I adore carpaccio. There is something wonderfully primitive about it, but it still manages to be elegant at the same time. To turn it into a more substantial but still summery dinner, I added a fresh lemon pesto and some pasta.
I assumed that carpaccio would be easy to make but there is a lot of debate on how to prepare it. Nigel Slater recommends searing the beef fillet in a hot pan for just one minute. This is not long enough to actually cook the meat, but serves to seal the fibres making the wafer thin slices easier to cut. The meat should then be put into the freezer for half an hour to firm up before slicing.
A sharp knife is vital, but if you can't get the slices as thin as they do in restaurants, my advice would be to lay them flat on a clean surface and bat them out until the meat is almost transparent.
Smooth, fresh pasta is the perfect partner to the beef and although it seems a faff to make, it really isn't, and there is a certain joy in kneading the dough and literally feeling the point at which the pasta comes together in your hands. The general rule of thumb is 100g of pasta flour (00 grade) and a large, fresh egg per person.
It is also better to make the pesto from scratch, because it can be tweaked to suit the dish. As I wanted this to be a relatively light dinner, I went easy on the Parmesan cheese and in order to compliment the meat and give it some extra zing, I added a lot of lemon juice.
Ingredients (Serves two)
350g beef fillet
200g pasta flour
2 large eggs
Handful of rocket
Lemon, to serve
For the pesto
Large bunch of basil
50g toasted pine nuts
60g Parmesan cheese
120ml olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. To make the pasta, place the flour in a large bowl and mix in the eggs, lightly beaten.
Mix together until well combined and then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. The mixture may seem quite dry at this stage- but persevere! After around ten minutes of kneading it will feel gloriously smooth. At this stage, wrap your dough tightly in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least half an hour.
2. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a a frying pan and heat to a high temperature. Take your beef fillet and for one minute only, sear on all sides until it is evenly browned all over. Wrap this in cling film and place in the freezer for thirty minutes.
3. To make the pesto, put all solid ingredients into a food processor and blitz until you have a paste. Then add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix until just combined. Season to taste and then transfer into a jar. Any leftover pesto will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
4. Using a pasta machine (or, if you're brave, a rolling pin) roll out the pasta as thin as it will go. Then put it through the linguine attachment to make ribbon, or cut these out yourself using a knife. Leave your ribbons to dry out (we use a clothes horse) while you cut your carpaccio.
5. Using a very sharp knife, cut the carpaccio as thin as you can. If you cannot get the slices thin enough by cutting, then lay them flat on the work surface and using a kitchen mallet or similar implement, bash them out until almost transparent. Leave slices to come to room temperature whiles assembling the rest of your dish.
6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook pasta until soft. This should take around four minutes. Drain the pasta and add back to the pan, allowing any residual water to evaporate. Stir in the pesto, evenly coating the pasta.
7. Serve the carpaccio on top of the pasta and scatter with some wild rocket and place a lemon wedge on the side. Parmesan shavings on top are always a welcome addition to any meal!
Enjoy.
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