Carne Arrustuta

Years ago, I would spend a lot of time researching recipes for a specific weekly event: Steak Night. I would find various beef and steak recipes from around the world, and, prepare them for my own dinner. It was my dinner because, for one thing, my beautiful Angel does not eat red meat, and, for another, that night I ate alone because she had a weekly work obligation in the evening. 

If one were to go back and look at the record (my prior posts), the would discover that Steak Nights often featured massive cuts of beef, like the Chef Bolek's Two-Pound Ribeye. They would also see that I often served a sauce alongside that hunk of meat, like the chimichurri sauce that I served alongside my Smoked Ribeye Roast, Uruguayan Asado Style. Sometimes, I would finish everything in one sitting; other times, the leftovers would be lunches for the next day. 

However, I stopped posting Steak Night recipes back in 2018. I did so for a few reasons. First, those massive steaks were expensive (and are even more so today). Second, I decided to reduce my own red meat intake by limiting the occasions in which I prepared beef or steak. That, along with an increased focus on projects like my Around the World in 80 Dishes and Beyond Borders, led my cooking in other directions.  

However, I return to my Steak Night tradition with this dish, Carne Arrustata, which is Italian for "roasted meat." It is a Sicilian grilled steak recipe. The history of this dish is unknown, as there are few recipes with even fewer details about the dish. Yet, the raising of cows, along with their products, whether milk, cheese and beef, has a long history in Sicily, going as far back as the sixth millenium B.C.E. Indeed, the raising of cattle -- whether it is the Cinsara breed or the Modicana breed (one of the best triple purpose cattle breeds [that is, cattle for milk, meat and draft power]) -- in what is now known as Sicily goes back centuries. Yet, it does not get the same attention as, for example, the raising of Chianina cattle in Tuscany. Nor do Sicilian beef dishes garner the same attention as, for example, the Tuscan Bistecca alla Fiorentina. 

Modicana cattle (Source: Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity)

I have made that bistecca recipe on many occasions, and, on this particular, one, I wanted to do something different. So, for this Steak Night, I decided to make Carne Arrustata. I also had another reason for taking Steak Night to the most southern reaches of the Appenine peninsula: salmoriglio, It is a sauce featured in the cuisines of Sicily and Calabria that is prepared with, among other things, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and water. The combination of steak and this sauce seemed natural for two reasons. First, the recipe for carne arrustuta called for marinating the meat in a marinade that included lemon juice and lemon zest, which creates ties between the steak and the sauce. Second, salmoriglio got me really thinking about Argentine and Uruguayan chimichurris. There are similarities, as chimichurri recipes feature the combination of green herbs like parsley and oregano; and there are differences, namely, salmoriglio lacks the heavy emphasis on garlic that are found in chimichurri sauces. Those differences make salmoriglio a lighter, brighter sauce that (admittedly) would probably go better with chicken or seafood. Yet, the oil and herbs do enough to complete even grilled beef dishes, like Carne Arrustata. 

Finally, as with many of my recipes, I like to think of the journey embodied in the recipe. While I have been to Italy, I have never made it as far south as Sicily. Yet, as I prepared this dish, I like to picture myself as a cook in Sicily who was preparing the dish for guests, whether in a small restaurant down an  side street of a Sicilian village or at an agritourismo located out in the Sicilian countryside. I still fondly remember my visit to Montestigliano, an agritourismo in the hills of Tuscany, where I had an equisite dinner prepared by a local chef. Those memories provided the inspiration that led to my renewed love to cook, as well as the idea of creating this blog.  

CARNE ARRUSTUTA

Recipe from A Sicilian Peasant's Table

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the steak):

• 1 (1.5 pound) top sirloin, London broil, ribeye or any other cut of steak
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Sicilian sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons green onion, finely sliced (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 dried bay leaves (crumbled)

Ingredients (for the arugula salad):

• 3 cups arugula
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese (substitute Pecorino Siciliano or Maichino if you want to use Sicilian cheeses and can find them)
• Sicilian sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate the steak. Wipe the steak dry with a paper towel and place in a small baking dish. Crush the garlic clove with a garlic press or mash a small amount with salt on a wooden board using the flat side of a chef knife. Rub half of the olive oil and garlic evenly on each side of the steak. Drizzle the lemon juice on both sides and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then sprinkle half of the lemon zest, oregano, bay leaves, green onion and red pepper (if using) on each side of the steak. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 1 hour before you cook it. 

2. Grill the steak. Preheat a gas grill on medium high or prepare a medium high charcoal fire. Grill approximately 8 to 9 minutes on each side for medium rare or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. the steak will continue to cook. Cut into thin slices.

3. Prepare the salad. Combine the arugula, olive oil and vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in the saved parmesan. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with sliced steak.

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Post-Script: I decided to ask AI for an image of a Sicilian farmhouse agritourismo with Carne Arrustata on its menu. AI gave me the following picture: 

Created by AI

A nice picture but I am sure that it pales in comparison to the actual experience of visiting an agritourismo nestled in the coutryside. 

PEACE.