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Bistecca alla fiorentina with salsa dragoncello (steak florentine with tarragon sauce)

Name: Bistecca alla fiorentina with salsa dragoncello (steak florentine with tarragon sauce)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 1kg piece porterhouse steak on the bone* (T-bone with loin attached); 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush; 1 tbs each chopped thyme & rosemary; 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 6 hard-boiled eggs; 2 slices day-old ciabatta or sourdough, crusts removed, torn into 2cm pieces (to give 1 cup); 2 tbs red wine vinegar; 2 tbs chopped tarragon leaves*; 6 anchovy fillets, chopped; 1 1/2 tbs baby capers, chopped; 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

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Bistecca alla fiorentina with salsa dragoncello (steak florentine with tarragon sauce)

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by Ben O'Donoghue

Chef, author and TV presenter

Oct 03, 2015

The classic Florence-style T-bone steak is dressed up with egg and capers.

1kg piece porterhouse steak on the bone* (T-bone with loin attached)
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush
1 tbs each chopped thyme & rosemary
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Salsa dragoncello

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 slices day-old ciabatta or sourdough, crusts removed, torn into 2cm pieces (to give 1 cup)
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs chopped tarragon leaves*
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 1/2 tbs baby capers, chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1.

Preheat a heavy-based frypan, chargrill pan or barbecue on high heat. Brush steak with extra oil, then season with salt. Reduce heat to medium-high, then cook steak for 15 minutes each side for medium-rare.
2.

Place thyme, rosemary, garlic and olive oil in a shallow dish with freshly ground black pepper and a couple of pinches of coarse sea salt. Place the cooked steak in the dish, cover with foil and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes to rest, turning once. (As a rule, you should rest meat for half as long as you cooked it, so juices redistribute and meat becomes tender.)
3.

While the meat is resting, make the salsa. Halve the eggs and scoop out the yolks (you don’t need whites for this dish). Place the yolks in a bowl and mash with a fork. Place the bread in a separate bowl with the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Mash together with a fork until the liquid has absorbed. Add the egg yolks, tarragon, anchovy, capers and oil and stir to just combine. Set the salsa aside until required.
4.

To serve, cut steak away from the bone on either side, then slice fillets. Spoon some of the salsa over the meat and serve, with the resting juices in a jug on the side to drizzle.