I have been making this dish for 15 years and must have served it at least 20 or 30 different ways. It’s funny because my favourite way to both serve and eat this wonderful dish is probably the simplest and also the first way I learnt all those years ago working for Maurice Terzini. We made simple good quality food at Caffe e Cucina, it was not a dissimilar philosophy to that of Harry’s bar in Venice and I believe this recipe would derive from the institution that Arigo Harry’s Bar is.
Now this recipe is a hybrid of many of the ways that I have prepared this over the years. I have done away with the bits and bobs I believe hide or disguise the flavour of the beautiful piece of meat.
Its funny how when you look at a piece of meat that is to be served raw your thought process is along the lines of ‘this should be top quality meat because I’m going to eat it raw’. Yes it’s true. The look and flavour of the meat/fish will be enhanced if the product is top shelf quality but shouldn’t this approach be taken to all things that you are going to put in your body.
- 400g beef fillet
- 2 egg yolks
- 200ml normal olive oil
- ½ tsp of English mustard
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Remove all the sinew from the beef fillet with a sharp knife and then roll the beef very tightly in some plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before using, this will help shape the meat and also by chilling it will make it easier to cut.
To make the mayonnaise cut the lemon in half and pop them flesh side down in a pan on a medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the flesh starts to caramelise, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Add the egg yolks and mustard into a large bowl, squeeze in the lemon juice from the caramelised lemon halves and whisk well. Very slowly, drizzle in a small amount of olive oil. Whisk until the yolks have absorbed the oil. Continue adding the oil, a little at a time, whisking continuously, until all the oil is absorbed and the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Once all the oil has been added you’re mayonnaise should have the consistency of – well mayonnaises - or thickened cream. Have a taste and season to your liking. I tend to pop the finished mayonnaise into a squeezy bottle so I can make pretty patterns on the meat before serving it.
Once your beef is chilled and ready to go remove the plastic wrap and use a really sharp knife to slice the beef as finely as you can. Don’t worry if you are trying to cut it so thin that it tears a little. As you cut your slices lay them immediately onto the plates, once the surface area of the plate is covered use your fingers to push the meat down and out so that you are flattening it. Repeat for the other plates.
Finish with a drizzle of the mayonnaise, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately.
Serves four as a starter.
