Mangia Con Elena

  Pasta All'Amatriciana Spicy tomato sauce with pancetta and onions A  LITTLE STORY The first time I had this wonderful pasta dish I was sitting in the tiny kitchen of my Zia Maria's home. She lives right in the core of beautiful Rome. It was my first visit to Rome. I had flown to Rome many times as a child but never stayed there. We were picked up by family and driven to my parent's hometown nestled in the valley of the stunning Lepini hills. We always went in the summer so my Zia and her family spent their summers in the village. We would stay with my father's parents in this tiny house at the bottom of a hill. I remember as a young child rushing out first thing in the morning to get the water from the barrels to wash ourselves. My Nonna would make the most delicious meals on her wood firepit . I can still smell the fresh chicken roasting on the fire. The rosemary and olive oil so pungent and earthy. I helped my Nonno kill that chicken (that was not pleasant!) but oh