Press Articles

Tasty Rome

Yvette Dolan By kind permission of Abroad magazine Ireland



Yvette Dolan attended a cooking holiday in Italy, and enjoyed a great big slice of La Dolce Vita.



Making our ascent on meandering leafy country roads, a pleasant sense of anticipation enveloped me. The dusty village of Toffia seemed to teeter, in gravity-defiant pose, atop a spur of tufa rock, rising from the verdant valley below. We were surrounded by pastures of olive trees and fields of wild garlic and sunflowers, nestled deep in the history-steeped region of Lazio, just 50km north of Rome.

The class immediately gathered for a brief briefing (disguised as an early evening aperitif), in the aptly named Isola di Marianna. This tiny bar, nestled at the edge of Toffia’s parapets, was to become our mustering point for the week ahead. Here we made our introductions, and enjoyed a celebratory glass of sparkling prosecco. Fellow course participants ranged in age from approximately 30 to 65 years, and included Irish, English, American and Australians, each with a uniting passion and palate for all things tasty!

Toffia, it was explained, was home to approximately 500 inhabitants, a handful of which were recently adopted by the indigenous community, having ‘flown’in from the oft-madding crowds of Rome. One such inhabitant is Mark Minihane, he has successfully launched ‘A Taste of Rome’ - a company specialising in cooking holidays.

No brochure could have prepared me for the treat that was in store. As I was shown to my ‘quarters’, I stepped through a heavy wooden portico. My home for the week was an elegant stone building, steeped in history, and dreamily draped in wisteria. This palazzo is one of a handful of period buildings in the heart of the village’s ancient centre arranged in three sides around a pretty garden, overlooking the valley. The garden’s tumbling, heavily scented jasmine and the quirky exterior artwork of its artist owner, Livio, made it a fanciful delight!

That evening we enjoyed a welcome dinner in the 15th century Oratorio di San Lorenzo – an oratory that has been lovingly restored and converted into private residences by its charismatic owner, Bruno. Chirping crickets sent me to sleep that night, and next morning, birdsong and church bells sounded the waking hour and brought me gently to my senses.

Classes began after a pastry and creamy cappuccino, sleepily supped in the hazy sunshine back at Isola di Marianna. Classes were conducted in Ettore’s beautiful home – his spacious kitchen becoming ours for the week. Communication was a cocktail of Italian and English (to the effect that all participants left at the end of the week, with more Italiano than they had arriving!).

As we kitted up in jolly red aprons, Mark explained that the emphasis of the course is on creating traditional dishes from La Cucina Romana, using local organic ingredients, in season. We were delighted and surprised to find that the recipes chosen by Ettore are not difficult. The interactive approach and jovial atmosphere, result in a pressure-free, enjoyable lesson. Mark vows on his website, “these are not domestic science lessons”, and before we knew it the prosecco had been popped, and we were savouring chunks of Parmigiano cheese, freshly chiselled from the wheel.

With Paolo Conti playing in the background, we tucked into our DIY banquet - flabbergasted at what we had managed to create together, under Ettore’s gallant guidance.

The first day saw us rolling up our sleeves to make pasta from scratch. Another day it was a melt-in-the-mouth roast tenderloin of beef, served with chocolate(!) bread rolls and a courgette flower omelette. How we still had room for panna cotta, topped with a fresh strawberry coulis, is Ettore’s secret!

The itinerary was varied and half way through the week, we enjoyed a guided walking tour of Rome, followed by a sumptuous lunch in a typical trattoria Romana. Personal time in the afternoon permitted a spot of shopping, before we readily retreated ‘home’ to Toffia. A light supper, and a traditional music recital in the garden, lit by lanterns and moonlight, was magical. The last day of school was deemed a half day, and the morning was spent at the nearby Agriturismo Santo Pietro. There we were placed in the good hands of the signora of the house, who taught us how to make that signature Italian dessert - crostata (fruit tart).

Parting celebrations took the form of a country barbeque, at a tumbling country house used by Olivio, as his artist’s retreat. Departing, we purchased bottles of fragrant cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, produced from Susanna’s father’s 400 olive trees - so that we could take a taste of Toffia (as well as Rome!) home. Passing nearby Farfa Abbey as we made our way to the airport, we were reminded of the importance of Toffia and neighbouring fiefdoms in the past. This is a countryside scattered with medieval hilltop villages, Etruscan ruins and Roman villas. We lamented not having even more time to explore this beautiful area which, like the course itself, leaves you wanting more.


Essential Information:

Yvette Dolan flew from Dublin to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino airport. The airport is situated 26km west of Rome’s city centre.

A direct train from Fiumicino airport to nearby Passo Corese/Fara Sabina train station takes one hour and fifteen minutes.

The village of Toffia sits in the Region of Lazio, and the Province of Rieti.

From Toffia, Rome’s city centre is easily accessible by train and Metropolitana. The combi-ticket costs approximately €6.

A Taste of Rome’s runs week-long courses (arriving Monday and departing Saturday). It is also possible to stay for three nights, participating in classes on any days of the week.


Fact File:

During her stay, Yvette (together with her new class mates), enjoyed sampling typical Roman fair, at the following restaurants and trattorie:

Trattoria da Lupi
Via Porta Montopoli
02030 Abbazia di Farfa (Ri)
Tel: +39 0765 277 008

Ristorante S. Eustachio
Piazza dei Caprettari, 63
00186 Roma
Tel: +39 06 686 16 16

A highly recommended local restaurant is:
La Locanda dello Gufetto
Piazza Maria Jose’ 3
Salisano
Tel: +39 0765 469 402


Sidebar
RECIPES

Pasta Dough:
Ingredients (to serve 3-4 people):

200g organic “00” flour
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (must be at room temperature for at least one hour before use)
Pinch salt
A drop of water to bind
A tablespoon of olive oil


Method:

1. Scatter the flour onto a large wooden board, forming a mound, and creating a well in the centre.

2. Place the eggs, salt and water in the well. Mix the ingredients together in the centre of the well, gradually drawing in the flour from the edges, eventually forming a consistent dough (taking care not to make it too wet).

3. Knead for a few moments, before making an indentation / a small well in the centre of the dough, and pouring in the olive oil.

4. Knead the olive oil into the pasta dough, working for several minutes, until smooth.

5. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for half an hour (minimum), out of the way of any draughts.

6. Once rested, roll out the pasta dough until it is a very fine sheet, ensuring it is free of any cracks or ripples.

7. Gently roll up the sheet (as though it were a swiss roll). With a sharp knife, cut off ‘slices of swiss roll’ from one end, until all of the pasta has been cut. Gently untangle all of these slices, resulting in “rough hewn” strips of tagliatelle pasta.

8. Toss in a little flour to ensure the pasta strips remain separate. Leave aside to dry for approximately one hour before cooking in boiling salted water until al dente.

9. Serve with a pasta sauce of choice.


Aubergine Sauce (Salsa di Melanzane)

Ingredients:

2 aubergines
750g of Passata di Pomodoro (crushed tomatoes)
2 onions, finely chopped
2 chilli peppers
A teaspoon of dried parsley
2 tablespoons of dry white wine
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Grated parmesan


Method:

1. Take two aubergines, and cut in half, cross-ways.

2. Place the resulting chunks standing up on their cut ends, and slice fine slivers of the skin off the outside of each.

3. Place the slivers to one side, then cut the aubergine into equally sized cubes, approx. 1 cm in diameter.

4. Then cut the saved slivers of aubergine skin into julienne, or thin strips, and set to one side.

5. Sauté the finely chopped onions, together with the chilli peppers (seeds left in, split down the middle, almost all the way through – so as to release flavour), over a gentle heat, removing the chilli after 10 minutes.

6. Add a teaspoon of dried parsley, together with the white wine for flavour.

7. Add the chopped aubergine, and mix. Cover and sweat for approximately 5 minutes.

8. Allow the aubergine to caramelise a little (this will result in a slight burning smell), before adding the Passata di Pomodoro (crushed tomatoes). Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, and allow all the flavours to mingle. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Heat a deep pan of extra virgin olive oil. Add the slivers of aubergine skin until crisp and starting to brown.

10. Select a ‘chunky’ rigatoni-type dried pasta, and cooked in salted boiling water until just ‘al dente’.

11. Serve the sauce centre on top of the pasta in a deep dish, topped by a scattering of crispy aubergine skin. This creates a pleasant contrast of sweet and bitter, soft and crispy, as well as making for visually appealing dish.

12. Sprinkle with grated parmesan, as desired.

Panna cotta served with strawberry coulis:

Methods:

Panna cotta:
500g of cream
100 g of sugar
1 vanilla stick


Coulis:
200g strawberries
¼ glass port
¼ glass vin santo
2 tablespoons of sugar


Method:

1. Bring all ingredients to a gentle simmer on the hob, and cook for one minute, before pouring into individual moulds, already sitting in a large bowl of cold water. Chill overnight, or for a minimum of 3 hours.
2. For the coulis, combine all ingredients, and whizz up in a blender, until reaching the desired consistency.
3. Gently turn out the panna cotta into the centre of a desert plate, and serve with a drizzle of compote. Garnish with a leaf of sweet mint, and a halved strawberry.


Wines:
We enjoyed wines such as the white Falanghina dei Feudi de San Gregorio, from Campania,a Rapitala’ Catarrato Chardonnay from Sicily, and Mionetto Spumante, from Valdobbiadene.

Yvette Dolan www.abroad.ie