Cooking a Lucerto

I like to cook this cut of beef (the eye round of beef) as if cooked well it can be quite a nice roast and can also be easy to cut. It can be tough though if not cooked well. Lucerto can be eaten warm or cold and is an ideal cold meat for sandwiches especially when there are left overs.

Prior to roasting a lucerto sear it on a pan with a bit of olive oil to seal the juices. This needs to be done on all sides of the lucerto. Afterwards, add the herbs, garlic, parsley and onions to the pan and cook these until the onions are golden brown. Add water or a glass of red wine if necessary if the pan is drying up. Vegetables such as carrots can also be added and sweated.

Once this is done place in a heated oven at a temperature of around 180 degrees C, cover with the vegetables and with foil. Add water or wine to the dish. Place in the oven for about an hour if you would like the meat cooked to medium heat. An oven thermometer would help you get the right temperature in the centre of the cut.

I like serving this cold with a light tuna mayonnaise on top of the thinly sliced beef as you would have in a restaurant - vitello tonnato which would be a veal lucerto.

Carving the Lucerto

A meat is always carved best when it has cooled down and has been allowed to stand. Standing time also allows the meat to cook a little further (so it is best to get the meat out 5 - 10 minutes before the cooking time is up) and also allows the flavour and juices to be retained in the meat for a better result. If one carves the meat as soon as it is out of the oven before this cooling down period and before the standing, the juices and the flavours are lost. Therefore one should:

1. Allow the meat to cool in foil for about 15 - 20 minutes. This will allow the meat to finish cooking and the juices to remain in the meat. It will also be easier to carve if cooled down.
2. Place the meat on a chopping board which should have a duct for the juices otherwise all these will spill out over your work surface. If carving in front of people at table, then place on a serving plate
   
3. Get a good slicing carving knife and a large fork if the cut is big. If the cut is small get a smaller fork.
4. Put the fork in the weaker hand and place it in the meat closest to the part where you are going to start carving. Place the knife in the stronger hand.
5. Slice the meat against the grain (these are small lines in the meat running in the same direction)
6. Decide on the thickness of the meat and slice by placing the knife close to the fork. You can also place the fork at an angle and cut the meat at an angle too.

Karen Mugliett