Vodka Pasta all'Amatriciana x Negroamaro Rosato Salento

Plus weekly highlights and anchovy broccoli 🥦

Oct 11, 2024

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All around – this has been a remarkable last two weeks in food, wine and cocktails. I went to Florence last week, which truly blew my mind with the cocktails at the Gucci bar, the Florentine steak, and the truffle pasta (dreamy!), and I promise that I will do a full run-down on the restaurants I went to…but that will be later this month.

Obligatory selfie in Florence at the Gucci Museum

In the meantime, we’re talking about Roman Eats.

I finally visited the world famous Drink Kong, a cocktail institution in the neighborhood of Monti which earned a spot on the World’s Fifty Best Bars list in 2023. Rather than giving you a full list with detailed descriptions of each cocktail, they present their guests with a list of cocktails described by flavor profile, glass shape and type of alcohol. A surprise to no one, I unwittingly ordered their equivalent of a negroni (what can I say, I’m drawn to them). It was smooth, bitter, tasted just ever so slightly of red cherries, and poured over the prettiest ice cube I have ever seen, stamped with their signature gorilla face.

A few blocks over in Piazza Vittorio Emmanuelle II sits Bar allo Statuto – a pizza bar serving not quite Roman, but not quite Neapolitan style pizza. While Roman style pizza is crispy and thin, Neapolitan style is thick and fluffy. Bar allo Statuto strikes the perfect balance with this chewy, doughy crust. We tried a traditional one with cheese and anchovies – it was salty, garlicky and dripping with good olive oil – and another with n’duja and gorgonzola, a hearty flavor bomb that I have recreated in various dishes since.

Another standout was my favorite carbonara spot, Conciabocca, which I talked about in an earlier post. We ordered the fresh fig and tomato salad with goat cheese (creamy and well-balanced), the beef tartare (hand-cut and served on a pickled shallot cup), the carbonara (duh!), and the chicken cacciatore (a vinegary braised chicken dish served with onions). We washed it down with a glass of Malvasia, a floral white wine, almost honeyed (in flavor and color) which is native to the Lazio region of Italy. For dessert, we opted for tiramisu (another standout) and the hazelnut cake (which I personally loved as it was nutty and not very sweet).

Ya’ll, sorry not sorry for forgetting to take pictures. I got a little wrapped up in the moment, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

For another sweet treat, I went to my favorite French bakery in Rome - Le Levain (yes, I know I’m in Rome eating French pastries - don’t come for me…I love butter and olive oil equally). I devoured a sfoglia banoffee pecan in about 30 seconds flat, just inhaling it on the sidewalk because I couldn’t wait until I got home. It had a caramelized banana on top, a little sprinkle of homemade granola and a creamy filling all wrapped up in a fluffy puff pastry. Also snagged a loaf of chocolate chip and berry studded sourdough which I’ve been toasting for breakfast every day this week.

With all the going out of the past week, I was excited to just have some down time when I could get it. And for me, no better down time is cozying up with a bowl of vodka all’amatriciana on my couch, dusting it with a mound of parmesan and rewatching Mad Men. It’s essentially amatriciana with vodka in it, and cream if you’re feeling extra luxurious. Because I wanted to be cozy, I didn’t measure the ingredients that precisely. We’re going to do this one by feel, vibes if you will. Channel @miaharaguchi.

For balance, I also made some pan-fried broccolini which i doused with a heart glug of olive oil, some mashed up anchovies, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. WARNING: This is only for the true anchovy fans out there! If you don’t like fishy, delicious things, do not pass go 🎩

Vodka Pasta all’Amatriciana

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 people

THE INGREDIENTS

Pasta / the whole box
Pancetta / about 4 oz, cubed
Red onion or shallot / 3 small red onions or 4 shallots, finely sliced
Tomatoes / a small carton of cherry tomatoes, halved
Garlic / 4-8 cloves, finely chopped (I obviously love garlic, so I use a lot – use however much feels right to you)
Tomato Paste / about 3 TB
Tomato Passata / (or jarred tomato sauce) about 1 cup
Red Pepper Flakes / 1 TB (depending on how spicy you like it)
Vodka / about 2 shot-glasses worth
Grated Parmesan / a lot
Heavy cream (~ 2/3 cup) or mascarpone (~ 4 oz) / added after you cook off the vodka

THE RECIPE:

Start by boiling a pot of salted water for your pasta. When the water is boiling, add in your pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve a cup of salted pasta water for your sauce.

Heat a large sauce pan to medium-medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, cook your cubed pancetta until it’s lightly browned (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, keeping 2-3 TB of fat in the pan. Toss in your red onions and tomatoes until the onions are soft and the tomatoes are blistered. Stir in your chopped garlic.

Next add your tomato paste, passata and red pepper flakes. Mix until well combined and the sauce looks consistent. Now, add in your vodka. The sauce will steam and sizzle. Cook until it simmers down. Slowly splash in your pasta water, a TB at a time, until sauce is thick and glossy. Add in parmesan and heavy cream/mascarpone. Stir until well-combined. Toss in your cooked pancetta. Season with salt and pepper, as needed (the pancetta is already quite salty, so taste the sauce before you do so).

Now, it’s time to combine. Mix your pasta and sauce together, splashing in more pasta water as necessary until pasta is well-coated. Serve and sprinkle with more parmesan (if you’re anything like me, a tiny mountain of it) and chili flakes.

THE PAIRING:

Vodka Pasta all’Amatriciana x Negroamaro Rosato Salento

This Sicilian rosé is fruity, floral, and fresh, yet has a savory aftertaste and minerality that pairs perfectly with the salty, creamy pasta. Serve it slightly chilled for the best result. Due to its versatility, you could really pair this with a lot of other dishes (i.e. the perfect dinner party guest wine). Try serving it with your favorite tuna tartare, a sweet and savory fruit salad, or even fish stew.

Temperature in wine:

Cooler serving temperatures can tame the aromatics of a wine and emphasize its structure, highlighting its acidity and seemingly increasing its tannins and bitterness. Aromatic wines, like this rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or even Gamay, can benefit from this slight chill because their aromas are so persistent. 

For wines that are already high in tannins or full-bodied (like Cabernet Sauvignon or well-macerated orange wines), cooler temperatures will actually make them taste more astringent. Opt to serve them on the slightly warmer side (note, warmer side, NOT warm) for the best flavor.