Join me, and Monica, whom I met many years ago in the Leading Caterers of America, the owner of another top catering company, the Clean Plate Club in Nashville, for a sunny day in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Rome.
We had both been to Rome many times and were excited to learn some new things, get some inspo, and EAT more :)
Eduardo Baroni has a Master's Degree in Roman History and a fierce appetite for the rustic, ancient, and spectacular food of Rome that he grew up on. His food tours are a mix of history, stories, legends, and the amazing food found right in his internationally coveted neighborhood.
We started in Piazza Mattei which sits hidden in the heart of the Jewish Ghetto, home to the oldest Jewish Community in all of Europe. It was fascinating to learn about that history and hear stories about the families that were taken from their homes to the concentration camps commemorated by the brass tiles set into the dark black cobbles in front of their homes.
I always thought Naples was the pizza capital of the world…but now, for me, it's Rome. This city has it all, Anthony Bourdain loved the Cacio de Pepe - all of the pasta is phenomenal - but in the Jewish Ghetto we discovered the most amazing warm Israeli hummus, lighter than air, and the pastrami, and delicious Bottarga, made from dried mullet roe, used in tiny sandwiches made with Pizza Bianca, and the magical artichokes ... there's a good reason "all roads lead to Rome".
The insanely delicious, classic, ancient-style sandwiches of house-cured Pastrami or Bottarga, a dried & cured Mullet Roe, defined as Italian Caviar at Bar Del Cappuccino were made from Pizza Bianca Romano ‘white pizza’ a very thin, crisp version. Best as soon as it comes out of the oven, brushed with a new coat of oil and topped with a light sprinkle of salt and maybe a little rosemary, it is worth waiting for a fresh slab of it to emerge from the giant hearth oven.
It is said that the origin of pizza bianca comes from Rome’s bakers who, before baking their loaves of bread, would place a small piece of dough into the oven to test the temperature. Nowadays it is a truly Roman recipe, not to be confused with focaccia which is usually found in the north of Italy and generally has a spongier, breadier texture.
Next, we headed to Campo dei Fiori to hear the legend that has us cheering for freedom and brilliance of Giordano Bruno in front of his statue, where he was burned at the stake, not for a crime, but for his convictions in science that went against the Catholic Church's beliefs.
Next, we turned our attention to the open-air Farmer's Market & artichoke season, early winter to mid-spring, was in full swing. We tasted Jewish-style deep-fried artichokes, and the crisp leaves became like chips that were glorious with the lite, exceptional, Israeli-style hummus (trick: add baking soda to the soaked garbanzo beans while boiling them and serve it warm & well garnished).
The meat shop was a simple, ancient place packed with salumi, charcuteries, and the most beautiful cuts of beef and freshest naturally yellow-skinned poultry you've ever seen, directly across from Bruno's statue look for the marble door frame engraved with "Polleria". Here we made a toast with a beautiful Roman Cesanese red wine, "Chin Chin!" said Eduardo, at which point I got to teach him not to say that - as I mistakenly once did - in Japan, where the translation is the word penis, but when in Rome...
We ended our lovely tour with a stop at a multiple award-winning remarkable Gelateria, Fatamorgana at Via Dei Chiavari, 37, although they have 8 locations in Rome, and two here in California! Studio City & Beverly Hills. Here Valeria has a seemingly endless selection of creative versions. Just like Pure Joy Catering, they like to say that "nature is their sole supplier, our high-quality products are guaranteed free of artificial flavors, colorants, preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, ripening agents, growth hormones, semi-processed bases, pastes or any additives. Trust me; bypass all the gelato places with high, waves of colorful gelato in their display & head to a more naturally made and scrumptious shop like this. Authentic natural gelato doesn't behave like that, that's full of fillers and chemicals. Another clue is to look at the pistachio gelato, pistachios taste better toasted but then they lose most of that green color, it should be browner, it will taste a lot better and not be fake.
With amore,
Lynette La Mere, PJC Founding Executive Chef & Culinary Explorationist
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