Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

making pasta at palazzo margherita {basilicata}

2012-05-17T08:11:00.000+02:00

I admit it. Pasta scares me. Not cooking pasta. And certainly not eating pasta. But making pasta. Scary.

You’d think that after most of my life spent in Italy in the food world that I’d be flinging sheets of pasta right and left. But up until now the only thing I was flinging around was flour and water, and making a mess of it in the process.

The thing is, pasta making takes technique. It’s not really something that you can read about in a book and ‘get’ the first time around. It helps to take lessons. I’m big on reading, and rarely sign up for classes about anything (the whole Bonci pizza and bread thing was not the norm for me) And so even though I always thought about taking a pasta making class, plans never turned into reality.

Until I found myself with two free hours in Palazzo Margherita a couple of months ago.
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il becco della civetta, castelmezzano {basilicata}

2012-05-15T08:11:00.001+02:00

When I was invited to visit Francis Ford Coppola’s new hotel, Palazzo Margherita, in Basilicata I said yes real fast. A no-brainer, right? Of course the main reason was the chance to be one of the first to stay at what is one of the most exciting new hotel openings of the year (and see my write up of it in this month’s Travel & Leisure ‘It List’).

But the other big draw was the chance to revisit Basilicata. Although I’d been to Matera quite a few times (for various articles as well as while I was working on Restoring a House in Italy) I hadn’t really been to the countryside since we filmed for Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie.

While filming there we were on a ridiculously tight schedule, which meant we arrived at 1am - stayed for a full day of shooting - them left late that evening. So most of my driving around Basilicata’s back roads was done in the dark of night.

All of which left me totally unprepared for the incredibly dramatic and gorgeous landscape as we made our way to Palazzo Margherita.
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swiss chard stalks {bake}

2012-05-14T07:48:00.001+02:00

Remember last week , when I used Swiss chard greens to make gnudi? I promised that I’d be cooking up the Swiss chard stalks too, and sharing the recipe.

Promise kept.

For dinner last week I made a quick and easy casserole that not only managed to make good use of the rest of this two-for-one veggie, but also enabled me to use up odd bits of leftover cheese and a hunk of capocollo our neighbor had given us.

It was one of those days when all of the sudden I turned around and it was 8pm. Time for dinner, and too late to do any shopping.
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naked ravioli {gnudi di bietola}

2012-05-10T09:39:00.000+02:00

One thing I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I always buy too much food. This is especially true for the weekends we head up to our house in Umbria. I end up loading the car with food here in Rome, then stopping in Orte at the mozzarella store, and then again at the supermarket in Castel del'Aquila. All of this, plus the fact I have a full pantry and vegetable garden waiting for me in Todi means that come Sunday I’m toting back as much food - or more - as I arrived with.

But I’ve learned. Lately I have put myself on a very strict regimen: bring nothing from Rome and only buy what is absolutely essential (milk, bread, mozzarella) on the way up.

Then, once in Umbria, I forage. I make do.

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dirty sour cherry manhattan {cocktail}

2012-05-08T07:23:00.000+02:00

Even though some of my favorite cocktails are classics, I’m ALWAYS one to mess around with a good thing. Give me a dirty martini and I’ll make it even dirtier in new and wonderful ways that probably make purists cringe.

Lately we’ve been in a Manhattan kind of phase. While I prefer Maker’s Mark, I’ve been making do with Jim Beam. But the one thing I demand in my Manhattan is a cherry. And when my jar of maraschinos came to an end the other day, I trotted up the street to Castroni, where I know I can get almost anything - cocktail and otherwise - I want.

The problem with going to Castroni is that I always end up buying things I had no intention of bringing home. Impulse purchase big time. Besides carrying all sorts of exotic ingredients from countries all over the world, they also have an incredible selection of Italian goodies that I didn’t even know existed.
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rabbit vignarola {artichokes + peas + fave}

2012-05-07T08:08:00.001+02:00

Vignarola is one of my favorite Roman dishes. I have a feeling there are versions of a spring vegetable stew all over the world, but the Roman version - with peas, artichokes and fave beans - seems like it must be the best, right? I guess one of the reasons I love it so much is that its season is so fleeting. Artichokes have been in season for a while, and but peas and fave beans are just hitting the farmer’s markets. The overlap between all three only lasts about a month, so I try to get as much in as possible.

Even though vignarola is a traditional Roman dish, it had fallen out of favor in restaurants until about ten years ago or so. I guess on the surface there is nothing particularly attractive, sexy or appealing about a pile of stewed vegetables. And in fact, I often get emails from people telling me that when they ordered this spring medley they were expecting something bright green, crisp and vibrant. Instead, when faced with the decidedly brownish green pile on their plates they were a bit dismayed.
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cesare al casaletto {rome}

2012-05-03T07:48:00.000+02:00

I’m never one to make it to the opening night of a restaurant. Or the opening month for that matter. I have colleagues who rush to the newest place and seemingly blog about it on their way home. I’m lucky in that respect, because that’s usually how I end up hearing about what’s hot and what’s not.

It’s been about a year that I’ve been reading about Cesare al Casaletto. (here, here, here , here and here are just a few of the Italian reviews). And I’ve been meaning to go, really I have. But it sounded so far away (add slightly whiny tone here). I kept reading that it was in Casaletto, which sounded like another city or something.

But as my good friends Betta and Ruth pointed out, Casaletto is just the name of a street, and it’s only a block away from where they live in Monteverde. In Rome. And that wasn’t the only thing to convince me. Last week we were at Flavio Velavevodetto and Flavio himself told me he thought it was the best trattoria in Rome at the moment.

No more excuses.

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farro + mint {salad}

2012-05-01T08:11:00.000+02:00

Just in case you were unduly shocked by yesterday’s post on roasting a lamb’s head, today’s recipe is something totally, absolutely and 100% animal free. While I can easily get excited and inspired by a rarity like a lambs head, something as simple as a bunch of mint or a bright yellow lemon will get me going just as much.

I'm also often inspired by friends' and colleagues' blogs. Like everyone else in the world when it comes to diving into the sweet end of things, I head to David Lebovitz. And when it comes to healthy, delicious dishes that taste bright and look fantastic I visit Heidi Swanson's 101 cookbooks. Some of my favorite recipes have come from her blog over the years. And even when I don’t end up cooking specific dishes, her general way of putting together a meal - and the bright, clean flavors that she uses - ends up informing my own recipes more often than I realize.

So the other day when I decided to make a farro salad for dinner it was definitely my inner Heidi that I was channeling. That and the bumper crop of mint on the terrace resulted in a minty, chewy, crunchy, lemony salad that was healthy, filling and delicious. (just like Heidi in other words)
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lamb's head {a gift}

2012-04-30T07:43:00.000+02:00

I’ve mentioned in the past that I really love getting gifts. Books, jewelry, scarves....it’s all good. But what I really love to get is food. While a box of chocolates is nice, it’s always better when it’s something I don’t expect. And the best is when it’s something I’d almost never head out the door to buy myself.

Take, for instance, the lamb’s head I got last week as a gift. No. It didn’t come in a box with a ribbon. I was at the Farmer’s market and had just bought various cuts of lamb and chicken to see us through the next couple of weeks. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the market was due to close in an hour. Which is why, I guess, the farmer lady asked me if she could give me a lamb’s head.
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artichoke indulgence

2012-04-26T07:12:00.001+02:00

If you’re my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, then you know I’ve been indulging my inner artichoke lately.

Yes. I’m talking about artichoke porn.

My daily dose of carciofyness - from me to you - via my Cannon or iPhone. I spend a lot of time in markets and restaurants this time of year (ok, any time of year) and I find it physically impossible not to photograph, buy and/or eat any beauty I come across.

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salama da sugo

2012-04-24T07:19:00.001+02:00

You know how you can get obsessed about something? A song running through your head that won’t stop? Well, Domenico got a sausage stuck in his head two years ago, and it just wouldn’t go away.

When we were up at the last Salone del Gusto, while I was busy at a beer tasting, Domenico was wandering around the Mercato. He started chatting up one of the vendors from Ferrara and when I came out of my tasting he told me he was going to buy a salama da sugo. Oddly, I’d never heard of this before, but I guess Domenico has been dreaming of it for years. Who knew?
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salone del gusto 2012 - {food trip torino}

2012-04-23T07:07:00.000+02:00

Slow Food’s Salone del Gusto is one of the major events of the food world. It takes place in Torino every two years and brings together over 900 food producers from 130 countries. During this amazing, delicious four-day event it’s possible to taste, learn about and buy foods not just from all over Italy, but from all over the world.

As incredibly delicious as this extravaganza is, it can also be a bit overwhelming. The fair covers over 65,000 square meters and includes over 300 workshops, dinners, tastings and conferences to choose from.

But don’t worry: I’m an expert. I’ve been attending the Salone since it was first held in 1996. I know exactly how to reserve the best workshops, how to head straight for the best producers and how and when to visit Salone to best avoid the crowds.
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dies natalis {pantheon in rome}

2012-04-22T11:05:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was Rome’s birthday. While the mega concert on Via dei Fori Imperiali and the fireworks above the Campidoglio were hard to miss, there was is one tradition - a few thousand years older - that was a bit more subtle, but infinitely more moving.

The Pantheon, which was built in the 1st century AD, was constructed so that the oculus in the roof would funnel the light in to the entry way on exactly April 21, the day that Romulus and Remus founded Rome. At that very instant the Emperor would enter the door way of the Pantheon, bathed in the intense light coming in from the roof.
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recent press stuff

2012-04-20T07:13:00.000+02:00

Just in case you’ve missed them, I’ve written a few articles lately:

Travel & Leisure: Europe’s Best Neighborhoods for Foodies: Monti: Rome

Food & Wine: Go List 2012: Rome Restaurants New Takes on the Classics

LA Weekly: Garofalo: The Italian Pasta in Woody's New Film, To Rome with Love
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antico bar mariani {rome}

2012-04-19T08:09:00.000+02:00

You already know about my obsession for finding old fashioned bars or pastry shops that haven’t been horribly ‘renovated’. I hope you aren’t getting bored with these kinds of places? I’m not. Which is why I was so happy to discover this one the other day.

I have to admit I’d passed it by about a million times. But I was always on the back of Domenico’s scooter. Every single time I'd make a mental note to return, but somehow the note kept getting lost (That seems to happen a lot. Too much mental clutter?).
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spring salad of tuscan kale {cavolo nero}

2012-04-17T07:40:00.000+02:00

I used to be super organized when it came to the holidays. Back in the pre-internet days, I would be ripping out magazine articles from special themed issues of Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Saveur a year ahead of time, keeping files for menu inspiration for future Thanksgivings, Christmas and Easters.

Things have changed. Not only do I now do almost all my recipe reading online, the timeline to my planning has shrunk from about a year’s lead time to.....a few hours.
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fave + cicoria {a non-recipe}

2012-04-16T07:23:00.001+02:00

Sometimes the best things to eat are the simplest. Good bread and great olive oil. The perfect steak, simply grilled. An August tomato, sliced with just a bit of salt.

You know what I’m talking about.

One of my favorite recipes - if you can even call these types of dishes recipes - comes from Puglia: fave e cicoria. Fava beans and chicory.
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nuovo teatro dell'opera {firenze}

2012-04-13T09:58:00.002+02:00

While up in Florence for Taste a few weeks ago, a magazine asked me to be on the look out for travel stories. You know, new up-and-coming places to go to, things to see. My friend, (and incidentally one of Italy’s top PR gurus) Alessandro Grassi pointed me in the direction of the Nuovo Teatro dell'Opera.

Trying to do some research before I went up, I could only find one photograph, a few renderings, and various short local newspaper stories about a concert that was held there last December to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification.

After that, nothing.

So I arrived for my private visit, not quite knowing what to expect.

Looking at these photos, you can understand why I was totally blown away.
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herbs + food {aromaticus in rome}

2012-04-12T07:26:00.001+02:00

Sometimes I worry that I write about my own neighborhood too much. Is it that I’m lazy? That I don’t get out much? No. I do get out, and very far away , and quite often.

It’s just that there’s an awful lot of great stuff happening in Monti. Via dei Serpenti and Via Boschetto get most of the attention. But in the last few years Via Urbana has taken the lead, with places like Urbana 47 and Tricolore getting a lot of press (guilty).

But if I could dream up the kind of shop I would want someone to open in Monti, I’d imagine a place where I could buy fresh herb plants - from wild cress and mint, to Sicilian oregano and French tarragon. Peppers from all over the world, lemon grass and little pots of mustard sprouts. I’d also like to be able to sit down to eat: nothing heavy, just enough for a lunch or tea time. And if there could be a section devoted to spices and garden supplies, that would be nice too.
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artichokes + wild mint {pasta}

2012-04-10T07:28:00.001+02:00

After all of the artichoke photos I’ve been posting on Facebook and Twitter for the last couple of weeks, I’m finally getting around to a recipe. But really. I couldn’t help myself with the picture taking thing. This year, for some reason, the artichokes are beyond beautiful. Big, fat, purple and green orbs. The grassy, slightly bitter and 100% spring smell of them hit me each time I walked into Campo de’ Fiori.

They were piled up in virtual carciofi mountains at every vendor. Gigetto even had an artichoke tree made up of about 100 artichokes in front of their restaurant. They were all just waiting to have their pictures taken.
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eating vegetables in rome {nerone}

2012-04-09T08:06:00.000+02:00

One of the most frequent questions I get - on my apps Eat Rome and Eat Florence, on this blog and over at Chowhound where I give free advice - is where can a vegetarian get a good meal? While many ask expecting an answer that’s a short list of my favorite ‘vegetarian’ restaurants, I give a different kind of answer: Almost anywhere.
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emporio delle spezie {rome}

2012-04-05T07:24:00.001+02:00

Although I often complain about new things replacing old, I’m always happy when something brilliant AND new comes along. When I lead my Food Tours, I often have to gloss over the stores and vendors that are springing up like mushrooms, selling questionable gourmet souvenirs to tourists.

(Yes. I’m talking about bright green pasta shaped like male sexual organs).

On the other hand, in neighborhoods like Monti and Testaccio, there are a bunch of new places that I think are fantastic. Small stores, specializing in just a few things. They choose to limit their inventory, while focusing on the highest possible quality.
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my food tours are talked about

2012-04-04T11:22:00.000+02:00

As the weather gets gorgeous and Rome heads into Spring I've been very busy leading Food Tours. Some of my clients have been very busy too, writing and talking about me. (thank you!) Here are some recent reports from the front lines of eating our way though Rome.
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pastries + coffee at stoppani {bari}

2012-04-03T06:35:00.001+02:00

Even though I really love discovering brand new places, what I really love is re-discovering old places. And by this I mean traditional, worn-at-the-edges places I’ve been to years ago. Unfortunately, in Italy, these places are an endangered species. Rather than embrace the patina of history and sense of place that clings to bars and restaurants, owners decide to ‘re-new’ or ‘restore’.

And if you’re thinking the kind of light touch that I wrote about in my last two books (Italian Rustic and Restoring a Home in Italy) think again. Rather than painstakingly clean, polish and put back together cracked and worn walls and floors, many of the owners rip interiors apart, throw away the old, and install slick and shiny marble, halogen light fixtures and oddly shape furniture that cannot have any possible use except as design statements.

(Don't they realize that Keith McNally pays good money to recreate what they are ripping apart?)

Way too often, when I go to re-visit an old favorite, I’m met with an unrecognizable - bright and shiny - monstrosity.

Bummer.
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krupnik lust blaster {cocktail}

2012-04-02T08:14:00.000+02:00

When my friend Sienna travels she always come back with bags full of spices and other exotic dried ingredients for me. Luckily she goes to places like Morocco and France, so I get gifts of bright red and yellow mixes for making tagine or fancy mushrooms for throwing into stews.

Not that I’ve had much time to cook with them recently, much less blog about them. I’m not complaining, but I am apologizing a bit. I realized that I haven’t posted a recipe in about a month. The reason is simply that that I seem to have been doing just about everything but cooking. Traveling (to Iceland, Puglia, Florence as you know) but also working. And eating. Besides the writing (the traveling and eating is actually working you know!) my Food Tours and Workshops have been hugely successful. And while a day spent talking, teaching and sharing food is invigorating, it doesn’t leave me with much appetite - or time - for cooking at the end of the day.

Luckily for me Sienna’s husband, Yves, travels to other types of places and brings back a completely different set of goodies - that require no cooking what-so-ever - each time. He works at FAO, and besides traveling to the expected places like Africa, he often finds himself in places like Poland or Switzerland where you’d think the culinary souvenir buying is pretty slim.
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