Veal Tartare Recipe - Great Italian Chefs

Veal tartare with figs, hazelnuts and anchovy butter

Starter
medium
4
60 minutes, plus 2 hours freezing time

PT1H

PT2H

These delicate, crispy sandwiches of veal tartare from Marianna Vitale make an excellent starter, as the creamy meat mix is punctuated with the sweet figs and crunch of the hazelnuts, and the anchovy butter adds a salty accompaniment.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Veal tartare

280g of veal tenderloin
10g of spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
10g of mayonnaise
10g of mustard
20g of dried figs, roughly chopped
20g of hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
olive oil to taste
salt to taste

Anchovy butter

20g of anchovies, in oil (from Cetara)
50g of butter
10g of cream

To serve

250g of bread, preferably from a rustic Italian 'pane Cafone' loaf
edible flowers, and shoots
star anise, optional
cocoa beans, optional

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Blender
5cm pastry cutter

Start by removing the crusts from the loaf of bread so you have a solid block. Place in a sealed container and freeze for about 2 hours (this will help you to cut very thin slices to sandwich the tartare)

250g of bread, preferably from a rustic Italian 'pane Cafone' loaf

To make the tartare, finely dice the veal and place in a mixing bowl with the chopped spring onions, mayonnaise and mustard. Add the dried figs and hazelnuts to the bowl, gently mixing everything until combined and season to taste

10g of spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
10g of mayonnaise
10g of mustard
20g of dried figs
20g of hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
olive oil to taste
salt to taste

For the anchovy butter, drain the anchovies from the oil and place in a blender with the butter. Blitz until smooth, then fold in the cream and set aside until ready to serve

20g of anchovies, in oil (from Cetara)
50g of butter
10g of cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

When the bread is nearly frozen but still soft enough to slice, cut with a breadknife into very thin slices, about 2mm thick. Using a 5cm cutter, cut out round discs from the bread; you will need about 16 total, but it’s good to have some spare

Place on a tray lined with baking paper then brush with a little olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown

To serve, place a large spoonful of the tartare onto one of the bread discs and place sandwich with another disc on top. Repeat to make 8 sandwiches

Spread some of the anchovy butter onto each serving plate and top with the tartare sandwiches and some edible shoots and flowers. For an added flourish, grate a little star anise and cocoa bean over the the plate

edible flowers, and shoots
star anise, optional
cocoa beans, optional

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Marianna Vitale

By choosing to cook with simple, humble ingredients and adding her own twist to classic dishes, Marianna Vitale has managed to turn her quiet suburban restaurant into a Mecca for inventive, modern cuisine.