The island of Pantelleria is famous for its landscapes but also for its cuisine and its symbol is the cultivation of the sapling vine, which is listed among the intangible heritage of UNESCO, and capers.
To savour its capers, I prepared a particular salad that is also one of the gastronomic symbols of Sicily: the Pantelleria salad. I absolutely recommend the Passito di Pantelleria wine produced with Zibibbo grapes, tasting it with cheese or desserts, but it is not with this recipe.
I also recommend going to visit Pantelleria, closer to Tunisia than to Italy, a splendid thermal island that can be recognized with closed eyes for the intensity of its aromas and the flavours of its cuisine.
It is an island to enjoy that owes its name to the wind that blows and whose name "Daughter of the wind" (Bent el-ariah) was given to it by the Arabs who stayed there for a long time.
In this dish we combine all the classic aromas in a beef tartare that is topped with ingredients found in Sicilian cuisine, such as anchovies, olives and tomatoes.
Pantesca Beef Tartare Recipe
Salad ingredients:
- 200 gr Cinisara beef rump
- 20 ml Lemon juice
- 10 gr Finely chopped capers
- 5 leaves Finely chopped parsley
- 10 gr Extra virgin oil
- 10 drops Anchovy sauce
- 1 Egg yolk
Ingredients for toppings:
- 1 Boiled egg
- 5 Shelled broad beans
- 1 Red onion
- 100 ml Red vinegar
- 20 gr Sugar
- Salt of Trapani
- 2 Anchovy in oil
- 5 Whole capers
- 1 Cherry tomato
- 1 Green tomato
- Turmeric powder
To prepare the sweet and sour red onion, bring vinegar and water to the boil in equal parts with 20% sugar and a pinch of salt. We cut the onion into strips and cook them for 5 minutes in this water, then drain and cool. The liquid can be reduced to a syrup that we can use to garnish the tartare with a few drops.
For the preparation of the Tartare: we cut the meat carefully with a knife, as they say in Sicilian 'Capuliare'. To the shredded meat, add the lemon juice, a raw egg yolk, the chopped capers, parsley, oil and colatura (sweet and sour sauce). We mix well and let it rest.
And now let's move on to a not secondary aspect to make all diners enjoy: the presentation of the dish.
We put the tartare in a mold and press well to flatten. We garnish with the ingredients in a creative way: we cut the green tomato into slices and place it around the tartare disc, while we lay everything else on the tartare as if it were to decorate the dish.
Sprinkle with turmeric powder and a generous drizzle of extra virgin oil.
Follow us