I met with my friend Sarah who conveniently is both a food blogger, an experienced tour guide AND a fully qualified sommelier in Rome – could you ask for a better person to ask for a good lunch recommendation?
We headed to Piazza Mattei and the surrounds, Rome’s Jewish ghetto, host to a handful of top notch trattorias and restaurants as well as the day school which at 1.30 was breaking up for the day hence a street filled with camper vans full of kids and a choice of kippahs (the round head covering Jewish men wear) that included several advertising the local eating places.
Carciofi alla Romana
Carciofi alla Judea
It’s artichoke season in the ghetto, possibly one of my favourite vegetables and something the Romans have made their own since they’ve mastered two of the most delicious ways to cook them in the universe. Alla Romana (poached in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and mint) or alla Judea an Italian Jewish classic of deep-fried deep-golden artichokes.
Ba''Ghetto, Via del Portico D'Ottavia, 57.
TAL - Kosher Malvasia Wine from Lazio
Baccalà al Ba''Ghetto
Tortino di indivia e alici freschi
We headed to Ba”Ghetto to sample both of these, ordering an aromatic, straw-coloured and intense kosher Malvasia wine produced in Lazio. We followed up with vegetarian couscous, made on the premises and baccalà al Ba”Ghetto - a delicious concoction of salt cod, potatoes, pachino tomatoes, pine nuts and raisins. I also cracked for the Tortino di alici e indivia a savoury tart of fresh anchovies and endives with curly kale…
Chag Sameach, it's Sukkot!
The Chabad Lubavitch of Rome have set up a Sukka of Peace in Piazza Farnese so we hung out outside that for a bit after lunch as the scariest mime-artist known to man performed some uber-weird dance to the sounds of hallucinogenic pan-pipes…
Via dei Banchi Vecchi
I don’t think either of us took a photo of the cicoria. I am glad you liked the Ghetto!!