Carpaccio of Beef

As nigella points out, real carpaccio is impossible to make at home unless you have a professional slicing machine. All we can do at home, is try to cut as finely as possible, but its still worth a go, if only as an excuse to eat fillet steak.

- Brush some fillet steak with olive oil, and cover in crushed peppercorns.

- Add steak to a pan of hot oil and sear each side for 1 min (all 6 sides)

- Plunge steak into bowl of iced water, then pat dry.

- When ready to eat it, slice it as thinly as possible.

- Place carpaccio slices on a bed of rocket, dressed in olive oil, lemon juice and salt

Nigella also recommends wafers of parmesan, but i think it's great without, leaving the peppery rocket and peppered carpaccio to fight it out.