The holidays are around the corner, are you ready for them? Perhaps you still don’t know where you’re spending the never-ending parade of dinner parties and get-togethers of the season, but who knows, you might end up hosting a few of your own. Therefore, we made this short guide to give you ideas on what to serve your guests, this time, focused on beef, the red meat nowadays everyone hates to love.

Beef tartare, the meatiest of starters



Beef is used to be the center of attention, the main course, but it can be a classy starter too if you know what you’re doing.

Beef tartare is nothing but high-quality raw, fresh red meat, finely minced and mixed with onions, capers and seasoned with pepper and a pinch of salt. Yes, you can do it at home with some knife skills.

A raw egg yolk, tucked on top of the meat (make a dimple with your clean finger) is customary, and artisan bread is a great compliment.

Salpicon, beef made into a salad

Is raw meat too much for you? You’ll be surprised to know that you can still serve beef as a starter, in the form of a salad.

Salpicon, a popular dish in Mexico and Central America, is made of shredded cooked meat, tossed with diced tomatoes, avocado, onions, cilantro, jalapeno slices and a splash of white vinegar.

The dish is prepared and served cold, and it’s glorious. All the flavors combine harmoniously, making this the king of salads, just waiting to be recognized universally as such.

Italian Sunday gravy, traditionally festive

Now for the main course, let’s talk about a hearty stew. The Italian Sunday gravy is a traditional Italian-American dish prepared, you guessed it, on Sundays. But for the rest of us, who aren’t used to the dish, it makes a wonderful main course worthy of any celebration.

Preparation is time-consuming; first, you have to sear your meat (and any red meat or sausage goes!) and then slow-cooking it in tomato sauce. The result is a rich dish full of flavor; the fat has rendered; the tomatoes give sweetness and tangy acidity, and you just can’t get enough. Do you want to know grandma’s secret? A fistful of sugar right into the pot!

Roast beef, a timeless classic

Let’s visit a conventional holiday beef recipe, because classics never die! Like the Sunday gravy, this might be just another Sunday dinner for many, but for others, it’s a once-a-year opportunity. A whole beef fillet, clean and nicely seasoned, goes to the oven for the precise time to become a pink-hued, tender delicacy with a dark outer crust.

Master this one, and you’ll impress even the snobbiest of your friends. Grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a thick brown sauce are perfect companions for this crowd-pleasing dish.

Beef wellington, a real challenge

Last but not least, we can’t use the words beef and holidays without mentioning the complex, but incredibly satisfying beef wellington. A fillet steak or whole tenderloin smothered in pâté and a mushroom paste, then covered with puff pastry and baked. Beef wellington is a real challenge for amateur cooks, but if successful, this is graduation day, my friend.

Enjoy these meaty dishes any way you want, or go for the traditional turkey or lamb, why not? The important thing is to spend time with family and friends. Food brings people together, it has for centuries and that’s what matters most.

 Chat to the leading Hospitality Specialists for your kitchen today. Email: info@icegroup.com.au or call 02 4228 0100