Restaurateur
Saveliy Libkin

This is one of those dishes which are present in the menu of almost any Ukrainian restaurant. And this is not at all important are there fresh vegetables or not. Potatoes, carrot, cabbage and terrible imported sweet pepper are presented always…and who can say that this isn’t vegetables. The assembly charts direct one thing, but who read them when three tables ordered grilled vegetables at the same time? The waiters do their best. The cooks aren’t guilty. The chefs are not become clear yet what is more important: to follow the assembly charts or to please the guest. The managers of the restaurants don’t know at all what, where and to who is served. It is uncomfortable to «prevent» the chef. The owners-investors and others are de-le-ga-ted everything. The suppliers choose the products with which it is possible to «earn money». The guest eat cold dish of the same name and adapting gradually… The tourists examine the Odessa’s girls and didn’t notice what they have in their plates. What to do…  Surely in theory everyone understands how it must work. Surely the guests also know that there is no use to order grilled vegetables in winter in Ukraine. One people order, other people cook it. Or on the contrary… everybody cook it because everyone orders. Maybe we should remember for whom/what it is made? Maybe there is obvious solution when you shouldn’t lie and wriggle? Maybe the guests also will remember about seasonal prevalence…

And now it is excellent time for this dish. I prefer to salt the lemons and grill them long enough and at the end to put them on the vegetables together with grilled garlic. I prefer to serve this dish after 20-30 minutes of combined staying in the plate with oil, herbs and pepper.

But even now it isn’t enough restaurants where this dish is eatable, alas! And almost everyone can/know how to cook this dish delicious, but it doesn’t touch daily practice. Because as before were brought only cabbage, potatoes and imported sweet pepper… Not long ago I ordered this dish at one Odessa’s «gastronomic oasis», they didn’t include THIS to the check, but the mood was spoilt slightly. And the waiter following the instruction asked courteously with affirmative intonation: «Everything is fine?!» After the offer to take THIS away, the expression of astonishment which wasn’t directed by the instruction appeared on his face.

The story of the Bistecca Fiorentina (large grilled beef steak) grow out of land very far from Tuscany and Italy, exactly in north Europe where anglo-saxons and normans used to banquet with roasts and rare meat while on the mediterranean coast greeks and romans developed the vegetarian diet. So you don’t have to be astonished if the famous “Bistecca Fiorentina” arrived in Tuscany only in the XVII century when Italy was an compulsory stage for all European intellectuals, artists and knights.  Some of them arrived in Florence on the 10th August of 1565 during a feast beloved by the Medici: San Lorenzo feast. So they could see in the square enormous braziers where abundant pieces of veal were cooked for be distributed to the people. Some english knights eating this meat exclaimed: “Beef Steak”… in italian “Bistecca”. Ever since, when a tuscan citizen talk about “Bistecca” simply he alludes to the Bistecca Fiorentina. The meat used in the real Bistecca Fioorentina has to come from Chiana Valley ( Val di Chiana ) breeding situated between Arezzo and Siena and in particular it’s the sirloin steak including the bone having a “T” shape. The cut of Bistecca is 5-6 cm thickness, 1,2-1,5 kg weight should have to be done 1-2 days before the cooking.

Recipe: Rub the garlic cloves over the meat and the bone of the steaks. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator and allow seasoning to permeate the meat, for about 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before grilling, allowing the meat to come to room temperature. Place a grill pan over high heat or prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill the steaks until cooked to desired doneness, turning once, about 5 minutes per side for rare, 7 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Allow the steaks to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing, otherwise all the juices will be run all over your cutting board. Slice the meat into 2-3 centimeters slices. Squeeze the lemon over the steaks. Drizzle with the oil and serve immediately with grilled vegetables.

The chef of my favorite restaurant in Istanbul Paper Moon , Giuseppe Pressani, has shared us with the nuances of history and the very recipe.

When I return from the next gasto tour I want to repeat some things which have stayed in my memory. Sometimes, especially when the products allow, it comes out almost as original.

In the restaurant LaLibera, in Alba, I have especially remembered the dish offered by the chef. Marco was brief, but he has specified that Batsua is simple dish  and it reflects the cuisine of Alba the most precise. If you have a desire to spend a few hours in the kitchen then I recommend my recipe of this dish.

For two pork knuckles of a young pig you will need one onion, one carrot, one egg, a little flour and dried breadcrumbs. And a little oil for the frying fat. To cook separately  the onion glazed in balsamic as  a bottom layer for the fried knuckles.

To pour the knuckles with cold water and boil them within 5 hours with vegetables. To salt and pepper the wated and add the bay leaf. Then pour out the broth and to cool the knuckles.  To dice carefully the boilt soft  cartilages with size about 1.5 sm. Then to marinate a little the cubes in the vinegar with salt and pepper and to dry them. Then to roll them in the flour,egg and in dried breadcrumbs. To fry witnin a few minutes in the frying fat. To put the ready knuckles on the glazed onion and to eat them fast together.

Specification. It is preferably to cook this dish for lunch. Before to cook such dish at home you must understand firmly that this is very simple, rather rough and public food. The taste is very peculiar but it stays in memory.

I’m still in Italy.
And meanwhile in the Steakhouse  the preparation for the festival of Tuscan cuisine is at the homestretch already.
The feast in the honour of the opening is planned on the next Thursday and I will be in time in Odessa.
I have received photos of some dishes of the Тuscan menu from Rigan.

Get more photos

After the joint visiting of the best projects of Istanbul with the managers of our company, the team in the restaurant Paper Moon has stayed in my memory especially. That quantity of the inspiration which radiates each of them will be enogh in plenty for the whole teams of other local restaurants. And I liked very much the chef Giuseppe Pressani  because of his amicability and his professionalism. It is noticable that the team is delighted with him.

Not many chefs will allow the group of curious tourists to enter his kitchen.  Besides there are very understandable and simple North Italian cuisine and excellent ultrathin pizza in the restaurant.

We have agreed with Rigan Bagshaw.
2 years of work in London and 3 years of work in Sydney have made the most imortant thing – Rigan is ready to learn in Odessa. In our restaurant company Rigan will has new experince and new opportunities. The soonest time Rigan will be engaged in the development of the menu for the annual Holiday of Toscana cuisine for the restaurant «Steakhouse. Meat&Wine“. Rigan almost doesn’t speak Russian so the famous words of three letters and more he will know not very soon. The first time Rigan will appeare in the hall of the restaurant on the 24 of October 2009.