S.P.Q.R. (or `what have the Romans ever done for us?`)

Can I also add fish and chips to this famous Monty Python's list?
Because...I have to tell you: England is not the only place where battered fish is an institution.
Honestly, I'm not sure if the dish dates back to Roman time but deep fried codfish fillet is a well known local recipe back home.

You can find it on the menu in any pizzeria but if you want to taste its top expression you need to go in a little piazza called Largo dei Librari half way along Via dei Giubbonari, just behind Campo de' Fiori, a beautiful little corner of Rome (and a personal favourite) where people stop to enjoy a bit of al fresco life.

Here under the simple sign 'Filetti di Baccala`' a little and extremely rustic trattoria family run makes the best battered codfish of the whole eternal city! No wonder why the place is always crowded at dinner time!

And since I am a supporter of `drinking local` I feel the urge to suggest a local wine with this dish.
In general, wine production in Lazio is often not that exciting but there are few exceptions of nice good wines that match perfectly the regional cuisine.

My personal choice, for tonight, is a wine produced by a very good cooperative in Cori, south of Rome. The Castore Cincinnato is based on the indigenous Bellone. It has delicate fruity aromas of pears and apples and a hint of vegetal. It's surprisingly fresh with the acidity needed to match a frittura and cleanse your palate. A medium body and some savory notes to finish.


Salute! (and never forget what the Romans did for you!!!)

Places and things that never change

I could say that Rome is the most beautiful city that I've ever seen in my life but my statement would be affected by the love for my birth place that it's also the place where I have been living for 32 years.
Beautiful, rustic and genuine; this city is also contradictory, chaotic and anarchic.
And it is a place where some things tend not to change....

The bus drivers that will never never learn to speak English, even though they are running a central line bus and dealing with tourists every day.

Roscioli: The Bakery. The place to go for a 'builder style snack' with pizza (bianca with mortadella as a first choice) around 11 am.

The Jewish quarter, where you can walk in quiet and silence and still feel, in 2012, the ancient real atmosphere of Rome.

Trimani wine bar, a great, simple place with a fantastic wine list fairly priced. (they also have a wine shop next door)

La sorchetta. To finish your day. There is no way to translate and explain it. You must have it or at least see it in a picture.

Much more could be said and written about Rome, but this post doesn't mean to be a guide.
These are just the memories of a day as an expat.
A full immersion day of an expat wondering around a place that, even continuously moving and evolving, will never change...hopefully.

S.P.Q.R. (or the rice balls on the phone...)

When I am feeling home nostalgic and the only place I would like to do is walking on the river bank or enjoying the little wine bars and trattoria of Trastevere, or a grattachecca in front of the Tiberina island, the only way to face the blue is to cook something traditional and bring my mind back home with Roman flavours.

This is why once again here I am writing about some Roman local recipes. Most of the time the result will be extremely tasty and quite fat, but that's how we like it, sometimes!

This time is going to be a starter whose name will be difficult to pronounce and also slightly weird: suppli' al telefono(on the phone).

Before explaining why are they called this way here is the recipe…

You will need to prepare a light ragout, with onions, carrots, olive oil and minced beef. Suppli could be done with a simple tomato sauce as well but personally I prefer the meaty ones. It is important though not to exceed with the ragout…it has to colour and lightly dress the rice, nothing more.

Boil the rice, mix it with the ragout and leave it on a side. Originally suppli' were done with the rice left over from the day before but this was when people was not wasting food as there was not that much available.

When the rice will be cold, then mix an egg and whisk another one in a bowl to use later. Make some balls with rice sized and shaped like a big egg and put 2 mozzarella cube in the middle. Then pass the rice balls in the whisked egg and in breadcrumbs and finally deep fry it in hot oil.

Golden rules:

- do not fry them for too long, their colour should be golden brown, not too dark.

- eat them when still hot…when you bite it the mozzarella inside should melt and follow you creating a white line between your mouth and the rest of the suppli…like a phone wire….and that's why "on the phone"!

- have a glass of wine from the Castelli Romani…a Frascati or a Marino, something simple and light but with a lively acidity to clear your mouth.

PS: If you are in Rome you will be able to find them in any Pizzeria al taglio or Rosticceria, those typical kind of takeaway places, but the best in town are for sure the ones from the Pizzeria Ai Marmi in Trastevere, also locally called Obitorio (mortuary) for its marble tables without table clothes…you will have to queue for them but you'll be highly rewarded!

So…yummy!!!