Roma/Rome
When planning our 3rd trip to Europe, I busily made loads of notes about sites to see, restaurants to try, etc. In most cases I omitted looking up the addresses for restaurants thinking they would be easy to find!
One day we wanted to go to Da Gino. It was a restaurant recommended in an article I had read. The location was given as “near the Spanish Steps”. So, never having been there before, thought no problem! Well, we found the Spanish Steps all right and searched around for Da Gino to no avail. Oh, we were there without a GPS, address of any kind and never even thought of Googling it. Boy….
We really wanted to go to Da Gino to try their “rabbit in white wine”.**
Before this trip I had attempted to make Cacio e Pepe. Not wonderful. In Roma it’s almost the national dish. We had lunch at Maccheroni, a place that was recommended in a book I read, and it was on their menu. Wow….we ordered a first course, or primi, to share. What can I say? Absolutely fabulously cheesy, creamy with pecorino and cacio (a local cheese) and generously seasoned with coarsely ground black pepper. They use a long pasta that is very common in Rome called Tonnarelli, a thick spaghetti. Should have ordered a plate each and forgotten about the secondo!
My Husband threw down the gauntlet when we came home and asked that I come up with something similar. Not an easy task as I think Maccheroni’s method is unlike anything I have tried or seen. The closest I have come so far is a recipe that uses a combination of Pecorino and Grana Padano, some butter and lots of pepper, probably more than one would think would be good. But…the good news is that it is!
**If you would like to make the rabbit or chicken in white wine and the cacio e pepe, please go to Braised Rabbit With Rosemary & Cacio e Pepe.
I loved the rabbit
Me too!