Four hours, one table, no hurry
The Tuscan Long Lunch
Antipasti that stay on the table, a pasta course carried out in two big bowls, bistecca from the fire, and a fruit dessert at four in the afternoon.
Preparation
What happens when
- The day beforePasta dough made, sauce or ragù cooked, beans soaked, salumi ordered.
- The dayFire lit two hours before, antipasti on the table as guests arrive, pasta cooked to order in one pot.
Service
How to serve it
Family service throughout, platters and bowls, wine on the table in bottles rather than poured by staff. This is the format that needs the fewest waiters and gives the longest lunch.
At home
Long lunch for ten
One pasta, one piece of beef, everything else bought well.
- Pasta: 600 g flour and 6 eggs, rested an hour, rolled and cut as pappardelle. Toss with a ragù made the day before from 1 kg beef shin cooked four hours with soffritto and wine.
- Bistecca: one 1.5 kg porterhouse, at least 4 cm thick, room temperature, over hot embers 6 minutes a side, then upright on the bone for 4, then rested 15 minutes.
- Beans: cannellini simmered with sage and garlic, dressed warm with plenty of oil and salt.
- Dessert: fresh figs or peaches, cantucci and vin santo. Nothing baked.
Editor’s tip: Salt the beef only after it comes off the fire, and carve it against the grain at the table.
Plan it
Quantities and timing
How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
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Service Timeline
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Where this menu belongs
Format
One table, eighteen people, no wallsGarden Long Table
The format everyone photographs: one long table, family service, a fire or a grill and a dessert that does not mind waiting.
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