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Filé à Oswaldo Aranha
Beef fillet with fried garlic
Filé à Oswaldo Aranha: thick beef fillet under heaps of fried garlic, with rice, farofa and potato straws
BrazilianRio de Janeiro's old-school restaurants, the ones with white-jacketed waiters in Flamengo and Centro, have served this plate since the 1930s, named after the statesman who supposedly ordered it every day. It is simple and generous: a thick fillet steak, seared hard and buried under a pile of golden fried garlic, with white rice, buttery farofa and a heap of crisp potato straws. The garlic is sweet and nutty, the steak juicy, and the farofa soaks up the juices. Cook the steak to your liking; whole beef steaks are safe pink in the middle, but take them further if you prefer. The biggest mistake is frying the garlic too hot, which turns it bitter in seconds; it should go slowly from pale to light gold. Chef's tip: take the garlic out of the oil when it is only just golden, as it keeps darkening on the paper.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the steak
- 4 beef fillet steaksabout 200 g each, 4 cm thick, at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 heads garlicabout 20 cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ oz butter
For the sides
- 10 ½ oz long-grain white ricerinsed
- 2 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz farinha de mandiocatoasted cassava flour
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- ½ onionfinely chopped
- 3 ½ oz potato straws (batata palha)shop-bought, or 2 potatoes cut in fine matchsticks and deep-fried
To finish
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice in a pan with 2 ½ cups boiling water and 1 tsp salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Leave covered.
15 minStep 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, soften ½ onion for 4 minutes, then add 5 ½ oz farinha de mandioca and toast for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until golden and sandy. Tip into a bowl.
9 minStep 3: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat, add 2 heads garlic and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until evenly light gold. Lift onto kitchen paper with a slotted spoon and keep the garlic oil.
7 minStep 4: Season 4 beef fillet steaks with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of the garlic oil in a heavy frying pan over a high heat until smoking.
Step 5: Sear the steaks for 3–4 minutes a side for medium-rare, or longer to your liking, adding ⅔ oz butter in the last minute and spooning it over. Rest for 5 minutes.
8 minStep 6: Serve each steak heaped with fried garlic, with rice, farofa and 3 ½ oz potato straws (batata palha) on the side and 2 tbsp fresh parsley scattered over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 840 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 86 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does filé à Oswaldo Aranha take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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