Salad Main - Beef tagliata

On second thoughts this really isn’t a salad so much as a big bit of steak with some rocket on top - but it’s progress! According to Heston the official name for it is tagliata - an Italian dish of seared steak, sliced and served with rocket and parmesan shavings.

INGREDIENTS (For 2)

  • Olive oil
  • 1 large or 2 smaller sirloin steaks (about 400-500g in total)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed with the flat part of a knife
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 strip of lemon zest, sliced with a vegetable peeler
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Rocket
  • Parmesan
  • Maldon salt

METHOD

Put some plates in the oven to warm.

Place a skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan over the highest heat then add a thin layer of olive oil. Heat until it’s smoking hot.

Season the steaks with salt and place in the hot pan for 15-20 seconds. Turn the steaks over and fry for another 15-20 seconds. Repeat this process for 2-3 minutes; you want to sear the steaks. Remove them from the pan and allow to rest on a wire rack over a plate to catch the juices.

Remove the pan from the heat and remove any excess oil (but don’t clean it). Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes and then pour in 60g of olive oil. Add the garlic, rosemary and lemon to the pan and allow them to infuse for 5 minutes while the meat is resting. Stain through a sieve and add the lemon juice to taste and any juices from the steak.

Slice the steaks thinly with a sharp knife. Season with salt and pepper and place on your warm plates. Spoon over half of the dressing.

Mix some rocket with the remaining dressing and place on top of the beef. Finish with the Parmesan shavings and a sprinkling of Maldon salt.

RESULT

A simple but very tasty light dinner. I think I sliced my steaks a little thick but they were beautifully cooked using Heston’s method. I forgot to warm my plates so the meat went cold quite quickly but again the combination of flavours was delicious. Next time think I’ll add a bit more lemon to my dressing and use a little bit less on the rocket as it tasted a bit oily.