Rome Forever Eternal – A culinary Tour Of Italy

Is the Food Italian or is the Food Italian American? – Part III

Roman Ruins

We were on our last day in Rome and we decided it should be a day of relaxation, good Italian food, good Italian wine and day dreaming. I must admit that at that time of my life I had quite an active imagination. As I reviewed my days in Rome I could only imagine what life would be like living around the landmarks of the Eternal City for a couple of thousand years.

My dreams started with the Colosseum, the ruins and the baths of ancient Rome. I envisioned myself prancing around the ancient city on horseback or racing my chariot around the Colosseum. (I never envisioned myself as a gladiator.) After chariot racing it was time for a bath, and I went to the famous Roman Baths. I was greeted at the baths by a lovely signorina, who I saw the day before sipping expresso at an outdoor café. Now she was going to bathe me. What a dream!

I then fast – forwarded to Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on his back and me bringing lunch to Michelangelo. His lunch consisted of minestrone soup, crusty bread just out of the oven and a chunk of Pecorino- Romano cheese that I had prepared in the Vatican’s kitchen using my Italian recipes. He enjoyed my food so, we were becoming friends; the Pope fired me for fraternizing with Michelangelo. The Pope forbid me from entering any door to the Vatican.

No longer a Vatican cook I was forced to seek work elsewhere. I was about to leave Rome to cook for an Italian noble family, when a small group of Vatican priests came to my room. They said that I was to return to Rome in six months. I was told to cook for the noble family and listen to the noble family’s conversations.  From their conversations, I could report their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire and to the Pope.

I responded, “ the Pope has forbid me from visiting the Vatican, and the Pope is too proud to retract his words. So, there is no was that I can report to the Pope”. The Vatican enclave of priests agreed but were unsure of how to handle the situation. Until one young priest said that there was a secret passageway from the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo and that I should use it. This way I could secretly return to the Vatican and everyone would save face. They were sure that the Pope would agree and be content with this arrangement.

Cooking Fettuccine Alfredo

My silly day dreams were interrupted when the ladies returned from their

Mangia Fettuccine Alfredo

shopping spree and it was time to dress for dinner. My father subtly reminded me that we were going to Rome’s most famous restaurant, Alfredo’s. When we arrived at Alfredo’s we met a patron of Dad’s. Camillo’s gracious client treated us to a bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a fine Tucson red wine. Mom, Betty and I dined on Alfredo’s famous fettuccine and Dad enjoyed Rome’s famous Saltimbucca.

Fettuccine Alfredo was the most popular pasta we sold in the evening at Camillo Restaurant. The classic recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo requires butter; some Italians refer to it as double butter. However, we found that to duplicate the taste it was necessary to add half-and-half cream to the butter. The Italian butter is different than our butter.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 2

• ½ pound of fettuccine pasta
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup * half-and- half cream
• About ½ cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 egg yokes
• Salt & pepper to taste

Place a pot of salted water to boil on the fire. As soon as the water comes to a boil cook the fettuccine al dente, with a bit of a bite

At the same time place the butter and half-and-half in a saucepan and simmer until both combine and form a velvety consistency. With the fire on low heat, add the fettuccine, top the pasta with the grated cheese the egg yolks and salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix and serve with additional cheese on the side.

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca Alle Romano-Rome’s Classic Scaloppini

A Roman veal scaloppini dish that is a truly a world classic that we modernize.

Serves 4

• 1 lb. Veal for scaloppini
• About 1/4 lb. thinly sliced Prosciutto
• 1/3 cup of flour for dredging
•  1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable oil
•  1/2 stick butter
•  Fresh sage leaves, about 8
•  1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3-cup meat broth or veal stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 2 optional hard boiled eggs, for decorating

If necessary, with a kitchen mallet tenderize the scaloppini.

Adhere a slice of the prosciutto to each slice of the veal scaloppini. To fasten the procsiutto, put the scaloppini on a cutting board and place a slice of prosciutto on the scaloppini. Cover the meat with clear plastic paper and gently pound the proshiutto into the veal.

Dredge the scaloppini in the flour. Place a large sauté pan over high heat with the oil. Carefully, add the floured veal to the hot oil, and brown them on both sides. Discard the oil, and add the butter and the sage leaves. Cook for about 30 seconds, add the white wine, and reduce the wine by 1/2 its volume. Carefully, add the stock, salt and pepper, reduce the liquid essences by 1/2 to 2/3 to concentrate and intensify the flavors and add the parsley.

To serve: Put the saltimbocca on a plate and cover it with the sauce. Or place 3 little bundles of cooked roman spinach on a plate, cover each mound of spinach with a bocca, place a slice of hardboiled egg on top of all the mounds and cover the mounds with the sauce. Great presentation. We served Saltimbocca Alle Romano at Camillo’s Restaurant over Roman spinach – fabulous presentation.

Spinach Roman Style – Serves 4

• 1 pound spinach cleaned and the raggedy stems cut off
• 1/3 cup regular olive oil
• 6 large cloves garlic sliced
• 1/3-cup raisons, preferably white, soaked in white wine
• 1/3 cup pignoli nuts or walnuts
• Salt & pepper to taste

Rinse the spinach in water, drain but do not dry the spinach.

At the same time heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the garlic. Add the pignoli nuts to the olive oil, drain the raisons and add them to the olive oil. Add the spinach to the olive oil, cover, cook about 30 seconds, remove the cover, mix thoroughly, place the cover back on, cook for about another minute, mix again, If the spinach has wilted shut off the fire; otherwise, cook until spinach is wilted.

For the best veal click on our veal cutlet. For excellent fettuccine click the pasta. Buy copper cookware to cook like a chef.

Tagged as: fettuccine Alfredo, italian recipes, Italian wine, saltimbucca alla Romana