Italian Seared Beef Food

ITALIAN SEARED BEEF

Steps:

• Put a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat, toasting the pine nuts as it heats up, tossing regularly and removing when golden.
• Cut the fat off the rump, finely chop the fat and place in the pan to render and crisp up while you cut the sinew off the rump, then season it with sea salt and black pepper.
• Place between two sheets of greaseproof paper and bash to 1cm thick with a rolling pin, also tenderizing the meat.
• Scoop out and reserve the crispy bits of fat, then sear the steak in the hot pan for 1 minute on each side, until golden but still blushing in the middle. Remove to a board.
• Spread the pesto over a sharing platter. Thinly slice the steak at an angle, then plate up. Pile the rocket on top, then scatter over the pine nuts and reserved crispy fat, if you like.
• Mix the steak resting juices with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and drizzle over. Shave over the Parmesan, tossing before serving.

STEAK CARPACCIO

Steps:

• Tie the beef tenderloin with kitchen twine to help maintain its shape, then freeze the tenderloin until frozen (this ensures that the center stays rare when cooking a small piece of meat). Then, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy small skillet over high heat. Rub the frozen beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the hot skillet and sear on all sides, about 4 minutes total (the beef will be just barely seared on the outside but will remain rare). Freeze the beef until it is almost frozen, about 1 hour (this makes it easier to cut into very thin slices). Using a large sharp carving knife, slice the beef as thinly as possible. Arrange the arugula and Parmesan shavings on a serving platter and lay the beef slices on top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
• Alternative: Use 6 ounces of thinly-sliced bresaola instead of the tenderloin. Do not cook the bresaola. Serve it as you would the tenderloin, above.

ROAST BEEF WITH SPICY PARSLEY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.
• Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on all sides. Turn off heat. Place the seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees F. for medium rare, 135 for medium, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should rise 5 degrees F more and the juices will redistribute into the roast.
• To make the sauce, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from the beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.
• To serve, slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.

ITALIAN RIB EYE

Steps:

• Place the garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, and salt into a mortar or small bowl, and mash into a coarse paste. Stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and white pepper until evenly blended. Scrape half of the mixture into a separate small bowl; set aside. Spread the remaining half of the herb mixture evenly over the steaks. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
• Cook the steaks on the preheated grill for 7 minutes, then turn over, and coat with the reserved herb mixture. Continue cooking 7 minutes more for medium-well, or until your desired degree of doneness has been reached.

SEARED BEEF WITH WILD MUSHROOMS & BALSAMIC

Steps:

• Rub the beef with 1 tbsp oil, rosemary and garlic, then leave in the fridge for at least 1 hr, or up to 24 hrs. Make sure the beef returns to room temperature before you cook it.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat a non-stick, ovenproof frying pan or roasting tin until very hot. Rub most of the garlic and rosemary from the beef, season with black pepper and flaky salt, then sear on all sides until dark brown and almost crusted - about 5 mins in total. Transfer the pan to the oven, then roast the beef for 10 mins for mediumrare. Leave to rest for a good 15 mins and keep any juices.
• While the meat rests, sauté the mushrooms. Heat 1 tbsp butter and the remaining oil in a large frying pan, then tip in the mushrooms with plenty of seasoning. Fry until golden and just softened, then tip into a bowl.
• Add the stock to the mushroom pan, then reduce by two-thirds. Tip in the mushrooms and balsamic, then add the remaining butter and let it melt. Tip in any meat juices, then season to taste and keep warm. Thickly slice the beef and spoon over the sauce. Serve with mash and spinach.