Steak Tartare is not Photogenic

After intermittent blogging over the fall I'm expecting, and hoping, to have a lot of time on my hands in the coming weeks to catch up on my favorite past times - writing, blogging and cooking. I'm really looking forward to it. One of the things I've learned about "having time to think" is the immediate benefit on creativity - the influence it can have on moving an idea from something that might be interesting but a little rough, to something that is inspired.

A couple of years ago I was on a real Mexican kick. During this phase I found some great chillies that could bring complexity to my food without the scorching heat that masks taste. Some of my favorites include: the Ancho, de Arbol, the Poblano, the Chipotle, the Mulato, the Pasilla, and the New Mexico. There are also a number of apparent health benefits associated with chillies (Chillies) , although for those of you who know me you'll also know that what I ingest is hardly driven by its impact on extending my years. My love of Steak Tartare is testiment to this.

While I was going through this phase I had one of my frequent yearnings for raw beef which, combined with my growing love for all things hot, made me think about what it would be like as a Mexican tartare. And then building on a good thing, I wondered what it would be like to substitute the traditional toasts with a high quality tortilla chip... and a star was born.

The neat thing about this dish is that while my regular dining partner can enjoy a glass of wine - a slightly sweet Chardonnay or a dry Riesling, I can enjoy a beer - a bitter Liberty Ale or IPA from the Scotch Irish Brewing Company in Fitzroy Harbour.

A note about where you can find these chilli's. A while back I wrote a blog entry on Chily Chiles (see: How to Kill a Business Without Really Trying). Well, Chily Chiles proved me wrong and has a tremendous little business just 15 minutes east of Ottawa, in Navan. It's a pleasure to drive out there to stock up but if you can't make the trip check out the web site www.chillychiles.com.
So here is my recipe for a Mexican Tartare:

Ingredients

• 450 gms of a lean "tartarable" steak (top round for economy works wonderfully); filet if you think the extra $15 will translate to taste
• 1/2 tsp finely ground amarillo chilli
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp finely ground pasilla
• 1/4 tsp finely ground dark ancho chilli
• 1/2 tsp ground epazote
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 finely chopped fresh jalapeno
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 egg yolk

Directions

• Chop steak in to 1cm cubes or smaller
• Stir in chilli powders
• Stir in chopped shallots and jalapeno
• Separate egg yolk in to a bowl; add lime juice and ketchup and stir
• Add egg yolk mixture to steak and stir thoroughly
• Add chopped cilantro
• Add salt to taste

Serves 2

Serve Tartare on good quality tortilla chips (ie: Neal Brothers), with fresh chopped vegetables as an accompaniment, or light tomatillo salad with lime dressing.

And the only problem with this is that I can't take a picture.