On my first visit to Rome many years ago I found myself in little Trattoria down a hidden lane-way. It was perfect, it was everything I had every dreamed of and more. The waiter spoke no English but I was enthusiastic to speak the limited Italian I knew back then. There was no menu and the waiter proceeded to reel off the specialties of the day quickly in Italian, I completely bluffed my way through. Any-way the short of the story is that I unknowingly ended up ordering several different forms of 'carpaccio', raw meat. This to me now would not be so shocking, but back then it was a little overwhelming. I am a big fan of a single dish of carpaccio, especially when I know what to expect.
Carpaccio is a dish consisting of thinly slices of raw meat, traditionally beef. It was invented at Harry's Bar in Venice, where a Countess had requested it. Her Doctor had advised her to be on a special diet including that of raw meat.
I love the different textures and flavours, especially the creamy subtly of the meat. There are many recipes and additions that you can add to carpaccio, but in my experience it is simply served with rocket and parmesan. You can cure it in lemon juice for a longer amount of time if desired.
What you need:
200g top quality beef (100g per person)
handful of rocket leaves
freshly slivers of parmesan cheese
lemon juice
freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
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| 200g beef eye fillet |
How to make:
1: Slice the beef in the thinnest possible slices (Jamie Oliver once suggested to place the beef in the freezer to harden beef, making it easier to slice OR ask your butcher to thinly slice for you but it may brown so use it quickly). I slice it myself
2: Arrange thin slices of beef on a plate, squeeze fresh lemon juice and oil over meat (cover and place in the fridge for 10 minutes if you want the meat to cure). I let mine rest for 5 minuets.
3: Place rocket leaves and slices of Parmesan on top, drizzle with a little oil, finish with pepper and salt
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| taking a rest in a door-way in Venice |
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