mix well and bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning. Once at a boil, uncover and cook for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, to reduce and thicken the gumbo.
Add the green onions, okra, the remaining ½ cup parsley, and the reserved 1½ cups onion mixture. If desired, add 1 to 2 cups water to loosen the gumbo. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Give the gumbo a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Feel free to add more cayenne pepper at this point to make it spicy as well.
To serve, ladle the gumbo into serving bowls, removing any bay leaves. Add a small scoop of cooked rice on top and garnish with the chopped parsley and green onions.