Chopped raw beef with jalapeno salad and bruschetta
An inspired antipasti dish that's great paired with deep-fried zucchini flowers.
Ingredients
6 slices good sourdough bread
150ml extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp extra
500g fresh high-quality beef fillet
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
juice of 1 lemon
freshly grated parmesan
Salad
1 small, tight head radicchio, shredded
2 small jalapeños, cut in half, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
This crudo, or raw beef, is inspired by a wonderful dish I had at my favourite Italian restaurant, The River Café in London. I add jalapeños to the salad so that as you mix it with the meat and eat it with grilled bread, you get a fresh, hot chilli hit. But by all means leave them out, if you like.
Please use hunks of fresh Italian parmesan (not that grated stuff) and grate it over the beef.
Toast or grill the sourdough and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cut any fat or sinew off the beef and with a large, very sharp knife, slice it as finely as possible. Then slice it crossways into a thin julienne. Now chop the meat until you have a fine texture (don't go too crazy, though; you don't want a paste).
Place the chopped beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and 150ml extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
To make the salad, place the radicchio, jalapeños, olive oil and lemon juice in a separate bowl and toss. Add a little sea salt.
To serve, place a pile of salad on each plate with some beef beside it. Sprinkle some parmesan over the beef, give a good grind of fresh pepper and serve with the toasted sourdough. Alternatively, serve on a single platter as part of an antipasti selection.
Appears in these collections
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up
Neil Perry is a restaurateur, chef and former Good Weekend columnist.
