Rome 03/2008 Recipes
April 15, 2008
Now that we are home, I keep thinking about some of the food we ate while in Rome. Tonight, I tried to recreate a version of the Spaghetti alla Verde we had at Armando al Pantheon (on days 2 and 5) and the Trofe e Cicoria e Guanciale (chicory and bacon) pasta I had at Boccon Divino on Day 7. Below is my version, combining the best of the two. All of the ingredients can be found at Trader Joe's. The pancetta comes already diced in a package (with the cured meats) and the arugula is in a bag with the pre-washed bagged salads. This recipe makes 4 portions.
We had this pasta with a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola "Rosso", also from Trader Joe's for $7.99. It's a yummy mix of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet.
Spaghetti with Arugula and Pancetta
1 lb Spaghetti
4 oz diced Pancetta
4 oz wedge of Peccorino Romano (1/2 grated, 1/2 shaved)
4 oz fresh Arugula
2 cloves fresh garlic, sliced very thin
2 oz olive oil
fresh ground pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. In another pan (I used my big, all purpose non-stick wok) cook the pancetta. When the pancetta is crisp, toss in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the flame until the pasta is cooked (al dente) and drained. Turn on the flame in the pancetta pan and toss in the Arugula. Saute quicky until soft. Toss in the pasta.
At this point, I thought the pasta needed more moisture, so I added the olive oil. Toss in the grated cheese and combine. Grind in some black pepper and at the very end, add in the shaved peccorino, reserving some for the top garnish.
