I Heart Rome – Maria Pasquale


I Heart Rome: Recipes & Stories from the Eternal City
by Maria Pasquale is a guided tour with beautiful food and location photography, classic recipes, and stories from the Italian capital. Profiles of food purveyors and chefs told along with quirky stories and glorious pictures, take the reader on an inspiring journey through the Rome that tourists rarely get to see.

In a country justifiably famous for its food, Rome boasts its own fascinating cuisine that is fundamentally tied to its history. Influences from Ancient Rome to more recent events are reflected in the food culture of the city today. The author keeps us in touch with the past while keeping a finger on the pulse on Rome’s modern offerings.

Recipes in this title include the classics from Crocchette di patate (potato croquettes), Crostata di marmellata (jam tart), to Pesce in guazzetto (fish stew). Essays on Jewish-Roman cuisine and the Roman ghetto, market guides, with pizza and pasta heavily covered. Besides the recipes, recommendations on where to eat, where to drink and how to experience Rome like an Italian is shared.

Maria is the voice behind the blog Heart Rome which has become the go-to for information on travel  information on Rome, dining and broader travel. I Heart Rome is her first cookbook and is indeed a love letter to this beautiful city.

Amatriciana  by Eleonora Chiari

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Serves 4

  • 150 g (5½ oz) guanciale (cured pork cheek)
  • 1 red chilli
  • 400 g (14 oz) rigatoni, mezze maniche or bucatini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 350 g (12½ oz) fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped (or tinned chopped tomatoes)
  • 50 g (1¾ oz) Pecorino Romano, grated, plus extra for serving
  • 50 g (1¾ oz) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, plus extra to serve

Heat a large frying pan. Cut the guanciale into chunky strips about 1 cm (½ inch) thick and add them to the pan with the whole chilli. Fry over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until the guanciale becomes dark and crunchy and the fat has melted. Turn off the heat.

Remove the guanciale using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Discard the chilli, but leave the leftover fat in the frying pan.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for the time indicated on the packet.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to the leftover guanciale fat, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain and add to the sauce, along with the cooked guanciale. Mix everything together, then turn off the heat and stir the pecorino and parmigiano through.

Serve with an extra sprinkling of cheese.

Authors Note: The tomato-based amatriciana is a Roman favourite, although its origins lie in the Lazio town of Amatrice, hence the name. In Rome, unlike what might be served up outside of Italy, amatriciana is made with pecorino cheese, tomato and guanciale (cured pork cheek). My friend Eleonora is seven generations Roman (in Rome you aren’t considered Roman unless your bloodline dates back at least seven generations!), and her amatriciana is to die for, yet she defies tradition by adding some Parmigiano Reggiano and a hint of chilli.

You can stick with her version, or play around with this to make it your own. Serve it with either rigatoni, mezze maniche or bucatini pasta.

The publisher is offering copies of this book two copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and two copies to members in Australia and New Zealand (4 books in total) One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on March 3rd, 2018.

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102 Comments

  • heyjude  on  January 17, 2018

    Sea Bass Carpaccio

  • Amdona  on  January 17, 2018

    Tiramisu!

  • lauriesk  on  January 17, 2018

    Slow-cooked Jewish beef stew

  • EmilyR  on  January 17, 2018

    Mozzarella ‘in a carriage’ (Mozzarella in carrozza)

  • lpatterson412  on  January 17, 2018

    I would totally try her carbonara first!!!

  • jmay42066  on  January 17, 2018

    Slow-cooked Jewish beef stew

  • contest718  on  January 17, 2018

    Jam tart (Crostata di marmellata) [Toni Brancatisano]

  • Toomanybooks88  on  January 18, 2018

    Ricotta sour cherry tart

  • Angryyew  on  January 18, 2018

    Cacio e pepe

  • AnnaZed  on  January 18, 2018

    Jewish fried artichokes (Carciofi alla Giudia) [Da Enzo al 29]

  • dvajefink  on  January 18, 2018

    Oxtail stew sounds interesting but I’ll say Rice stuffed tomatoes

  • vickster  on  January 18, 2018

    Fried Rice Balls

  • laffersk  on  January 18, 2018

    Fried meatballs (Polpette di bollito)

  • Sueskitchen  on  January 18, 2018

    The sea bass

  • kmn4  on  January 18, 2018

    Pan-fried veal with prosciutto and sage (Saltimbocca alla Romana)

  • sarahawker  on  January 18, 2018

    Fried rice balls

  • Kerreydp  on  January 18, 2018

    I’d try carbonara first.

  • Siegal  on  January 18, 2018

    Tiramisu is my fav

  • hirsheys  on  January 18, 2018

    Jam tart!

  • mpdeb98  on  January 18, 2018

    Ricotta and sour cherry tart

  • dbielick  on  January 19, 2018

    Mum’s chicken and egg-drop soup

  • robynsanyal  on  January 19, 2018

    Gnocchi with mussels and pecorino

  • milgwimper  on  January 19, 2018

    ricotta and sour cherry tart

  • Scotsman61  on  January 20, 2018

    Tiramisu!

  • RSW  on  January 20, 2018

    Gnocchi with mussels and pecorino

  • FireRunner2379  on  January 20, 2018

    I love pizza, so my first choice is the Pizza bianca!

  • DarcyVaughn  on  January 20, 2018

    Porchetta

  • annieski  on  January 21, 2018

    Ricotta and sour cherry tart!

  • LizyB  on  January 21, 2018

    Slow roasted pork

  • hazychase  on  January 21, 2018

    roman broccoli

  • v.t  on  January 21, 2018

    Fried rice balls (Supplì)

  • sgump  on  January 21, 2018

    The ricotta and sour cherry tart (crostata di ricotta e visciole) sounds lovely!

  • LaurenE  on  January 21, 2018

    Slow-cooked Jewish beef stew

  • bstewart  on  January 21, 2018

    Tiramisu!

  • littleminxgirl  on  January 21, 2018

    I'm a sucker for a good tiramisu

  • rchesser  on  January 21, 2018

    Oxtail Soup

  • matag  on  January 23, 2018

    Rawest wine biscuits

  • matag  on  January 23, 2018

    Sweet wine biscuits

  • Dannausc  on  January 24, 2018

    Jewish fried artichokes

  • lgroom  on  January 24, 2018

    Slow-cooked Jewish beef.

  • Julia  on  January 25, 2018

    Jewish fried artichokes.

  • henare  on  January 26, 2018

    Pan-fried veal with prosciutto and sage

  • MaryCunningham86  on  January 26, 2018

    I am intrigued by the Ugly but good biscuits!

  • luccio  on  January 26, 2018

    Brutti ma buoni : (with a name like that…!)

  • fbrunetti  on  January 26, 2018

    Grilled lamb cutlets

  • infotrop  on  January 26, 2018

    Sweet wine biscuits sound intriguing (as does Ciambelline al vino)

  • CCF4  on  January 26, 2018

    Lamb Cutlets

  • sugo  on  January 26, 2018

    Roman-style battered salt cod (Filetti di baccalà alla Romana) for me

  • cora429  on  January 27, 2018

    La gricia

  • tararr  on  January 27, 2018

    Anything with lamb… Lamb cutlets

  • FuzzyBee  on  January 27, 2018

    Ricotta and sour cherry tart

  • ravensfan  on  January 27, 2018

    Carbonara [Da Enzo al 29]

  • DougPalermo  on  January 27, 2018

    I would love to try the fish stew Pesce in guazzetto.

  • Jenamarie  on  January 27, 2018

    Rice-stuffed baked tomatoes (Pomodoro col riso)

  • ktpotat  on  January 27, 2018

    Roman style artichokes

  • Marcia1206  on  January 27, 2018

    Oh my! How to choose ? I love Italian food all ways. I’d like to learn to make gnocchi

  • Bakersdozen  on  January 28, 2018

    I want to try the Slow-cooked Jewish beef stew (Stracotto).

  • Clove  on  January 28, 2018

    Ugly but good biscuits. Who could resist that title?!

  • naty  on  January 28, 2018

    Amatriciana….pork cheeks…..gotta try that

  • lisambb  on  January 28, 2018

    Sour cherry tart

  • RickPearson54  on  January 28, 2018

    Jam tart

  • artthecat  on  January 28, 2018

    Carbonara

  • ljskop  on  January 28, 2018

    Crostata di marmellata

  • rachael_mc  on  January 28, 2018

    Fried Stuffed Olives!

  • jd5761  on  January 28, 2018

    Tiramisu for me 🙂

  • obbigttam  on  January 28, 2018

    Slow Roasted Pork – Yum!

  • Whyvette  on  January 28, 2018

    I'd make the Amatriciana first.

  • sarahshan  on  January 28, 2018

    I'd try the carbonara first!

  • sequoia55  on  January 28, 2018

    Sour cherry tart

  • kerrin1976  on  January 29, 2018

    Fried doughnuts

  • jim.windle  on  January 29, 2018

    Puntarelle! Love it!

  • Sfgordon  on  January 30, 2018

    Meatballs and Tomato sauce!

  • jezpurr  on  January 30, 2018

    Sweet Cream Buns!!!^_^

  • cambridgecook  on  February 1, 2018

    Roman style battered salt cod

  • Shelley.b  on  February 1, 2018

    Fried rice balls

  • topdawg11  on  February 2, 2018

    Fried zucchini flowers.

  • DeepCreekKitchen  on  February 2, 2018

    Cacao e pepe

  • nicki.williams  on  February 2, 2018

    I’d make Fried, marinated zucchini. Sounds like a delicious way to use all the courgettes that I have in the garden at the moment!

  • Lambsears  on  February 2, 2018

    I've eaten Suppli in Trastavere and adored them, so I'd be keen to recreate that experience at home!

  • t.t  on  February 3, 2018

    Jewish fried artichokes (Carciofi alla Giudia)

  • laureljean  on  February 5, 2018

    Slow-cooked Jewish beef stew (Stracotto)

  • Karla123  on  February 7, 2018

    Pasta and chickpeas …this perfect winter dish would quickly become a favorite of mine.

  • lebarron2001  on  February 9, 2018

    Roman broccoli and potato smash

  • soffner  on  February 10, 2018

    Gnocchi with mussels and pecorino (Gnocchi cozze e pecorino) [Angelo Preziosi]

  • choppergirl  on  February 11, 2018

    Pizza bianca [Antico Forno Roscioli]

  • rahiscock  on  February 15, 2018

    Amatricana

  • katehenderson  on  February 16, 2018

    Jam tart

  • Arinelle  on  February 17, 2018

    I'd try the Crochette di patate!

  • JenJoLa  on  February 17, 2018

    Roman-style artichokes (Carciofi alla Romana) [Gina Tringali]

  • orchidlady01  on  February 24, 2018

    Pan-fried veal with prosciutto and sage (Saltimbocca alla Romana)

  • PennyG  on  February 25, 2018

    Fried mini-mozzarella balls (Mozzarelline fritte)

  • jemans  on  February 27, 2018

    fried artichokes – I had them at a restaurant once and they were beyond divine, would love to recreate them!

  • obbigttam  on  February 28, 2018

    Zeppole di San Giuseppe [Gina Tringali] – gotta give Joe some love 🙂

  • skyejaden  on  February 28, 2018

    Oh definitely the fried rice balls!!

  • HermionieG  on  February 28, 2018

    Chicken with peppers (Pollo con i peperoni) [Angelo Preziosi]

  • GregH  on  February 28, 2018

    Roman broccoli and potato smash (Torta di patate e broccoli Romani) [Piero Drago And Jacopo Ricci, Secondo Tradizione]

  • Cryambers  on  March 1, 2018

    Pasta and chickpeas (Pasta e ceci)

  • hibeez  on  March 1, 2018

    I have a favorite tiramisu recipe, so I'd like to check out another version!

  • thewife1992  on  March 1, 2018

    This sounds so delicious! Mascarpone mousse with wild strawberries (Mousse di mascarpone con fragoline di bosco) [Da Enzo Al 29] (page 52)

  • ccav  on  March 1, 2018

    Anchovy and endive bake!

  • LobsterloverLisa  on  March 2, 2018

    It’s so cold outside today. I need to make Pork sausage and lentils (Cotechino e lenticchie) to warm me up.

  • bamato  on  March 2, 2018

    slow-roasted pork. Looks fabulous!

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