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Recipe Book

Lazio

Although Lazio is home to capital city Rome, its cuisine is nevertheless very simple and rooted in tradition. The hills surrounding Rome provide (over and above various wonderful mineral waters), excellent lamb and sheep’s milk cheese such as Pecorino Romano and ricotta. The region’s vegetables are also first-rate with artichokes, chicory, wild mixed salad greens, peppers and asparagus among those most often found on menus. Offal is popular, as is lamb, and in Rome you can find local versions of gnocchi (alla Romana) and pizza (pizza bianca). Worth a visit are Rome’s numerous produce markets where you’ll find just about everything under the sun.

Traditional dishes:

Carciofi alla Giudea: Artichokes Jewish Style

Romans love their artichokes, and this recipe with its roots in the city’s Jewish cuisine, is a delicious and foolproof way of enjoying them. The trick is to fry the artichokes twice, which ensures they open up just like you see them served in traditional trattorias all over Rome.

Ingredients

  • 8 young, globe artichokes
  • 2 lemons
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for frying
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Fill a large bowl with chilled water and add the juice of one lemon.
  • Cut the other lemon in half and have it to hand to rub the cut surfaces of the artichokes as you prepare them.
  • This prevents them from oxidizing.
  • Clean the artichokes, removing most of the stem and the outer leaves – usually about 3 layers.
  • Trim and be sure to remove any visible choke with a knife or spoon, then rub cut surfaces with the lemon halves and place them in the bowl of lemon water.
  • Heat about 4 inches of olive oil in a deep pan over a medium heat.
  • Remove artichokes from water, pat dry then fry two at a time, taking care to keep them pushed under the surface of the oil and turning them so they cook on all sides.
  • After about 10 minutes, remove and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
  • Allow to cool.
  • Heat the oil once more adding a little more to ensure it’s deep enough, but this time over a hotter flame until oil is almost smoking.
  • Fry the artichokes again, the same way as before, two at a time and ensuring they remain under the surface of the oil and turning often to ensure they cook evenly.
  • After 3 minutes or so, you should see that the artichokes have opened and are nicely crisp.
  • Remove, drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately with a quick sprinkle of salt.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients

  • 400 g spaghetti
  • 150 g guanciale or pancetta, diced
  • 3 eggs
  • 50 g pecorino cheese, grated
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large frying pan, heat a drizzling of olive oil and cook the guanciale over a slow heat for 15 minutes or so.
  • Cook the spaghetti in abundant, boiling salted water.
  • Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl with the grated pecorino cheese.
  • When the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.
  • Take the pancetta off the heat, and add the spaghetti and the egg mixture, stirring well to warm up the eggs.
  • If mixture is too dry, add a little of the cooking water.
  • Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Saltimbocca alla Romana: Veal Saltimbocca

Ingredients

  • 8 very thin escalopes of veal
  • 8 paper thin slices prosciutto di Parma
  • 8 fresh sage leaves
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ glass of dry white wine
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  • Place veal escalopes between two sheets of greaseproof paper and pound with a meat hammer until paper thin.
  • On each veal escalope, place a slice of prosciutto then a fresh sage leaf, and, using a toothpick, secure the three layers together, keeping them flat.
  • Dip each one in the flour so it is lightly coated.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the escalopes over a medium heat, for about two minutes each side.
  • Turn up the heat, pour in the white wine and boil to evaporate it.
  • Lower heat and simmer for another couple of minutes until sauce has thickened.
  • Remove escalopes and place in a serving dish, remove the tooth picks and drizzle with the pan juices.
  • Serve immediately.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Pollo con Pepperoni: Chicken with Peppers

Ingredients

  • 1 free-range chicken, cut in pieces
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 chili pepper, finely chopped
  • Pinch of dried marjoram
  • 4 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
  • 4 large peppers
  • 50 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra
  • Salt
  • Few leaves of fresh basil, torn into pieces

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces turning to cook on all sides.
  • When the chicken is golden brown, add the white wine and simmer until wine has evaporated.
  • Add the chopped garlic and chili pepper, the dried marjoram and the chopped tomatoes.
  • Salt to taste and cook over a medium heat, covering the pan with a lid.
  • Meanwhile, cut the peppers into long strips.
  • In a separate pan, heat a little olive oil and sauté the peppers until almost tender.
  • When the chicken is almost completely cooked, add the strips of pepper to the pan and cook a further 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, check seasoning and adjust if necessary, and add the fresh basil.
  • Leave uncovered and wait 5 minutes before serving.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Torta di Ricotta: Ricotta Tart

Ingredients

  • For the shortcrust pastry:
  • 300 g plain flour
  • Small pinch of salt
  • 150 g chilled unsalted butter, diced
  • 150 g castor sugar
  • Finely grated zest of a lemon
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten
  • Extra egg yolk (beaten) for glazing
  • For the filling:
  • 300 g ricotta
  • Small glass of lemon or orange liqueur
  • 2 tbsp coarsely grated plain chocolate or plain chocolate drops
  • Pinch of vanilla
  • Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

  • Naturally, shop-bought pastry can be used but there’s no doubt that homemade is better.
  • Sieve flour and salt into a large bowl and add the butter.
  • Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs then stir in the sugar and the grated lemon zest.
  • Add the beaten egg yolks and work the mixture gently until it forms a ball.
  • Cover pastry and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • In the meantime, mix together all the ingredients for the filling until you obtain a smooth cream.
  • Put to one side.
  • Divide the pastry in two parts: 2/3 for lining the pie dish and 1/3 for the decorative strips on top.
  • Roll out the larger piece of pastry and line a buttered and floured 25cm (10 inch) pie dish.
  • Spread the ricotta mixture over the pastry base.
  • With the remaining pastry make a series of strips for the latticework decoration on top.
  • Once complete, brush the pastry with the extra beaten egg.
  • Place the tart in an oven preheated to 200°C and cook for 50-60 minutes.
  • Allow to cool before moving it gently onto a serving plate.

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