Carne di Cavallo alla Griglia
Carne di Cavallo alla Griglia
Grilled Horse Steak with Chile and Oregano
There are many wonderful things about Catania, a buzzing city at the foot of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily. One of them is that the airport is only 10 minutes away from the city center by car (a little longer by bus). Whenever I’m on that side of the island, I always budget an extra hour before my flight to pop into town for a quick bite on Via Plebiscito. The street is lined with trattorie like N’ta Za’ Carmela that specialize in meat—horse and beef, mainly—and the outdoor seating provides a window into the raucous street life of Catania, where double and triple parking is the second most popular pastime, after soccer. Wide grills on the sidewalk are packed with rows of massive steaks and sausage links. My favorite is carne di cavallo, a huge portion of horsemeat that overflows the plate, simply seasoned with a dusting of red pepper flakes and oregano and drizzled with olive oil. Horsemeat isn’t available in the US (that I know of... HMU if you know a guy!), but a thinly sliced lean cut of beef tastes about the same and is nearly as popular in Catania.
Ingredients (8)
Ingredients (8)
Instructions
Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high or heat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat.
Combine the olive oil (¼ cup), oregano (2 tsp), red pepper flakes (1 Tbsp), and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Season the meat (1 lb) on both sides with plenty of salt, then grill until it begins to char around the edges, turning once to ensure even cooking, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the bowl with the seasoned olive oil and toss to combine.
Serve the horse drizzled with any remaining olive oil mixture, with a wedge of lemon (1) on the side, or between two slices of crusty bread.
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