Roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese

Name: Roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Beef sirloin 2.2 lbs; Extra virgin olive oil 3 spoonfuls; Garlic 2 cloves; Rosemary 2 sprigs; Thyme 2 sprigs; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Arugula 5 cups; Hazelnuts 1.8 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz; Extra virgin olive oil 6.8 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Cherry tomatoes 0.7 cup; Garlic 1 clove; Basil to taste; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Arugula 4 cups; Fresh goat cheese to taste; Hazelnuts to taste; Balsamic vinegar to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serving: 4
Cost: High
Note + 2 hours and 15 minutes of resting time for the meat

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Sebastian Fitarau

Roast Beef with Arugula Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese is served cold — draped in a sharp, peppery pesto, set against slow-cooked cherry tomatoes that turn sweet and concentrated in the oven, and finished with soft, creamy goat cheese. The combination is elegant without being fussy, and it holds up just as well at a relaxed Sunday lunch as it does at a dinner party. It is the kind of roast beef recipe that earns a permanent place in the rotation — a Mediterranean take on a familiar cut that tastes even better made ahead.

Two techniques carry the whole dish: an herb marinade that seasons the meat deeply before it goes anywhere near heat, and a hard sear in a hot pan that locks the juices inside before roasting. Both steps matter, and neither is difficult. They give the beef the tender, succulent center the pesto and toppings need to land against — and they make the difference between a slice that is merely fine and one that is genuinely worth coming back to.

INGREDIENTS

Beef sirloin 2.2 lbs (1 kg)

Extra virgin olive oil 3 spoonfuls

Garlic 2 cloves

Rosemary 2 sprigs

Thyme 2 sprigs

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

for the arugula pesto: Arugula 5 cups (100 g); Hazelnuts 1.8 oz (50 g); Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g); Extra virgin olive oil 6.8 tbsp (100 ml); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for the cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes 0.7 cup (100 g); Garlic 1 clove; Basil to taste; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for garnish: Arugula 4 cups (100 g); Fresh goat cheese to taste; Hazelnuts to taste; Balsamic vinegar to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese

To prepare the roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese, gather thyme, rosemary and garlic on the cutting board 1 and chop them to obtain an aromatic mix 2. Rub the meat with this fragrant mixture 3.

Salt 4, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or better yet overnight. Heat a pan with a drizzle of oil 5 and brown the meat on all sides 6.

Once browned 7, transfer it to a preheated conventional oven at 392 and cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 131-140 for rare doneness 8. Meanwhile, wash the cherry tomatoes and place them in a baking dish, dress them with oil 9.

Season with salt and pepper and flavor with garlic, basil and thyme. Meanwhile, remove the roast beef from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Put the cherry tomatoes in the oven and roast them at 392 for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the arugula pesto: in a jar add the arugula, the hazelnuts 11 and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano 12, salt and pepper.

Pour in the oil 13 and blend with an immersion blender 14 to obtain a smooth and creamy sauce 15. Keep it aside for plating.

Also remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven and let them cool slightly 16. Retrieve the cooled meat 17 and slice it thinly with a sharp knife or a slicer 18.

Arrange the roast beef slices on the plates, slightly overlapping 19. Pipe the arugula pesto in small dollops using a piping bag 20 and do the same with the goat cheese 21.

Place the cherry tomatoes 22 and scatter the hazelnuts 23. Separately, season the fresh arugula with salt 34 and pepper.

Dress with balsamic vinegar 25, toss and add the arugula leaves to the plate 26, finish with the salad dressing 27 and serve your roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese immediately.

Storage

We recommend consuming the roast beef with arugula pesto, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese immediately. The meat can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days without the accompanying sides.