When the truffle is this good, the cooking should step aside. That is exactly the principle behind this beef fillet carpaccio: paper-thin slices dressed with nothing but salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice, laid over tufts of multi-coloured mixed salad and crowned with black truffle shaved to order.
Everything depends on the slicing and the temperature: trim the fillet well and put it in the freezer for about twenty minutes before cutting, so the blade glides and the slices stay intact. Add the lemon only just before serving, because the acidity "cooks" the meat and changes both its colour and its texture. A few shavings of Parmesan are optional, but they belong perfectly in the Molise version.
This is the right dish to open a festive lunch: ten minutes of work and it is assembled at the last moment. Pair it with a light red served cool or with a dry sparkling wine. The olive oil should be delicate rather than aggressive: its job is to carry the truffle, not compete with it. Any leftover fillet keeps covered in the fridge and should be dressed only when served.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Beef Fillet: 400 g
- Mixed Salad Leaves: 200 g
- Black Truffle: 50 g
- Lemon: 1
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: to taste
- Salt: to taste
- Pepper: to taste
Optional
- Parmesan Shavings: to taste
Preparation
Preparing the salad
Trim the multi-coloured mixed salad thoroughly, wash it in several changes of water and drain it well.
Slicing the fillet
Cut the fillet into very thin slices and dress them with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Plating
Place a generous tuft of salad in the centre of each plate and arrange the dressed fillet slices on top, paying attention to the shape of the composition.
Finishing
Shave the well-cleaned black truffle over the meat to order. Add a few Parmesan shavings if you like.
Bring the plates to the table immediately after shaving the truffle: the first minute is when the aroma is at its strongest.