Italian | Grilled Beef Tagliata
Posted on September 16, 2011
A favorite of ours. A few things are a little tricky though. When you are making the garlic-rosemary oil, keep the heat on low and as soon as the garlic starts to change colors, remove from heat because they will continue to brown a bit and you don't want burnt garlic. Note that when you add in the rosemary the oil fizzes. Also sometimes I am lazy and just ground pepper into the oil rather than using cracked pepper. For the steak, make sure your grill is hot, around 425 degrees F so that you get a nice sear. The steak in this picture was cooked for 3 minutes per side. Don't skip resting your steak. For the balsamic reduction, watch this closely as it can happen fast. If you have a really good, aged, thick balsamic, you can use that and save a step, but it really needs to be like syrup. For the fried capers, watch these closely, the trick is to get them cooked without burning. The drier you can get these before adding to the oil the better, they have a tendency to pop. It's a great dish, but to get it right, you need to not over cook anything.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2/3 cup fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1-1/2 pounds New York strip steak, about 2 inches thick excess fat removed
grapeseed oil
kosher sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 cups lightly packed tender young arugula
balsamic vinegar reduction (method follows)
3 tablespoons fried capers (method follows)
3 ounces or so shaved aged Parmesan, pecorino or similar cheese
lemon wedges
Method
Add 2/3 cup olive oil along with the garlic to a small saucepan and over low heat cook the garlic until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Off heat, stir in the rosemary and cracked pepper, set aside and keep warm.
Rub the steak liberally with grapeseed oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Grill steak over hot grill until rare to medium rate. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes or so.
Arrange arugula on a serving plater or plates. Slice the steak across the grain into thin slices. Arrange on top of arugula and pour the hot seasoned oil over the meat, which will begin to wilt the arugula. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinegar and scatter the fried cappers and cheese over all. Serve immediately with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Make the BASLAMIC VINEGAR REDUCTION: This is a very simple process that can be done well ahead. All it involves is to take balsamic vinegar over high heat reduce it be about 60%. It will thicken as it cools into a syrup that can be drizzled. Its advantage is that in this state it "stays put". It can be stored at room temperature almost indefinitely.
Make the FRIED CAPERS: When capers are fried they take on a different flavor and texture. All you need to do it drain them well, pat dry with paper towels and then fry in small batches in 1/2 inch or so of hot olive oil until the buds begin to open and are lightly browned Drain on paper towels. As they cool they become crisp. Can be done a few hours in advance.
(Ref. Sur La Table's "Grilled Beef Tagliata with Rosemary, Capers, and Lemons" recipe, "Essentials of Tuscan Cooking" class.)