Rome: Food to try

As things fly out of my head at an alarming speed I thought I would make a list of foods we should try in Rome.  Everyone can contribute, and we can add restaurants, if you want.  [And here's a Saveur article on Roman Food: "Eternal Pleasures".]

Saltimbocca alla Romana

This savory dish of veal medallions dressed in prosciutto and sage is a classic of the Italian kitchen. Translated, the name of the dish means "hop-in-the-mouth" and that's exactly what you will want the dish to do once you have tried the original in its native city

Coda alla Vaccinara

Rome is known for its offal cuisine, that is the cooking of sweetmeats, entrails, and other discarded parts of the animal. Coda alla Vaccinara - Oxtail Stew - is one of the most famous dishes of this repertoire. (I don't know if I consider oxtails offal!  I'm sure Fernando can find better offerings  More

Carciofi

Carciofi, or artichokes, are a Roman specialty in the spring, when the chokes are young, tasty, and easy to manage. You'll find carciofi cooked alla giudia (the Jewish way) – flattened and deep-fried – or alla romana, in which they are baked with garlic and mint.

Suppli al Telefono

These cheap snacks, which are deep-fried rice balls with a melty mozzarella center, are available in most pizzerias and bars and are favored by starving students. They are best enjoyed alone – as in, without any other culinary accompaniment – as they are meant to be filling.  (Read how it got its name in this Wikipedia entry, where you can also read about Roman Cuisine.)

La Pajata
This is the famous veal intestine still filled with its mother's milk that is served in Testaccio but in the springtime so with any luck, we'll miss it, although I'm sure Fernando would enjoy trying it.  The coagulated milk forms a cheesey sauce and it is usually stewed in tomato sauce and served with rigatoni.  Here's a recipe in case we want to try cooking it ourselves and I included a photo of the raw material in case we run across it in the macelleria.  It looks better cooked.  Intestines are part of the quinto quarto (cweento cwarto).  The first quarter went to the nobles, the second to the clergy, the third to the bourgeosie, the fourth to the soldiers and the fifth to the proletariat.

Abbachio a Scottadito
These little grilled lamb chops might also only be available in spring but I'm sure we would all like them.  They are listed on the "Tipico" menu of Armando al Pantheon, one of Katie Parla's 10 best Roman Trattorias, as listed in a 2011 Guardian article.

Stracciatella Romana
This is Roman egg-drop soup.  Do you think we would be able to pick up a quart of it to go at a supermarket?

Spaghetti alla Matriciana

Spaghetti alla Matriciana

Spaghetti alla Matriciana

Spaghetti alla Matriciana
This is spaghetti with a sauce made from guanciale (pork jowls), tomatoes and pecorino cheese.  And maybe with a pinch of pepper.  We could do this in the apartment as long as we remember to pick up the jowls...

Coratella
Here's one for Fernando to try.  It is the heart, lungs and liver of small animals, generally I think they use lamb in Rome.   Again if it is spring lamb, we might not find it in November but I'm sure they now have frozen spring meats year round.  Maybe we will find it with carciofi as in this recipe from Francesca, the Italian paleo.


Cacio e Pepe
This is a famous and simple Roman pasta dish for us vegetarians (few pastas are vegan) decorated with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
The Third Roman pasta dish is Spaghetti alla Carbonara with guanciale again and eggs.  Unfortunately as much as I cooked spaghetti and eggs for my children, I don't relish it myself.  So I'll stick to the Cacio e Pepe and Amatriciana.

Gnocchi alla Romana
According to Paul Hofman in The Seasons of Rome, gnocchi are served on Thursdays, baccala on Fridays and trippa on Saturdays.  But these Roman gnocchi are made out of semolina, not potatoes so they are something I'd like to try in Rome before I make them myself because it seems they would be rather heavy, sort of like strozzapreti.  Downie in Cooking the Roman Way says that they are the archetypal comfort food made by every Roman he knows and they are a stand-alone dish served without sauce.

Stracciatella Romana

Stracciatella Romana