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Benvenuti to Cositutti
Miei Amici
Arrosto, girarosto, allo spiedo or alle brace . . . all refer to grilled or spit roasted meats in Italy. The word brace (bra-cheh) means grilled over embers and for many the smoldering, glowing remains of an open fire create the perfect setting for summertime entertaining.
In Tuscany and Umbria wood grilled meats are the truest interpretation of the rustic cuisine of the region. The legendary Florentine steak, " bistecca fiorentina" anointed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic and rosemary, sprinkled with salt and coarsely ground pepper and grilled rare to medium rare, is a rite of passage for the taste traveler in Italy and should not be missed. In Umbria, pork rules especially in Norcia a small town high in the Sibillini Mountains. Here pork is so skillfully prepared that the word norcino (meaning someone from Norcia) is synonymous with the Italian word for butcher. Porchetto allo spiedo, a whole young pig, deboned, flavored with wild fennel and garlic and spit roasted in a wood burning oven is a signature Umbrian dish.
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The Thrill of the Grill . . . in Italy
The thrill of the grill in Italy began for me one September afternoon when I tasted by first bistecca. It was at the home of my Umbrian friends under the vine covered pergola in their garden. Their home has an outdoor pavilion with a Tuscan style wood burning oven and grill where the bistecca was prepared. I've had many a bistecca in restaurants since then but having one prepared by your Italian friends in the garden of their home overlooking the town of Perugia is truly memorable.
What could top that wonderful afternoon in Umbria? It was to be a singular moment in time when food and family are one . . . an experience cooking with my son and 4 year old grandson at our Tuscan villa in San Casciano in Val di Pesa. The house had a rustic Tuscan kitchen and just outside the kitchen door was a small patio enclosed by a brick wall surrounded by bushes of lavender and rosemary. At one end of the patio was a brick grill. We decided to go into town to buy a bistecca to cook on the grill. The aroma of the meat grilling in the open air, the flames dancing on the grill and the laughter of my grandson combined to make that the most memorable meal I've had in Italy.
More about grilling in Italy with recipes including a classic Tuscan recipe for Pollo al Mattone Chicken Under a Brick.
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Il Fucco Vivo - the "life of the fire"  .
Grilling in Italy is much simpler than the American-style barbecue. The fire is either charcoal or wood burned down to coals (hardwood such as oak is considered best, olive wood is also used). Determining temperature and time is literally by hand. Holding your hand over the fire just above the grill for 2 seconds means the flame is hot; perfect for searing a steak, 3-4 seconds is cooler and suited for grilling meats that cook quickly. For meats that have a longer cooking time (poultry, spare ribs), 5 seconds.
The hands on method of cooking is also used to test for doneness of a steak. As meat passes from rare though medium to well done, it becomes progressively firmer and finally unyielding to the touch. Press gently near the base of the thumb - that meaty place called the mound of Venus (really!) - with the index finger of the other hand. That's what rare meat feels like. Press in the center of the palm. Medium. Press at the outside edge of the hand at the pinkie knuckle. Well done.
*Use wood charcoal to make your fire. Briquettes may be cheaper, but they're made from a variety of ingredients (including sawdust) and can impart off flavors to the foods cooked over them. Read more . . .
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