Pork fillet en croûte with prosciutto, thyme and Cheddar recipe

A great pork recipe to freeze - make a batch, eat half immediately and freeze the other half for when you're too tired or busy to cook from scratch.

Makes 2 meals, each serving 4

20 minutes to make

Ingredients

2 x 450-500g pork fillets
1 medium egg, plus extra egg for brushing
100g Cheddar, coarsely grated
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
8 slices prosciutto crudo, such as Parma ham
500g fresh shortcrust pastry
Flour, for dusting

METHOD

How to make pork fillet en croûte

1. Trim the pork fillets of any fat. Make a cut lengthways along each fillet, about two-thirds of the way down into the meat. Season each fillet lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Beat the egg in a bowl and stir in the grated cheese, chopped parsley, thyme, cayenne pepper and some seasoning. Open up each pork fillet, spoon half of the cheesy filling into each, then close up. Lay 4 prosciutto slices, slightly overlapping, on a work surface and lay 1 pork fillet down the centre. Wrap the prosciutto around the fillet to encase the stuffing. Repeat with the second fillet. Set aside.

3. Cut the shortcrust pastry in half and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of pastry to a 20cm rectangle that's 5cm longer than each fillet. Trim the edges neatly, discarding any leftover pastry.

4. Lift 1 fillet onto the centre of each piece of pastry and brush 1 long edge and both ends with a little beaten egg. Bring the sides together over the top of the fillet and crimp the edges together attractively to seal. Pinch the ends together well. Use the pastry trimmings to decorate each parcel, if you wish.

5. To freeze, wrap 1 pork parcel in a few sheets of foil, lift onto a baking tray and freeze until firm. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking.

6. To cook, chill the other pork parcel in the fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Place the parcel onto a baking tray, seam-side up, and brush with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve in slices.