Carpaccio di Tonno #ItalianFood

Ellen of Family Around the Table invited her blogging friends to share recipes and celebrate Italian food today. Well, you know me, I'm more Italian than I am Filipino. Well, maybe not genetically, but certainly by exposure and choice! Those thirteen months that I lived in Rome cemented my love of all things Italian. So, I was definitely participating in this party.

The Italian Feast

• Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Carpaccio di Tonno by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Comtesse d'Italia Cocktail by Bear and Bug Eats
• Eggplant Parmesan Casserole by Simple and Savory
• Homemade Marinara Sauce by Frugal Pantry
• Italian Cream Cake by Family Around the Table
• Italian Slab Pie by All that's Jas
• Italian Wedding Soup by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Low Carb Lemon Chicken Piccata by Everyday Eileen
• Pasta e Fagioli by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sausage and Pepper Sheet Pan Sandwiches by Jolene's Recipe Journal

Being that I learned to cook in Italy, I would say that Italian food appears on our table a lot. A lot. We regularly make homemade pastas (like this and this and this) and gnocchi (like this and this and this). 

Carpaccio di Tonno

So, I wanted to challenge myself to make something I've never made before. I decided on carpaccio. I started researching. Thank goodness my ability to read Italian is not nearly as rusty as my spoken Italian! I found several recipes I liked and used the parts that appealed to me.

Ingredients serves 4

• 1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna steaks, cut into 1-inch squares
• flake sea salt
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 6 T olive oil
• 1 t coarse-ground mustard
• 1 C cress, washed and dried
• 1/4 c capers
• caperberries to garnish
• Also needed: wax paper, rolling pin (or a wine bottle works well), mason jar with a lid

Procedure

Combine vinegar, oil, and mustard in mason jar. Shake to emulsify. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place a sheet of wax paper on a cutting board. Place a tuna square in the middle. Put another piece of wax paper on top. Using a rolling pin or bottle of wine, gently flatten the tuna by pressing and rolling as evenly as you can.

Peel the tuna from the sheets and place them on a serving platter.

Drizzle with as much dressing as you like. Sprinkle with salt to season. Mound the cress in the middle. Sprinkle with capers and garnish with caperberries. And serve immediately.

Pronto al tavolo! Like all of my favorite Italian dishes, this one shines in its simplicity with fresh, vibrant ingredients. Though this was the first time I have ever made carpaccio, I know it won't be the last!