At the Table of La Fortezza: Grilled steak with Arugula, Fresh Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan
I am getting super excited about the release of At the Table of La Fortezza Rizzoli NY, my newest cookbook about the region in Italy where we live, in the beautiful Lunigiana. Publish date is in just a few days - September 13, 2022. I recently launched a recipes series based on the cookbook on YouTube so you can cook along with me. It’s fun, funny and informative. Plus, you get a glimpse into our life in the Italian countryside.
This original Tuscan dish is one of the most popular meals I serve at La Fortezza. It is the very definition of local. We have a butcher down the road who specializes in bistecca, or tagliata di manzo (this literally means “cut of beef”). He even has his own herd of cattle in the pasture behind his shop. I also buy from Modesto, the butcher whose meat comes from Emilia-Romagna, and those cows are fed the rinds of Parmesan cheese. I’m not sure if this is the reason, but that meat is amazingly rich and delicious. The steak is cut about 1 ½ inches thick, and grilled over a wood fire, or I cook them in the forno (a wood-burning pizza oven). I dress the grilled with sweet ripened tomatoes from our kitchen garden, and Parmesan cheese from nearby Parma (where Parmigiano Reggiano is made). I drizzle it with fresh olive oil from our olive grove.
Grilled steak with Arugula, Fresh Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan
(Tagliata di Manzo con Rucola e Pomodorini)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
(1 ½-pound) porterhouse steaks, 1 ½ inches thick (or 3 fingers thick, as we like to say in Italy)
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon Maldon flake salt, to finish
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups loosely packed arugula
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil1 large chunk (about 6 to 8 ounces)
Parmesan cheese, for shaving
Preparation:
Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, and salt and pepper them on all sides. Let stand at room tem-perature for 30 minutes before grilling
Prepare a grill for direct cooking, or preheat a gas grill to 400 to 450°F (it’s best to cook steaks on high heat). If using a charcoal grill, the grill is ready when the charcoal turns white, or 1 hour after light-ing the coals. Clean your grate and let it heat at least 10 minutes before cooking
Place the steaks on the grill and use a meat ther-mometer to check for your preferred doneness: 135°F for medium rare, 140°F for medium, and 145°F for medium well. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before carving. Cut the steaks into ¼-inch-thick slices, on a slight angle
Arrange the arugula and tomatoes on a platter, place the steak atop the arugula, drizzle with olive oil, and finish with Maldon flake salt. Use a vegeta-ble peeler to shave Parmesan strips over the steaks. Serve immediately