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Fave dei morti + Tasting Rome Giveaway

Julia Child once said: “People who love to eat are always the best people.” I’d like to add to that that they also make the best food writers.

I know very few people who loves to eat more than my dear friend Katie Parla, whose latest book, Tasting Rome, hit the shelves last week.

Today, I’m giving away one copy of Tasting Rome and three exclusive gifts to a lucky winner: nine 8″ x 10″ photo prints by the talented co-author and photographer of the book, Kristina Gill (whom we all know from her In the Kitchen With column at Design*Sponge), an 18″ x 24″ illustrated map by artist Lena Corwin, and a recipe booklet with 6 brand-new recipes.

According to my mom, I’ve been to Rome twice, the first time when I was three and the second time when I was six. I don’t remember a thing, but she has photos to prove it. I’ve been longing for a visit that I’d be able to remember in the future, but I’ve been living between deadlines for the longest time. Right now, the best I can do is read about what Rome has to offer and cook from Katie’s book.

The day the book arrived, I was fortunate to find a big chunk of Pecorino Romano left in the fridge from recipe testing, so I made half a batch of Leonardo Vignoli’s Caccio e Pepe for dinner. I can not get enough of that emulsified cheese sauce, so I was really happy to read that the recipe in the book is a saucy version. The recipe has only three ingredients, so the key is really getting the proportions right. I’ve made caccio e pepe several times in the past and this was by far the best version.

Tasting Rome – Suppli

And then, the next day, I was stopped dead in my tracks when I watched Joe Tarasco, chef of Marta in Manhattan, making supplì cacio e pepe. Last month’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler featured Rome, and as part of the coverage, the magazine asked Katie to track down Rome-style pizza places in NYC. The first in the series was Marta in Manhattan. Take a look at how supplì caccio e pepe is done and pay special attention at 2:08 when Katie shows the creamy center.

I’m working day and night against a very tight deadline, and as soon as it’s over, I’m making it.

Tasting Rome – Vignarola

I had every intention of making Vignarola next, a stew of artichokes, peas, fava and lettuce, which screams spring on a plate, but peas have yet to grace the stalls at the farmers’ market.

Tasting Rome – Pizza Bianca

Paging through the book, the photo of the stacked slices of pizza bianca filled with mortadella captured my interest instantly, but I have my eye on pizza rossa, which is made from the same dough. I’ll be waiting for the summer’s finest tomatoes to tackle that one.

Take a look at how my pal Katie and Jim Lahey does it at Sullivan Street Bakery:

In the end, I decided to try fave dei morti, ‘fava beans of the dead’ or day of the dead cookies, which Roman bakeries sell on All Souls’ Day, called the Commemorazione dei Defunti or Giorno dei Morti, to commemorate the dearly departed.

The dough came together so quickly and easily and I had just enough ground almonds left for another batch, so I decided to try swapping 1/4 cup of the flour with cocoa powder and the ground cinnamon with espresso powder.

Fave dei morti dough – Tasting Rome

After you roll the dough into logs and cut them into pieces, you make an indentation in the center of each piece with your thumb, which resembles the shape of a fava bean.

Fave dei morti dough 2 – Tasting Rome

Both turned out amazing, but the original version is hard to beat.

Tasting Rome – Katie Parla

Katie’s publisher has put together a list of amazing gifts for the launch of the book. People who pre-ordered the book during the first phase of the launch are going to receive 3 photo prints by Kristina. The campaign is now in its second phase; if you order Tasting Rome until April 12th, you’ll receive an 18″ x 24″ exclusive illustrated map by artist Lena Corwin as a free gift (details here). In the third phase, those who order the book between April 13th through April 21st will be eligible to receive the recipe booklet with 6 brand-new recipes (open to US residents only).

How about a free copy of the book and all 3 exclusive gifts? All you have to do is to leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite gelato flavor is! Did you know that there are around 2,500 gelaterie in Rome?

By the way, Katie is on a book tour right now; be sure to check out her events page for details.

Win a copy of Tasting Rome + 9 photo prints + illustrated map + recipe booklet!

Tasting Rome – Photo prints

One lucky reader will receive a copy of Tasting Rome, all nine of the 8″ x 10″ photo prints by Kristina (above), an 18″ x 24″ illustrated map by artist Lena Corwin (below), and a recipe booklet with 6 brand-new recipes.

To enter, simply leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite gelato flavor is. Please make sure to fill out the e-mail address field (you email address will not be displayed publicly) so I can contact you if you win. Entry is open to anyone 18 years of age and over, worldwide. Giveaway ends at 10 PM GMT (3 PM PDT/6 PM EDT) on April 10th, 2016 and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator. I’ll contact the winner by e-mail and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If I don’t hear from you by then, I’ll choose another winner. I’ll announce the winner on April 14th, 2016 on this page.

Tasting Rome – Illustrated map

Many thanks to Clarkson Potter for sponsoring the giveaway. No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win this giveaway. Limit one entry per person, per email address, per day. By entering this giveaway, you accept and agree to be bound by the above rules.

AND THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS CAMILLE PONCHAUT! CONGRATS!

fave dei morti

makes 36 fave dei morti

Recipe from Tasting Rome. Reprinted by permission of Clarkson Potter.

1 heaping cup (115 grams) blanched almond flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (110 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg

(Notes: The amounts in grams are added by me. The weight of the blanched almond flour is an estimate. Tasting Rome conversion chart states: 1 cup all-purpose flour = 125 grams.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together by hand to form a firm dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of time, then halve. Roll each half into a small log about 3/4 inch (2 cm) in diameter. Slice the log into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces and, with your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each. The indentation will resemble the shape of a fava bean.

Place these fave on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until dry and just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet, about 30 minutes. They will be soft when they come out of the oven but will harden as they cool.

Variation: To make the cocoa and espresso fave dei morti, use 2/3 cup (83 grams) of all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup (25 grams) of Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder instead of the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder instead of the ground cinnamon.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. My favorite gelato flavor is “fior di latte” always …
    But sometimes i cheat on with zabaione mix 🙂

    Reply

  23. Limoncello is my favorite.

    The book looks amazing. My best friend is from Rome, and I’d love to cook her something from home.

    Reply

  24. Pistachios, Pistacchi, Antep fıstığı Gelato!
    The color puts a smile on my face, and the taste makes me feel like I’m indulging in food of the gods.

    Reply

  29. Bugun klasiklerden gidelim. Neredeyse 365 gun dondurma yiyen bir dondurma tutkununun birkac favorisi olmali;). Bitter cikolatali…

    Reply

  34. Hi, thanks for this giveaway! My favorite ice cream flavour is plain vanilla but it has to be right, a perfect vanilla is hard to come by but when it does oh my. I also love chocolate, but mostly, I love ice cream, all ice cream haha :). Have a great day!

    Reply

  43. This is by far the best food blog I have come across. Thanks for bringing my attention to this fabulous recipe book. I am ordering it today.

    Happy eating with friends and family!

    My favorite gelatin is blood orange.

    Reply

  50. Vanilla with bean. Velvety, slides on the tongue. The purity of the flavor overcomes the thought of all the calories.

    Reply

  53. I loved Katie’s app when I went to Rome, so very excited to see she has a new book. I have tried many of those gelato places in Rome, my favorite flavor depends on my mood! But if I did have to pick just one I would go with a classic hazelnut! Also partial to melone, barberry, rice, vanilla, gianduja, straciatella…all of them, basically

    Reply

  58. Pistachio, but having to choose a favorite is like choosing a favorite grandchild! All are wonderful in their own way.

    Reply

  64. When we were in Rome last summer, I had pomegranate gelato and loved it. Definitely my favorite flavor, but pretty hard to get outside of Rome!

    Reply

  65. Ciao! How fun!! This would be perfect timing for my trip to Rome coming up in 2 weeks! My favorite flavor is hazelnut. 🙂

    Reply

  78. Gelato al pistacchio di Bronte, gnam gnam! Have to fly to Rome to visit family at a hospital in Abruzzo, unfortunately. But looking forward to at least one gelato in Italy.

    Reply

  86. günaydınn, Cenk bey! bademler suya kaonuldu akşama kabukları soyulup un halıne getırılecek ve bu tarıf denenecek! kitabınıza talibim:D

    Reply

  99. It may sound average, but nothing beats a really amazing limón. I tried it at every gelato place we stopped at in Rome, but the best was actually at a family-run place in San Gimignano where they have nice pieces of lemon rind in the mix. So good.

    Reply

  102. Hello, thanks for the giveaway and recipe, I’m so excited about this book! My favorite gelato flavour is sabayon, it is so amazing I could eat it everyday exclusively for the rest of my (short haha) life 🙂

    Reply

  105. I believe the Gelato in Italy is to die for. I love Pistachio, I think mainly because of the colour.

    Reply

  107. Honestly, whatever is in season. I had a peach gelato in Rome at San Crispino that I still dream about. I went back to get it 4 times during my stay and it was so tasty I couldn’t bring myself to try another flavor.

    Reply

  114. THE GIVEAWAY HAS NOW OFFICIALLY ENDED. MANY THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST. I’LL CHOOSE THE WINNER VIA RANDOM.ORG AND SEND AN E-MAIL TO THE WINNER RIGHT AWAY. ONCE CONFIRMED, I’LL SHARE THE NAME OF THE WINNER AT THE END OF THE POST.

    Reply

  121. Lovely book! Thanks, Cenk for sharing this with us. A good pistachio ice cream is my all time favourite, “the green ice cream” if you would have asked my toddler.

    Reply

  126. Love your site. My first visit.
    My personal favorite flavor of Gelato would have to be
    Strachiatella – yum.

    Reply

  128. I have 3 favorites: Fior di Latte, Pistacchio and the most incredible chocolate cherry combo (possibly called Mozart?) that I had at Giolitti in Rome…

    Reply

  130. Chocolate forever. And ever. Unadulterated by orange, mint, or raspberry. A possible exception for coffee/espresso.

    Reply

  136. What a lovely book! Can’t wait to see it.
    As far as gelato goes, it’s hard to miss–but I’ll always begin with pistachio.

    Reply

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