Since this is a food tour, of course I need to learn how to make the most common cultural food here...PASTA! After my NO sleep night, I dosed off around 4:30, shut off my 6:30 alarm and accidentally sleep in until 8:45. NOT good! My scheduled pasta making class was at 9:30 and it was a 30 minute walk away. I transformed into Speedy Gonzales and got ready in 9 minutes, used my iPhone and wifi to check the map for directions and jetted off to the meeting point. I hate when mornings start off this way. I didn’t get to have my Italian tradition coffee/pastry breakfast and slowly walk through the city, so I was a little disappointed. BUT I made it in time and that was all that mattered.
I found the class online when searching the web and it got great reviews and I was about to find out why. I met Chef Fabio and 5 other students on the corner near the Jewish Ghetto. This is not really currently a Ghetto but was once the forced home of the RomanJewish population for more than 300 years. Much of it is now torn down but still a few reminders remain as well as a lively Jewish current presence.
We walked through the Ghetto stepping in food shops while Fabio greeted passers by and visited with shop owners when picking up ingredients. He obviously has been walking these streets for quite some time. In fact he offers this class every day of the week, but when you have a passion for what you do it doesn’t feel like work. Fabio was a great guide, super nice, and very knowledable. He pointed out and explained several sights along the way including a small hole-in-the-wall bakery famous for its chocolate-ricotta cake and a gelatoria famous to many
Romans for its eggnog gelato. Both were closed for Jewish Shabbat on Saturday but I don’t know that I even need to tell you that, OF COURSE, I would be extending my morning in Rome the next day and taking a later train to Florence JUST to come back to both places.
After our first shop stop in a Jewish bakery to grab some flat bread, we stepped into a meat shop to pick up meat for our meal and sample “the best beef prosciutto in Rome”. It was made from beef, as pork is not eaten in Jewish tradition. The name is Bresaola or brisaola and it is salted and air-dried for 2 to 3 months until it becomes hard and turns dark red in color. It is generally made from top (inside) round and is very tender. You will often find it in Italy sliced paper thin and served as an antipasti. Fabio made us a mini sandwich with the flatbread and prosciutto as a snack.
Next we moved on to Campo di Fiori, a large famous outdoor market with loads of colorful fresh produce, pasta, and all sorts of other goodies. Unfortunately, we only stayed for ashort time, picking up zucchini, peaches, and beautifultomatoes. Hello! - Roma tomatoes in Roma! I would have definitely gone back the next day to explore it evenmore but it is closed on Sunday’s.
On the block, next to the market, was a cheese shop where we purchased fresh Ricotta. Ricotta is very common in Italian households and dining establishments for both savory dishes anddesserts. Most Italian Ricotta is made from sheep, goat, cow or buffalo milk as opposed to American Ricotta almost always made with cow’s milk.
***Campo di Fiori - Produce and pasta
With most of our ingredients in hand, we walked past the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain before dropping into the small restaurant that Fabio owns called That’s Amore.
While there, he gathered the remainder of the supplies and we set off to his amazing Roman apartment on the top floor of an old beautiful building. We tied on our aprons and were put to work washing, chopping, kneading, pressing, and cooking. Fabio was so patient and a great teacher with 6 people in the small kitchen, snapping pictures, asking questions and trying our best to do as we were told.
We prepared three dishes making two pastas from scratch: Zucchini/Ricotta Ravioli, Cavatelli pasta with a fresh homemade tomato sauce (cherry tomatoes, basil, oil, parmesan), and Involtini Messinesi (meat rollups - a small thin piece of beef, wrapped around homemade breadcrumbs and a chunk of provolone or pecorino cheeseand covered in bread crumbs) with roasted potatoes.
Fabio and his assistant plated the dishes seperately while we sat at his very elegant dining table next to the terrace enjoying the meal, dish by dish, with a local white wine. The meal was followed up with a special dessert: fresh peaches that we had marinated in raw sugar and white wine topped with,GUESS WHAT!, the famous eggnog gelato. Now I didn’t have to go there in the in morning! The flavors mixed amazingly!
With a full belly and happy heart I paid for the session, took a photo with Fabio, and set out for more walking. Thank goodness for the exercise; I did not need ANY more food that day, thats for sure. The evening was spent sitting outside for another coffee, writing and enjoying the beautiful weather and city. On to Florence in the morning.
P.S. I absolutely recommend taking the Pasta class with Fabio if you are ever in Rome and are interested in a wonderful experience. He has been a chef and restaurant owner for several years and his attitude and demeanor is very kind and inviting. You can check him out and his recipes at www.fabiolouscookingday.com.
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