Straccetti di manzo con rucula
Tender beef with rocket salad
Straccetti di manzo con rucula, strips of beef with rocket is a classic roman main dish is. It is basically prepared in no time, and you can shorten the cooking time even further by having your butcher to shred the mead in advance.
This is a typical dish of the Roman cuisine, simple, quick and easy, and yet another example of the roman dishes focusing of few, good ingredients not needing ‘help’ from garlic or herbs.
An equally popular variant contains cherry tomatoes in the dish, in which you add the tomatoes at the same time as the first portion of rocket leaves. In Emilia Romana they have a somewhat similar dish, where the meat is turned in flour before frying.
Straccetti is prepared using very tender beef, preferably rump, which can be shredded by the butcher or at home after beating it with a meat mallet. I have had great success using finely sliced rib-eye steak, adding the flavor of the marbled fat upi find in that cut.
To give an extra touch of flavor you can add some thin flakes of parmesan after serving the dish on the plate.
Ingredients
2 persons
Cooking time : 25 mins
350 grams of shredded, sliced beef rump or another very tender cut
80 grams of fresh rocket
4 table spoons olive oil
4 table spoons balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
50 gr. parmesan flakes (optional)
If not shredded, beat the meat with a meat tenderizer in order to thin it and shred it. If the meat is already shredded, spread it out on a platter. If using a tender steak, slice it into very thin strips.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan then, once hot, add the strips of meat and brown them over high heat.
When the meat begins to release meat juice, add 70 grams of the rocket leaves and the vinegar. Season with salt and let it fry at medium heat for a few minutes, stirring well.
Add the remaining 10 grams of rocket, take it off the heat and transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the parmesan flakes over. Serve immediately.
Tips
Use a wok type of pan, it will make it easier to toss first the meat when quick-frying it, and then when the rocket leaves are added.
You can use chicken or pork as an alternative to beef.