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The River Cafe's bistecca Fiorentina courtesey of the Times online

I am loving the little video clips from The River Cafe on times online.
At the weekend we did the beefsteak Fiorentina ... heres the link to the film
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/food/river-cafe/article2701243.ece
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This recipe involves searing and then finishing in the oven which ends up giving a much better cooked piece of meat than just grilling alone.

We had it with a fabulous bottle of Tignanello 2001 that I had promised Gus we would drink to celebrate him getting a first ... it was suitably delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the beef.

We just had a rocket salad and some roasted toms and potato wedges a la Tom Kitchin

Here's the recipe

Bistecca Fiorentina (beefsteak Fiorentina)
For 2-4 people
1 T-bone steak, cut 5-7cm thick - either Aberdeen Angus of Longhorn beef.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Take the T-bones out of the fridge and bring them up to room temperature.
This is very simple. All you really need is a well-hung T-bone steak - we use meat that’s been aged for 28 days - that weighs 2kg and, ideally, a wood-fired grill. Alternatively, you can use a barbecue or large preheated griddle pan.
There is a debate about seasoning the meat before or after grilling, We season the meat liberally on both sides and grill for about two minutes each side and then transfer to a pan, add olive oil and place in the oven (200C) for 7 to 10 minutes until the outside is well done and the inside rare.
Leave the meat to rest before carving. Slice the T-bone and fillet and then place back on the plate alongside the bone. Season the slices of meat again and drizzle more olive oil on top. This is a dish designed to be shared so people can help themselves from the plate.

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