THE Church remembers St Bartholomew tomorrow. It is widely held
that his grisly martyrdom came through being flayed alive; this
qualifies him to be patron saint of butchers as well as tanners. At
Smithfield, home to St Bartholomew the Great, nightly trucks of
meat arrive to meet the needs of the country. Florentine cheese
merchants also benefit from the saint's patronage, and this
Tagliata dish combines Italian flavours with
simple steak.
2 sirloin steaks, about 250g (½ lb)
each
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 unwaxed lemon
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 bag (about 110g) of peppery
leaves such as watercress or
rocket, even spinach
hunk of parmesan cheese
Have the steaks at room temperature, and sprinkle them with a
little salt. Heat a frying pan to hot, then throw in a glug of
olive oil. Once it smokes, place each steak in, and press down.
Turn after 15 to 20 seconds, and repeat. Try not to overcook: you
want a bit of yield in the middle, but colour and crust on the
outside. Transfer the meat to a board to rest for at least five
minutes.
Bash the garlic cloves and slip them out of their papery skins
into the pan with another good glug of olive oil. Strip the
rosemary needles off the sprig, and into the pan, too, then grate
in the lemon's zest. Juice the lemon, and add to the pan also. Give
this a good mix, letting it bubble together and cohere over a low
flame. Tip in any meat juices that collect from the resting steaks,
and take off the heat.
Slice the steaks against the grain into 1cm (½-inch) strips.
Arrange the peppery leaves on a serving plate, top with the meat,
then spoon over the pan juices with a little of the rosemary and
some black pepper. Shave slices of Parmesan and place on top. Serve
with boiled or sauté potatoes, and some radishes.
Smithfield was also the location of the original Bartholomew
Fair, which began during the Middle Ages. In addition to massive
hog-roasts, pears and gingerbread also featured on the festal menu.
Here is a recipe for a Pear and ginger
crumble.
450g (1 lb) pears, peeled and cored
4 pieces of preserved ginger, with
syrup
1 tablespoon honey
10 ginger-nut biscuits
50g (2 oz) butter
Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5, and grease a 1-litre (2pt)
baking dish. Chop the pears into thumb-sized chunks, along with the
chopped down nibs of ginger; mix together with the honey and a
little of the ginger syrup. Pour into the baking dish. Smash the
ginger nuts (in a bag with a rolling pin), and sprinkle on top of
the fruit, pressing down to ensure that it is even. Dot with
butter, and place in the oven.
After ten minutes, reduce the heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4, and
bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm with some crème fraîche.
