We paid a visit to our favorite butcher, Etrusco, this week. He was posting pictures of his amazing meats and this particular cut caught my eye. Picanha. A cut first popularized in Brazil, and adopted by Portugal. I had not heard of it. Apparently it is not common in the U.S. The steak comes from what was called a bue grasso, or fat ox. This is the huge white cattle they have here. A multipurpose animal. In the past they plowed the fields under harness and pulled the cart. They also gave milk in limited quantities, and they were used as meat. Huge gentle beasts, pure white. I could certainly never kill one. But, I am certain that this butcher sources his animals locally and that the animals are grass fed, happy during their lives, and slaughtered in a humane way.

We bought a steak and also some other meat, much of it from the bue grasso. Well veined with fat, I guess that’s why they call them grasso. (Sorry, my vegetarian friends) Tonight I built a wood fire in the outside fireplace, despite the heat, and grilled the steak.

I must say was one of the best steaks we have ever had. Very tender and oh so flavorful. I served it with a tomato mozzarella di bufala salad. The tomatoes are from my plants. They are sweet. The basil is from the basil plants that ate manhattan! 😉🤣

Buon appetito!
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This weekend will be when the weather changes. Tomorrow is the kilo 0 market. I will buy more tomatoes while they last. They won’t be around much longer. On Sunday we are going to a restaurant with our friends Christie and Jane. It is the end of a long stay for them. The weather will be cooler, in the 20s. I will do a post about the restaurant for sure. Buon fine settimana!