Today, health concerns have made steak tartare a forbidden pleasure. Young children, the immune-compromised, and the elderly shouldn’t eat raw eggs or raw meat—but as for the rest of us, we take our chances sometimes. (It’s smart to buy beef from a reputable butcher and to chop it yourself, potentially avoiding butchers’ meat grinders that may be cross-contaminated with chicken or pork.)

The drama of mixing your own is well worth the effort

  • Arrange some finely chopped raw beef on a buttered square of dense black bread
  • sprinkle it with coarse salt and cracked black pepper
  • then lay some rings of purple onion on top.
  • Add a few plump, briny capers, an anchovy filet or two, and chopped parsley.
  • Crown this jewel with a raw egg yolk nestled in half an eggshell.

Then tip the yolk out of its shell and watch it ooze, slice through the onion-topped beef, and sop up the yolk with the bread – worth the risk!

For a more elaborate version, try this one that Wickedfood Cooking School uses in one of our cooking classes.

 

Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
2-3T ketchup
2t dijon mustard
1t worcestershire sauce
2–3 dashes Tabasco
3T olive oil
3-4T fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g top round or rump steak, exterior fat removed
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
3 small cornichons (gherkins), chopped
½T capers, drained
¼ cup parsley, trimmed and chopped
Melba toast

Mayonnaise

  1. Whisk egg yolks, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire, and Tabasco in a large bowl until smooth.
  2. Gradually whisk in oil, then lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Slice beef into thin pieces with a very sharp knife or cleaver. Gather pieces together and slice crosswise into smaller pieces, then finely chop them and add to the bowl.
  4. Add onions, cornichons, capers, and half the parsley, and mix gently with 2 spoons until just combined.
  5. Fold in just enough of the mayonnaise to make the mixture slightly moist. Adjust seasonings. Mold on one large platter and serve with Melba toast as a starter for 4, or divide between 2 plates and garnish with remaining parsley. Serve with French fries, if you like.

Serves 2 or 4 as a starter

 

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built
cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a
week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for
corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes,
birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in
the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not
only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests.
For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are
a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.