Have you ever met an Italian who didn't speak about food & wine?
I don't think so. May be never! Romans love food, for us is a real pleasure to seat, eat and drink a glass of good wine.
Remember...who reserves time for a meal is someone who likes life pleasures!
Before giving you councils on where eating out in Rome (avoiding disaster if you don't know the right places!) we want to show you how to cook, by yourself, a typical roman dish: spaghetti alla gricia! After you have made it you'll be able to comparate them with the one cooked in a restaurant...you could be very surprised and discover, why not, that you are better than a roman cook! :-)
Let's start our cooking lesson n.1 SPAGHETTI alla GRICIA:
Gricia is a simple dish of pasta dressed with two products largely common in the countryside around Rome: Guanciale, a type of bacon made out of the cheek of the pork, and Pecorino a very tasty sheep cheese. Ingredients: 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - 4 oz (115 gr) guanciale diced (or substitute with unsmoked bacon) - crushed red pepper1 lb - pasta ( 450 gr spaghetti) - salt1/4 cup (50 gr) - pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated.
In a frying pan, pour the olive oil, and add the bacon and generous red pepper. Fry over medium heat until the bacon is browned.
Cook the pasta in abundant salt water following manufacturer’s instructions. Taste for readiness from time to time, until is "al dente" (firm but not too soft or overcooked)Drain and transfer pasta to a bowl. Top the pasta with the bacon and the freshly grated cheese.
Toss vigorously. Serve hot at once
This is how the dish should be look like.....BUON APPETITO!
If you think that your dish doesn't look good ... better eat out!! Better to remind that in Rome people usually eat out starting at the earliest at 8-830 p.m and restaurants close around 1130-12 p.m, especially on weekends. Here are some good restaurants addresses: to eat pizza Ai Marmi, to eat typical roman specialties Dal Cordaro, for the romantic atmosphere and good quality food try Spirito Divino. BUON APPETITO A TUTTI!!!!
