Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak Recipe)
After travelling to Florence I have dreams of the amazing florentine steak! Here are some of the secrets to cooking the perfect Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the renowned Florentine steak. Brace yourselves for an explosion of flavour!
I love cooking this delicious piece of meat over the hot coals. After flipping it once only (to preserve those precious juices), I always let the steak rest for a few minutes after removing it off the grill. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a tender, juicy bite.
This steak is best enjoyed cut u into thick, juicy slices, following the T-bone's natural divide. It’s perfectly fine plated up with just drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. The flavours of Florence transport you to culinary heaven.
If you are looking for a side, roasted thyme potatoes will go well with it too. Don’t forget about a glass of good red wine!
Ingredients to make the Bistecca alla Fiorentina
One thick T- bone steak. Choose the finest cut of beef. Quality matters!
Course Salt
Finely Ground Pepper
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
How to make the Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Choose the finest cut of beef. Look for a thick T-bone. Quality matters!
Bring your steak to room temperature. Allow it to sit outside the fridge for about an hour, ensuring even cooking.
Make a hot fire, allowing coals to have formed but it must be piping hot.
Season the steak generously with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and loads of rosemary.Keep it simple to let the meat shine.
Place the steak over the hot coals. Cook for about 5-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness or until rare.
Flip the steak only once to preserve those precious juices. Don't be tempted to poke or prod it too much!
Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a tender, juicy bite.
Time to slice and serve! Cut the steak into thick, juicy slices, following the T-bone's natural divide. Plate it up with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Dive in and savour every moment! The Bistecca alla Fiorentina is best enjoyed with a side of roasted thyme potatoes and a rocket & cherry tomatoes side and a glass of good red wine.
Let the flavours of Florence transport you to culinary heaven.
Enjoy! Please tag me on Instagram if you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to see it!
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About Shawn Godfrey
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Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).
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