Beef with Salad

How to choose beef and salad greens

For tender, tasty beef with salad, choose very thinly sliced boneless meat without fat, completely trimmed of film and connective tissue. Such sliced meat is often sold pre-packaged, so you can see the pieces well and pick the ones that will cook nicely. By the way, choose beef rather than young veal. Beef is a little harder to cook, but the dish turns out much better.

The salad cooked alongside can be made from any lettuce or suitable green leaves, to your taste. You can use arugula, which has a slightly bitter flavor, but many people like it. Romaine or Batavia lettuce, any kind of chicory, oak leaf, chard and so on will work well. The dish will be a little spicier and more aromatic if you add green onion, parsley and dill. Be sure to sprinkle the finished dish with grated Parmesan or a similar cheese.

How to fry the beef

1. Slice the meat. If the pieces are not sliced very thin, pound them lightly to reduce the thickness. It is best if the pieces are no thicker than 15 mm, otherwise the beef with salad will be tough or will need quite a long braise. With a sharp knife, cut the prepared meat into narrow strips or slices, it does not matter which. What matters is that the pieces are small enough to pick up on a fork and eat without biting them in half. The principle is the same as when cutting ingredients for Chinese dishes eaten with chopsticks, for example chicken with peanuts.

   

2. Flavor the oil with garlic. In a saucepan or deep skillet with a lid, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Peel 2-3 garlic cloves and crush them with the flat of a knife. Fry the garlic in the oil for 1-2 mins until lightly golden, then discard it. The garlic is there only to flavor the olive oil. But, and this is important, never let the garlic burn, or the dish will have a harsh aftertaste. Meanwhile, salt the sliced meat and season with black and hot pepper.

   

3. Fry the beef uncovered. Add the pieces of beef to the hot oil one at a time. Over high heat, fry the meat for 2-3 mins until lightly browned, then turn it over and fry the same time on the other side. Then reduce the heat to medium and keep frying the beef for another 4-5 mins; frying takes about 10 mins in total. At this stage you can stir the pieces with a spatula. Do not cover the skillet with a lid.

   

How to braise beef in wine

4. Add a glass of white wine to the skillet with the meat, dry or semi-dry. The variety does not matter, but the wine should be natural. Also, hot oil spatters a lot when liquid hits it. So it is better if the skillet with the meat is not scorching hot before you add the wine.

   

5. Braise the beef covered. Cover the skillet with a lid, bring the liquid to a boil and braise over the lowest heat, usually for about 30 mins. Judge the time by the tenderness of the meat and check it from time to time. As soon as the meat is tender enough, as my mother says, “you can chew it”, it is done.

   

6. Reduce the sauce. Remove the lid from the skillet and raise the heat a little. Almost all of the liquid should evaporate, leaving 2-3 tbsp of thick, fragrant sauce in the skillet. Let the meat cool slightly while you make the salad.

How to make the salad

7. Prepare the leaves. Sort the salad leaves, removing any damaged or rotten ones. You can soak the leaves in cold water beforehand to make them firm and crisp. Dry the washed leaves thoroughly: the less water on them, the better. Tear the leaves by hand, not too small: tear a medium leaf into 6-8 pieces, so the pieces stay large. Cutting salad with a knife is unacceptable: it releases a lot of liquid, and the beef with salad will turn into soup.

8. Mix the salad with tomatoes and herbs. Put the torn salad leaves in a bowl and salt them. Cut small tomatoes, cherry or cocktail, in half or into quarters. You do not need to remove the seeds. If you use ordinary large tomatoes, peel and seed them, then cut into large cubes. Finely chop the green onion and herbs. Mix the salad, tomatoes and herbs in the bowl.

   

Serving

9. Arrange the meat and salad. Place the pieces of cooked beef on a large plate, arranging them around the edge. Pour a little of the wine sauce the meat was cooked in over the meat. Pile the salad in the center so that the pieces of meat stay visible.

10. Dress the dish. In a small cup or bowl, mix 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of balsamic or wine vinegar. Whisk the dressing with a fork and immediately pour it over the meat and salad. Do not toss: the beef with salad is not meant to be mixed, and the flavors of the wine sauce and the dressing complement each other nicely.

    

11. Before serving, generously sprinkle the salad and beef with a good hard cheese: Parmesan, Grana Padano or similar. You can grate the cheese to get flakes. Serve the meat with salad right away, while the beef is still slightly warm. I recommend pouring yourself a glass of good wine.