Risotto ai frutti di mare – Seafood Risotto

Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

On my recent trip to Rome, I took advantage of the local fishmonger selling “seafood risotto” mix by weight, a delicious mix of calamari, muscles, clams salmon and hake. I’d make roast seabass the day before so made a good strong fish stock form the bones and some leftovers of fennel, celery and carrots and some crushed fennel seeds and flat leaf parsley.

ROME: “Al Bric” – A bric-à-brac of random food.

Cheesy Wonderfulness!

Al Bric just off of Campo dei Fiori in Rome is an enoteca I have walked past for four years of my life longing to go in, lured perhaps by the fantabulous selection of ultra-mature oozy French cheeses, crumbly Italian “stagionati”, the dusty collection of prize vintage wines vying for position in the window from Pétrus and  Mouton Rothschild to some Amarone that would knock your socks and feet off… I had never actually set foot in the place though until this week when I finally convinced Francesco that spending €15 for a glass of wine was just plain intelligent.

ROME: A Kosher Lunch in the Ghetto

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.

Da Betto e Mary – Rustic Roman Secret Spot

This is a very old posting filched from the Italian version of this website as I sat dreaming this morning af zucchini carbonara made by the wonderful hands of Betto and Mary at this  legendary Roman trattoria.

Gusto Restaurant and Wine Bar – ROME

Residing in a fascist-era former government building behind the sleek, minimalist Ara Pacis exhibition space Gusto occupies several buildings on various floors, more of a brand concept than just a restaurant, combining chic Italian style with a laid-back dining atmosphere, intimacy and good modern Italian cuisine. What’s the catch? The expensive prices. The food is good, but not deserving of a price-list more akin to a high-end eatery or set-lunch michelin star menu. Plus the wines by the glass in the restaurant start at 8 euros, despite the fact that many bottles on the menu are affordable and you can get a very good glass of wine almost anywhere in Italy for half of that.

Bartaruga Wine Bar – ROME

This is the kind of hip and quirky little bar you’d find anywhere from London, via Berlin to Reykjavik. It’s not quite pub, but not yet poncey wine bar, and has enough style behind it to merit an insert in a cool travel magazine. The only difference being that here, in the heart of one the world’s greatest wine producing countries, in a city that by rights should have quirky cool bars coming out of its ears, this one feels itself to be so unique and special it can serve you a mediocre quality, piddly sized glass of Montepulciano for 12 euros and keep a straight face. Oh and you have to ask to get a small bowl of soggy peanuts to go with it.

A few foodie pics from Italy

Mamma Rafaello preparing lunch in San Severino