Passionate about Italian food

In three days I will touch down in Rome, so naturally my focus is on first drink, first meal, first gelato. I’ve mapped out aperitivo and dinner the first night with my wonderful son; cappuccino and cornetto con crema before breakfast the following morning at our favourite cafe - in fact every meal until my intrepid travellers arrive to begin their Italian adventure. And then what fun we will have as we eat our way around Rome!

Let’s begin with pasta

Until you try Roman Carbonara, you haven’t had a true carbonara. It first started appearing on Roman menus in the late 1940s. There are four ingredients and four ingredients only: eggs, Pecorino Romano, cracked black pepper and guanciale (cured pork cheek or jowl). Never, ever is cream added. It is undeniably creamy, however, because tossing hot pasta with raw beaten eggs and grated pecorino quickly cooks the yolks to form a glistening, luscious sauce.

Next in the big four of Roman pastas is Amatriciana. The only sauce with tomato, pasta alla amatriciana delightfully holds its own as the lightest amongst Rome’s four main pastas. It has the usual base of guanciale and Pecorino Romano, plus tomato and a little black pepper, tossed traditionally with bucatini.

This dish has a story. In 1592, the town of Amatrice near Rome was burnt down by the Spanish, and survivors fled south to Naples where the hottest culinary trend was taking hold: tomatoes brought to the peninsula by the Spanish conquistadors at the beginning of that century. When they moved back to their hometown a century later, the people of Amatrice began adding tomatoes to their gricia. An 1861 cookbook called L’Apicio Moderno by Francesco Leonardi, chef at the court of Pope Pius VII, has the first recorded recipe. Since then the recipe has remained unchanged. It is not authentic if you see a recipe that has added onions, garlic, olive oil or pancetta.

Matricianella, not far from the Spanish Piazza, has been owned by a family from Amatrice since the 1950s. They make a fantastic carbonara and amatriciana!

Why does everyone love a cheesy Cacio e Pepe?

Along with carbonara and amatriciana, this dish is one of the most iconic pastas in Rome. I love its simplicity with just three ingredients: spaghetti, tonnarelli or rigatoni pasta, grated pecorino cheese and aromatic black pepper. What could go wrong? A lot. It’s all about balance and temperature and no mistakes. Cacio e Pepe was elected the “Italian dish of the year” for Gamero Rosso’s Top Italian Restaurants 2022 Guide dedicated to the best Italian restaurants in the world. This is a must try dish when in Rome.

In the historic centre, da Luciano is a restaurant well known for its pasta guru, chef Luciano Monosilio and the pasta factory inside. They produce homemade rigatoni to make their Cacio e Pepe.

Completing the big four is Gricia, a humble dish that possibly outdates the other three. Gricia features Lazio’s two star ingredients - salty Pecorino Romano cheese and fatty, fabulous guanciale atop al dente rigatoni. The name comes from its place of birth, a small town called Grisciano located in the Lazio countryside.

Believe me, it’s not all about pasta and pizza in Italy, but since I’m focusing on Rome, I need to talk about pizza because Rome and Naples do it the best.

It’s not the fluffy, high crusted type from Naples. Roman pizza is either al taglio (by the slice) or tonda (round), and both are thinner and crunchier than their southern twin. What makes a great pizza is the crust and what makes a great crust are the ingredients and how long you let the dough rise. A minimum of 48 hours is good, but 72 hours is the ultimate! It’s all about the digestibility.

A little bit like my five boxes to tick for spotting superior gelato, the same can be said for pizza. Look for a place that proudly announces how they prepare their dough, what ingredients they use and how long they let it rise.

In Piazza di S. Eustachio, opposite my go-to favourite place for coffee, is Pizza Zaza. It has a sign on the front of the store:

“organic ingredients, ferment natural 72 hours, no animal fats, high digestibility”

That is brilliant! And it gets better. To complete the trifecta in Piazza di S. Eustachio, there is a family owned gelateria called Gunther Gelato Italiano . . . next door to Pizza Zaza . . . opposite Sant’ Eustachio Caffe, that makes really good gelato. I love this piazza behind the Pantheon!

The rules of pizza

Fingers or knife and fork? Italians eat round pizza with a knife and fork. Another rule of thumb is no more than four toppings. Fewer toppings are a sign of confidence in the product because each ingredient has to be exemplary. And your pizza will arrive at your table whole, not cut into pieces.

Arancini and Suppli - street food

Arancini originates from Sicily and suppli is Roman. They are freshly fried rice balls and another must try. The Sicilian arancino is often larger and either conical or circular in shape. In fact, its name means “small orange”. It is typically filled with ragu and cheese with optional vegetables like peas, mushrooms or eggplant.

Suppli are a Roman specialty. They are oblong in shape and traditionally contain only rice, tomato sauce and mozzarella in the middle. It’s best to buy freshly fried ones. There are several places that are excellent in the neighbourhood of Trastevere, but the best is called Suppli Roma, also known as La Casa dei Suppli (The House of Suppli). Open since 1979, this locally loved street shop is the most popular place for suppli in Rome. High quality ingredients used include carnaroli rice, 24 month aged Pecorino Romano and San Marzano tomatoes. You will find it at Via di S. Francesco a Ripa, 137.

Buon appetito e ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb