Foraging in the Rome countryside

Foraging for wild herbs and vegetables is an ancient art, here in the Sabine Hills. It's a great way to integrate the vegetables you grow in the garden. My favourite is 'rapacciola' or 'ramolaccio', which essentially is a type of wild broccoli and it's closely related to radish as well. Part of the brassica family, rapacciola is delicious just boiled, then pan-fried with olive oil, garlic and salt. The leaves, the new shoots and the buds are cooked, while the tiny root can be eaten raw, thinly sliced and with a little olive oil on top. A great alternative to cultivated broccoli varieties, the rapacciola is full of good nutrients and vitamins.

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Carbonara Pasta - fast, tasty Roman cuisine

Carbonara is a symbol of Rome’s cuisine and one of my favourite fast pasta dishes to make.

'Spaghetti alla carbonara' served with ground black pepper and topped with extra Guanciale

Ingredients: (serves 6)
50g of guanciale (cured pork cheek), 50 g of pecorino romano cheese, black pepper, 4 eggs, extra virgin olive oil.
Dried Pasta: 80-100g per serving

Method: Cut the guanciale into short sticks. Put a little olive oil in a pan and fry guanciale until crispy. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with pecorino cheese, black pepper and a pinch of salt. When pasta is cooked, drain the pasta, put it back in the hot pot and mix all the ingredients until the eggs acquire a creamy consistency, without scrambling. Serve immediately and with extra pepper on top.

Pasta shapes traditionally used for Carbonara are spaghetti or  rigatoni.

Chef Guido's Tips:
Tip 1: This sauce is very quick, and when ready needs to be stirred into the cooked 'aldente' spaghetti and served immediately.
Tip 2: If guanciale is not available you can use pancetta instead

If you like this recipe, please download Guido's FREE 5 minute Roman Pasta Recipe Booklet

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