L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Bistecca alla Fiorentina should be serve always rare (Ⓒ: Dreamstime) Continued form page 30 was banned, even if not a single case of the disease was recorded among Chianina cattle. On the 1st of January 2006, five years after its ban, la Fiorentina finally re- turned on Tuscany's tables, much to the joy of its many estimators. A perfect steak How is the perfect Fiorentina? It has to be at least 2 fingers thick (about 1 inch and a half) and should weight between 900 and 1250 gr (roughly between 2 and 3 lbs). It should rest for a few days in a cool place, then be left at room temperature for a couple of hours before grilling. Ideally, it should be cooked on oak, holm oak or olive charcoal, while gas barbecues and baking stones should be carefully avoided. Fiorentina steak must be grilled without being marinated nor dressed. It should be — quite lit- erally — thrown on the barbecue, very close to the charcoal for the first few minutes of cooking: this is essential to make sure it gets properly seared and its juices don't go to waste during grilling. Tech- nically, this is called Maillard re- action and it happens when high heat seals juices inside the steak. After a minute of hot grilling on each side, the steak should be placed further from the charcoal and let cook at a gentler heat. In Florence, people say the fire has to fare il viso bianco, or make a face's white. The steak must cook between 3 and 5 minutes on each side and must be turned only once. Be care- ful what you use to handle it, as pointy and piercing instruments are a no-no. The last step is to cook the bone side of the steak, which has to be thick enough to stand on its own. Leave it like that, standing on its bone, for 5 to 7 minutes, until there is no more blood. The final result is a steak delicately hued on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. As an incise, another school of thought maintains a Fiorentina should never be cooked standing up. But you know what? When it comes to Fiorentina, maybe it's better to know what not to do, rather than what to do. For in- stance, a good bistecca alla Fiorentina: • Should never be sea- soned raw, but only after having been grilled; • Should never be grilled straight out of the fridge; • Should never be cut im- mediately after having been taken off the barbecue. Just like with roasts, time should be given to meat juices to distribute throughout the steak; • Should never be cooked in the oven; • Should never be dressed with lemon. Traditionally, a good Fiorentina is served with cannellini beans dressed in Tuscan extra virgin olive oil or, quite simply, with a salad even if, personally, I really like it with roast potatoes! Final thoughts A steak without the bone is a good piece of meat you eat. A steak with its bone, though, it's a piece of history we enjoy for sheer plea- sure, which we do not eat but savor little by little. Bistecca alla Fiorentina is not something you can cook in your own kitchen, us- ing a normal barbecue or a baking stone. But we can use part of the specific cut it comes from, sirloin, to prepare delicious dishes! Italian roast beef Prepare a rubbing marinade (count 0.3 oz of it each lb of meat) made with salt and aromatic herbs. Rub it on the meat and then let it rest in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours. The rubbing marinade has a double duty: the first is to add flavor, the second is to begin "cooking" the meat. Once the meat is ready, cook it either in a pan or in the oven for not more than 10 to 15 minutes. If you chose a pan, then you'll need a good non-stick one. ake Msure you sear it on all sides, then pass it to the oven and cook at a very low temperature (120C, or 250F), until the meat reaches the internal temperature of 55C (131F). If you want to make it directly in the oven, then cook it at 250C (480F) for 15 minutes. Let the roast cool, then slice very thin, as if you were serving a cold cut. If you have it, use a slic- ing machine. You can dress the roast beef with some extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of balsamic vinegar or a spoonful of mayon- naise. Green peppercorn filet This is a classic of French cui- sine, but we love it in Italy, too! Ingredients for four people: • four fillet medallions • 2 tbsp of green pepper- corns, better if in brine • 1 oz of butter for cooking • 1 oz of butter for the sauce • rosemary to taste • 1/2 tsp of mustard • 1 glass of brandy or vin santo • salt • 1 tbsp of flour On high heat, sear the medal- lions in butter for 1 minute on each side. Add salt and put on a plate. Add the peppercorn and brandy to the pan and let the liquid reduce, then add the mustard, the rosemary and the meat again. Roll the leftover butter in the flour, then add to the pan along with another tbsp of brandy. Cook for a few minutes, add some salt and serve immediately.

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