TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Bistecca alla PizzaiolaSteak Pizzaiola
A dish born among the pizza makers of Naples: beef finished with pizza’s tomato, garlic and oregano sauce. Its name comes from those shared ingredients. Within a preparation that takes only minutes lies an authentic taste of Naples.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Beef sirloin or chuck eye steaks4 steaks, each 1.5 cm thick. Thinner steaks overcook easily.600 g (4 steaks)
- Canned whole peeled tomatoesCrush by hand.400 g
- GarlicThinly sliced.3 cloves
- Dried oreganoOregano is indispensable in Neapolitan cooking.5 g (2 tsp)
- Dried red chiliOptional.1 piece
- Extra virgin olive oil50 ml
Method
Make the pizzaiola sauce
- 1 Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves.
- 2 Put 50 ml olive oil and the garlic in a frying pan over medium heat.
- 3 Once the garlic is lightly colored, add 400 g whole tomatoes crushed by hand, 5 g oregano and 1 chili, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4 Adjust with salt and transfer the sauce out of the pan.
Ready when
Remove the sauce once lightly thickened.
Preheat the pan
- 1 Clean the same pan and heat it over high heat until smoking.
- 2 Season the 4 beef steaks with salt and pepper.
Ready when
Continue once the pan is hot enough to smoke.
Sear the steaks
- 1 Add the beef and cook without moving it for 2 minutes.
- 2 Turn and cook for 2 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when both sides are browned, aiming for medium.
Finish with the sauce
- 1 Spoon the sauce over the meat, cover and warm over low heat for 3 minutes.
Ready when
It is ready when the sauce is hot and its aroma has infused the meat.
Scatter with herbs
- 1 Finish with a scattering of oregano or parsley.
About this dish
Neapolitan pizzaioli spend whole days standing before stone ovens. Baking hundreds of pizzas and turning leftover sauce into a staff meal, they are said to have created bistecca alla pizzaiola. Finishing beef in pizza sauce made from tomatoes, garlic and oregano is practical ingenuity born from using the same ingredients in different ways.
Oregano holds a special place in Neapolitan cooking. Tuscany has basil, Genoa has basil and rosemary, but in Naples oregano is the emblematic herb. Using dried oregano matters: drying concentrates its aroma more than using it fresh.
The proper order is to make the sauce before searing the meat. Using the same frying pan leaves the meat’s savory flavor in the sauce. Sear the meat, add the sauce and briefly warm everything together: this dish, ready in as little as 10 minutes, was a fixture on Neapolitan trattoria lunch menus.
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