Every month the Bistrot delle Scuderie chooses a recipe that tells the story of the season and the local area. For July, when the heat calls for fresh, light dishes, the choice fell on a starter that lines up three excellences of our area: carpaccio of Mucco Pisano roast beef, tomatoes from the garden and barattiere cucumber.
It’s a cold dish, designed for summer. The meat, tomato and barattiere cucumber are sliced wafer-thin and enhanced by our extra virgin olive oil. Simple in form, rich in substance: very few ingredients, all of high quality, left free to speak for themselves.
The Ingredients: The Local Area in Three Slices
The Mucco Pisano roast beef is the heart of the dish. The Mucco Pisano is a native cattle breed from the Pisan countryside, raised in Tuscany and tied to the history of this land. Its meat, cooked pink and sliced wafer-thin, is flavourful and delicate at the same time: the perfect base for a carpaccio.
The tomatoes from the garden come directly from the estate, ripened in the sun and picked at just the right moment. Sweet, fragrant, juicy: in July they’re at their best and bring the true taste of summer to the plate.
The barattiere is a cucumber with a delicate, very digestible taste, crisp and refreshing. Sliced paper-thin, it adds freshness and a light note that lightens the meat.
Tying it all together is our organic extra virgin olive oil, the common thread of the dish. Grassy and rounded, it comes from the estate’s olive trees and gives the carpaccio its signature: it’s what transforms three simple ingredients into a single, unified whole.
Thin Is Beautiful: The Preparation
The secret of this dish is in the cut. Everything is sliced wafer-thin: the roast beef almost transparent, the tomato and barattiere paper-thin. The slices are arranged on the plate alternating meat and vegetables, dressed with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and, to taste, a grinding of pepper.
No last-minute cooking, no sauces: just quality raw ingredients and good oil, served cold. It’s a dish that takes only minutes to prepare but demands perfect ingredients, because there’s nothing to hide behind.
Starter or Main, However You Prefer
Born as a starter, the Mucco Pisano carpaccio can also become a light main course: just a more generous portion, perhaps paired with some Tuscan bread, and it turns into a complete meal, perfect for hot days. That’s the versatility of genuine dishes, which can change roles at the table without losing their identity.
Why in July
In July the garden is at its peak, the tomatoes are at their best and the urge to eat outdoors takes over. A cold, fresh, light dish like this is the natural answer to the Tuscan summer: enjoyed in the courtyard of the stables, in the shade, with a glass of the estate’s wine alongside.
Where to Try It
July’s recipe can be found at the Bistrot delle Scuderie at Villa Dianella, where every month the kitchen offers a new dish that follows the seasons and the garden.
For information and bookings you can contact Villa Dianella on 0571 508166, via WhatsApp, or by writing to info@villadianella.it. Villa Dianella is located at Via Dianella 48, 50059 Vinci (FI), less than an hour from Florence and Pisa.
