Roasted Red Peppers is one of those recipes that is so simple I’m not sure it can even qualify as a “recipe” per se. But it is a skill that is fundamental to Italian cuisine and therefore worth sharing.
Classic Italian Cocktails: The Negroni
Campari spritz – A spritz is a glass of prosecco or other slightly fizzy white wine (in Emilia-Romagna they often use Pignoletto) with a liquor. Campari is the classic choice – with a bright pink flamingo color that belies a strong bitter taste.
Bruschetta Semplice: Simple Bruschetta
Bruschetta at its simplest is grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. This is “bruschetta alla romana” and the backbone of the Roman antipasto. Of course there’s no reason to stop there – bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes and basil, sliced tomatoes and oregano, asparagus cream, olive pate, the variations are infinite.
Cavolfiore al vino rosso: Cauliflower cooked in red wine
Try as I may, I often find it difficult to muster enthusiasm for the cauliflower. The most appropriate adjective seems to be “lacking”: lacking in color and most critically lacking in taste. Cauliflower isn’t spicy like arugula or sweet like carrots. It’s just…cauliflower-y. Many American dishes only transform cauliflower into something delicious by smothering it…
Spaghetti all’aglio e olio: Spaghetti with garlic and oil
“My final, considered judgment is that [garlic] blesses and ennobles everything it touches – with the possible exception of ice cream and pie.” – Angelo Pelligrini “Young women of rank actually eat — you will never guess what — garlick! Our poor friend Lord Byron is quite corrupted by living among these people, and in…
Pasta e Ceci: A Hearty Winter Soup
Winter has finally arrived in Rome. The sun is still shining and the sky is still blue but the temperature has dropped and a sharp, December wind has arrived. It is time for soup. I recently shared one of my favorite Roman soups which is perfect for a light supper or when you’re just coming…
5 Tips for Eating Like an Italian
Italian cuisine is full of intricate rules that can bewilder foreigners. Here are 5 rules of Italian food culture that will help you order like an Italian while in Italy and eat like an Italian while at home:
Stracciatella: Roman Egg Drop Soup
Stracciatella is one of the most classic dishes of Roman cuisine yet you hardly ever see it on a trattoria menu. Why? One Italian friend claimed you should only eat it at Christmastime. Another said that his mother ate it weekly as a child but now preferred pasta or other richer dishes. It is…
Nutella Tiramisu: A Tribute to Bar Pompi
Re di Roma is a residential neighborhood of Rome that sprung up in the second half of the 20th century, long after the Colosseum or Trevi’s Fountain. Linea A of the Metro stops here and the streets have tall concrete buildings filled with small, affordable shops. Tourists don’t come to this part of Rome and…
Carciofi alla Romana: The Roman Artichoke
Few vegetables are as central to Roman cuisine as the round, prickly artichoke. My first weeks in Rome I visited the Ara Pacis. One of the most intact monuments remaining from Ancient Rome, the sides are covered with elaborate horticultural carvings. One of these plants looked familiar – there on the side of a 2000…
Bucatini all’amatriciana: at the Heart of Roman Cuisine
My first mouthful of bucatini all’amatriciana was at a small restaurant tucked away on the cobblestone streets of Trastevere. I was exhausted and drenched from the rain when I spotted a trattoria with cheery little lanterns on every table. On that first cold day of autumn the peppery pasta warmed me through. When well-executed it’s…