Beef Steak Tartare

An international dish that triumphs in restaurants

Steak tartare is one of the most popular international dishes. In the past, steak tartare was prepared in front of the client in the most classic restaurants. However, it is now most commonly prepared in the kitchen.

Initially, its name, as the story goes, was “steack à l’Americaine”, but thanks to the famous French chef Auguste Escoffier, its name was changed to steak tartare when he added tartar sauce to the recipe.

Though steak tartare has a solid presence on restaurant menus, salmon tartare, here you can see the recipe, or tuna tartare also have their own place in the culinary world.

It was the Tatars that first began to prepare this dish, transporting meat below their horses saddles to soften it. Other versions indicate that the reason for laying the meat on the horse’s back was to cure it and protect the animal.

Less popular stories state that steak tartare originated in French Polynesia. From there, the French hotels popularized this dish at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Ingredients for 2 people

• 150 g of beef tenderloin
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 small tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 2 small tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• A few drops of tabasco sauce (optional)
• 30 ml extra virgin olive oil (2 large tablespoons)
• 1 shallot
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon pickles
• Salt and black pepper
• Chives
• Mini toasts or crackers

Step-by-step preparation

1. When purchasing your ingredients, ask the butcher for a good, clean piece of beef tenderloin. Leave it in the fridge so that it cools. Do the same with a glass bowl for the sauce.
2. Before cutting it, wrap the meat in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to cut.
3. Cut the tenderloin in approximately half centimeter sheets and later in strips of the same size, and finally in small cubes. If desired, you can chop even finer.
4. Place the egg yolks in the cold bowl, which will make it easier to prepare the sauce, and add a touch of tabasco sauce (optional), mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
5. With the help of a whisk or a fork, mix well and add the olive oil little by little, as if you were making a homemade mayonnaise.
6. Once we have prepared the sauce, add the meat and the rest of the ingredients, all diced into small pieces.
7. Mix and add salt and pepper. Taste for salt and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Place the steak tartare on a plate together with the mini toasts and, if you would like, another garnish of choice.

‘Harmonies in Flavors and Fragrances’ by Juan Muñoz Ramos.

Fresh and balanced plates, pleasing sensations, good digestion, flavors and scents of a season during which we inhibit ourselves under the beating sun and the sea breeze or the aromas of the mountains, always respecting our health indications.

That is how I interpret this dish, a flavorful meal in which almost all of the components of the famous Mediterranean diet are at play. To reach perfection, nothing better than to accompany it with a water and a wine, I say this because that is how you can achieve culinary fullness and the best balance.

We are talking about S.Pellegrino water and Purgatori red wine, subtle and balanced and a fruity, flavorful wine, that play in perfect combination. We are talking about the three elements that make a dish or a table great, that is water-wine-meal, a trilogy that is difficult to surpass because next to our plate each day we can never lack our wine and our water.

In S. Pellegrino and Purgatori, the flavor, freshness, fruit, and friendliness of the tannins unite, all of which will accompany this well-seasoned meat to create the most Mediterranean flavors and fragrances.

Tips

• If you would like, you can substitute a part of the olive oil for a drizzle of truffle oil.
• You can also use sirloin instead of tenderloin.
• It is important that the steak tartare marinates well for a couple of minutes with the rest of the ingredients.

Make it a perfect meal with our  Tuna Empanadas… find the step-by-step recipe here!

End this amazing meal with a Black Forest Cake, click here to see the complete recipe.