Quick Recipe: Braised Chicken with Leek and Pancetta

Something we miss from the UK now we are in Rome, is the handy recipe cards that you can pick up from some of the supermarkets. Fortunately with the magic of the internet we can still have access to these quick and easy recipe ideas. Hooray!

Craised Chicken, Leek and Pancetta Recipe

This one in particular looks particularly simple and would not be amiss on a British or Italian table.

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Add the leek and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until softened.
2. Meanwhile, toss the chicken in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Add to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden.
3. Add the mushrooms, potatoes, white wine, chicken stock, double cream and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Stir through the tarragon and serve.

Recipe taken from http://scrapbook.channel4.com/experts/whatscooking

Springtime Sunny Muffins

Over on our sister blog you can keep up to date with some of the latest recipes and home cooking going on when we’re not cooking for perfect strangers.

Since the spring has finally arrived, why not celebrate with something fun and tasty – Springtime Sunny Muffins.

♥ lovely valentine’s recommendations in roma ♥

Top Five Romantic Roman Spots…

Busy week here in Rome…a Papal Retirement, Carnevale climaxing, Lent beginning tomorrow, heated political debates with the run up to the Italian election… as such Valentine’s Day has been quite overshadowed this week.

Here at RSSC we haven’t forgotton to remember San Valentino who lived out his days until he met his very unjust end, here in Rome.

Celebrate with your loved one at these romantic Roman secrets:

• 241 entrance at some of the best sights thanks to cultural event MiBACi
• Aperitivo at Sorpasso, slide onto a stool at the bar and enjoy Spritz in a jam jar
• Dinner at stylish SAID

photo credit http://www.said.it

• Wrap up for a night time stroll over Gianicolo hill finishing with a romantic snapshot in front of  the quieter Fontana dell’acqua Paola, a better view, just impressive and far more romantic than Trevi!
• Splashing out? Nightcap cocktails at the Hotel de Russie’s secret garden

As featured in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine (not to blow our own trumpets…)

Thanks to Dana Facaros, for her mention of us in this month’s Sunday Times Travel Magazine. Very kind words!

It has made us think how far the project has come since we started it not so long ago. We are so pleased that in under a year our personal project, inspired by our dear friend Charlie Lynam, has become such a success.

Early birds at Rome’s food market

An early start today as we prepare for tonight’s Thai themed supper club. Giving some hardened Romans a taste of south east Asia, which thanks to our beloved Mercato Trionfale just around the corner, will include some interesting and warming flavours to a damp January.

More soon.

RSSC

Two Thousand and Thirteen starts with Thai….

2013 and we had already been spoilt with plenty of brilliant British comfort food thanks to New Years’ spent in a tiny town on the Suffolk coast, Southwold, (home to Adnams Brewery. If you are ever in the area enjoy some battered fish or scampi  and chips and wash it down a pint of Ghost Ship ale). Despite a fun-filled break with friends and family in the UK we were quite ready for our return to Rome. After over 2 weeks of reluctantly but nonetheless purposefully abstaining from any food that resembled “Italian” we dived straight back in, heads first, in to Roman specialities; our first weekend including gorging on pizza al taglio with alici and fiori di zucca, tonarelli cacio e pepe, spaghetti carbonara, foccacia, saltimbocca….the list goes on…

So as not to over do it in the first week we thought we should try and break the cycle… Perhaps as an escape from heavy winter foods that both Southwold and Rome do so well, we wanted to add a little sunshine to our plates and so, with shopping bags and toddler in hand we headed to Mercato Trionfale and raided the Asian food stall:

Our Thai Menu:

glass noodle spring rolls with nam jim

thai vegetable noodle soup

wok fried basil and chilli prawns

som tam salad

Send us a message if you would like to have any of the recipes.

Our Final Supperclub of 2012…

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A super success of an evening….our very jolly guests all the way from Portland, Oregon enjoyed a true taste of Rome. “…an incredible evening, thank you so much for opening your home to us and hosting us with wonderful food. … Continue reading →

Autumn Flavours Hit Supperclub

The season for fennel, orange, pasta e ceci, porcini funghi and all things that should comfort you in the winter months are back and bright on the menu. However so are the skies, incredible blue skies each day here in Rome, warm sunshine and Christmas trees looking decidedly out of place with their back drop of Romans adorned with sunglasses and shirtsleeves. We’re not complaining, we’re just enjoying the best of both….

Aperitivo at Rome’s Secret Supper Club

Feast your eyes on the Aperitivo bites we enjoyed last night at Rome’s Secret Supper Club….

Rome’s Secret Cooking Club Launch

Ingredients

• 3 incredibly fun and food loving guests
• 1 super talented teacher and chef (& her helper!)
• 1 coffee stop
• 1 tour of Mercato Trionfale
• 6 dishes of beautiful Roman cuisine
• Many hours sipping local wine, discussing foodie highlights in Rome, learning new recipes and making new friends