Beef carpaccio with pink pepper, rocket and sun-dried tomatoes

Carpaccio is one of my favourite appetisers. Traditionally, it is a dish of thinly sliced raw meat or fish served with a salad and a vinaigrette or a sauce. Italians often eat it during the warmer months of the year. Carpaccio was invented in the 1950s by Giuseppe Cipriani from Harry's Bar in Venice and it soon became very popular. It was named after Venetian painter Vittorio Carpaccio, known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.

Making carpaccio at home is very easy, as long as you have the right meat. You can either find a butcher who knows how to cut carpaccio properly, or you can do it yourself. The trick is to half-freeze the meat and use a very sharp knife to slice it very thinly. You can then gently pound the sliced meat to get it as thin as possible. For best results, use beef fillet.

The vinaigrette in this recipe is very simple and refreshing, and the sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes balances out the slight bitterness of the rocket. The whole dish comes together beautifully and it is a joy for the taste buds.