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COOKBOOKS WITH PANACHE
Molto Italiano

By Mario Batali.


Mario Batali's T-Bone Fiorentina With Sautéed Spinach.

Photo credit: Beatriz da Costa
Culinary superstar Mario Batali keeps going from one triumph to the next. The popular Food Network host, award-winning chef, successful restaurateur and prolific cookbook author has released his fourth and best book yet: Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins; $34.95), a compendium of his favorite simple and classic recipes, many of which have been featured on his television programs. Batali believes that “with the best products, it is much easier to prepare a perfect meal.” This is certainly exemplified in the recipe at right, which Batali considers “the true pinnacle of Tuscan cooking … simple, sublime and all about the shopping, not the cook.”

 T-BONE FIORENTINA
 With SAUTEÉED SPINACH
 FOUR SERVINGS

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper,
     plus more to taste
1 T-bone steak, at least 3 inches thick,
     3 to 3 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably
     Da Vero
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 pounds baby spinach, stems removed,
     
washed and spun dry
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon coarse salt

Preheat the grill.

In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper until well blended. Pat the steak dry and coat the entire steak with the herb mix. Brush gently with the pure olive oil. Place on the grill and cook until well charred, about 12 minutes on the first side, then cook about 9 minutes on the second side; this is traditionally served rare. Transfer to a platter and let stand for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and cook just until light brown. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Carve the fillet and the strip steak from the bone and slice. Divide the steak among four plates, arrange the spinach next to it, and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Season with coarse salt.

Serve immediately.

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