The first time I had carpaccio (italian style raw beef), I was on a business trip in Israel. Business trips are great for trying new foods, since you’re not footing the bill! I was a bit nervous eating raw beef, but Israel’s treatment of beef is in general much better than the US. The taste of the raw beef with the sauce and the capers was amazing. And since the dish is raw it is such a cooling appetizer to have on a hot summer night, and the protein is very easily broken down by the body. It even can be a light dinner with a small salad on top and a piece of crusty bread.
I think this dish lends itself even better at home, where you can control more easily the quality of the beef. I use grass-fed beef filet for this dish, and it really is a great way to serve beef as an appetizer to guests when you don’t want to spend a lot.
Tips for making Carpaccio
- The most important thing in this dish is the quality of your beef, and the thinness of the cut. Use the best quality fatty but tender cut that you can afford. If the meat is too lean it won’t have as much flavor
- Dress up this dish and make it into a main dish (as pictured) with the addition of a little salad, bread, and maybe even a couple tablespoons of a yummy homemade fermented vegetable.
- This is a GREAT recipe for ketogenic (keto), Paleo, Primal, low carb, Atkins, grain free, Kosher, gluten free diets – just remove the optional bread.
Raw Beef – Italian Style (Carpaccio)
Difficulty:
Easy
Yield:
Serves 3 as a main course, 6 as appetizer
Page in NT: 234
Ingredients:
- 1 pound filet of beef, frozen 14 days, partially thawed and sliced very thin
- 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup egg mustard sauce
- optional – 1 teaspoon rinsed capers per serving
- optional – shaved parmesan cheese
- optional – salad greens
- celtic sea salt
Preparation:
- Arrange meat slices on individual plates, leaving the center of the plate empty.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 1 hour or until meat is very cold (but not frozen). Slice thinly with a very sharp knife.
- To serve, sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and optional capers. Top with optional salad greens and shaved parmesan cheese.
- Place a ramekin of sauce in the middle of each plate.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Photo courtesy of Susan Lucas Hoffman on Flickr