Tuscan Steak

[KnifeSkills]

I want to have Bisteca ala Fiorentina (sp?) at my next dinner party.
There will be 5 people.
How thick should the porterhouse be and what are some good dips?
I heard that basil and olive oil are a good sause.

[BerryBaby]

There is a classic recipe for this on Kitchenware online at Cooking.com: Shop for small appliances, cookware, cutlery, bakeware, tableware, and more plus find recipes. Look under Tuscan Steak and I'm sure this is what you want. Enjoy!

[Food Network Fan]

Here's a Mario Batali recipe if you are looking for something from him specifically. SOURCE


T-Bone Fiorentina with Sautéed Spinach

Bistecca alla Fiorentina


The quality of the steak is the quality of the whole dish in something as simple as this classic Florentine carnivore's fantasy. I had never realized this dish was the true pinnacle of Tuscan cooking until I got there and tasted it—simple, sublime, and all about the shopping, not the cook. Da Vero is my favorite olive oil, with all of the peppery palate ticklers and olfactory love juice of any great Tuscan oil, yet it is created by my good friends Colleen McGlynn and Ridgely Evers in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, California.
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 T-bone steak, at least 3 inches thick, 3 to 3½ pounds
• 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Da Vero
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 pounds baby spinach, stems removed, washed, and spun dry
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

Preparations

• 1. Preheat the grill.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper until well blended. Pat the steak dry and coat the entire steak with the herb mix. Brush gently with the pure olive oil. Place on the grill and cook until well charred, about 12 minutes on first side, then cook about 9 minutes on the second side; this is traditionally served rare. Transfer to a platter and let stand for 8 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat ¼ cup of the extra-virgin olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and cook just until light brown. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• 4. Carve the fillet and the strip steak from the bone and slice. Divide the steak among four plates, arrange the spinach next to it, and drizzle with the remaining ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Season with coarse salt. Serve immediately.

[Chefnot]

Oooo...3" I love that

[Clove]

I want to have Bisteca ala Fiorentina (sp?) at my next dinner party.
There will be 5 people.
How thick should the porterhouse be and what are some good dips?
I heard that basil and olive oil are a good sauce.

KnifeSkills,

If you are looking for the classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina, start with the grade and cut of meat. Then go to the weight.
As you are not going to find the Chianina beef that they use for this dish in Tuscany, try to find prime beef and dry aged if possible, 1st cut Porterhouse. Be sure it has the largest part of the tenderloin possible.
Size for 5: If big eaters 8 to 10 oz per person; 6 to 8 oz if "normal" eaters; 4 to 6 oz if they are "watching" their consumption of protein.

If you can, cook it on a grill with hard wood charcoal.
Find very hot spot and grill until 115 F in the center, turning only once.
After 10 minutes of rest, quickly char a rosemary stalk on the grill, dip it in excellent estate bottled Extra Virgin Olive Oil and brush on the cooked meat (you can add some anchovies to the oil too).
Then sprinkle with coarse salt.
The meat should have come to about 120F to 125F, rare.
Carve both the strip and the tenderloin off the bone and cut each into very thin slices.
Put some strip and some tenderloin on each plate.
Drizzle with some additional Olive Oil.
That's the way they serve it in Tuscany.