Category: food fascination

Artichokes are called Carciofi in Italian and in Rome, there is a special variety called Carciofi Romaneschi. It’s unique compared to regular artichokes as they are round.

Artichoke is a seasonal food best eaten during Spring, but I clean forgot that I had these pictures in the SD card after the drama with my camera. But as a side-note, there is an annual artichoke festival that I think would be an interesting event to go to, if you have the chance to visit Italy in April.

One of the things that you could do with Carciofi Romanesco is to make Carciofi alla Romana – Roman styled Artichokes.

Ingredients :

• Roman Artichokes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Mentuccia
• Lemon

Cut a lemon into two and rub it on each exposed part of the artichoke while cleaning it to prevent oxidization.

And you clean the artichokes by peeling away the woody, outer part of the stalk and a few layer of the petals. Not forgetting to carve away any thorny bits inside.

Next peel and slice the garlic cloves. There should be enough to go round for each artichoke to have half a clove.

Mentuccia is a member of the mint family, but it has a stronger, more distinct scent and is used in many Italian dishes. Chop some. But if they are not readily available where you are, you could use regular mint.

Stuff each artichoke with the chopped mentuccia, the sliced garlic clove and some salt.

In a pot that is snug enough to allow the artichokes stand, put some extra virgin olive oil, and carefully place them facing down.

Then leave them to fry till the colour turns more amber-ish.

At this point, add some water, put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for about an hour.

After which you’ll have a lovely rustic aroma as you lift the lid off and you’ll have a lovely dish of Carciofi alla Romana.

You cut the artichoke into two. It is easily sliced, but still firm. The taste is distinctly rich and rustic due to the mentuccia and yet delicately creamy due to the artichoke. It’s delicious and absolutely hearty.

It’s interesting at how so few ingredients can make such a satisfying dish.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my other how-to series like :

• How to make Gnocchi con asparagi
• How to make spezzatino di manzo
• How to make Pomodoro col Riso

If you are ever craving for battered fish in Rome, there is a popular Roman version of fish (without the chips) called Filetti di Baccala.

Filetti di baccala is made of salted cod, which is rinsed and coated in batter and then deep fried. One of the oldest joint in Rome that serves it, that I know of is Dar Filettaro. It’s been around so long that whenever we are here, Cart would always talk about it fondly, recounting of his school days when he was here with his classmates.

I’ve been here a number of times and to me is a respite after you’ve explored the area around Campo De’ Fiori. Do take note that they are only open after 5pm and closed on Sundays.

Dar Filettaro is a modest but cozy place. If you’re seated inside, you’ll see plentiful of paintings, peppered with a number of charming Roman sayings like, “A Roma se magna cosi“.  You could even be lucky enough to see the cooks hard at work, coating the fish with batter.

The atmosphere here is busy, but friendly and you should be able to get a table even without a reservation if you’re willing to wait a little.

When I had dinner here with Juli, we managed to score a seating outside. It was a lovely experience dining al-fresco, being surrounded by the charisma of the architectures around us. It was so romantic. Coupled by the fact that it happened to be that we were serenaded by a cello player that night.

The food here costs about 5 euro each. Depending on what you eat, normally you’d spend about 15 euro a person for a fillet, a side dish and a drink.

It doesn’t take long for your dishes to arrive. And here were some of the items that we had :

Mixed cheese

White beans

Fried Zucchini

Mushroom in vinegar

Personally, I thought that apart from the cheese, the side dishes were a little bland and needed a touch of salt. Nevertheless, they were acceptable and I particularly liked the freshly made fried zucchini.

But in a way, I suppose that the simpleness of the side dishes pairs well with the filetti di baccala.

It’s a delight to sink the mouth in. It’s freshly fried. The delicious aroma wafts. The batter is crunchy, and the cod is slightly salty but never overwhelming. It’s chewy soft and warm and satisfying.

By the way, when in Rome, it is to be eaten as it is, be it for take away or dining in. It’s so good that you don’t even need additional condiments such as ketchup or chilli sauce 😉

Dar Filettaro
Largo dei Librari, 88,
186 Roma

Trastevere is a lovely area in Rome to visit. It tends to give me a bit of a bohemian vibe – with the narrow,  cobblestone streets as well as the distinctive buildings.

But once you are here and hankering for a pizza, a good place to head to is Pizzeria ai Marmi. Also known as the ‘obitorio’ or mortuary among the locals here due to the use of long marble counters, I’ve been here a number of times since living in Rome and so far, I’ve enjoyed each pizza that I’ve had.

It’s highly advisable to come here early for dinner as this place is extremely popular, judging at how quickly the tables are all filled up and from the long queue forming right after, outside.

Inside, the vibe is bustling and lively. It can be rather chaotic as the staff is always busy and on the move and when you sit down, it’s hard to move around as the place is cramped with tables just a few centimetres apart from each other but I think it adds to the charm.

Ai Marmi serves Roman style pizza which is characterised by its thin crust and cooked in a wood oven. Theoretically it should take just a few minutes to cook, but due to the vast amount of customers here, it’s not uncommon to wait for at least 30 minutes for the food to arrive. 

Which makes it advisable to get their appetizers while you wait. One of their specialities that I enjoy eating would be their filetti’ di baccala – a deep fried battered cod fillet, which is always deliciously succulent.

There is also the suppli al telefono which is such a cute name. It’s essentially deep fried rice ball with mozzarella cheese in it. When you break it in two and pull them apart, the cheese stretches so much that it could reach your ear and mouth like a telephone.

Personally for me, I’ve always like to sit near the pizza counter as I enjoy watching the pizza makers as they deftly shape and create their pieces of edible masterpieces. It’s fascinating to see.

You might wait a while, but it’s always worth the wait when your pizza arrives as you breathe in the aroma of the freshly made pizza and the warmth wafting to your face.

Here are some of the pizza that I managed to snap during our dine-ins here :

Pizza al funghi (Mozarella and champignon mushrooms)

I don’t remember what this was.

Pizza con tonno (Pizza with tomato sauce and tuna flakes. I got this customized by asking them to add onions for me 🙂

Pizza con rughetta e bresaola (Rocket leaves and cured beef slices)

Pizza con provolone (Pizza with tomato sauce and provolone cheese)

I’ve always enjoyed eating Roman styled pizza and the pizza here is really good. The thing about Roman styled pizza is that the dough is crispy but it should still retains a bit of a soft bite to make it chewy.

Each pizza that I’ve had here was always delicious and the toppings complements and never overwhelms each other.

The cost of the pizza here might be slightly more expensive than a regular pizzeria in Rome but Cart and I don’t usually pay more than 15 euro a person.

Here is a video I made time back :

Pizzeria Ai Marmi
Viale di Trastevere, 53/57,
00153 Rome, Italy

While I am not a vegan, I’ve went to a number of vegan food places where I had delicious food. For today’s blog post, I’d like to share with you a place in Rome where I enjoy going to whenever I have a hankering for a good vegan burger.

This place is called Rewild Cruelty-Free Club. Located in the bohemian area of Garbatella, this place might be a little out of the way to reach but I really think that it’s worth visiting.

First timers may be intimidated by all the images of animals being abused. The front door is usually locked and you will have to press the buzzer to be let in.

Despite the daunting façade of the outside, the area inside looks like a small, regular pub. The vibe of the place is very casual with friendly waitresses.

To me, this is a place where you would bring your friends to hang out and there are materials such as books and even board games available for you to play with. Sometimes there will even be live music and events held there.

To keep the price of the food afforable, Rewild functions as a club, and first time visitors will need to fill up a form and pay a subscription fee of one euro to become members here. This will be valid for a year.

There are a good variety of food here ranging  from appetizers all the way to the desserts.

There was once the house special baked veggie pasta which was so creamy and delicious that it was hard to imagine that there was no butter or cream used in it.

I also had this ‘veganisu’ which was quite lovely. While it tasted ‘cleaner’ than a real tiramisu, it was lovely nevertheless.

But the thing that I absolutely adore here are the burgers. Of all the ones that I’ve had, all them were very tasty and hearty.

Here are some of the burgers that we’ve had between us :

I think this was the Miceneo – two seitan burgers with vegan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and sauces.

This is a longobardo – soy patty with crumbs, harissa (a type of hot sauce) brinjal, bell pepper and mustard.

I think this was the Normanno – Breaded soy patty, spreadable vegan cheese, radicchio, onion and mayo.

I think this was the unno – Grilled seitan, lettuce, grilled onions, mustard and paprika.

Portion wise, all of the burgers that we had were quite large. It was hard for me personally to try to take a bite in one piece on account of how tall my burger was.

We usually have our burgers with a portion of fries. And you could ask for condiments such as harissa, mayonaise and ketchup. Considering that this costs about 2 euro, this is a huge portion which is enough for two people. In the end, it was enough as a very satisfying main course.

At this point of time, I think that Rewild probably has the best vegan burger that I’ve had in Rome. The food is good and affordable. In fact, Cart and I usually spend less than 25 euro between us.

Even if you’re not vegan, this is a place that’s worth a visit.

Rewild Cruelty-Free Club
Via Giovannipoli 18
Rome, Italy

Despite eggs having a reputation of having a high cholesterol level, Cart and I eat a fair amount of eggs every other day as it is a good and cheap source of protein.

Something interesting to notice is that in Italy, eggs sold in supermarkets are always printed with information about them :

From the print, customers will able to see detailed information such as where the egg was harvested and the grade given.

Typically the price ranges are according to the size, but an important thing to take note of is also the hen living conditions, as stated on the first number.

• 0 = Organic eggs
• 1 = Eggs harvested from free roaming chickens
• 2 = Eggs collected from ground hens
• 3 = Eggs collected from caged hens

Prior to this, I didn’t care too much about my eggs as long as it was the cheapest one. But after knowing the codes and knowing how hens are treated in battery cages,  we try to make a conscious effort not to buy grade 2 and below  where ever possible.

Whenever you are in a market in Rome during Spring, you’ll see a lot of perennial produce for sale, such as artichokes, strawberries, fava beans, peas and leeks.

One of my favourite things to eat during Spring would have to be Gnocchi con Asparagi.  I fell in love with this dish ever since we were in a trattoria in Genzano some years back.

It is delicious, quick and easy to make and I’ll show you how in today’s blog post. You will need :

• Butter
• A handful of medium sized asparagus
• A bunch of cherry tomatoes
• Gnocchi

Here in Rome, asparagus costs about 3 – 4 euro a kilo. While it might sound expensive, we don’t normally need that much,  just about a handful will suffice.

To make Gnocchi con Asparagi, first heat up a pot of water and add in salt. This will be used for the gnocchi.

Next, give the vegetables a quick rinse and dry. Cut the asparagus into two, throwing away the white part. Then continue to slice the green part into small pieces.

Separate the head aside as it needs less time to be cooked.

Now slice the cherry tomatoes into two and add a bit of salt to them. Leave them aside as the tomatoes will be used towards the end of the cooking process.

In a heated plan, melt a knob of butter and add in the green part of the asparagus when the pan feels substantially hot enough.  Once the asparagus looks half cooked, add in the head and then lower the fire.

Once the water is boiling, throw the gnocchi into the pot. You can tell that it’s cooked when it starts to float on top.

Add the cooked gnocchi to the asparagus and mix them together in the pan. You can add a bit of starchy water from the pot. This creates a beautiful emulsion to your gnocchi. Turn off the stove at this point.

And finally add in your tomatoes to cook slightly in the residual heat. Mix well.

The final step is to shave some parmigiano cheese on top of your dish and soon you’ll have a delightful dish ready to be eaten.

Gnocchi con asparagi is creamy, earthy and decadent despite using just a few ingredients. You’ll love the richness of the cheese contrasting with the sharpness of the asparagus. I love eating this, and I hope that you give it a try 🙂