GRILLED STEAK TAGLIATA

Hey folks,

Welcome back to How I Cook+. Today’s recipe is perfect for the seemingly everlasting heatwave that’s sizzling the UK this week. Steak tagliata is a dish of about 4 ingredients, it’s really, really simple. Almost begs the question, why write an entire newsletter on it? Well, whilst the beauty in the simplicity, the devil is very much in the detail. When a plate is as stark as this, there is nowhere to hide and the different between a good tagliata and a great tagliata is in the technique.

Scroll past the recipe for a classic record from The Cure and the best meal I’ve had in London for years, at maybe my favourite restaurant in town right now.

Thanks for reading,

B x

STEAK TAGLIATA

Steak tagliata, a classic Italian dish that leans on and platforms the quality of beef being served. It’s incredibly simple, leaving no room for error. There are a few different ways to approach tagliata, different cuts of beef, different cooking mediums etc. The version I shot for Beer Snacks uses an extremely high quality sirloin steak (thank you to the lovely folks at Henwen’s) cooked over an open fire, lacquering the steak with a rich, smoky flavour and a gnarly caramelised crust. It lands, carved, onto a slick of warm olive oil and balsamic and then is crowned with a crunchy rocket and parmesan salad.

Cooking over fire goes a long way towards enhancing the natural character of beef, adding depth and complexity and crucially, smoke. The word “tagliata” literally means to cut or slice, so the steak must hit the plate carved. I’ll run through the cooking of the steak, a few resting tricks and carving tips below.

Right, this dish is essentially a perfectly cooked steak with a handful of clever little garnishes, so you better get it right… Here’s a list of things to consider when cooking sirloin, specifically. The headlines are; seasoning, temperature and resting.

1. Season the steak ahead, 30-40 minutes if you can (or immediately before grilling if you’re short on time).

2. When ready to cook, pat the steak completely dry with paper towels.

3. Lightly coat with a high-smoke-point, neutral oil (vegetable, sunflower etc).