Maremma - The Real Bistecca Alla Fiorentina !

For most people the Italian region of Tuscany is all about the city of Florence and the rolling hills of the Chianti. But the Tuscany actually offers other regions that are equally attractive for exploration. For starters, the Tuscany sports many, many miles of Mediterranean coast line with lots of little beach towns that are less known and therefore often much more authentic then the overran Lidos on the Adriatic side. But there is an other—still little known—region on the Southern side of Tuscany, that you need to know about. The Maremma; an area consisting of parts of southern Tuscany, partly coincident with province of Grosseto area and some part of northern Lazio. Grosseto can be considered the capital of the Maremma. The area around Grosseto and the coast, with Marina di Grosseto, Castiglione della Pescaia and the small villages that lie in the plain between the city and the coast, represents the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. Here it is where you will find the Italian version of a cowboy. Like in the French region of the Camargue, where you will find the Gardians on their beautiful white horses attending to the semi-wild bulls they breed, the Maremma is populated by the Butteri—Italian cattle-breeders who use horses with a distinctive style of saddle and traditional driving sticks to manage their livestock. The Maremma is definitely one of the most beautiful and still unspoiled regions in Italy where ancient traditions have survived and Tuscan culture is preserved to this day. Whilst there may be a romantic and touristic side to the Butteri driving their cattle, a little know fact is that this is where the beef for the original "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" comes from. The Butteri breed two sorts of cattle—"Razza Chianina" and "Razza Maremmano"—both which are amongst the oldest breeds of cattle in existence today. It is from the ox of either one of these two breeds, that a Porterhouse steak is cut to prepare the true "Bistecca alla Fiorentina". Amongst the Foodies you will find a wild argument, whether a "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" is made from a T-Bone steak or from a Porterhouse steak. The Italians really do not care much about these English steak cut terms. What I can tell you for sure is that nowhere in the Maremma will they serve you a "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" which is not at least two and a half pounds and they sometimes get as big as four pounds. The T-Bone cut comes from a part of the loin where the tenderloin side of the steak is rather small and in order to make it up to size, this steak would have to be cut way too thick. The Porterhouse comes from the part of the loin where the strip and the tenderloin part are at maximum diameter and therefore just perfect for a real "Bistecca alla Fiorentina". Another myth associated with the preparation of a "Fiorentina" is the believe that the meat needs to be drenched in olive oil and seasoned it with Rosemary, garlic and salt. If you ever want to prepare one of these all you need is a charcoal grill, as hot as you can possibly get it. Leave the steak out for at least 6 hours to bring it up to room temperature. Just before you put the meat on the grill, you give it a good hand of large grain salt on both sides. Some will argue, that salting the steak before cooking will draw moister out of the meat. Whilst that might be true in other cases, this does not apply to the "Fiorentina". Both, the Chianina and the Maremmano beef are very low in fat content. Therefore a "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" is always cooked fast, short and served rare. Maybe medium-rare, but that is as far as this goes. The meat is put on an extremely hot grill and literally is charred on both sides only for a very short period of time. It will be only turned over one time. Therefore the salt will help the fast caramelisation that is very important for this steak. Charred and dark on the outside and rare on the inside is how you want this steak to be served. Once it comes off the grill only a premium extra virgin olive oil is applied too it and that's it. Please do not put things like garlic and Rosemary on it. These things will overpower this delicate steak and ruin the pure enjoyment that otherwise makes this the unmistakable "Fiorentina" experience. Give the meat a good rest. Then cut both sides of the steak off the bone and cut them against the grain. Put the meat back together with the bone and serve it on a plate. Thats how the "Fiorentina" magic will come out. Traditionally only "Fagioli Cannellini all'Olio" (white beans) and 'Insalata Arugula" (rocket salad)are served with this steak. The best place to eat one of these is actually in the Maremma. It is a magical place!