Carne al piatto

Carne al piatto is an Italian way of cooking meat without a pan: very thin slices of beef or veal are seasoned with salt, a thread of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, laid on a plate, and the plate is set over a pot of boiling water and covered with a second plate, so the meat cooks in the gentle heat that comes up through the ceramic. The method belongs to home kitchens, convalescent cooking and the pre-dietetic tradition of cucina leggera in Lombardy and the Veneto, where it is still prescribed by grandmothers for anyone who is unwell; it produces meat that is pale, soft and barely cooked, without browning, fat or fried flavour. It is rarely on restaurant menus and is closer in spirit to a carpaccio that has been warmed than to a steak. The dish is a technique more than a recipe, and the same plate method is used for fish fillets and for veal with a little butter in place of oil.