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The second course in Tuscan dining is the main course or "entree". It is almost always served with meat or fish, and is meant to be the highlight of the meal. Prepared in harmony with the antipasto, but with thought to leave room for dessert; Il Secondo is what all the fuss is about. Along with an excellent choice of Tuscan wine, Il Secondo is the backbone of the Tuscan culinary experience, and the Tuscans have had over 2500 years to perfect the balance and taste of the recipes. Meat is divided into white, red and black. White meat includes veal, lamb, suckling pig, poultry and rabbit; red meat includes beef, pork and mutton; black meat refers to game. The quality of the meat depends on the area it comes from and the age of the breed of the animal. What it yields in the cooking process, however, depend on correct hanging of the meat and the right choice of the cut. In general, the choicest pieces for roasting and grilling come from the leg and back portions of the animal. The best cuts for stewing, boiling and frying are from the front and sides of the beast. Meat should be kept in the refrigerator wrapped in foil, but it should be left at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking so that the fibers are not stiff from the cold. Meat should not be prepared on a wooden board, because the wood tends to draw out the juices. For the same reason it should be never be salted when raw, but halfway through cooking. Steak is worthy of special mention: the term bistecca is used nowadays to indicate a slice of any kind of meat. It comes from the English word "beefsteak", and for its widespread use in Italy we have to thank, or blame, the English. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century the English have been traveling south, choosing Tuscany, with its concentration of natural and artistic beauties, as a place to settle. Thus the term was first taken up in Tuscany (though the steak has the bone still in it), and from there spread all over Italy. As for fish, it is most important to know how to choose it, given that there are many varieties, and that they are not universally interchangeable. The first thing to know is that availability is still partly governed by the season, and it is best to concentrate on varieties in season, and therefore fresh and cheap. At end of nineteenth century Pellegrino Artusi writes: The best varieties of common fish are sturgeon, dentex, ombrina, bass, sole, turbot, orata, surmullet, freshwater trout; all of these are good throughout the year, but sole and turbot are particularly good in winter. The season of the other fish are as follows: hake, eel is more suited to winter and squid is better in summer - for gobies, small frying fish and cuttlefish, March, April and May. For octopus , October. Among crustaceans one of the most sought-after is lobster, which is good all year but better in spring, and among shellfish the oyster, which is to be gathered from October to April. Fish should never on any account be kept in the refrigerator for more than eight hours; if it is necessary to keep them for a longer period, they should sprinkled with coarse salt, wrapped in foil and frozen. Red gills, firm flesh, and bright eyes that show no signs of being sunken are the visible indications of freshness, which is the essential condition of fish for cooking. Frittata (omelette) or tortino, prepared with imagination, can safely be served without fear of it being regarded as a makeshift dish, put together at the last minutes , as long as it is evident a certain mount of thought and effort have gone in it. Frittatas are made with a wide variety of fillings, such as spring vegetables, porcini mushrooms, or ovoli mushrooms. Even better with truffles, frittata can be a first-class main dish.
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