Sunday 14 August 2011

From Italy with Love



       Home sweet home at last! Over the last three weeks, I have been traveling throughout the southern part of Italy with my boyfriend and his family. As you will see, I clearly didn't forget to take countless pictures of all the wondeful food and dishes that I was treated to. Even though there was plenty of pizza and pasta in my stomach by the end of my jouney, I made sure to try to get a taste of the other things that make Italian cuisine so recognized and fabulous! Throughout my trip, my goal was to try the specialty or renowned dish of each city or area that I was visting. Stay tuned as I will be sharing with you each and every dish that I was lucky enough to enjoy!





First stop, Rome:

      Rome is definitely one of my favorite cities in Italy. From the ancient architecture to rustic and classic food, Rome will sweep you off your feet everytime you vist. There are three pasta dishes that  the city of Rome is famous for. They are Carbonara, Amatriciana and Cacio e Pepe. I was fortunate enough to try all three of them during my stay in Rome.

Carbonara
[egg yolks, pecorino and guanciale (or pancetta)]

Amatriciana
[tomato sauce, pecorino and guanciale (or pancetta)]

Here are two links that I found of recipes for both Carbonara and Amatriciana


 Cacio e Pepe 

Cacio e Pepe Recipe 

The key to getting the perfect plate of Cacio e Pepe is to keep some of the boiling water that the pasta was cooked in. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, quickly drain it and add it to a large serving dish or bowl. Then add the grated pecorino cheese and a generous amount of black pepper. Slowly add in a bit of pasta water and start mixing until all of the cheese is melted and the dish has a creamy, smooth consistency.

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (of the highest quality)
Freshly ground black pepper
(450 g) spaghetti or bucatini
Reserve half a cup of salted cooking water. 


I'd be very excited to hear from anyone who has tried these recipes and who would like to share their experiences or suggestions. Thanks for reading and I'll be sure to be posting more from my recent trip very soon.

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