There are some restaurants that I love more each time I visit them. You’d think they would be the fancy restaurants, that are always changing their menus with new, exciting and/or seasonal dishes. But no. The ones that pull at my heart strings are the ones where the menu never changes and you can count the offerings on two hands.
Sostanza, in Florence, is that kind of place. Seemingly frozen in time, the dining room and rustic kitchen in the back are two of my favorite places in the world.
There is never really a question of what I will order. I’m a butter chicken addict through and through.
But when I was up in Florence a few weeks ago, I went to lunch with my friend Pamela. Since she was ordering the pollo al burro (which contains not only enough chicken, but enough butter to ensure that both of our coronary arteries would be good and clogged for at least a month) I decided I would content myself with stealing some of hers, while I ordered the tortino di carciofi.
Like the pollo al burro, the tortino di carciofi is completely unique to Sostanza. So precious is their trade secret, that when I asked if I could make a little film of the chef at work, they said no. I could photograph it, but not film it.
So here are a series of photos showing how it’s done, with one very short video I sneaked.
The artichokes are trimmed, then cut into thick slices, coated in flour and egg and deep fried earlier in the day.
When the chef is ready to make the tortino, he pours oil into a small pan, which he places over burning hot coals. To make the fire even hotter, he aims a fan into the fire, to bring up the heat (see the photo below and let me know if you think this complies to any fire codes you’ve ever heard of).
Once the oil is heated, he lays down several of the artichoke slices.
While they start to sizzle, he then beats three eggs (and maybe a bit of grated parmigiano?) in a shallow dish, adding a bit of salt, and pours them gently, in a thin stream, into the pan. Grabbing the pan by its long handle, he tilts the pan up and uses a specially taped-together long fork to spin the already cooking eggs in a counter clockwise motion. It all happens so fast, that it’s hard to see what’s happening. Somehow the eggs rise up at the sides, forming a sort of border, while the artichokes and eggs remain tender and slightly soft in the center. Soft waves of egg form ribbons that turn the whole things into the tortino.
I’m not quite sure why Sostanza is so worried about someone stealing their recipe or technique. Because while the dish is delicious, the entire experience of it is about 20% taste, and 80% that kitchen, that fire, that pan, that place. 
Sostanza
Via della Porcellana 25
+39.055. 212.691
Lunch and Dinner, closed Sunday.
For more on dining in Florence download my app, EAT FLORENCE, available on iTunes and for Android.
I am sitting here wishing I was in Sostanza waiting for this dish to arrive!
What a wonderful technique – I’ve never seen anything like it. Thanks, Elizabeth!
Your description is captivating. And Sostanza can rest assured that I will NEVER attempt this at home. But I will definitely travel to Florence to eat this dish. Roll on spring!
I know, how can they ever imagine it can be copied!?
amazing! art of Italian cooking! I must remember when I am in Firenze again!
LOVE Sostanza!
Beautiful. What an art form.
Oh my goodness….. drooling. I can’t wait to come to Rome next week and have my favourite tonnarelli ai carciofi at La Fiammetta in Rome. Mmmmmm….a yearly highlight! Thanks for showing this – looks great.
People get so territorial LOL. Was the center undercooked or was that oil? I don’t know if I could do it…. But the idea sounds amazing!
And now I want a fire in my kitchen. It’s always something.
My GOD how I love this dish and this restaurant! I must have stood in kitchen for 15 minutes one day, trying to figure out how Mario made this dish. Finally I just gave up and decided this is one of the few dishes I would not be mastering. Mario laughed when I left the kitchen, knowing that he had beat me! 🙂
We had the tortino last time with white beans, the butter chicken, and the crostini to start. PERFECTION!
Your sister from another mother.
So you asked if you could make a video, they said no & you made one anyway.
I’m unsubscribibg now.
Can’t tell if you are kidding, but just wanted you to know that the waiters themselves were kidding, more or less, about the video. They were very happy to have me there in the kitchen, watching, taking photos, notes, etc. And they know its for my blog. The ban on video was sort of tongue in cheek, in that they wanted to keep their ‘trade secrets’. And Italians almost always say ‘no’ before they say ‘yes’, when asked anything.
Looks delicious – are the artichoke pieces have been floured and briefly fried before they go into the pan?
Just had this last Friday night. Wish I was going again this Friday.
The eggs! That’s the secret…I think…
Truly my favorite Ristorante in Firenze if not Italy!!! It’s been years since I was there but to see SOSTANZA appear again in my life is almost “un miracolo”. Thank you for your wonderful report. This menu item can ONLY be enjoyed while abroad. And while you’re there,enjoy their equally infamous Bistecca Fiorentina…pj
Super cool – thanks for sharing. My wife and I were just on honeymoon in Italy and Sostanza was our last meal. When I asked how they made the artichokes, our waiter waved me back to watch Mario cook it, but no pictures allowed 🙂
I have to admit I snuck these photos. 😉
Here it is 10 years later and we just ate there two weeks ago. Same dish – spectacular! Ten days in Italy and the meal we had at this restaurant was the best of the trip (including a Michelin star restaurant). It included brown chicken and the house steak. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone’s Italian experience.