Beef Tartare with Cured Lard, Rosemary, and Seasonal Vegetables
Tartare may seem daunting at first but it couldn’t be any easier to prepare. You can prepare it at home as an antipasto or entree to impress friends and family (or someone special!) with the wow factor of fine dining. The most important element is to be careful to choose the best ingredients of the freshest quality since this is a raw-ingredient dish.
Serves 4
For the tartare:
800 g beef fillet, fat and connective tissue trimmed
50g cured lard (guanciale)
Chop the beef with the knife into small pieces, almost mincing it. Dress with salt, olive oil, rosemary olive oil (see instructions below), and freshly ground pepper.
Finely chop the guanciale and set aside, it will be used for serving.
For the rosemary oil:
100 gr rosemary leaves
250 gr olive oil
Blanch rosemary leaves for 5 seconds and then pat dry. Heat the olive oil and rosemary in a small pot, making sure that the temperature never goes beyond the 60° C. Use a thermometer to keep the temperature steady, this will allow the oil to get infused with the aromas of the rosemary. Let infuse for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Blend it all for 2 minutes at maximum speed. Let rest for a couple of minutes and then strain for any impurities.
For the green oil:
100 gr parsley leaves
300 ml olive oil at 4°C
Blanch the parsley by dipping it in boiling water for 5 seconds. Let it cool in cold water. Pat dry well and mix with the cold olive oil in a blender at maximum speed. Let rest for a couple of minutes and strain for any impurities. Set aside.
For the vegetables:
50g green cabbage, thinly sliced
50g carrots, julienned
50g frisée salad
50g radishes halved and sliced (half-moon shape)
Thinly slice the cabbage and julienne the carrots. Tear sections of the friseè salad apart into bite-size pieces using your hands to keep the leaves intact. Slice the radishes in moon-shaped slices. Toss everything in a bowl and dress with salt, olive oil, and lemon juice.
To serve:
Use a ring mold to shape the tartare into a disk. Then place it in the middle of a flat plate. Arrange the vegetables around the tartare, leaving 2 cm of border space in between.
Top the tartare with the cured lard and, lastly, drizzle the aromatic oils previously prepared to add some color and flavor.