Chef Graziella
Arancini alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab culinary influence meets Italian home cooking. The saffron-perfumed rice conceals a heart of slow-simmered ragù and sweet peas.
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Bresaola con Rucola e Scaglie di Grana
Created by
The classic antipasto of Lombardy, where air-dried beef from the Alpine valleys meets peppery wild arugula and thin curls of aged cheese. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Appetizers & Snacks
Italian, Lombard
Weeknight
Dinner Party
10 min
Active Time
0 min cook•10 min total
Yield4 servings
This is a dish that cannot be improved by adding to it. Three ingredients of quality, a simple dressing, and the restraint to stop there. The bresaola must be genuine, from Valtellina, where the dry mountain air has cured beef this way for centuries. The arugula must be peppery and fresh, preferably the small-leafed wild variety that bites back. The cheese must be aged and firm enough to shave into translucent curls.
Americans often want to complicate things. They want to add balsamic reduction, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, pine nuts. They miss the point entirely. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. The bresaola is lean and delicate, almost sweet in its minerality. The arugula provides the heat. The cheese contributes salt and umami. The olive oil binds them. The lemon brightens. That is all you need.
This takes ten minutes to assemble if you work slowly, five if you do not. The difficulty is not in the technique. The difficulty is in finding ingredients worthy of such simplicity.
Bresaola originated in the Valtellina valley of northern Lombardy, where the cold, dry Alpine winds created ideal conditions for air-curing beef. The practice dates to at least the 15th century, when mountain families preserved meat through the harsh winters. The word likely derives from 'brisa,' the dialect term for the cold north wind that cures the meat, though some argue for 'brasa,' meaning embers, from an older smoking tradition.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bresaola
Quantity
6 ounces
sliced paper-thin
wild arugula (rucola selvatica)
Quantity
4 ounces
Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
3 ounces
in one piece for shaving
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
lemon
Quantity
1
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bresaolasliced paper-thin | 6 ounces |
| wild arugula (rucola selvatica) | 4 ounces |
| Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggianoin one piece for shaving | 3 ounces |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| lemon | 1 |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Vegetable peeler for cheese shavings
- •Large serving platter or individual plates
- •Salad spinner for drying arugula
Instructions
- 1
Arrange the bresaola
Remove the bresaola from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Cold mutes flavor. Arrange the slices on a large serving platter or individual plates, overlapping them slightly in a single layer. The meat should cover the plate but not pile upon itself. You want each slice accessible to fork and knife.
- 2
Prepare the arugula
Wash and dry the arugula thoroughly. Wet leaves dilute the dressing and make the salad soggy. Place the leaves in a loose mound over the bresaola, leaving some of the ruby-red meat visible at the edges. The arugula should look casual, not constructed.
Wild arugula, with its small, deeply lobed leaves and intense peppery bite, is traditional. Cultivated arugula works but lacks the same assertive character. What you seek is contrast: the mild, slightly sweet bresaola against the sharp green. - 3
Shave the cheese
Using a vegetable peeler, shave thin curls of cheese directly over the arugula. Let them fall where they will. You want irregular shavings, not uniform slices. The cheese should scatter across the greens, some curls catching in the leaves, others resting on top. Do not grate the cheese. The texture of whole shavings matters.
- 4
Dress and season
Drizzle the olive oil generously over the entire plate. Squeeze half the lemon over the salad, allowing the juice to mingle with the oil. Cut the remaining half into wedges for the table. Grind fresh black pepper over everything. Add a restrained scatter of flaky salt. Serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- •Seek bresaola with IGP certification from Valtellina. Imitations exist, but they lack the characteristic deep ruby color and delicate, slightly sweet flavor of the authentic product. The slices should be nearly transparent when held to light.
- •Have your salumiere slice the bresaola fresh if possible. Pre-sliced bresaola oxidizes and dries at the edges. If buying packaged, use it within a day or two of opening.
- •Grana Padano is the traditional choice in Lombardy, where this dish originates. Parmigiano-Reggiano, being more assertive, works beautifully as well. Both must be aged enough to shave cleanly, at least 18 months.
- •The olive oil matters enormously here. Use something grassy and peppery, preferably from Liguria or Lake Garda. This is not the place for mild, buttery oil.
Advance Preparation
- •This dish cannot be assembled ahead. The arugula wilts, the cheese softens, the bresaola dries. Prepare it just before serving.
- •You may wash and dry the arugula an hour ahead, storing it wrapped in paper towels in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 110g)
Calories
245 calories
Total Fat
17 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
46 mg
Sodium
1210 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
22 g
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