Browse Techniques

Rome's summer interpretation of carbonara logic — zucchine frite (fried zucchini slices) replace guanciale as the primary fat element, combined with beaten eggs, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper in the exact same emulsification technique as classical carbonara. The zucchini must be fried until deeply golden with caramelised edges; their sweetness and slight charring stand in for the guanciale's pork savouriness. The result is a genuinely different dish — vegetarian, lighter, but using identical technical architecture.

Rome's tradition of frying everything — an extravagant mixed vegetable fry featuring artichoke wedges, zucchini flowers, cauliflower florets, and sage leaves in a delicate tempura-style pastella (batter). Roman fritto misto differs from other Italian fritto traditions by using a lighter batter (sometimes just flour, sometimes flour and egg white beaten to soft peaks) and frying multiple vegetables simultaneously to serve as one spectacular sharing plate.

Pasta all'Amatriciana without the tomato — the pre-tomato ancestor of Amatriciana, made only with guanciale, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and pasta water. Known as 'white Amatriciana', this is the foundational sauce of the Lazio-Sabina hills, where it was eaten before New World tomatoes arrived. The emulsified guanciale fat and starchy pasta water create a glossy coating that is simultaneously lighter and richer than its tomato-based descendant.

The cured pork cheek of Amatrice — guanciale is made by rubbing fresh pork cheek with salt, black pepper, and sometimes rosemary and thyme, then hanging for 10–12 weeks in the mountain air of the Amatrice area. The result is a fat-rich, sweet-savoury cured meat with a fat layer that renders silkily in the pan — distinctly different from pancetta (belly) in fat composition, flavour, and behaviour when rendered. Guanciale di Amatrice is the non-negotiable ingredient for Amatriciana, Carbonara, and Gricia.

Rome's classic meatless ravioli — delicate egg pasta squares filled with ricotta di pecora and blanched spinach, served in two ways: either in a pool of brown butter and sage (all'imburro), or with a simple tomato and basil sauce. The filling quality is everything — the ricotta must be fresh sheep's milk, the spinach fully dried, the Parmigiano freshly grated. These are the ravioli that define Roman home cooking at its most refined.