Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

swiss chard + beets + pecorino {salad}

2013-06-18T07:51:00.000+02:00

I love fresh spinach. Especially spinach salad. But as much as I love spinach, I can’t stand that weird feeling you get on your teeth after you eat spinach. You know what I mean, right? The feeling that makes you want to stuff an entire piece of bread in your mouth afterwards to ‘scrub’ that soft, icky feeling on your teeth away. And if the spinach is raw, it somehow seems to be even worse.
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hidden garden {rome}

2013-06-17T08:20:00.000+02:00

You’d think that after living in Rome for as long as I have, that there’d be precious little left to surprise me. Just the opposite. Or, rather, I am constantly surprised by how much there is that still surprises me.
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spa + lunch {san casciano dei bagni}

2013-06-13T07:20:00.002+02:00

I’ve been working a lot lately. Tours, travel, book proposals, updating my apps and, of course, this blog (which is difficult to think of as work). So last week I decided to take a few days off, and headed out to the country with my friend Jane.

Although we were staying in our house in Todi, which we always do, this trip was different. First of all it was in the middle of the week (how indulgent!) and secondly, there were no husbands involved. Yes, it was just us girls, free and easy, doing whatever we wanted to do, whenever we wanted to do it.
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caffe shakerato + video {rome}

2013-06-11T10:06:00.003+02:00

Today is June 11 in Rome. The date is only notable because of the recent weather. By this time of year I’m usually slathering on sun cream before I leave the house, walking on the shady side of the street and heading to the nearest gelateria most afternoons.

But the recent freakishly cool weather has meant that not only am I still wearing sweaters to keep the chill off, but I have yet to put our comforter in deep storage.
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wild asparagus + pancetta {bruschetta}

2013-06-10T08:00:00.001+02:00

I love free food. Food I find. Food I grow. And especially food that people give me. That last one combines both receiving gifts (which is one of my favorite things) with something to eat.

This past week in I got to work a bit of everything into one recipe.

Jane and I headed up to Umbria for a few days last week. Since Jane is obsessed with foraging, she insisted we go out hunting for asparagus once we arrived. “It’s too late in the season,” I told her. But she was having none of it. In fact, before we even got to our house, as we drove off the main road, onto the dirt path that leads up the hill, she started driving real slow. In theory it was to avoid pot holes. In reality, I knew she was already looking out the car window for the bright green spears.
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peperita {hot peppers in rome + tuscany}

2013-06-06T08:26:00.000+02:00

My friend Sienna usually gives me delicious gifts. Chocolates, cheeses, spices, beans. But sometimes she also gives me gag gifts. You know, dish towels with some sort of alcoholic housewife reference. Or a sexy apron. So when she gave me a tube full of ground hot pepper for Christmas, labeled Erotico, I just assumed I’d store it away with that sexy apron.

But it turns out Erotico is actually a name of a hot pepper. And that hot pepper is grown by a lady farmer in Tuscany named Rita. And is only one of 200 varieties, and about 30,000 plants on the farm. All hot peppers. And all organically and biodynamically grown.
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trattoria due g {florence}

2013-06-04T07:33:00.001+02:00

No Florentine ever recommended that I go to Trattoria Due G. Even when I said I was working on a guide to where to eat in Florence, this trattoria was never mentioned. Yet, once I told my Florentine friends I was going to Trattoria G for lunch, every single one of them said “Oh, you’ll love it. It’s one of the best trattorias in Florence and my favorite.”
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chicken {eggplant + basil}

2013-06-03T07:56:00.002+02:00

One of the reasons I attended the IACP conference in April was to learn how to be a better blogger. I feel like I’ve gotten into this blogging thing very casually. I never really had a plan, and I certainly didn’t think ‘oh, this topic will certainly bring in a lot of hits.’ In fact, most of the posts that I think are most interesting turn out to be the least popular.

So I was very happy to sign up for the session entitled 'What the Internet Eats'. In other words, what do people searching around the internet for recipes look for? Because I obviously had no idea.
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best gelato in rome {2013 update}

2013-05-29T08:07:00.000+02:00

In my renewed effort to provide more ‘best of’ lists, here follows the 2013 Rome Gelato update. Even though I keep things up to date on my app, Eat Rome, it’s been a while since I provided a full and complete gelato list on the blog. And there are actually quite a few updates, with many new openings, a few closings, and some changes in opinion.

Generally things have been getting better and better on the gelato front in Rome. Some of the best gelateria in town - including Fatamorgana, Vice and Gelateria di Teatro - have recently opened centrally located branches of their original stores. I’m not sure if this has to do with falling commercial rental prices in the center of Rome, or just their continued success. Whatever the reason, it’s a delicious plus.

Unfortunately one recent expansion, Il Gelato, which had a much appreciated store on Piazza Monte D’Oro, has closed down. Too bad.

One significant change I’ve made to my app, is to eliminate San Crispino. I’m very sorry to have done this, but not only has the quality of their gelato deteriorated to the point of industrialized product, but their francising plan has back fired with truly horrible staff manning many of their stores.

But most of the news is good. Just in time for summer. If it ever arrives.
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borage + goat cheese {ravioli}

2013-05-28T07:21:00.000+02:00

I want to admit something that might appear to be somewhat controversial on a blog that prides itself on talking about Italian food.

I do not make pasta.

I’m not talking about cooking pasta dishes, which I do all the time. I’m talking about taking flour and eggs, mixing them together, and turning them into miraculously thin fettucine, plump ravioli or tiny tortellini.

Yes, I’ve ventured into gnudi, gnocchi and other easy to form pasta. But the egg pasta that involves either rolling out a sheet or pushing it through some kind of machine? Almost never.
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arugula pesto + peas {pasta}

2013-05-27T07:10:00.002+02:00

My daughter Emma was home from uni last week, and so - of course - she got to choose exactly what she wanted me to cook the entire weekend.

Sort of.

What she really wanted me to make was the pasta I had made for Easter, with fave beans and mint pesto. And I actually set off for the market fully expecting to find all these ingredients. But since I shop at the farmers market, I don’t always (usually never) find what I set out for.
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tasca d'almerita {regaleali - sicily}

2013-05-23T06:50:00.001+02:00

This past Monday I had a marvelous dinner at Casa Bleve, in Rome. As I wrote about a few months ago, Tina and Anacleto are back to their old ‘formula’ at lunch time, laying out the buffet that we all knew and loved for years.

On Monday evenings, though, they have started a new tradition. Every two weeks a different wine producer is invited to present their wines, and a four course menu is served. Prepared by Tina of course. And so delicious, of course. Food plus wine all at an incredibly low price of 40 euros.

But this post isn’t about that dinner. It’s about the fact that the featured wine producer this week was Tasca d’Almerita from Sicily. And the first wine we enjoyed (I actually enjoyed three glasses of it) was their sparkling Almerita Extra Brut. To go with the wine, Tina prepared a scrumptious dish of pan fried green peppers coated in crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. Which is exactly what you want to go with one of my favorite bubbly wines. Something fried, crunchy and full of intense flavor.

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eating near the biennale {venice}

2013-05-21T08:07:00.002+02:00

Every two years almost everyone I know heads to Venice. I used to be more involved in the art world and so most of my closest friends are art historians, art dealers, professors or artists. And almost all of them go to the opening of the Biennale which takes place - as the name implies - every two years.

Countries from all over the world exhibit contemporary art in their own pavilions that are located at Venice’s most Eastern tip. While I usually don’t head up for the opening events (too crowded for me, I go later on in the summer) I content myself with the fact that most of my friends usually end up making it down to Rome too.

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vongole + lemons + zucchini {pasta}

2013-05-20T07:33:00.002+02:00

I love to cook from my terrace. The problem is, our tiny space in Rome is not that big. So what we usually focus on growing are things that will thrive in pots. That means herbs, of course, but also radishes, arugula and every so often a cherry tomato plant.

What we do have in abundance are citrus plants. We started out, ages ago, with an ordinary lemon. Then our local nursery in Umbria started getting in exotic things like Meyer Lemons and Limes. When Domenico started working on a house up in Tuscany, that meant that he drove by one of the best citrus nurseries in Italy, and at that point there was no stopping us. Except, of course, for the size of our terrace. (which still didn’t stop Domenico bringing back a limon di pica from Chile in his suitcase a few years later).
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tomatoes + mozzarella + mint {pasta}

2013-05-16T07:44:00.000+02:00

Sometimes you just have to make do with what you have. I am reminded of this pretty much every time we head up to Todi for the weekend. In the summer and fall I have the bounty of the garden to jump into for inspiration and ingredients. But during the rest of the year? There is no garden to speak of and I kind of forget what I have (and don’t have) in the cupboard.

A few weekends ago the weather was grand, and we decided to stay longer on Sunday than I had planned. That meant I had to figure out something for lunch. My go to solution is, of course, pasta. I can always figure out some sort of pantry pasta, right?
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bi-rite market {san francisco}

2013-05-14T07:41:00.002+02:00

Ok, I know that with only one week in San Francisco I should have taken advantage of every single meal opportunity to dine out. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are that many fantastic places in that food obsessed town.

So how did it happen that I did take out, and stayed at home two nights?

Bi-Rite happened.
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fave + pecorino {bruschetta}

2013-05-13T07:11:00.001+02:00

It’s been one holiday after the other in Italy these last few weeks. April 25 (Liberation Day) and then May 1, which is basically European labor day. Traditionally, on May 1, you are supposed to take the day off and head out to the countryside for a picnic.

Ideally, included in this meal, would be fresh fave beans and pecorino cheese. It’s a very social kind of snack, since everyone peels their own fave beans, nibbling on them raw, while they alternate with bits of cheese. It tastes great, and a pile of fave beans on the table is admittedly gorgeous. But.....I always find it a bit too rustic a combo to serve at a real meal. Plus, I”m always thinking that while nice, there must be a way to incorporate a bit of salt and olive oil, which I feel is missing.
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dandelion chocolate {san francisco}

2013-05-09T07:30:00.001+02:00

During my trip to San Francisco I had the great pleasure of going on a tour of the Mission district. If you think SF is foodie obsessed, the Mission District is its beating heart. Leading our group in and out of some of the best places was Sean Timberlake who, besides being a blogger there, also leads these mouthwatering tours for Edible Excursions.

While it was one delicious experience after the next, perhaps the highlight was a sweet trip to a chocolate factory. Of course San Francisco would have a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the middle of town, right? This small place sources single varietals of beans directly from growers, and then roasts and grinds them right on Valencia street, before pouring them into bars to be hand wrapped in pretty gold foil.
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lanificio {brunch in rome}

2013-05-07T06:43:00.001+02:00

I’ve long ago admitted to my laziness when it comes to getting out of the center of Rome. But the other day, I got a sweet email from a reader of my blog, Sarah B., asking me if I knew of any restaurants way out on the Nomentana? She was a musician, and had a ‘gig’ in that part of town (where there are plenty of night clubs) and was fearful that between rehearsals and performances she wouldn’t get a chance to make it down to the center of town.

That’s when I remembered that I’d been meaning to go to Lanificio for way too long. Which is where, it turns out, the musician was actually playing!
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pasta alla romana {taverna dei fori imperiali}

2013-05-06T06:46:00.000+02:00

Saltimboca alla Romana is a Roman classic. Fragrant sage leaves are sandwiched between a tender veal cutlet and a transparently thin slice of prosciutto. Held together by a toothpick, the trio are quickly sauteed in a mixture of white wine and olive oil. It is a staple of almost every Roman trattoria in town.
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beans + greens {fagioli badda di polizzi}

2013-05-02T08:12:00.002+02:00

Remember my avowed obsession with beans? I’m always buying them, especially when I travel. They can be just plain and ordinary fave from Puglia, or else fancy haricots trabais from France. If I can manage to fit them into my suitcase, home they come.

I’m always especially successful ‘foraging’ for beans at the Salone del Gusto. The Salone is divided into regions and each one always has new and wonderful beans (always on the verge of extinction of course ) and never before seen (at least by me).
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hog island oyster co. {san francisco}

2013-04-30T09:57:00.001+02:00

I’ve admitted my oyster fascination in the past. When I’m in a city not my own, I head for the nearest oyster. Because in Rome, even though I can get oysters, I usually don’t trust where they are coming from, and they are ridiculously expensive. In other words, they are a fancy restaurant kind of thing.

So of course, my point of entry into the San Francisco dining scene was Hog Island Oyster Company, located in the Ferry Building. Hog Island Oyster company has been raising sustainable and fresh oysters up the coast in Tomales Bay since the early 1980’s. While you can make the hike up to their farm (which is a fantastic experience and which we did about 8 years ago) their oyster bar in the Ferry Building is a bit of oyster heaven itself.
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wild asparagus + ricotta + lemon {pasta}

2013-04-29T06:19:00.001+02:00

I’m sitting on my terrace in Rome as I write this. This is not intended to make you jealous, I just wanted to let you know that Spring has finally arrived. And spring is such a fleeting thing in Rome, I enjoy it to it’s fullest. Because that sweet spot between too cold to sit on our terrace, and blazing heat seems to be way too short.

Kind of like the wild asparagus season.
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the mill {toast + coffee in san francisco}

2013-04-25T09:13:00.001+02:00

If you follow me around FB, Twitter and Instagram, then you know I’ve been away for the last few weeks. The reason for my trip the States was two-fold. I went to attend the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in San Francisco, and then stopped in New York to visit family, friends and (big news coming soon) publishers.

Playing catch up now on the blog, I’m going to try to start filling you in on San Francisco. Believe it or not, I’d never really spent any real time in SF. Yes, it’s the foodie capital of the universe, but it’s also a long way away from Rome. So I decided to arrive four days before the conference began, and eat/do/see as much as possible.
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dressed olives {olive condite}

2013-04-23T08:45:00.001+02:00

Some of my favorite, standby recipes that I use over and over again come from the vendors at Roman markets. This is standard practice. I’m not alone in turning for advice to the one person in whose best interest it is to keep me coming back for more.

The vendors in the markets are like living, breathing cookbooks. Although there are of course standard recipes for certain dishes, if you ask five different artichoke vendors for advice on how to cook carciofi alla romana, you’ll get five different recipes. In fact, I had a vendor come running up to me recently at the market, only to tell me that I had gotten the recipe that I had written up on my blog - from a different vendor - wrong! “Signora, you have to use wild mint, not spearmint! You better correct that!”
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