Carpaccio is a dish of raw meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna), thinly sliced or pounded thin and served mainly as an appetizer.
It was invented in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani from
Harry's Bar in Venice and
popularised during the second half of the twentieth century. It was named after Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio. The beef was served with lemon, olive oil, and white truffle or Parmesan cheese. Later, the term was extended to dishes containing other raw meats or fish, thinly sliced and served with lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt and ground pepper.
INGREDIENT
One large shallot
Two tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Six ounces lean beef, like tenderloin or top round
Four anchovy fillets, rinsed (optional)
One teaspoon capers, rinsed
One small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
A few arugula or parsley leaves
Two teaspoons finely chopped chives
Fruity extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
One ounce Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving
PREPARATION
Step 1
Peel shallot, cut in thick slices and place in a small bowl. Add balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Toss and let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Step 2
Cut beef into four 1 1/2-ounce slices. Trim away any fat or gristle. Put each slice between 2 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap or parchment. Gently pound beef flat with a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/16 inch and a diameter of about 6 inches. Refrigerate flattened slices for a few minutes, until chilled (do not remove plastic). May prepare up to this point several hours ahead.
Step 3
To serve, peel top layer of plastic from each slice. Invert each slice onto a chilled plate. Peel away remaining plastic. Top each slice with some pickled shallot, an anchovy, capers, fennel, arugula and chives. Season each portion with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). With a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan into curls. Garnish carpaccio with Parmesan and lemon wedges and serve immediately.
YIELD : Four servings
TIME : 30 minutes