Living above a takeaway pizzeria and tavola calda in Rome has inspired a collection of easygoing dishes best served straight from their rectangular roasting tins. The steady stream of pizza, baked pasta, braised meat, meatballs, roast potatoes, and olive-oil-shined green vegetables passing below the window has shaped this week's food newsletter.
Baked Pasta and Gnocchi from the Oven
Among the first servings from a roasting tray is Angela Hartnett's macaroni cheese: al dente pasta mixed with béchamel and various cheeses, baked until golden and bubbling at the edges. Another option is baked pasta inspired by a friend's dish, using meze maniche, rigatoni, penne, or macaroni with rich tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella, and pecorino. Meera Sodha's vegan sweet potato, miso, and wholemeal lasagne takes 15 minutes to assemble with ready-made ingredients like miso, sun-dried tomato paste, and passata.
Rukmini Iyer, author of the Roasting Tin series, offers a creamy baked gnocchi with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. A similar Italian dish, gnocchi alla Sorrentina, starts on the stovetop, then transfers to a roasting tin with mozzarella and parmesan to finish in the oven. The name filanti refers to the stringy melted mozzarella, best enjoyed while hot.
Braised Chicken, Roast Potatoes, and Meatballs
A large tray of braised chicken with tender meat and thick gravy is a staple. In Rome, this style is known as alla cacciatora, or hunters' style, a name that persists even when the meat is bought at a butcher or supermarket. Versions include Thomasina Miers' falling-apart chicken cacciatore with tomatoes, peppers, fennel, and coriander seeds, and Yotam Ottolenghi's very slow-braised chicken with celeriac and lemon. Alongside, a tray of golden roast potatoes, each chunk roughly the size of a domino, is essential.
Meatballs follow, with suggestions from Felicity Cloake and Thomasina Miers' giant pork meatballs in tomato sauce. Alternatives include Andy Baraghani's kufteh (tennis ball-sized meatballs with lamb, pork, or turkey, herbs, rice, and turmeric) or Tom Hunt's vegetarian "meatballs" made from stale bread. Next to them, a tray of greens—spinach, chard, or peas—boiled then briefly cooked with olive oil, garlic, and a bit of chilli.
Cheese Guide, Gelato, and Smoked Butter
Jenny Linford's The Cheese Lover's Guide offers an approachable, detailed exploration of cheesemaking, the global cheese scene, and the language of cheese, plus a guide to 100 iconic cheeses. In London, a visit to Jacob Kenedy's Gelupo in Soho featured fig cremolato with double cream, described as a cross between sorbet, granita, and semi-frozen fruit. At Beppe e i Suoi Formaggi in Rome, a butter tasting includes dairy, smoked dairy, and mountain-pasture butter from the Giovale family in Piedmont; the smoked butter stands out for its rich, toasted, tarry flavour. In the UK, Curing Rebels offers an English butter slowly smoked over two days.
