Moth 2
Originally uploaded by Decobabe.
Thursday night I saw her arrive from the corner of my left eye. She was dressed in brand new clothes and decorated for an evening out.
I was so excited that my hands trembled while I was taking this photo, so this is as sharp as it gets. Sorry.
Is she not just lovely? Did she not deserve a better fate than trapping herself inside a house on her first flight of her life?
I thought so, too, so I collected her on a piece of paper and tossed her out of the kitchen window. That’s the opposite side of the house from where the bats circle under a street light picking off mosquitos and moths.
June 9th, 2007
Fiorentina 2
Originally uploaded by Decobabe.
This is la Fiorentina, a very famous beefsteak. She weighed in at 750 grams, about a pound and a half, and was cooked in my kitchen.
“How can that be?” you cry, ” A Fiorentina must be cooked over woodcoals!” Yah, yah. I have enough going on here without building a fire on the floor. Here are the rules.
The Chianina is a white cow. She happily eats grass and wanders the pastures and hills of Italy. Like most Italian girls, she doesn’t get very fat. Therefore, when she at last gives herself up to you after this sweet and bucolic life, she must be cooked rare. If you don’t like rare meat, leave her alone.
To be sure she stays rare, she must be cooked from room temperature and she must be cut into thick steaks. La Fiorentina should be at least two fingers tall.
What’s the secret of cooking her without wood? My dad. Warning: your house will be filled with a blue haze after this lunch.
My dad swore by this process. Heat a heavy iron skillet on a high fire until it almost glows. Sprinkle a good bit of salt in the pan across the bottom. Throw her onto that smoking salt. Let her brown about the color you are looking at, and using tongs, turn her once and cook the other side. Do not wait to see juices appear, that’s already too cooked. When you press with a finger on the meat, it should feel about like pressing your finger on the thick pad below your thumb when your hand is relaxed.
Immediately remove the steak and place her on a bed of rucola/arugola, then drizzle your best oil over her. Some like a wedge of lemon, too, but I’d save that for the rucola which has wilted among the beef juices.
Having now given the Fiorentina the respect she deserves, use a sharp knife to debone her and slice her nicely and serve from 2 to 4 people with this steak. I saw one twice her size, but there are just so many steak salads a girl can eat.
Other Guy got the tail cut into slivers.
By the way, this is post number 201.
June 9th, 2007
