Living Like a Roman

Rome is somewhere I’ve always wanted to live. Great food, fascinating history, warm weather and hot Italian men… what’s not to love! A few years ago I had the opportunity to rent a penthouse apartment overlooking Piazza del Popolo for the same price I currently pay for my tiny studio apartment in Paris. I don’t know what I was thinking by not staying there, especially considering the number one benefit of living in Rome over Paris. The food!

That’s why I was so happy to finally experience Rome like a local. Staying in an apartment and taking part in a local food tour in Rome made me think how my life would be if I lived in the Eternal City. In short, it would be fantastic!

Our guide Eleonora showed us what was in season in the markets and how to pick the best produce. We started by tracking down the best artichokes which were on just about every menu in Rome at the time.

Then we looked for other seasonal produce which included Romanesco zucchini, wild asparagus and sweet smelling strawberries.

After that we picked up the most important ingredients of the day; black pepper, pecorino romano cheese and fresh hand made pasta before heading back to our apartment to cook.

Making Spaghetti with Crushed Black Pepper and Pecorino

This is one of the easiest pasta dishes you could ever make and also one of the most delicious.

Ingredients

Spaghetti  
Crushed Black Pepper    
Grated Pecorino Cheese

Method

Cook the spaghetti until it’s al dente.

Drain the pasta but reserve the salted cooking water. Mix the pecorino and black pepper in a bowl.

Add a couple of ladles of the pasta water and mix until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency.

Mix in the pasta and it’s ready to eat!

I lived like a Roman courtesy of HouseTrip who arranged for us to stay in an apartment literally a stone’s throw from the Colosseum. They have many apartments in Rome available for short stays but I don’t think you’ll find one with a better view than this:

Special thanks to Eleonora who prepared a four course meal for 10 of us virtually on her own. She has a great food blog called Aglio Olio e Peperoncino where she writes about Italian food and way of life.