Ingredients: Bresaola

Bresaola

This cured meat is so lean that it is typically doused with olive oil! Sliced paper-thin, bresaola is Italy's famous air-dried beef. The country's two northernmost regions, Piedmont and Lombardy, can claim responsibility for the delicacy. More specifically, Valtellina (an area bordering the Cantons des Grisons in Switzerland) excels in bresaola production, turning out prime specimens thanks to an ideal climate that inhibits the deterioration of the meat as it ages.

Deep red in color, bresaola offers a light smoky flavor though it has never been subjected to smoking. Ironically, the nature of its rich taste stems from a strict trimming process, where legs of beef are thoroughly defatted and left to macerate with a dry rub of coarse salt and spices. Swathed in a natural casing, the beef then sits to dry for ten days. A curing period follows, lasting between one and three months as determined by the particular bresaola's weight. During aging, up to 40% of the meat's original weight is lost.

In the Kitchen
Much like other standard cured meats, bresaola is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled. It should be sliced as thinly as possible—so as to escape an abnormal leathery appearance—and should be allowed "to breathe" briefly before being served. For a classic presentation, drizzle slices with a combination of olive oil and lemon juice (in roughly equal parts), and top with shards or fresh shavings of Parmesan cheese. For a more complex dressing, blend Dijon mustard and olive oil with a few minced shallots or, instead, try mixing the mustard with mayonnaise and a handful of minced capers. Either way creates a perfect antipasto, or an excellent follow-up dish to a steamy plate of pasta or a warming bowl of soup.

Bresaola also makes a fitting accompaniment to salads (try raw slivered mushrooms or celery) or to garlicky sautés of broccoli or broccoli raab. Serve with a crusty white (or buckwheat) bread, and pair with either a red or white wine.

Buying Tips
An optimally-crafted bresaola will remain tender even when aged for significant periods of time, resisting the dried-out, crumbly texture typical of some other cured meats. However, unsurprisingly, the less bresaola is aged, the softer and more buttery its quality.
N.B. Several popular bresaola varieties exist that are unavailable in the United States. These are made from horse meat, which is soaked in a red wine brine before being dried and cured.