Bistecca alla valdostana
A thick slice of meat, opened out like a wallet, filled with ham and fontina, then breaded and browned in butter: this is bistecca alla valdostana. It appears on the menu of many traditional restaurants in the valley. It comes from a region where cattle farming has always mattered.
What you need
- a thick slice of beef (it is also often made with a veal chop, under the name costoletta alla valdostana)
- jambon de Bosses, a cured ham produced in Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses
- fontina, the Aosta Valley’s semi-cooked pressed cheese
- flour
- eggs
- breadcrumbs
- butter for cooking
Method
- Cut into the side of the meat to form a pocket.
- Slip the ham and cheese inside.
- Coat the slice in breadcrumbs the classic way: flour, beaten egg, then breadcrumbs.
- Fry it in butter until golden brown.
Hot and melting
It is served hot, with seasonal vegetables or potatoes. Beneath the crisp crust, the fontina has melted into the ham. It is a simple dish, made with produce from the valley, and the people of the Aosta Valley are proud of it.
