Excerpted from Culinary Fairy Tales
This recipe for beef tartare was created by journalist Anita Vardiman, a friend of mine who has worked for a number of publications on food and nutrition and food coverage, including Salon and the San Francisco Chronicle. Her books include Chutney Chimichurri, American Chefs in Paris, The Kitchen Table Cookbook, and Cook Craft, a series of books published by Sterling Epicure.
Beef Tartare
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp sake
- 1½ tsp dashi or stock
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olives, freshly chopped (onions may also be used)
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp pickled kalamata olives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp low-sodium roasted peanuts, finely chopped
Salt, as needed
- 25 whole beets
- 3 stalks celery, chopped fine
- 4 oz halibut or tuna, cut into thin strips
- 4 oz boneless skirt steak
- 10 sprigs fresh dill, coarsely chopped
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
-
1½ oz parmesan, coarsely grated
Directions
- In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sake, dashi, chives, olives, capers, kalamata olives, peanuts, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture thickens and the vegetables and fish smell good. Chill thoroughly, ideally overnight, then chill it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Make sure to use fresh beets and vegetables.
- Slice each cut into pieces about ½ inch thick, then add to a blender with the celery, halibut, and skirt steak. Blend until they combine and form into rough, coarse-textured slices. Remove from the blender with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Add the dill, pepper, and parmesan.
- Once ready to serve, leave the herb mixture in the blender and allow the machine to cool for about 10 minutes before adding it to the beef. Spread it over the beef and serve with the rest of the herb mixture.