Looking for a tasty steak recipe?

by HOLLY CRAWFORD

Just in time to enjoy at your next weekend barbecue, or to add to your Father’s Day menu plans, Toronto-based Chef Michael Angeloni shared his recipe for Bistecca Fiorentina Steak with us.

You may know Chef Angeloni and his dishes from Amano, Union Chicken or Uncle Ray’s in Hamilton; he oversees all the kitchens under the Open Concept Hospitality banner. Angeloni has also worked at a number of other well-known Toronto eateries including Splendido, The Black Hoof, L’Unita Enoteca and Grand Electric. Proud of his Italian heritage, his notable dishes include Agnolotti Di Zucca (pasta stuffed with roasted squash and amaretti cookies, cooked in brown butter sauce with sage and parmesan), Pasta Bolognese (beef and prosciutto with tomato sauce, pecorino and parsley) and his signature buttermilk breaded, boneless chicken thighs.

Here, Chef Angeloni shares his version of a juicy steak, his Bistecca Fiorentina Steak with garlic and chili rapini, crispy pecorino-laced potatoes and salsa verde. Enjoy.

Bistecca Alla Fiorentina

• Equipment: BBQ or grill plate, meat thermometer, tongs, pots, sheet pan, ice bath in a mixing bowl.
• 1 piece bistecca (Porterhouse or the centre of a T-bone. At the restaurant the cut is 1¾-inch thick, roughly 3 ½lbs)
• 1 bunch rapini, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 jar canned artichokes (you can clean and cook your own, but good quality canned artichokes are available)
• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into rough eighths
• 2 sprigs rosemary, picked
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2-3 tbsp spicy dressing (Chef prefers bomba with some garlic, lemon and olive oil added)
• ¼ cup salsa verde (chimichurri works as well), optional
• Parmesan for grating, optional
• Sliced prosciutto, 4-6 slices, optional
• Salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• First, prepare the vegetables. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
• In the meantime, add the potatoes in another pot and cover with cold water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until tender but not mushy. Remove the potatoes and let drain and cool.
• In the other pot, add the rapini and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and then plunge the rapini into an ice bath to cool instantly. Once cold, remove from the water and place on a tray lined with paper towel to dry.
• Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
• Remove steak from fridge at least 1 hour before cooking to allow to come up to room temperature. Turn grill on high heat and leave to preheat for at least 10 minutes. If using a charcoal grill, allow to preheat with venting at 50 per cent open for 30 minutes or until it reaches 500ºF.
• Season steak with salt, pepper and a small amount of olive oil before grilling.
• Once the grill is hot, give it a good brush to remove anything that may be stuck to the grill and using a rag or paper towel, rub the grill with some oil. Reduce the heat to medium and lay the steak on the grill.
• After 3 to 5 minutes, give the steak a quarter turn (do not flip); this will give you a nice cross hatch. Make sure to spray grill with water anytime you get flame flare-up to prevent any charring. After 3 to 5 minutes, flip the steak over. After 3 to 5 minutes, give the steak another quarter turn (to check the steak, use a probe thermometer – see below for temperature guidelines chart). Remove the steak once reached its preferred temperature. Allow to rest while you finish the vegetables.
• For the potatoes, place a pan in the oven for 5 minutes to preheat the pan (you preheated the oven, above).
• Toss the cooked potatoes in a bowl with garlic cloves, rosemary, and lots of olive oil salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan and place back into the oven and cook for 12 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
• For the rapini and artichokes, lay on the grill across the grill to make sure they do not fall through. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Remove from grill and toss with the spicy dressing or chilli oil and lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
• When steak is rested and ready to serve, carve and slice, serving with finishing salt, and ramekins of olive oil for dipping. Serve with the vegetables on the side and topped with slices of prosciutto, salsa verde and shavings of parmesan.

Steak Doneness Chart