Like many people, we do a lot of grilling in the summertime. More often than not, especially when I’m grilling for a crowd, I opt for a grigliata mista or mixed grill, with its tempting spread of sausages, pork, lamb, chicken and more. But when I’m grilling for myself and a few of my most significant others, there’s nothing quite like a nice, juicy steak.

As I’ve commented on before, the Italian have a minimalist approach to grilling. No heavy sauces. The marinades, if any, are light and meant to bring out the natural flavors of the food. A perfect example of this approach is today’s featured dish, tagliata con rucola e parmigiano. It’s simply grilled steak, seasoned only with salt, served on a bed of arugula, garnished with shavings of parmigiano-reggiano and drizzled with olive oil.

It sounds simple—and it is—but there is something about this combination of flavors that’s absolutely magical. The parmigiano lends umami while the arugula adds a hint of bitterness. Together they complement the beef perfectly, producing a gorgeous dish that is most definitely more than just the sum of its parts.

All in all, it’s a lovely way to send off the grilling season.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3 per steak

1 steak (see Notes)
Arugula
Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Although not strictly necessary, I like to prep my meat as follows: Several hours or even the night before, salt the steak generously on both sides. Set it on a rack and place in your fridge, turning it from time to time. At least an hour before grilling, remove from the fridge and let the meat return to room temperature.

Get your grill nice and hot, then grill the steak over direct heat. Typically, the steak for tagliata should be grilled rare or medium-rare, no more than 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of your steak. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes.

While the steak is resting, arrange arugula leaves on a serving platter. Using a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer, shave off pieces of the parmigiano-reggiano.

Slice the steak at an angle into thin strips. Lay the strips over the arugula and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. (If you’ve pre-salted the meat, go light on the salt now.) Garnish here and there with the parmigiano shavings. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.

Serve immediately while the steak is still warm.

Notes

As you have seen, I’ve quite intentionally left out specific measurements from today’s recipe. It seems pointless for a dish like this. Just let your eye and taste buds be your guide. Use enough arugula to cover your plate or serving platter, enough cheese shavings to please your eye and to complement the meat without overwhelming it and enough olive oil again to enrich the ingredients without drowning them. Tagliata is a perfect example of the Italian concept of quanto basta, a term that is a kind of fusion of “to taste”and “use as much as you need”.

Typical cuts for tagliata

Figuring out cuts of meat can be tricky business at best if you’re not a butcher. And when you try to ‘translate’ cuts from one cuisine to another, it adds another dimension of complication. Then consider that the same cuts can go by multiple names depending on region in Italy, and both cuts and names can vary in the English speaking world from country to country… Well, it’s a recipe for utter confusion.

Nevertheless, there may be a few pointers I can usefully share. My main point of reference will be the cuts called for in Italian recipes on the one hand and the (likely) corresponding cuts as found in the United States. When I’ve been able to sus them out, I also mention the UK names for these cuts. Apologies to readers in other countries, hopefully Google can be your friend…

In Italian recipes, the most typical cut for making tagliata is the controfiletto. This is usually translated into English as “sirloin”. My initial guess—and it was only a guess—was that the controfiletto would correspond to what here in the US is called the top sirloin steak or rump steak in the UK.

But wait, there’s more! Controfiletto is also the name for the larger of the two sides of a bistecca alla fiorentina, aka our Porterhouse steak. It’s basically the same cut as the sirloin but taken from the loin, a bit further up the cow towards the head. In other words, it’s the cut we in the US would call a strip steak or New York strip. And just to make things even more confusing, the cut that they apparently call “sirloin” in the UK. So now I’m thinking that just maybe the dictionary translation “sirloin” actual refers to the UK usage? Or perhaps both?

In any case, either sirloin or strip steak would make a lovely tagliata, depending on your preferences. The sirloin is a bit less tender, but has more assertively beefy flavor, while the strip steak is tenderer and more marbled, which makes for a juicier steak.

Other recommended cuts

In truth, you can make a perfectly lovely tagliata with just any cut of beef you’d otherwise enjoy for as a steak, so I wouldn’t sweat the cut terribly much so long as it is suitable for grilling. The filetto, or tenderloin in the US and fillet steak in the UK, is another cut often mentioned in Italian recipes for tagliata. If you prize tenderness, it’s a great choice, but personally I find it a bit too bland. I prefer the so-called “butcher’s cuts” such as the flat iron from the chuck and hanger steak from the plate, as well as the culotte steak from the top sirloin and the bavette and tri-tip from the bottom sirloin.

Flank steak (also from the plate or belly of the cow) can also be a fine choice, but you need to be careful with it. Like sirloin, the flank is less tender, so it’s especially important not to cook it past medium-rare and to take care as indicated below when you slice it.

Finally, while your steak needn’t be extra thick as you would want for a proper bistecca alla fiorentina, it should be at least about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick, thick enough to slice into attractive strips—and so you can develop a nice sear without overcooking the insides.

Pre-salting

You might be wondering about pre-salting the meat. Some sources (including the august Artusi) will solemnly tell you not to. Won’t salt draw out moisture and make it harder to sear the meat? Only if you don’t take your time. True enough, at first, the salt on the surface will draw juices out of the meat, but if you let it go longer, as the salt penetrates into the meat and draw the juices back in. Meanwhile, the fridge’s dry air creates a slight crust on the outside of the steak, making it brown more readily on the grill.

Grilling

All the usual tips for grilling steak apply to preparing a tagliata, of course. You can check out our post on the iconic bistecca alla fiorentina for details, but to summarize:

Since we’re typically talking about a fairly thin steak, you want a relatively quick sear over direct high heat. If you’re using charcoal, then place the steak right over the still glowing embers. If you’re grilling with gas, then torque it up high and have at it. And if you don’t have an outdoor grill, no worries. Feel free to use a cast iron or carbon steel pan, or one of those stovetop grill pans the Italians call bistecchiere. Just make sure it’s good and hot, then sear the steak over high heat.

As mentioned, you typically grill a tagliata rare (internal temperature 50-54C/120-130F) or medium-rare (internal temperature 54-57C/130-135F). The steak as pictured here is about as well done as you should go. (And personally I prefer my tagliata much rarer than that.) This is not only a matter of taste. Less tender cuts like sirloin or flank steak can become quite tough when overcooked. And many of the cuts used for tagliata are quite lean as well, so they tend to dry out if cooked past medium-rare. But if you really must have your steak well done, choose a well-marbled cut such as ribeye.

Resting and Slicing

After your steak is done, you should always let it rest. If you’ve ever cut a steak straight off the grill you know why, it exudes its juices all over the place, losing precious juice and flavor. Ten minutes seems to be the sweet spot, as the steak will still be warm but won’t exude its juices.

You can maximize the tenderness of your tagliata by making sure to cut the steak thinly, no more than say 1 cm (1/3 inch thick) and on the bias. Cutting on the bias helps tenderize the meat by shortening the muscle fibers. For the same reason, you may also want to cut against the grain, especially if you’re using a less tender cut like flank steak.

Variations

There are lots of possible garnishes for tagliata con rucola e parmigiana. One very common addition is to throw in some cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in two. As I mentioned at the top, I personally think that the trifecta of steak, arugula and cheese is absolute magic. You shouldn’t mess with it. The same goes, in my opinion, for drizzling balsamic vinegar over your tagliata, another common variation.

Of course, there can be other garnishes for a tagliata, which often reflect the season. Sliced mushrooms, for example, in the autumn, or sliced artichokes in the spring. But those are really discrete dishes, not variations on this one, so better to leave those to separate future posts.

Variations you won’t see in Italian recipes is using a vinaigrette or lemon juice, or God forbid soy sauce, as you will sometimes see in English language recipes. A tagliata is not, despite the superficial appearances, a steak salad!

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