Abbacchio alla Romana
Lamb braises with garlic, rosemary and white wine, then takes on a savory, lightly sharp sauce from anchovies and vinegar.
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Antipasti: starters · Primi: pasta, rice & soups · Secondi: mains · Contorni: sides · Street food: breads & snacks · Dolci: desserts
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Lamb braises with garlic, rosemary and white wine, then takes on a savory, lightly sharp sauce from anchovies and vinegar.
White fish gently poaches with tomatoes, garlic and white wine, leaving a light broth to spoon up with bread.
Slow-cooked onions, celery and tomatoes make a savory broth, served over toasted bread with an egg and grated pecorino.
Small pinched pasta parcels hold a fine filling of braised veal, pork and spinach, dressed simply with butter and sage.
Cured meats, cheeses, olives and preserved vegetables make a shared Italian starter, with bread for assembling small bites.
Golden Sicilian rice balls with a crisp breadcrumb shell and a filling of meat ragù, peas and melting cheese.
Small cubes of sheep meat and fat pack slender skewers, grilled until browned and served hot with a simple seasoning of salt.
Lamb roasts slowly with rosemary, garlic and white wine, served with potatoes and a spoonful of reduced pan juices.
Floured salt cod is lightly fried, then settled into a tomato, onion and garlic sauce for a Tuscan fish main.
Cooked stockfish is beaten with olive oil into a soft spread, served on toast as a savory Venetian bite.
Thick strands of pasta catch a soft onion and anchovy sauce, with sweetness from the onions balancing the fish’s saltiness.
A thick T-bone steak grilled over hot coals, with a browned crust and a traditionally rare center, usually shared at the table.
Beef rolls filled with pecorino, parsley, pine nuts and raisins simmer slowly in tomato sauce until tender.
Whole sea bass cooks on a hot grill with olive oil and herbs, served with lemon and parsley to finish.
Beef braises slowly in Barolo wine with vegetables and herbs, then is sliced and served with its rich cooking sauce.
Warm toasted bread is rubbed with garlic, then topped with ripe tomatoes, olive oil and torn basil just before serving.
Hollow bucatini carries a tomato sauce enriched with guanciale, a little chili and grated Pecorino Romano, with crisp pork pieces throughout.
Twisted pasta catches a coarse pesto of ripe tomatoes, almonds, basil and garlic, served warm with the sauce left uncooked.
Spaghetti coated in a glossy sauce of Pecorino Romano, black pepper and starchy pasta water, with a sharp, warming finish.
Squid tubes hold a savory bread-and-tentacle filling with olives and capers, then simmer gently in a light tomato sauce.
Bread dumplings dotted with speck and herbs simmer gently, then arrive in clear beef broth with a finish of chopped chives.
Rolled pasta encloses a savory meat filling beneath tomato, béchamel and grated cheese, baked until bubbling and lightly golden.
Crisp Sicilian pastry tubes hold sweet ricotta cream, with chocolate or pistachios at the ends and a light dusting of sugar.
Whole almonds stud small golden biscuits, sliced on the diagonal and baked again until firm and crisp, ready for dipping or nibbling.
Soft fried eggplant meets celery, olives and capers in a sweet-and-sour tomato dressing, served cool as a Sicilian starter or side.
Paper-thin raw beef is served cold with a light mayonnaise-based sauce in the Venetian preparation associated with Harry’s Bar.
Chickpea flour, water and olive oil bake into a thin golden round, crisp at the edges with a soft center.
Fish, mussels and shrimp cook in a tomato-and-wine broth, making a San Francisco seafood stew to serve with bread.
Rabbit pieces braise with wine, herbs, small dark olives and pine nuts, leaving tender meat and a savory pan sauce.
A bone-in veal chop gets an egg and breadcrumb coating, then fries in clarified butter for a crisp golden crust.
Mussels steam in a golden saffron broth with softened leeks, white wine, lemon and herbs, with bread for the juices.
Toasted bread carries a savory chicken liver spread with softened vegetables, capers and anchovies, a familiar Tuscan starter.
Plump pasta parcels enclose potato, pecorino and mint, with a pinched wheat-ear seam and a simple tomato sauce.
Dried broad beans cook into a thick, gentle purée beside tender bitter chicory, finished simply with olive oil and black pepper.
Fresh egg fettuccine meet butter and finely grated Parmigiano, tossed with pasta water into a silky sauce without cream.
Long curls of fileja hold a red tomato sauce enriched with spicy ’nduja, softened red onion and a light finish of pecorino.
Dimpled olive-oil bread has a golden surface and a tender crumb, with a salty finish that suits a snack or shared table.
Fontina melts into a warm, velvety sauce with milk, egg yolks and butter, ready to spoon up with toasted bread.
Potatoes, onion and Montasio cook into a soft, savory center beneath a crisp golden cheese crust, served hot in shared wedges.
Soft onions and grated Parmigiano flavor a gently cooked egg frittata, sliced into wedges for a main course or shared starter.
Squid, shrimp and small fish get a light flour coating and a brief fry, served hot with salt and lemon.
Smooth Italian gelato comes in milk, nut, chocolate and fruit flavors, served in a cup or cone while still softly scoopable.
Semolina cooked in milk becomes tender rounds, layered with butter and cheese and baked until the tops are golden.
Potato gnocchi bake in tomato sauce with mozzarella, basil and grated cheese, forming soft dumplings beneath a bubbling top.
Ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil make a cool Campanian salad, dressed simply with olive oil and a little salt.
Tender octopus is dressed with olive oil, lemon and parsley, with potatoes adding substance in this version of the coastal salad.
Thin pasta sheets alternate with slow-cooked meat ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano, baked until the edges turn golden.
Linguine catches the juices of mussels, clams, squid and shrimp, with garlic, white wine and tomato making a light seafood sauce.
Fried eggplant slices are layered with tomato, basil and melting cheese, then baked and rested before cutting into soft portions.
Tender pieces of pork and chicken meet leafy greens in a savory broth, a substantial Neapolitan soup finished with grated cheese.
Seasonal vegetables and white beans simmer in a light tomato broth, with small pasta adding substance to this Italian soup.
Large green olives wrap a finely minced meat filling beneath a crisp golden breadcrumb coat, served hot as small savory bites.
Little ear-shaped pasta holds tender, bitter greens, with garlic, anchovies and chili giving the olive-oil dressing a savory edge.
Bone-in veal shanks braise until tender in wine and vegetables, finished with bright lemon, garlic and parsley gremolata.
Large pasta tubes hold a rich tomato ragù made with slowly braised beef, pork ribs and sausage, finished with grated cheese.
Pork slowly bakes beneath a vivid red coating of sweet and hot pepper, garlic and vinegar, leaving tender meat and savory juices.
Sweetened cream set with gelatin makes a cool, gently wobbling dessert, served plain or with a small fruit topping.
Plump pasta parcels hold greens, ricotta and marjoram, with a creamy walnut sauce in the familiar Ligurian pairing.
Soaked bread, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion absorb olive oil and wine vinegar in a cool, soft-textured Tuscan salad.
Wide egg-pasta ribbons carry a slow-cooked wild-boar sauce with red wine, tomato and aromatic vegetables, in a familiar Tuscan pairing.
Basil, pine nuts, garlic and two grated cheeses make a fragrant green sauce, tossed through pasta away from the heat.
Rigatoni catches a savory coating of rendered guanciale, Pecorino Romano and black pepper, with crisp pieces of pork in every forkful.
Fried eggplant joins tomato sauce and basil on pasta, with grated ricotta salata adding a salty finish to this Sicilian primo.
Tomatoes, dark olives, capers and garlic make a quick, briny sauce that clings to spaghetti, with a little chili and parsley.
Large pasta tubes hold mussels and their savory juices, finished off the heat with grated pecorino and a little parsley.
Sardines and fennel coat the pasta with a savory sauce, balanced by raisins, pine nuts, saffron and a toasted breadcrumb finish.
Short pasta catches garlic-scented olive oil, toasted breadcrumbs and brittle pieces of sweet dried pepper, finished with a little cacioricotta.
Small pasta cooks with chickpeas, rosemary and a little tomato, with anchovies adding savory depth to this Roman-style bowl.
Small pasta and creamy white beans share a tomato broth with softened vegetables, rosemary and a finishing spoonful of olive oil.
Small pasta simmers with sweet peas and softened onion, then gets a little grated cheese for a creamy, spoonable first course.
Spiral pasta carries broccoli, carrots, peppers and tomatoes, lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon and grated Parmigiano.
Ridged penne catch a tomato sauce warmed with garlic and chili, with chopped parsley adding a fresh finish.
Whole fish bakes with potatoes, tomatoes, Taggiasca olives and pine nuts in a Ligurian-style preparation with olive oil and white wine.
A tender wheat flatbread cooks on a hot griddle until spotted brown, ready to fold around cheese, cured meat or vegetables.
A soft, thin center and a raised rim carry tomato, melted mozzarella and basil in the Margherita version of Neapolitan pizza.
Soft cornmeal polenta holds sautéed mushrooms, garlic and herbs, a northern Italian pairing served as a side or small starter.
Golden chicken cutlets meet browned mushrooms in a savory Marsala-wine pan sauce, finished with butter and chopped parsley.
Bone-in chicken braises with tomato, red wine and aromatic vegetables, with olives added near the end of this Tuscan-style version.
Thin chicken cutlets turn golden in the pan, then take on a bright sauce of lemon, capers, white wine and butter.
Soft beef-and-pork meatballs with bread, parsley and pecorino simmer in tomato sauce, served as a meat course in this Campanian-style version.
Roast pork is rolled with garlic and herbs, sliced through its crisp skin and served on a plate or tucked into bread.
Soft egg-pasta squares enclose ricotta, spinach and a little nutmeg, with butter and sage in this Tuscan-style preparation.
Bread thickens a Tuscan soup of cannellini beans, kale and vegetables into a soft, substantial bowl finished with olive oil.
Tender rice and sweet peas share a loose, creamy broth, with small pieces of pancetta and a finish of butter and grated cheese.
Porcini give slowly stirred risotto an earthy flavor, with butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano making the final coating soft and creamy.
Risotto rice is finished off the heat with four cheeses, combining sharp, mild and blue flavors in a rich, loose sauce.
Risotto rice absorbs a dark cuttlefish sauce, bringing together tender seafood, white wine and the briny flavor of its ink.
Creamy rice carries radicchio’s gentle bitterness, softened with butter and cheese and finished with a little fresh radicchio for contrast.
Saffron colors this Milanese rice dish gold, while broth, butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano give it a soft, flowing texture.
Risotto rice cooks in fish stock and strained shellfish juices, with mussels, clams, squid and shrimp added in stages.
Crumbled pork sausage flavors slowly cooked risotto rice, with white wine, hot stock and an off-heat butter-and-cheese finish.
Asparagus, peas and carrots bring spring vegetables to risotto, finished with butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little fresh parsley.
Thin veal cutlets carry a layer of prosciutto and sage, with a buttery white-wine pan sauce spooned over the top.
Fried sardines rest under soft onions and wine vinegar, with raisins and pine nuts adding sweetness and a little bite.
Crisp fried semolina pastry surrounds warm sheep’s cheese and lemon zest, finished with honey while the center is still soft.
Whipped cream, pasteurized egg whites and ground pistachios make an airy frozen dessert that needs no ice-cream machine.
Cuttlefish simmers with Swiss chard, tomatoes and aromatic vegetables until tender, making a saucy Ligurian seafood main course.
Crisp ridges of pastry surround a sweet ricotta-and-semolina filling scented with citrus, in the riccia version of the Neapolitan specialty.
Spaghetti is tossed with gently warmed garlic, olive oil and chili, using a little pasta water to make a glossy coating.
Silky pasta tossed with egg yolks, pecorino romano, crispy guanciale, and black pepper.
Clams, garlic and white wine give spaghetti a light, savory sauce, finished with parsley and a little starchy pasta water.
Beef pieces braise slowly with red wine, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms until tender in a concentrated, savory sauce.
Beaten eggs and Parmigiano-Reggiano form soft ribbons in hot broth, making a light Roman first course with a gently savory finish.
Apples, raisins and pine nuts fill a golden pastry loaf, sliced warm and finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Crisp Roman rice croquettes enclose tomato-and-meat rice around a melting mozzarella center, ready to eat warm from the fryer.
Fresh egg-pasta ribbons carry a slow-cooked beef and pancetta ragù, with a little tomato, milk and grated Parmigiano at the finish.
Rice, thin potato slices and mussels bake in layers with tomato, onion and pecorino, forming a golden top over a moist center.
Coffee-dipped savoiardi layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa: a chilled dessert with a gentle bitterness beneath its rich, soft layers.
A thick, tender flatbread cooks on a hot griddle until brown-spotted, then is cut into warm wedges ready to split or share.
Dark chocolate and ground almonds make a rich, moist cake with a delicate crust and a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Small rings of egg pasta enclose pork, prosciutto and mortadella, served in a clear, savory meat broth.
Tender strips of beef tripe simmer in tomato sauce with aromatic vegetables, then finish with fresh mint and grated Pecorino Romano.
Short twists of pasta carry basil pesto, with tender potatoes and green beans adding substance to this Ligurian first course.
Thin slices of chilled veal sit beneath a smooth tuna, egg and caper sauce, bringing mild meat and savory fish together.
Egg yolks, sugar and sweet Marsala whisk into a warm, airy custard, served in small glasses with chocolate and a sponge finger.
Pieces of fish and squid share a tomato broth with mussels and clams, served with toasted bread for the juices.
Crumbled sausage, tender potatoes and kale fill a creamy broth, with fennel and a little chili bringing warmth to each spoonful.