A Foodies impression of Rome

A Foodies impression of Rome – A Taste, A Smile.

Getting to Rome from Oregon is a bit of a study in process. It is also an endurance for the body. 24 hours after we started, we arrived in the Prati neighborhood of Rome, close to the Vatican. Our Air B&B host, Andrea, greeted us and made us feel at home right away. He inquired as to whether we were hungry or not and, as I remember it, we were a bit nebulous about it. He said he had some food for us and laid out a morning feast of sliced Porcetta (port roast with garlic and aromatic herbs) Prosciutto, Bufala Mozzarella, perfectly ripe chopped tomatoes with olive oil, red pizza, white pizza, focaccia, a large chunk of watermelon along with cold beer and frizzante water. We were blown away and thanked him for his hospitality.

Of course, as in all cultures, food is the glue that brings people together and Rome is no exception. As someone who has spent their life in the food industry, both on the level of mass production and just being a chef, food is a passion, not just the eating part though. Food has it’s own story, it’s own life. I apprenticed with an old candy maker in my youth, when he would taste something that was wonderful, he would say “It talks to me Son, it talks to me.” So I hope to describe here, a little of what Rome was talking to me about. Of course food in Italy is usually based on few ingredients, but always of the highest of quality.

Two quintessential Roman pasta dishes I wanted to talk about are Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe. Carbonara is an impossibly creamy dish made with egg yolks, pasta (in this case a penne style, but spaghetti works fine) Pecorino Romano and Guanciale (pork cheeks) The Italian word for cheeks is “Guancia” this is really pork cheeks. Like a fatty bacon, with an even stronger flavor. If you have ever had or cooked Carbonara, it is a dish where the pasta, hot from being cooked is added to raw eggs or egg yolks and the heat in the pasta actually cooks the eggs, creating a creamy sauce. Favuloso!

The other dish is the Cacio e Pepe. Cacio refers to a semi-soft sheeps milk cheese made in the countryside of Rome, but seen all over Italy. The dish starts by making an infusion of black pepper in a little of the water from the pasta (spaghetti) The grated Cacio cheese is then mixed with a little of the pasta water to form up a paste. When the pasta is done, it is tossed into the pepper water infusion and flipped to coat, then the cacio cheese paste is added and blended. The result is a creamy pasta dish with the infused perfume and tang of the black pepper. A taste, a smile!

More to come on Bread and Pizza……