Ciao!
For the month of giugno, I am living in the Roman neighbourhood Pigneto, studying la lingua italiana. Here is everything I’m eating and drinking when in Rome.
Il Supermercato
Biscotti
Mulino Bianco is an Italian brand specializing in cookies. I go craaazyyy for ‘em. My god tier items are the Flauti Latte (basically an Italian Twinkie, but less-vanilla-cake-mix-and-icing and more brioche with a milky cream inside) and Baiocchi Pistacchio (buttery cookies with pistachio filling; golden pistachio Oreo vibes). I am this woman from their 1982 commercial:
Acqua Frizzante
Sparkling water lovers unite: acqua frizzante is sold EVERYWHERE. It fills the shelves of Rome’s corner stores, supermarkets, grocers. Big or small bottles, so cheap, so fizzy, so mineral-y, so hydrating. My thirst under the Roman sun is quenched.
Il Mercato
Caciotta
This is an Italian cheese with many many variations. I enjoyed a milky, mild tasting Sienese caciotta with a glass of pecorino white wine from Lazio (the region Roma is in). I also bought a piece of mixed sheep and cow’s milk caciotta from Lazio at the Circo Massimo - Campagna Amica market and ate it with tomatoes, fennel salami and a glass of grecchetto (white wine grape from Lazio). This piece had a stronger, spicier flavour to it. Two tasty and hyper local pairings. If it grows together it goes together!!!
I took the rest of my spicy caciotta home and made a supreme chopped salad.
Roman Holiday Salad (for one!)
Ingredients
1/4 head of radicchio, chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 can drained and rinsed chickpeas
handful of chopped salami
1/4 cup chopped grilled peppers (i used jarred)
1/4 cup artichoke hearts (again, jarred)
handful caciotta cheese, cubed (pecorino or provolone would also be good)
1 teaspoon La Bomba/Italian chilies in oil (if ur going nasty mode)
Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add:
good glug of olive oil
couple splashes balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper
2. Enjoy!
I Piatti Romani
Coda alla vaccinara & Trippa alla Romana
Typically, an Italian osteria is a cheap, casual restaurant, with a small regional menu. I found an osteria near my apartment and ordered carbonara as my first course, with coda alla vaccinara for my secondi. Carbonara and I are longtime friends. It’s a dish that is simple but technical - skillful. One of the four pastas of Rome (maybe my favourite)! Coda alla vaccinara is oxtail stew, with a tomato sauce base and braised celery. Hearty and tasty. At a trattoria in Pigneto I again got a carbonara (can ya blame me folks) but this time trippa alla Romana to follow. A trattoria is in-between an osteria and a restaurant, a little more expensive, slightly less casual and with a bigger menu, but still focussing on regional food. The tripe, cooked low and slow in tomato sauce, with mint and pecorino cheese, was so rich, refreshingly herbal, slightly game-y…I am hooked on the stuff.
Pizza al Taglio & Pizza alla Pala
Pizza al taglio (by the piece, or “cut pizza”) originates in Roma, and is the most popular type of pizza throughout the city. Baked in rectangular trays, the pizza is cut to order and then priced by weight. Roma is also home to pizza alla pala (pizza on a wooden ‘paddle’), a pizza style where dough is stretched and baked in one long rectangular piece, and removed from the oven by paddle. The combination of toppings at each pizzeria are endlessssss (I am partial to fiori di zucca, alici e straciatella). But the absolute classic flavours are pizza bianca (plain dough baked with olive oil and salt) and pizza rosso (dough with tomato sauce). Do as the romans do at get ur pizza bianca with sliced mortadella inside. It’s literally only two ingredients but = best sandwich.
I Dolci
Gelato
I am averaging a gelato almost every day. It’s the only way to beat the heat. My classic flavours are pistacchio, nocciola (hazelnut) and amarena (cherry), but it’s wild strawberry season right now in Roma and fragoline al bosco is my light and fruity summer scoop of choice.
Maritozzi
Wild strawberries are also currently gracing the tops of cream tarts at my favourite Roman pasticceria, Regoli. Regoli is famous for their maritozzi, a Roman pastry consisting of sweet, brioche-like buns filled with cream. Regoli’s buns have a slightly lemony taste to them that makes me heart eyes emoji.
A presto!! xoxo