What I really came to admire in Paris is the influence of Moroccan food and culture. Every market had a few stalls purely dedicated to buckets of olives and preserved lemons, spices and teas. By today, I had really come to understand more about French food and I wanted to create a cultural twist on the classic French tartare.
I started by chopping up the fillet steak, discarding any sinew and extra fat. Although the piece I picked up didn’t need much pruning at all.
I moved on to the capers, one baby onion, Moroccan olives and parsley. I mixed everything in a small bowl with a pinch of chilli, smoked paprika and saffron and a teaspoon of mustard. I added a squeeze of lemon for tang and set it aside for a moment while I made the ali oli.
Ali Oli in Spain is the process of emulsifying garlic and olive oil. A potent mixture of bitter olive and spice from the garlic. For this particular Moroccan version I wanted to add a few strands of saffron for that amazing siena tinge. I’ve always loved the aroma of saffron and the colour it bleeds is even more satisfying.
We sat where we have sat every day these past five days and ate overlooking the streets of Paris while watching the sun give way to purple and pink skies sinking into black. Last dish in Paris and I felt like it was just all the beginning!
