Beef Straccetti with Balsamic, Lemon and Rosemary

This is one of those dishes that is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Melt in your mouth beef, covered in a delicious glaze, and tucked inside a bed of rocket. The taste is comfortably familiar, vaguely reminding you of your local Italian family restaurant. Yet the eating experience is unique, existing somewhere between a salad and a stir fry.

In Italy, this type of dish is called ‘Straccetti’, which translates to ‘small rags’. Its name derives from its appearance: delicate shreds of meat laying dishevelled over one another, resembling that of a pile of rags. It’s a technique that generally associated with leaner meats, because thinly slicing them against the grain prior to cooking helps tenderise these tougher cuts.

Like many iconic dishes, Straccetti is believed to have originated in Rome. It has since gained popularity throughout Italy, especially in the northern and central regions. As a result of being so widespread, there is no exact recipe to follow. General consistencies between versions include, thinly sliced meat, herbs, acid, rocket (either mixed in or served underneath the meat) and usually some garlic.

This recipe features garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Additionally, the beef is marinated in baking soda which acts as a tenderiser, and flour which promote even browning and thickens the glaze.

Straccetti may be served as a light lunch, an appetizer or as part of a bigger main course. If slicing the meat yourself in unpreferable, you can ask your butcher to do it for you.

Finally, play around with the ingredients as you see fit. For example, substitute beef for chicken, and balsamic for peri-peri sauce. Or try out Beef Straccetti with Sage and White Wine.

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