Everyone loves to grill the perfect steak, and the Italians are no different.  Bistecca Fiorentina is the ultimate Tuscan steak.  Sourced from only the Chianina Cows, one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world, the Chianina originate in the area of the Valdichiana, from which it takes its name. They have been raised in Tuscany for over 2000 years. 

The beauty of this recipe, is it’s perfect simplicity.  The key to getting it right, is to use the best ingredients you can find. 

You will need: 

1 Porterhouse Steak, at least 2-3 inches thick, approx 3 lbs.

1 bag fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lemon, cut in half crosswise
The best extra virgin olive oil you can afford

Prepare your fire or grill to high heat. The Italians traditionally use the cuttings from old grape vines as a base for their fires, but since I doubt you’ll have access to that, fire up as you normally would. 

Season the steak with sea salt and fresh black pepper and set on the grill.  The object here is rare meat. The Italians would never cook this beyond that.  Depending on the the thickness of the meat, plan on 6-8 minutes per side.

As the meat is about done,  get some olive oil going in a pan, and saute the garlic.  Add the spinach and begin to wilt.  Add a bit more oil if you need to.  You can finish the spinach as you remove the steak from the grill to rest.  Once the spinach is done, so are you! 

Arrange the wilted spinach on a serving platter and cut the steak.  The filet and strip should be removed from the bone, sliced, and “put back together” for  serving.  The picture below illustrates what I mean. 

You can use the extra virgin oil to drizzle on the meat as a sauce, and also a squirt of the lemon juice if you like.  Good side dishes would be white beans tossed with olive oil, salt, and rosemary, or a nice earthy saute of mushrooms.  



Here are some pictures of the last steaks I did this way.  Enjoy!

Fiorentina Steaks, seasoned and ready to go!

The “Re-constructed” steak after slicing!  Perfectly cooked.
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