SEARED CARPACCIO WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH, ASPARAGUS, AND PECORINO

SEARED CARPACCIO WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH, ASPARAGUS, AND PECORINO image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 8

½ pound beef top round or tenderloin roast, trimmed and tied
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and sage
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
½ pound thin asparagus, tough section on base of stalks snapped off
8 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved into thin slices

Steps:

Season the meat by rubbing it with salt, pepper, and the chopped herbs. In a heavy skillet over high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil is very hot, add the meat. Sear it on all sides for just under a minute per side. Remove the meat from the pan and let it cool. Wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for about an hour, or until the beef is very firm but not frozen. In a large pot fitted with a perforated steamer, steam the squash for 25 minutes. Let it cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the inside of the squash using lengthwise movements with a fork. It will look like spaghetti. In a pot of salted water, blanch the asparagus until just tender, about 3 minutes, then slice the stalks diagonally into ½-inch lengths. In a large bowl, mix the squash with the asparagus, the walnuts, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and salt and pepper. Slice the firmed-up beef across the grain into very thin, broad sheets, using a thin-bladed slicing knife or mandolin. Cover 6 plates with a single layer of the thin slices of beef. Drizzle each plate with a teaspoon of olive oil. Divide the salad among the plates, making a small, compact mound in the center. Top the salad mounds with the shaved Pecorino Romano cheese.