Straccetti
di manzo
e cetrioli
Beef Strips with Cucumber
I had never thought of combining beef strips with cucumber until I found this recipe in La Cucina Italiana. And it works surprisingly well, with the cucumber giving the dish a fresh crunch and lightness.
The word ‘staccetti’ means rags, signifying that the meat originally used could be leftover steak from the day before as an alternative to eg. leftover meatballs. But you can also you use raw beef like the strips used in Asian stir-fries. Both ways the beef strips with cucumber can be cooked up in 15 minutes max. As such it is promising to become an everyday favourite.
Ingredients
500 g cucumber
400 g beef steak or similar cuts in fine strips
1 tsp mustard seeds
Salt, lemon juice and olive oil
Fresh rosemary
Preparation
Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumbers, if you are using the short, thick and pale Italian variety. Long dark green cucumbers with soft seeds as those favoured in Scandinavia can be used directly.
Cut the cucumbers julienne in long thin strips.
Sprinkle them with salt and leave them for a few minutes.
Fry the beef strips in hot olive oil for a couple of minutes.
Squeeze excess water from the cucumbers and toss them in a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, mustard seeds and fresh chopped rosemary.
Serve beef strips with cucumbers with a nice slice of bread to mob up the juice or as a light meat dish following pasta.
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