Nonna Flora's Tagliata Alla Barca from John Shields & Karen Urie Shields
“Chef Karen's great-grandparents emigrated from Sicily to the United States a century ago but the whole family still proudly considers themselves Sicilian. This recipe is part of that heritage and has been eaten at the family table every weekend as long as Karen can remember. As all recipes do, this one has evolved over time but the tradition at its heart is what makes it so special to us. As a fellow chef who married into the family, I’ve not only inherited my wife's traditions, I think I’m even more enthusiastic about passing them on to our two daughters. Nothing tastes better than nostalgia.”
John Shields
Ingredients
Westholme Coulotte Marinade
Westholme Coulotte Marinade
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tbsp chilli powder
freshly ground black pepper, about 20 twists
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp very good balsamic vinegar, such as Villa Manodori, plus 2 tbsp for plating
1 very good anchovy fillet, finely chopped
kosher salt, to taste
Westholme Coulotte - To Cook
Westholme Coulotte - To Cook
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or sage
2 x 225g (8 oz) Westholme coulotte steaks
butter
olive oil
Bibb Lettuce Salad - Shallot Confit Dressing
Bibb Lettuce Salad - Shallot Confit Dressing
6 shallots, peeled
1 cup olive oil
sprigs rosemary
citrus peel
2 pinches salt
8 very good anchovy fillets
3 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
2 tsp honey
½ tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp high-quality red wine or sherry vinegar
Bibb Lettuce Salad - Salad
Bibb Lettuce Salad - Salad
1 head bibb or butter lettuce, washed
20 flat-leaf parsley leaves
Parmesan, for shaving
Method
Steak Marinade & Westholme Coulotte
With a blender or mortar and pestle, roughly blend marinade ingredients until combined.
Marinate steaks for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Once ready to cook, remove steaks from marinade, retaining the remainder of marinade. Completely pat the marinade off the steaks with paper towels.
Add olive oil to a heavy-based pan over medium-high heat and brown the steaks on all sides for 2 minutes, taking care not to burn the crust.
Take the steak out of the pan and let it rest in the remaining marinade for about 4 minutes.
Cool the pan to medium-low to low heat and wipe out any burnt bits and extra fat.
After 4 minutes, take the steaks out of the marinade and pat dry once more.
Add 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the pan and continue searing, taking care not to burn. This isn’t a steakhouse: making the steak a little less crusty is more akin to the way Karen’s family would cook this.
In the last 20 seconds, add 2 tbsp of marinade to the pan and glaze the steaks, allowing almost all of the glaze to coat the meat. Very little liquid and fat will be left in the pan. Save this pan sauce for the plate.
Take the steaks out onto a rack (a cutting board will also do). Rest for at least 10-12 minutes in a warm area.
Slice the steaks and arrange onto a plate. Spoon over the pan “drippings”, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and serve with the dressed bibb lettuce salad.
Shallot Confit Dressing & Salad
To prepare shallot confit, cook shallots in the olive oil with rosemary and citrus peel over very, very low heat. Cook low and slow until the shallots are nicely tender, almost mush. Season with a pinch of salt and let cool.
Remove the shallots, saving the oil. Roughly chop the shallots and put into a bowl.
Add the anchovy, capers, lemon zest, honey, salt, half a cup of the shallot-infused olive oil and 3 tbsp of the vinegar. Whisk together, noting that this will be a broken dressing: it won’t appear smooth and emulsified.
Arrange the lettuce and parsley leaves next to the sliced steak. Re-whisk the dressing and add a little to your liking over the salad.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave 6 or more strips of parmesan over the salad before serving.
"Nothing tastes better than nostalgia.” John Shields
