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“Beware the Ides of March.” It is one of the most famous sentences penned by William Shakespeare in his great tragedy, “Julius Caesar.”
Today is the anniversary of that fateful day when Caesar was brutally stabbed to death in the Roman Forum. Marc Anthony later eulogized Caesar when he said, “Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears! I come to bury Caesar not to praise him.”
Two days later, the city will be filled with revelers celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. These days could not be more disparate.
Roman food is Etruscan food. Irish fare takes its culinary cues from the waters that surround the Emerald Isle and the sheep that graze throughout all the counties.
The Italians and the Irish have had a long, deep relationship with America and Philadelphia. It would be fun to pull out the Yellow Pages, if I still have one, and count the number of Italian restaurants, butcher shops, coffee shops, grocery stores and specialty stores located in the city. The same would be fun for the number of Irish pubs that dot the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.
I don’t want to hear how terrible Irish cooking is. This is totally false. There are bad cooks everywhere. I know a number of Italian-American women who are dreadful cooks.
Let’s visit the Eternal City, courtesy of Lidia Bastianich. Her recipe is from “Lidia’s Italy.” And we’ll travel to the beautiful country, which gave the world James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, President John F. Kennedy, Guinness and yes, Lamb Stew. It’s my recipe.
Spaghetti with Crushed Black Pepper and Pecorino Cheese
(Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe)
Ingredients:
Salt, to taste for the pasta water
2 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns, or more to taste
1 pound of spaghetti
1-1/2 cups of freshly grated Pecorino Romano, or more to taste
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Grind the peppercorns very coarsely, preferably crushing them in a mortar with a pestle or in a spice grinder.
Warm up a big bowl for mixing and serving the pasta — use some of the pasta water to heat the bowl if you like.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Quickly lift it from the pot with tongs, let it drain for an instant, then drop it into the warm bowl.
Immediately scatter a cup of the grated cheese and most of the pepper on the pasta and toss it in quickly. As you mix, sprinkle over spoonfuls of hot water from the cooking pot to moisten and amalgamate the pasta and condiments — add more pepper or cheese to taste.
Serve right away, while the spaghetti is very hot.
Serves six.
Lamb Stew
Ingredients:
3 pounds of lamb shoulder, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels
Enough Canola oil to coat the bottom of a 5-quart pot
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large onion, diced
2 leeks, with some green, sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 32-ounce package of beef stock
1 to 1-1/2 cups of water
2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
Generous sprinkling of dried thyme
Boiled potatoes to serve with the stew
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium-high working in batches, brown the lamb on all sides. Remove the meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
Add the onion, leeks and carrots to the pot. Sauté them for about eight minutes, or just until the onion begins to wilt slightly.
Return the lamb to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook, stirring from time to time, for about 90 minutes. Check if the lamb is fork tender at this time. It may require another 30 minutes of cooking, depending upon the quality of the meat.
Warm six bowls. Bring the stew to the table and serve it directly from the pot. Serve the Lamb Stew with boiled potatoes. I use Yukon golds in this recipe, counting one medium to large potato per person. Place the potatoes in a large, warm bowl, add a bit of soft butter and chopped fresh parsley if desired. SPR
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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