Carpaccio is a typical dish of Italian cuisine that is made with very thin slices of raw beef or fish and usually comes with a dressing of oil, salt, lemon juice, some seasonings and is accompanied by pieces of Parmesan cheese. Over time, creativity has given way to more fun and interesting combinations, which makes this dish a rich, fresh and customizable starter.
Carpaccio, Preparing the Meat
Making a carpaccio is not a complicated task, but to achieve excellence we will need the products to be fresh and the piece of meat to be of the highest quality. This will add flavors and nuances to the dish.
Another secret to get the perfect carpaccio is that the meat is cut into very thin slices. To obtain this result we must previously freeze the piece and take advantage of the thawing moment to cut thin slices, which are even transparent, if you have a high level of cutting technique. For this operation, it is essential to have a wide-bladed and very well-sharpened knife or, at least, a mandoline slicer. Once we have the main thing, which is the meat, it is a matter of adding the vinaigrette and the accessories that we want. We leave you some examples of carpaccio that you can prepare.
Pomegranate Carpaccio
Combining thin slices of beef with fruit results in a fresh and appetizing dish to eat in summer. The most important thing when preparing this dish is to have very good raw materials. In this case, accompanying the veal we have pomegranate, which will give it a sweet touch, fresh lettuce and the slight bitterness of the radish cut into slices. We top this delicious dish with olive oil. Yum!
Carpaccio with Pistachio Pesto
Beef carpaccio also pairs well with nuts. Once the meat is cut and placed on the plate, we add black pepper, Parmesan and capers. Then we make a rich sauce of pesto with pistachios by blendingbasil, pistachios, grated cheese and olive oil. We will obtain a thick pesto sauce that can then be placed on our meat.
Caramelized Fig Toast with Beef Carpaccio
This is a original and fun combination to serve as a small individual finger food, starting with the carpaccio as a base. To make this starter we will need a base, that is to say: we cut a few slices of the bread on which we will assemble this bite of carpaccio. Other items needed would be figs, Worcestershire sauce, Gruyère cheese, sunflower seeds, arugula, ground black pepper, Dijon mustard, olive oil, dried thyme, and salt.
To make this recipe we need ripe figs that have a good aroma and some juiciness. We cut them into thin slices and heat them briefly in a pan adding salt, pepper and thyme. Add the Worcestershire sauce to the figs in the pan and wait for them to caramelize.
Meanwhile, we prepare several slices of finger toast from the bread. On the bread we spread a mustard base, place a thin sheet of Gruyère cheese and our slice of veal. Then we add the figs and top with arugula, sunflower seeds and black pepper. Optionally, to this snack we can add a touch of honey to sweeten it or a little olive oil.
Carpaccio with Boletus
Adding mushrooms or champignons is another option to make a rich and original carpaccio. In this case, we will use boletus. You only need beef, Parmesan cheese, boletus, lemon, nutmeg, olive oil, salt and pepper.
First prepare a vinaigrette for our carpaccio by mixing lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a jar and emulsify. After we cut our meat into thin slices, we place it on a platter and we add shavings of Parmesan cheese. Then we clean the boletus and cut them into thin slices. To finish, we put the boletus on the meat and season with our vinaigrette.
As you have seen, carpaccio can be made with many creative and fresh combinations to serve in summer. If you would like another idea, we encourage you to prepare this other carpaccio recipe: Parmesan y Pomegranate Skirt Salad recipe.