Welcome to Weekend Things - a brand new section of the Slutti Spaghetti newsletter! I am so excited to share this little round-up of slutti dishes, places, tunes, and surprises from the weekend to help get you through your Monday slump. It’s an easy read, with bits to bookmark, inspire, or just make you giggle. *If you are a more visual person so to speak, you can head to my Instagram where my highlights feature all the photos from the weekend!*
Things eaten
#1. A pizza filled with bucatini all’amatriciana. Italians do eat spaghetti sandwiches, after all. Panificio Bonci is now making pizza al taglio (Roman pizza by the slice) filled with bucatini all’amatriciana. Eat it and weep, especially if you are someone who has been personally victimized by a fanatical carbonara-obsessed Italian food critic on social media.
Reminder: Italian cuisine is mostly based on repurposing. Whether it’s a pasta frittata or a sandwich, nothing went to waste, at least that’s what my nonna taught me. More below in the caption of my little reel on the best hangover snack maybe ever.
#2. Six supplì and croquettes. You read that right - 6. Fine, I will admit that I did split some of them. Supplì are fried little rice balls of pure love, the Roman solution to all bouts of hangry-ness, saving you before you say or do something you’ll regret.
All fried things consumed listed below:
From Eroi della Pizza: Supplì al telefono (the classic with tomato and mozzarella) and supplì di bucatini all’amatriciana
From La Gatta Mangiona: La Norcina (sausage, cream, pecorino, parmigiana), crocchetta classic (potato and fiordilatte), crocchetta la matta (a truly insane special; potato, musetto friulano, fig mostarda, honey, and Calabrese chili), supplì ubriarca (another special; radicchio, speck, and rice cooked in red wine)
#3. A cookie and crostatine collina. My panettone quest was powered by more dessert - a gracious collina or hill of cookies and crostatine (little crostatas) at Fischio. While many head to this spot to drink liters of natural wine, it is also the cutest place to stop for morning or afternoon coffee.
To your surprise, this cookie & crostatina collina was paired perfectly with a yummy filtered coffee from Tanzania upon barista's suggestion. No cappuccino folks. Because this is the new Rome, with specialty coffee and curiosity about things outside of tradition. Fischio reminds me of Brooklyn a little bit. Haven’t decided how I feel about it. But, I do dig it. And, don’t worry you can still get a cappuccino at Fischio. It is Italy, after all.
#3. Torta della nonna. A torta da paura (as the Romans say it), meaning it was “scary good”. Gosh, isn’t language the best?
Though originally Tuscan, torta della nonna is a cake with a buttery tart crust filled with sweet lemon-essenced vanilla cream. This was the dessert special at La Gatta Mangiona, a very special pizzeria in the Monteverde zone in Roma.
Things sipped
#1. Sting apparently has an aperitif. Yes, I am talking about the Sting of The Police. As if his Chianti wine dreams weren’t enough, Sting is dabbling in the world of aperitifs with his new Amante 1530 - an aperitif that I like way more than Aperol.
Why do I have Sting’s new aperitif? That’s not the point here. The point is - it’s super easy to drink. It’s mild, delicately zesty, and irresistibly refreshing. Substitute it for Aperol in your spritz, add a sprig of rosemary and a whiff of lemon, and you’re in business. Just one round and my friends at my little panettone pizza party were chiacchierone (‘chatterboxes’) in no time.
Details on my panettone pizza party and the panettone shopping spree I am still currently on to come. To show how it’s going, see the conversation tidbit below:
Things repurposed
#1. Leftover pizza never tasted so good. Do you ever order a white pizza or pizza without tomato, and it just gets sorta boring or overwhelming after a while? Well, I salvaged a delicious but quite boring after two slices ricotta and zucchini pizza with a bit of my best friend ‘nduja to create little crostini bites for a Saturday night dinner. The heat and zesty of Calabrese chilis did the job just right.
Just turn your oven to 200 c / 400 F and slide your pizza in (ideally on the rack, pizza stone, or a piece of aluminum with poked holes so that it gets all crispy.)
#2. Robiola is your secret substitute for mascarpone or cream. Why aren’t we eating more robiola? We really should be.
La Robiola Osella was on sale at the supermarket and - since I am my father’s daughter - I am a sucker for a deal. It ended up being one of the best things I bought. Because robiola can do everything. It’s your secret agent in your cheese drawer. That’s because robiola - like mascarpone and stracchino - is a fresh cheese that’s mild and spreadable, making it so versatile.
Add it to a pasta dish for creaminess, spread on bread with jam for a delicious breakfast, or even make a cheesecake. I had a little leftover and it saved me in making a luscious gorgonzola cream for my roasted radicchio when I had no milk or cream in my house. A little water and robiola did the trick!
Lastly, I would love to be friends with Dario Osella. His love for cheese just tells me we would be best friends.
Things lost in translation
A few funny things that involve a good play on words or a terrible Italian - English translation.
#1. Translating directly from Italian to English rarely goes as planned. Would you like to be cuddled by a cena di pesce or fish dinner? Personally, I wouldn’t mind.
#2. Pane-tonno anyone?
Callipo has a store in the Prati neighborhood of Rome. They also sell panettone. Yes, we are talking about the tuna fish company. The charming sales rep tricked us into thinking they had a tuna panettone, when it was really their Pan & Ton - honestly one of the greatest gag gifts for your foodie friends. It’s a loaf of bread and two jars of yummy tuna spread.
P.S. They do sell panettone too, but sans tuna. We picked up the one with dried calabrese figs. I will report back in an upcoming panettone newsletter.
#3. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the words ‘Southern Comfort’ on a pizza delivery menu in Rome, more specifically scalogno or shallot sauteed in Southern Comfort. Not marsala or balsamic - Southern Comfort whiskey. I didn’t even know they sold that here. I will be finding out why.
Things I listened to
Something Italian, something American
A favorite tune by Pino Daniele that I revisited this weekend. Heartwrenchingly beautiful.
And, Sting of course.
So, how was your weekend?
Love to know about all the fun food and drink things you’ve been up to, no matter where you are in this big wide world, along with any thoughts you would like to share!
Xx,
Victoria