Roman Pasta Matriciana

Inspired by one of the most beautiful "cooking" poems of one of my favorite actors, Aldo Fabrizi, great character of the "true" Rome (born and lived close to Campo de Fiori);

here's for you the recipe for original and inimitable pasta all'Amatriciana.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gr. of Pasta, Spaghetti or Bucatini

100 gr. Guanciale(Bacon) of pork, fat and cut quite thick

500 gr. of ripe tomatoes San Marzano or canned tomatoes 100 gr.

Pecorino cheese (wishing you could mix in Parmesan cheese)

A couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 / 2 cup dry white wine Chilli (not too much).

PROCEDURE:

Boiled for a few seconds the tomatoespassing them under the cold water and peel, then cut them into strips. If using canned tomatoes, chopped up first by hands or pinched in a pan with a fork.

Cut the bacon in strips (but not too thin, better strips about ½ inch of width) and place it in a preferably iron frying pan, with the oil and let brown a lively fire for few minutes until the bacon gets golden .

A nearly finished cooking add a little chili pepper, moisten with the wine and once it has exhaled remove the pieces of bacon from the pan , keeping aside, possibly warm in a cup covered with aluminum foil.

Put in the same pan the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and cook a lively fire for some minutes (10-15). Replace the bacon in the pan, stirring for about one minute.

Meanwhile drain the pasta "al dente" and pour into a container, preferably preheated.

Combine all the ingredients adding the pecorino (perhaps mixing a little 'of parmesan cheese, to get a taste less strong).

The origin of the name of this condiment is controversial it comes from Amatrice, a country in the province of Rieti, not far from rome Rome.

When this dish was born amatriciana was to be the main meal of the shepherds, then many, for its simplicity and quick to prepare.

Originally it was without the tomato and it was called "Gricia".

The amatriciana is a perfect summary of cuisine inside the territories of central Italy, as to be almost "mythologized" and has now become the protagonist of a festival in the streets which, every year in August, takes place both at Amatrice and in Rome, in the Campo de 'Fiori "homeland" of Aldo Fabrizi.

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Cheese of Castelli Romani

Its hard not find cheese, on an Italian table, actually... its quite impossible!

The typical cheese, in the Castelli Romani area, are: the 'Roman Pecorino', 'Roman Caciotta', 'Ricotta Romana' and the 'Canestrato'. All these cheeses, are made, totally or partially, from sheep's milk. Sheep, in Italian, is 'pecora'. From here the name 'pecorino'.

The roman pecorino, its one of the most ancient cheese made, very famous and highly appreciated, in Italy and throughout the world. This cheese its entirely made of whole sheep milk, and has a typical aroma and a spicy flavor, giving a particular tasty flavor to first courses, especially on pastas.

The 'Canestrato', it's a direct derivate of the above mentioned pecorino cheese. His name derives from the fact that its made by being pressed into a 'canestro' - Italian word for wicker basket - of which pattern, will show on the cheese itself.
The Caciotta Romana its, usually, a fresh cheese, but, in can also be, sometimes seasoned, having a more marked flavor.

This cheese presents itself quite compact, white in color, which can end up in a light straw-colored shade. One of the most popular cheeses, its sells over 30.000 Kg, its shaped as a cylinder, 7 Cm in height, from 1 to 3 Kg in weight.

Excellent with 'fave romanesche' - roman broad beans - and over some pasta dish. Top of the line, thinly sliced on a nice, and rich, salad dish. One more hint: with potatoes or field mushrooms, makes an excellent, and light, second dish. Mixed 'Caciotta', are made by mixing sheep and cow milk. They are tasty and spicy, typical of the Roman countryside. Its shape is low and round, not less than three kilos in weight.
The great demand is for the 'Ricotta Romana' - Ricotta cheese - a firm, dry and compact cheese. Made from cow buffalo, sheep, goat and/or mixed cheeses.Never the less these products of the Roman countryside, produced with modern technologies, still retain all the fragrance of the old times past, and those characteristics such as: being natural, high quality and, above all, nourishment.

Cheese has always been found on most popular tables, mainly used for fast snacks and, also, for long trips - dried - since its simple to make, it goes well with bread, wine and other local goodies. It's a fast meal, complete and efficient and, above all... satisfying and filling! Can be preserved in a water solution, or spiced with thyme, pine seeds, and pepper. Excellent are the small 'ricottine' - same classic shape as a ricotta, but smaller - usually eaten with grilled bacon, porcini mushrooms and various salads. Don't miss these cheeses of you take a trip to the Castelli Romani... enjoy!

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The historic Restaurant - Hostaria dell’Orso

Rome give hospitality to Gualtiero Marchesi, the Italian modern cuisine father. Gualtiero Marchesi disembarked on the banks of the Tevere river in a Fifteenth century palace born like tavern and then transformed in hotel for pilgrims.

The Hostaria registered eminent guests like Rabelais and Montaigne, followed during the years of Dolce Vita by the couple Onassis-Callas and Hollywood stars like Clark Gable.
La veranda dell'Hostaria dell'Orso.

Today ancient frescoes, coffer ceilings and fireplaces coexist with orange skin Frau seats, piano bar and discotheque. The loggia with view and, in summer, the small court faced on the road are crossed by the solemnly irreproachable service captained by the Maitre Luciano Zanazzo.

With pride he carries on the table and discovers to blows of silver cloches the Gualtiero Marchesi’s creations performed by a staff leaded by Sous chef Antonio Panzironi. So the Hostaria dell'Orso may be a roman opportunity to know the origins of gastronomic conception of one of the protagonists of modern cuisine, still very active to 77 years old. In Rome Gualtiero Marchesi, with alternate gastronomic lucks, gives an echo of its talent with classic specialties like Seared scallops salad with ginger and pink pepper, Risotto gold leaf and saffron and Rossini Veal fillet.

Near to Roman traditional cuisine tributes (home-made basil and potatoes Gnocchi pasta, egg-plants mousse, tomatoes and smoked cheese or Roast spring chicken, stewed green and yellow peppers) there are two less expensive menu: Vegetarian menu (Green lettuce cold soup, Mix vegetables tempura, sweet and sour sauce) and Fish menu (Paccheri pasta with carpet-shells, broccoli, dried tuna roe and lemon, Roast grouper with lavender, wild salad and balsamic vinegar).

The wine cellar let to know Gualtiero Marchesi’s birth region (Lombardia, in North Italy) wine production and a selection of bottles whose price does not arrive at 30 euros is supported to an interesting possibility of tasting to the glass.
Hostaria dell’Orso: http://www.hdo.it/
Via dei Soldati 25/c - 00186 Roma

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Sicily in Rome

Have you ever eaten at the Sicilian fast-food café "Mondo Arancina" in London’s Notting Hill district?

If you haven’t, (and even if you have) take some advice and try the original at via Marcantonio Colonna, where, if you like strong, decisive tastes, you’ll be able to savour a vast array of unique delicacies. Apart from classics like pizza by the slice, panini, panelle (delicious deep-fried chick pea flour patties) customers come especially to enjoy the speciality of the house arancine piping hot risotto balls.

Bite into an arancina (“little orange”) and you get a succulent, grainy mouthful of Italian risotto with a surprise at its heart. It might be a warm dollop of spinach and ricotta, bolognese ragù, peas or creamed funghi.
And there are other, far richer varieties. The arancine are deep-fried in fresh olive oil which is changed aftereach batch and are available in 15 flavours. Cost: 2.20 euros each. I would suggest you try ‘Stromboli’ filled with aubergine (eggplant) and tomato, or ‘Etna’ which features a spicy filling of tomato and chilli.

The ovens are fired up early and from 8.00 am onwards you can drop in for arancine, pizza, sfincioni (thick Sicilian pizza with a spongy crust), anelletti (Sicilian oven-cooked pasta rings), pitoni (savoury coiled fritters stuffed with a range of fillings) or typical pastries like pignolata, made with almonds and pine nuts.
The owners personally guarantee the quality of all the ingredients used at Mondo Arancina: flour, olive oil, groundnut oil, tomato sauce, cheeses, almonds, sugar, chocolate, etc.
How can you say no?
http://www.mondoarancina.it/

Even after a hearty meal why pass on dessert? Next to Mondo Arancina is "Gelarmony", a Sicilian
ice-cream parlour with a vast array of hand-crafted gelati made on the premises that is open everyday until late.
As I entered the first thing I saw was a giant brioche filled with ice-cream – a classic Sicilian treat and if you really want to go to town it can all be topped off with whipped cream. The display cabinets offer a colourful and bewildering array of flavours to choose from but the staff at Gelarmony are more than happy to offer advice on mixing and matching your choice: intense flavours which delicately caress the senses.

Only natural products are used at Gelarmony and all the icecreams, fruit-flavours or creamy are hand-made in-house. For people who are allergic to dairy products there’s also a range of soya ice-creams. And there’s not only ice-cream; you might want to try the deliciously refreshing
granite, a crushed ice drink made with fruit or coffee, or any one of the dozens of tempting cakes and pastries that fill the cool cabinets: Frozen yoghurt, mousses, mignon pastries with a dazzling choice of fillings, ice-cream cakes, orange slices glazed with chocolate, sponge cakes filled with ricotta cheese and covered with almond cream - and of course, that most classic of Sicilian pastries: cannoli – fried pastry dough filled with sweet creamy ricotta cheese topped with chocolate chips and candied fruit. You’resimply spoilt for choice.

Few steps from San Peter church in Via Marcantonio Colonna, 38 there is a place with the best traditional Sicilian cuisine.
http://www.gelarmony.com/

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Restaurant "Betto & Mary - Ultra Rome Dining

Restaurants specializing in typical Roman cuisine are largely concentrated in the ghetto area behind the Synagogue on the right bank of the Tiber, but to sample one of the most Ultra Roman dining experiences you have to travel away from the historic centre and out to the Casilino-Mandrione neighbourhood, where you’ll find the restaurant run by Betto and Mary at via dei Savorgnan 99.

The Osteria includes two dining rooms and an internal garden. The decor is nothing special; the service is something else.

The friendly waiters have a penchant for making fun of unwary new comers; be warned Roman humour is not “lite”. Often it will be the owner himself who’ll sit down at your table to take your order and trade wisecracks.
The walls are decorated with funny posters and there’s also a tie rack labeled ”please leave tie here as they are not allowed in the restaurant”.

The atmosphere is robustly Roman – and so is the food. Many of these traditional dishes are no longer easy to find, or are only offered in five-star restaurants that cost ten times as much.
There’s coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew with vegetables, see the post), la pagliata (a traditional dish primarily using the intestine of a young calf that has only eaten milk), la coratella (lamb sweetbreads) served with artichokes, granetti impanati (fried bull testicles) and tripe.

There’s a huge range of hearty home-made pasta dishes, including a vegetarian carbonara with zucchini instead of bacon. Vegetable specialities include fried broccoli, grilled radicchio and a host of succulent artichoke dishes.

If you’re a tad squeamish about the traditional meat dishes, anything grilled like sausage, chicken, and steak is perhaps a safer bet. They also serve a quite exquisite dish of quail.
To finish, how about cantucci – miniature, anise-flavored almond biscuits – dipped in a glass of romanella – a locally produced sparkling white wine.
Even if you go right through the menu from antipasti to dessert, you’ll find it hard to spend more than 30 euros a head and the portions are generous.

Betto e Mary is definitely worth the trek.
Booking is essential.
Closed on Sundays. And remember: don’t wear a tie or it will be confiscated at the door!
Restaurant "Betto & Mary" Via dei Savorgnan, 99 Rome
Tel.: 06-45421780

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A quick Roman lunch

In the hasty urban lifestyle, one of the best things that Rome has to offer people in search of a quick and satisfying snack is the takeaway pizza or even known as "Pizza al taglio".

You just find one, get in and choose the amount of pizza you want by size or by price.
There are an almost infinite variety of toppings to suit all tastes; with mushrooms, vegetables, salumi, cheeses and sauces and most places will offer a wide range of other hot foodstuffs such of supplì (balls of risotto with tomato sauce bound together by eggs around a piece of mozzarella, the whole sorrounded by breadcrumbs and then fried) a real delight, then filetti di baccala (salt cod in batter), potato crocchette, fried olives etc..

Rome is packed with takeaway pizza stores that provides office workers, students and tourists, it's a cheap and quick alternative to traditional restaurants or imported fast food outlets.
A piece of pizza from these street food stores is part of the gastronomic heritage of Romans having a lunch out and it's easy to find a nice bakery around the City center.

One of the most famous here in Rome is "Lo Zozzone", tucked away down the Via del Teatro Pace, behind Piazza Navona. Zozzone's pizza is so genuine you can often find members of the Senate from the nearby Palazzo Madama, who have deserted the luxury parliamentary restaurants for a quick and tasty snack.

When you are near san Peter and Vatican Meuseum, another popular place among pizza afficionados is "Pizzarium" in Via della Meloria, Metro A Cipro stop. It's my favourite. This gourmet takeaway outlet is run by celebrated pizza chef Gabriele Bonci, who combines slow rise dought made from special flours with fresh, seasonal toppings like wild asparagus or pesto and aubergine. You'll also find nice suppli and a wild range af quality imported beers to wash down your lunch.

In Via dei Chiavari 34, in Campo de Fiori is one of the oldest pizza bakeries in Rome. The choice of toppings is perhaps not as vast as in other place but the quality of the ingredients is unparalleled and the pizza itself is second to none.

Another quality place that I recommend is "Mondo Arancina" in Via Colonna Marcantonio 38, where taste a very tasty pizza al taglio and the famous arancina: fried riceballs in 15 different flavours. The products are the best that the tradition of Sicilian cuisine has to offer, including home made cakes and ice cream.

To finish, Laboratorio Pasticceria Lambiase, better known as "Il Sorchettaro", is a superb bakery store at Via Cernaia 49 few steps from Termini station, famous for its deadly luscious freshly-baked croissant with whipped cream and melted chocolate. But they also sell a vast array of pizza fresh from the oven.
Open until Late, it's the perfect spot for a tasty treat after a night on the town.

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A snack for Night Owls in Rome

There's no one time after a night spent out in Rome me and my company don't stop somewhere to eat something. A Cornetto with a Cappuccino, a sandwich or even a Carbonara Pasta and steak, here for you guys some of the best places of Rome where to eat until the first lights.

I start to talk about a category of sandwich-shops called "Zozzone", it literally means "the Dirty One", they are stalls or vans transformed for sale sandwiches and other take-away snacks.Sausage, burger, frankfurter, chicken or Porchetta with a large variety of vegetables in oil, pickles and sauces. You make the sandwich with the ingredients you want: four, five, six layers of stuff in two slices of bread, now immagine when you are hungry after a long night what a sandwich you can do! Here's the origin of the name.

There are many Zozzoni around Rome open from evening till dawn, a couple of them really deserve a note:

Number one for the Romans by night is "Giorgione", he uses Danish beef and a lot of seasonings, the most filthy, inimitable, it's the best. It's in Via di Corso Francia, 15 minutes from San Peter church, direction Olimpic Stadium.

The other Zozzone is "Jhonny", it's a van always playing loud music it's very funny I like it, the guy here fills up your sandwich with shovelful of stuff, a little heavy but very nice taste! This is in the center of Rome, 3 minutes walking from Piazza del Popolo.

If you are looking for something more simple, less sophisticated then in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II,225 near Campo de Fiori there is "Dogout", in my opinion the best hot dog you can eat in Rome center.

Few steps from Collosseum there is a Restaurant open till 5 am, "the Base" in Via Cavour, 274 the only place in the City where you can enjoy a pizza, a steak with fried or pasta all night long and quality is not too bad,we can also meet some VIPs here, it's a very popular place.

How we say "dulcis in fundo" for a delicious hot cornetto (croissant) with cappuccino and other sweets "Bar Brasile", in Piazza Venezia 5/a with the breathtaking backgrond of "Altare della patria".

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La Porchetta di Ariccia

What an invention is the Porchetta!!
Too many times I felt bad eating it until the exhaustion and anytime I can, I like to eat it.

The porchetta is a rite, a tradition, a special custom here, everyone loves Porchetta in Rome. I have some friends around the world, Japanese (he is a chef), Thai, Australian, German, Argentine when they come to visit me in Rome I always let them taste the Porchetta, they love it, so far I have never seen one didn't like this dish, also a vegetarian might change mind trust me.Porchetta is a typical dish of the Center of Italy of millenary tradition, it consists of a whole pig, emptied and seasoned inside with salt, pepper, aromatic herbs and roasted in wood oven.
The Porchetta is eaten cut into slices as a main course or in sandwiches.

The origin of this delicious dish is attributed to Ariccia, a small town located on the Via Appia to 16 miles from Rome. If you have enough time in Rome I recommend to spend a dinner time here.
Ariccia for the people of Lazio is very famous for the "fraschette". It is a typical inn with simple furnishings, casks of wine, rough tables, typical equipment for the production of wine on the walls. Here you can taste as well as an excellent Porchetta other typical products come from the tradition of Lazio, salumi, fresh or seasoned cheese, olives, mushrooms in oil, pickles etc.. all served with fresh and authentic handcrafted wine.

Frascette are frequented a lot by the Romans during the weekend, everyone like to come here to enjoy a genuine dinner in mirth.

To get to Ariccia there is a train from Termini central station or better take Metro A until Anagnina and then a bus, with 30 minutes throughout you will be there. If you are really concerned to go to Ariccia let me know, I will suggest some Fraschette reallly good. Also in Rome if you good look around there are many shops selling Porchetta, but beware!
A good original Porchetta is an exclusive of a few.

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Restaurant "Candido" - Cozy, genuine and fine food made in Italy.

In the years, during my work as a receptionist in Rome, so many time guests ask me where to find a good restaurant nearby. I always find it diffcult to advice a good restaurant when there is not good restaurant in that area of Rome. I like fine food, especially genuine and authentic, but also exploring new tastes and I think that always need to look around, try and try to find the best.

In this guide of Rome I will recommend only great places where I've been and easily reachable from the center of Rome. So don't worry if you are new in town and do not know how to get there, I always will explain how to get easily into places that I mention from the main sites of Rome.

I like to go to this restaurant at least once a month, often with friends or sometimes with my girlfriend ever to make for good. I can taste here dishes truly unique with essential ingredients perfectly combined. Meat and cheese are specials here, products of natural Italian farms.In this restaurant taste everything Italian, fresh ingredients and authentics,that will leaves a pleasant memory on your palate. Also pizza and the homemade cakes are something of special here. You can find a wide selection of wines to accompany your choices and professional waiters can recommend the best choice according to your needs. The environment is clean and refined, you feel at your ease and the staff is friendly, many of the show businnes come to eat here because it is located near TV studios and because they know how to eat well.















The beautiful thing are prices, affordable as most of the restaurants for tourists are in Rome, but the quality is much higher.
I can suggest some food as: Pasta ai 4 Formaggi, Amatriciana, Bruschette al Lardo, Filetto all'Aceto Balsamico or Pizza Capricciosa, but whatever you choose will be a good choice.

The restaurant is located in Viale Angelico 275, in the area of Prati, 5 minutes from St. Peter's church. From metro stop Ottaviano take bus 32 towards the Olympic Stadium 5 minutes and you're there, or by taxy in 3 minutes,
easy and it's worth!!

http://www.ristorantecandido.com/

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