In Rome, you often bump into people you thought you’d never meet: one such person was Willem Dafoe, the American actor well-known for his bad guy roles. He married an Italian girl and lives in a house near the Pantheon most of the year. The first time he ate at Armando’s, he’d come with a […]
26
Aug
Aug
This is a classic Roman dish combining flavour and the fervid imagination of the locals who have always endeavoured to make gastronomic masterpieces from the simplest of ingredients. Ingredients (serves 6) 1 kg (21⁄4 pounds) of boiled meat 3 eggs, yolks and whites 150g (51⁄4 oz) grated Parmesan 3 eggs, yolk and white 500 g […]
26
Aug
Aug
Aglio e olio, just like its cacio e pepe counterpart, used to be called “la pasta dei cornuti” (a dish for the cuckolded) because if a young wife was busy doing something else while her husband was at work and had little time to make the evening meal, she would make either of these two […]
26
Aug
Aug
Before I give you this recipe, I want to tell you a funny story about my grandfather Ildebrando. Armando’s dad, Ildebrando, was a train conductor for Vagon Leit which meant he travelled round Europe every day. Whenever he had a long stopover in Rome, he’d get a sudden longing for gnocchi . is may seem […]
26
Aug
Aug
This is your second book. Writing is not new to you, you’ve always written, both for stage and prose: is there a connection between wri- ting and cooking? Every chef is an artist. e Their trademark ingredient is imagination, the same quality you need to write. So yes, undoubtedly the two things are very closely […]
26
Aug
Aug
Ingredients (serves 6) 6 fresh eggs 6 tbsp. sugar 1 glass and a half of forti ed wine (Marsala, Passito di Pantelleria, Vecchio Samperi) pinch of cinnamon Instructions: Ask your friend with the chicken coop if you can have eight extra-fresh eggs, two more than we need, just in case one breaks or you get […]
26
Aug
Aug
We’re in early 2000 now. A tall, thin man with a very interesting face came in for lunch one day. De nitely American. He sat down at a small table in the mid- dle of the room and ordered some typical Roman fare. I couldn’t take my eyes off him because he reminded me of someone. […]
26
Aug
Aug
“Good morning, Armando al Pantheon”. “I’m Dario Fo, can I speak to Franca?” That was the first time I heard and spoke to Nobel Prize in Literature, Dario Fo. Franca was Franca Rame, obviously, Senator of the Republic then. We’re now 2006 and she used to have lunch at least once a week in our […]
26
Aug
Aug
Sausages have always been a tasty dish and can be cooked in a variety of ways. At Armando’s I often cook them with sau- téed dandelion greens or with beans and Onano lentils. For this book, I’d like to share a recipe with you that’s as old as the hills, from back when Giuseppe Belli […]