Beef Carpaccio with Pickles and Mustard Aioli with homemade pickled cucumbers and homemade date syrup (silan)

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade date syrup (silan) ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the dates and water in a pot and bring to a boil.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Cook over low heat 5 minutes and mash the dates with a wooden spoon.

   Stove
3. 3
   Line a sieve with thin cloth and set it over a bowl. Pour in the mixture, press the dates with a spoon, gather the edges of the cloth and squeeze well.

   ColanderCheeseclothBowl
4. 4
   Return the liquid to the pot and reduce over low heat about half an hour, until to a thick syrup.

   StovePot
5. 5
   Let the date syrup cool.

   Jar

To assemble

1. 6
   Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and freeze 40–60 minutes, until it firms up a little and is easy to slice.

   Plastic wrapFreezer
2. 7
   In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and garlic and chill until serving.

   Bowl
3. 8
   Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, date syrup and olive oil in a small bowl, until the date syrup dissolves.

   Bowl
4. 9
   Cut the meat against the grain into paper-thin slices.

   KnifeCutting board
5. 10
   Arrange the slices close together in a single layer on a sheet of plastic wrap, cover with another sheet and pound gently with the flat side of a meat mallet, until the meat is thin and spread out, without tearing.

   Plastic wrapMeat mallet
6. 11
   Peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the meat onto a cold plate and peel off the second sheet.
7. 12
   Wash the cucumbers and arrange them in a clean jar, upright and tightly packed, with the garlic and dill between them.

   Jar

   💡Fresh, firm cucumbers, tightly packed and completely covered with water: a cucumber sticking out of the water softens and grows mold.
8. 13
   Dissolve the salt in the water and pour over the cucumbers until they are completely covered.
9. 14
   Close and leave at room temperature for 3–7 days, until the cucumbers turn olive green and are as sour as you like.

   💡Taste the water after a day: it should be as salty as seawater. Add salt or water as needed.
10. 15
    Move to the fridge: the cold stops the fermentation.

    Refrigerator
11. 16
    Sprinkle the salt and black pepper over the meat and serve with the pickles on the side, tbsp aioli and a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

    Bowl