Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Marinade and Beef Hearts:
• 3 cloves garlic, skin on
• 12 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1½ cups white wine
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (2-3 pound) beef heart, trimmed of sinew & gristle, cut into 2-inch by 6-inch pieces
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  
  Horseradish Vinaigrette:
• ¼ cup Champagne vinegar
• ¼ cup horseradish, finely grated
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1½ cups pure olive oil
• Extra virgin olive oil
  
  Roasted Golden Beet Salad:
• 3 bunches baby golden beets, leaves removed
• 2 bulbs garlic, halved
• 1 bunch thyme
• 1 bunch young flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves picked and separated from stems
• 1 cup orange juice
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fennel seeds, ground
  
  Garnish:
• 1 bunch chives, cut into 1-inch pieces, to garnish
• Horseradish, grated
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method:
For Marinade and Beef Hearts:
In a mortar, use a pestle to crush the garlic and thyme. Mix the garlic, thyme, orange juice, white wine and olive oil in a bowl; let the flavors blend for 1 hour.

Pour marinade over pieces of portioned beef heart. Marinate for 2 hours. Remove beef heart from the marinade, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Grill the heart to medium-rare, about 3 minutes on each side.

For Horseradish Vinaigrette:
Combine the vinegar, horseradish, orange juice salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the pure olive oil to emulsify. Add extra-virgin olive oil, to taste.

For Roasted Golden Beet Salad:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Place the beets, garlic, thyme, and parsley stems in a non-reactive roasting pan. Add the orange juice, and enough water and olive oil to coat the beets evenly. Season with ground fennel seeds, salt and pepper, to taste. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil; place the covered pan in the oven and roast the beets until they are fork tender, approximately 45 minutes. Remove the pan from heat; uncover and allow to cool. Remove the skin from the beets by gently rubbing them with a dish towel, making sure to retain the shape of the beets.

Cut the beets into different shapes such as rounds and quarters; place in a mixing bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the chive batons and parsley leaves just before serving.

To Assemble and Serve:
Dress the beet salad in Horseradish Vinaigrette. Toss with the chive batons. Divide the beet salad among warmed serving plates. Thinly slice the warm beef hearts, and place the slices over the salad. Sprinkle freshly grated horseradish over the sliced heart and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the dish. Serve immediately.

Wine Pairing
At Incanto, sommelier Ed Ruiz suggests pairing this dish with a lighter or softer red wine. Pinot Nero, from the far north of Italy, works well thanks to its lively acidity and cherry notes. If you wanted a red wine with a little more weight and lush fruit, choose a softer style of Montepulciano from either Abruzzo or the Marche. If you prefer white wine, choose something with plenty of weight, texture and richness such as Soave—especially the richer single vineyard wines from Piero Pan.