Ingredients for 4 people:2 beef steaks weighing 600/700 g each salt pepper (olive oil and lemon - optional)
The true “bistecca Fiorentina” is a steak cut from the loin, sliced very thickly and extremely tender. It must be beef, and must always include fillet, sirloin and the “T” shaped bone in the centre. It’s not easy to find outside Tuscany.
Place the steak as it is (don’t rinse it!) on a very hot barbecue over glowing charcoal embers, but without any open flames. Let it cook on one side, without adding salt and without (ever!) piercing it with a fork. When it has formed a “crust” (about 5 minutes) turn it over, using a metal spatula or tongs, and sprinkle the cooked side with salt. Cook the raw side for another 5 minutes and then sprinkle it with salt as well, turning the steak over to do so. In the end, it should be “rare” inside and well browned on the surface.
There’s no such thing as a well done “Fiorentina” – if you don’t like rare meat, this is not the dish for you! It’s served with freshly ground black pepper. Purists of the “Fiorentina” would not agree, but olive oil and lemon juice (mixed together in an emulsion without heating them) are a good finishing touch for this hearty dish. The Italian word “bistecca” comes from the English “beef steak”, and has taken over from the old, rather amusing name “carbonata” (from “carbone”, meaning coal) that was used previously