Carnet Recipe: Bistecca alla Fiorentina Recipe From the trattoria kitchen straight to your gourmet kitchen James Paxton
Back from Florence but frustrated because you did not eat the Steak Fiorentina of your dreams?
But you went to the best places recommended by trustworthy guides: All’ Antico Ristoro di Cambi, Omero, Oswaldo, Trattoria Mario’s and even Boca Lupi, a Carnet recommendation.
Ah, the Goldilocks syndrome: “Too rare, too cooked, too thick, too thin..."
So now that you are back home, instead of grilling sausages of unknown origin, why don’t you cook the perfect Bistecca alla Fiorentina?
First to buy the steak.
You must ask for a T-bone steak or a porterhouse cut. The difference? The porterhouse is supposed to be bigger. But outside of the United States, it’s smaller as only the strip loin side of the bone is called porterhouse, and the tenderloin side is called fillet.
If you are willing to wait several days, you may order Chianina. Ask your butcher to let the T-bone hang for at least 6 days. If you are just buying a nice T-bone of unknown origin, leave it in the fridge (never the freezer) for a day or so to allow the excess blood to escape.
The steak should weigh 3 to 3 1/2 pounds and be a maximum of 3 inches thick. If thicker, you may go back to the Goldilocks syndrome.
On D-day:
Prepare your outdoor grill. The Bistecca alla Fiorentina should be cooked over a very hot flame.
Trim excess fat from the T-bone and allow the meat to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
In a small bowl, mix together: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 2 tablespoons gray sea salt or kosher salt 3 or 4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper.
Pat the steak dry; brush it with 1/4 of a cup of extra-virgin olive oil.
Coat the entire steak with the herb mix. Place on the grill until well charred, about 12 minutes on the first side, then cook about 9 minutes on the second side.
Remember that the fillet side will cook a little faster than the strip loin side, and never turn the steak with a fork, as the meat must not be pierced.
Remove the steak to carving board and let it rest at least 5 minutes before carving.
In Florence, the Bistecca is served rare. But if you want your T-bone medium rare, grill it 15 minutes on one side and 12 on the other. If you want it medium or well-done … the Maitre d’Hotel at Buca Lapi, in Florence, gently told us to order something else.
It is Pellegrino Artusi in 1891, whom, in his classic book La Scienza in Cucina, used the name for the first time. He wrote that the bistecca was “ simply a slice of meat a finger to a finger and half thick, with its bone, cut from the short loin of a heifer“. Of course, he could only recommend Tuscan beef breeds: Chianina or Maremmana.
You may also like to read:
-From the Archive- Carnet Recipe: Boston Clam Chowder
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