Istrian Style Steak Tartare

by stillworkingonmyname .Jul 26, 2020

Steak Tartare is one of those meals that evolved over the course of history by morphing into many different variations and absorbing many local cultures. Therefore, to claim any recipe for Steak Tartare as "original" is, in my humble opinion, somewhat pretentious.

The recipe I share with you here is an Istrian style Steak Tartare. As with any good meal, it takes time (and a lot of love) to prepare it well. To prove this claim, let me just say that I never prepared this meal just for myself. Just ask my wife, since she is one of a very few people I prepared this meal for and the one who love me just a bit more after each Steak Tartare experience.

Directions

DAY 1 Assuming that your best quality, special order, the very best you could possibly find veal tenderloin is in one piece, cut it in half and gently rub it with 1 tbsp Olive Oil and 1 tbsp Senf Estragon. Place it in a glass container or a food grade zip lock bag and refrigerate over the next 24-48 hours.

DAY 2 STEP 1 Take the tenderloin from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature (just let it sit for an hour or two). Pour yourself a nice glass of your preferred red wine. With a dull knife, you will need to "shave" just meat out of the tenderloin; this means not only removing the silver-skin; rather, you need to "shave" the meat until you are left holding only seam fat (intramuscular fat or marbling) in your hand. For your reference, I end up with about 20 percent of seam fat; in other words, when all is said and done, you will have about 0.45 lb of pure meat. Using dull knife will help you avoid cutting into marbling and you will be able to keep the meat more or less marbling free.

DAY 2 STEP 2 If you are really into doing everything from scratch, use 1 yolk, 1 tsp Senf Estragon, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and 1 cup olive oil to prepare your own mayonnaise. Otherwise, feel free to use Thomy Mayonnaise as this mayonnaise is really as close as you get to a thoroughly high quality condiment.

DAY 2 STEP 3 Add yolk to about half of the meat and mix it well; add 1 tbsp of mayonnaise you prepared. While constantly mixing using only a spoon and a fork, keep adding grated and drained pickled baby cucumber and shallot; add finely chopped anchovies, sweet and hot feferoni, and Italian parsley; add crushed garlic; add salt and pepper.

Finally, you can add liquid ingredients such as olive oil, cognac, and Worcestershire; combine everything with the rest of the meat. Be careful not to add too much liquid as not to end up with a mushy Steak Tartare. Balance the taste with Worcestershire and tabasco.

In Istria, Steak Tartare is usually consumed as appetizer but it can easily replace main dish since, once you have a bite of this delicacy, it is really difficult to stop. Traditionally, it is served on a toasted slice of french baguette-like bread and a thin layer of butter.

Ingredients

0.55 Veal Tenderloin
2 Yolks
2 tbsp Senf Estragon (dijon mustard)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Pickled Baby Cucumber
2 Anchovies
1/2 tbsp Capers
1 Shallot
1 Sweet Feferoni
1 Hot Feferoni
1/4 tbsp Red Paprika
1 Clove Heirloom Garlic
1 tbsp Italian Parsley
1/2 tbsp Ketchup
3/4 ounce Cognac
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/4 Salt
Pepper
Tabasco

FELLOW AMATEUR CHEF TIP: As with many authentic ethnic dishes, to achieve the best final result and to be as close as possible to the original version as intended, it is really important to have the authentic ingredients. This is not to say that you cannot use substitutes, but the more substitutes you use, the further away from the original flavor you are going to end up with.