Seared beef paired with a celeriac salad

6/29/2014

This is minimalist and no-fuss. Here, you can eat light yet still satisfy a craving for medium-rare beef. The salad’s dressing is composed of a decidedly different set of ingredients.

Seared Beef With Celeriac Salad

6 ounces beef tenderloin, about 1½ inches thick

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon peanut oil

½ head celeriac (celery root)

10 chives

Leaves from 4 stems flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons silken tofu

2 tablespoons light miso

1½ teaspoons wasabi paste

½ lemon

Season the meat well with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s very hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the beef and sear for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, forming a lovely brown crust on the top and bottom. Transfer to a cutting board to rest while you make the salad.

Peel the celeriac. Cut the ½ head in half; grate each half using the large-holed side of a box grater. (Or you can cut the celeriac into long pieces and shred them in a food processor fitted with a shredding/​grating disk.) Place the shredded celeriac in a mixing bowl.

Finely chop the chives and parsley; add them to the bowl.

Whisk together the tofu, miso, and wasabi in a liquid measuring cup. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon half into the cup. Pour into the bowl with the celeriac and toss to coat evenly. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Cut the meat into thin slices and arrange on individual plates. Mound the celeriac salad alongside. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 2 servings

Nutrition per serving: 230 calories, 23 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar

Adapted from Itsu: The Cookbook, by Julian Metcalfe and Blanche Vaughan.