Beef Carpaccio
Beef carpaccio with Grana Padano DOP sabayón, nuts and vegs salad
Thinly sliced raw beef might sound weird to some, and even in Italy, it isn’t common everywhere but in some region in the northwest of the country, beef carpaccio is considered very traditional and it is now easy to find it in Italian restaurants’ menu all around the world.
Like a beef tartar, often simply accompanied by a few salad leaves, a yolk dressing and freshly shaved Grana Padano PDO, beef carpaccio is the perfect starter to a meal or, if served in larger portions with a nice salad can be the perfect one-dish meal on a hot summer day. Ask you butcher for a lean cut of beef and ask if they can slice it thinly for you, unless you want to buy a whole piece and store it like I show in my video.
Chef’s tip: If you can get hold of a whole piece of beef rump (or any other lean cut of beef), roll it tightly in cling film and freeze it. Slice it thinly only when you need it using a slicing machine or a kitchen mandolin (or a very sharp knife). Make sure you don’t fully defrost it so that you have clean cuts on the slices but most importantly you defrost only what’s needed. A beef loin or rib eye works too but it has a higher fat content.
Serves: about 4 portions // Preparation Time: 30 minutes // Cooking Time: 3 minutes
Ingredients:
500/600 gr of beef rump, thinly sliced
160 gr of Grana Padano, shaved into thin slices
10 gr of toasted hazelnuts
10 gr of toasted almonds
10 red radishes
60 gr of raspberries
Rocket salad leaves
1 Shallot, sliced in rings
1 lemon, zest
200 gr of either fresh asparagus, peas, broad beans (or any other vegs that you would eat raw)
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Sabayon
3 egg yolks
40 ml of dry white wine
25 g of fine grated Grana Padano Cheese
25 ml of whipped cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
In a large stainless-steel bowl, mix the egg yolks well with the wine and season lightly. Place the bowl on bain-marie and cook gently while whisking to create custard like sabayon. Never allow the water to reach boiling point or it will scramble the eggs.
Once foamy and turning creamy remove from the heat and add the finely grated Grana Padano. Let the remaining heat to melt it slowly. When cool fold gently in the whipped cream. Let it cool and place into a pastry bag.
To prepare the meat follow the steps in my video or ask the butcher to thinly slice it for you. Display the meat slices onto large plates and dress them with a pinch of salt and pepper as well as a drizzle of olive oil. Now add dollops of sabayon to the carpaccio.
At this stage, it is all a matter of elevating the beef carpaccio flavour and texture with a fresh, fragrant and crunchy salad do be creative. I often add a few raspberries for sharpness and a mix salad made with bitter leaves like rocket salad, and crunchy vegs depending on the season like fresh asparagus, broad beans and radishes. What it is never missed is freshly thinly sliced Grana Padano and a few zests of lemon. Add a last drizzle of olive oil and a scranch of black pepper and enjoy it straight away.