Carpaccio is a starter, an appetizer for Italians. But it’s also fought its way to the tables of many kitchens. The hardest in Carpaccio is slicing the beef thinly, but we managed with that one. I had my first Carpaccio two years ago at a friend’s son Holy Communion after party in a lovely restaurant in the Saski park in Warsaw. Oh, I was a little bit frightened at first, eating raw meat? Me? Never. But I was hungry, and it was laid out on a big plate right in front of me, how could I not try at least a bit? So, I tried. I cried. It was delicious. It made my taste buds sing with joy. It vanished in the mouth, leaving a crave for more. Acid from the lemon juice, oily from the olive oil, a slight taste of garlic, the parmesan shaves giving the dish a delightful earthy taste. I had to have more.
I’m afraid to say, I had an entire plate of Carpaccio that evening, and lucky me, no one else from my side of the table wanted it (I was sitting with the kids and the main hero of the day and they didn’t want raw meat. They wanted… cake. Ha ha!)
After that, I’ve tried the dish in a few other places, but it wasn’t the same. I cried again, this time with self-pity. No other restaurant would feed me the same way! So here's how I made it to satisfy my hungry stomache.
Type of dish: starter, appetizer
Cost: expensive
Difficulty: easy
Time: 15 min
Serves: 2-4
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking Time:-
What you need to make this dish:
A very sharp knife, cutting board, large plate.
Ingredients:
- 200 gr sirloin beef, fresh
- 20 gr parmesan (shaved from a big piece)
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half
- Olive oil (the best you have)
- Half a lemon
- Corse sea salt
- Colored fresh ground pepper
- 4 pieces of fresh baguette
How to prepare:
First, prepare the plate. Take the garlic clove and rub it on the plate, so it has a delicate garlicky smell. Next pour a spoon of olive oil on the plate and spread evenly all over the plate. Now, the hardest part- cutting the sirloin thin. You can wrap the beef in some cling film and put in the freezer for 10min (no longer than that, themeat will loose its taste), but if you’re steady with a sharp knife, you can skip the freezer step. Take the beef firmly in one hand, and start cutting horizontally to the beefs fibers. And every slice you get, flatten it out gently with the blade of your knife and transport it to the plate. Proceed until you have the whole plate fitted with the beef slices. Now, drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle some coarse salt and pepper, and drizzle with lemon juice. And the last part: take the parmesan and grate it on a microplane over the plate just so the shaves are translucent on the beef. And it’s ready to serve with some fresh crispy bread to wipe down the delicious sauce. Now, take your forks and start crying with me for the deliciousness and the crunchiness of the salt. Weep with happiness! Today's your lucky day!
Additional information:
If it needs more salt, or lemon, just add some more. Also, don’t be worried that the meat might go slightly bluish somewhere- that’s the acid from the lemon juice doing the job. If you want to be a perfectionist, you can also rub a little garlic on the forks. Give them a bite!
Serve with ideas:
Salads like Caprice salad, or a simple green leaf salad with olive oil and a drop of balsamic vinegar (from MODENA)
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