I think I am going to be a spoil sport. When we were in Tuscany I had it twice. Once in Florence and once in Lucca and both times it was tough and flavorless. I asked for it to be cooked medium so it wouldn't be hard, but I was really disappointed.
A medium Fiorentina is bound to be hard. Actually, there is no such thing as a medium Fiorentina. Fiorentina is very, very rare. Also, true Fiorentina is from freerange cows: freerange animal tend to produce meta that's more "al dente" than penned animals grown in intensive farms. Thie meat requires to either be almost raw or very long cooked in a sauce to be really as soft as butter. Such a steak (actually any steak, but this kind of meat even more) left on the fire for too long gets dry and flavorless like a toothbrush covered with dog roast-flavored toothpaste.
Such a steak (actually any steak, but this kind of meat even more) left on the fire for too long gets dry and flavorless like a toothbrush covered with dog roast-flavored toothpaste.
Alice, That's a great description! I'm still chuckling at the thought of dog roast-flavored toothpaste (although my dog doesn't think it's very funny!) Sharon
Once in Florence and once in Lucca and both times it was tough and flavorless
Suncoast, my first experience with the bistecca fiorentina was similar -- I was at Alla Griglia in Florence and ordered the bistecca. I wasn't sure if I needed to tell the waiter how I wanted it cooked and didn't know the word for rare so I said, "alla sangue". "Si-si. Well-done." the waiter said. "Nooooo. Sangue", "ok,ok", he replied. There was not one bite of this meat I could chew. I'm not certain if there was a communication problem or the cook was having an issue but the steak was horrible.
The waiter asked why I didn't eat it when he retrieved my plate and I told him it was not good....too well done. I was charged for it anyway and paid. (which I think is the subject on a recent thread) I have been back to the restaurant, many times since, and have been quite pleased with everything I have ordered. I just never ordered the bistecca fiorentina there again.
I will say, however, that each and every time I have had it since that first try has been phenomenal. I like it with the lemon juice as Diva mentions in her blog.
Diva - I like how your pictures followed your instructions on your blog, the three fingers, slicing, etc... Nice touch!
Posts: 690 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 14 January 2005
I prefer my steaks medium rare but we were told, because of "Mad Cow Disease" to order all beef well-done. YUCK!!! So I thought I would compromise and order medium which should still be pretty pink in the center. I guess I just should of let them serve it the way it was intended rare. I am going to try it again and see what happens.
"Mad cow disease" is not transmitted by bacteria or viruses that can be destroyed by heat. It's caused by a kind of protein (a "prione" actually) that is not affected by cooking at all.
In any case, this prione is found neither in the meat itself nor in the bone marrow (although this was banned too along the spinal marrow to reduce the panic in consumers) but rather in the brain and spinal marrow, which are nervour tissues affected by the "mad cow disease".
Also, the cows that are used for Fiorentina steaks are grown free range and therefore spent their life happily wlking on large fleilds and eating their fill of wild grasses. The disease is transmitted through proteinic foders used in intensive farms.
Finally, the risk connected to "mad cow disease" has been largely overestimated. In the whole EU only about a humdred people have had it, and probably the same number in the US. In itlay only 4 animals wer found to have it. While these data should not be ignored, the publicity the "Mad cow disease" had in the media (which fostered an almost-panic) seems to be a bit too much.
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