Carpaccio di Manzo

The story

Carpaccio was invented in Venice in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry's Bar. A regular, Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, had been advised by her doctors to eat raw meat and asked him for a new dish. Instead of chopping the fillet, Cipriani sliced it paper thin. He named the plate after Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian painter known for his reds and whites, whose work was then the subject of a major exhibition in the city. The original was dressed with a sauce of mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and a little milk. A common version today is simpler: the Grana Padano consortium lays thin slices of fillet over arugula with shavings of the cheese, capers and a dressing of lemon and olive oil. The name has since spread to any raw meat or fish sliced thin and dressed with lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. February 14 has an Italian home too: Terni, in Umbria, keeps the remains of St. Valentine in a basilica and has held a Feast of the Promise for engaged couples in February. Serve carpaccio as the first plate, with good bread and a crisp white wine.