Table of Contents:
MEAT.
SEAFOOD.
SIDES.
PIZZA.
This course is the closest to the American entree course and features meat, poultry, fish or seafood, (Proteins). Almost always, this will be fresh, so think seasonal.
Depending on where you are in Italy will play a large part in what entrees you find on the menu.
A significant portion of the beef and veal production comes from the northern part of the country. Here you will find more beef dishes.
The middle section of Italy produces more produce, and menus reflect this.
Restaurants closer to the sea, you should expect fish to be the more predominant entree on the menu.
Secondo Meat Entree
- Saltimbocca alla Romana – A beef and ham roll up that they saute in a pan.
- Lamb Alla Romana – Also, a dish that requires sauteing in a pan with garlic, sage, and rosemary.
- Abbacchio alla Scottadito. – After marinating, then grilling young lamb makes this dish finger-lickin good. You eat it with your hands. (scottadito means finger burning).
- Coda alla Vaccinara. – Remember the comment about the slaughterhouse and not wasting ANY parts? This dish is Roman oxtail stew. Stewing the oxtail (coda) for hours in celery, carrot, herbs, tomato, and pancetta releases soft, tender meat. Towards the end, raisins or candied fruit go in to give the entree a sweet and sour taste.
Offal
Also, we cannot talk about Roman cuisine and not mention offal (variety meat) or the ‘Quinto quarto’ (fifth quarter).
In old times, the first “quarto” was for the Nobles. The second for the clergy, the third one for the A-list, the fourth for the soldiers. The poor and working-class receive the leftovers, the fifth quarto, (fifth part). These scraps were often part of the pay for workers at the slaughterhouse.
As a result, cooks came up with numerous ways to make these ingredients tastier. Think of it as an impoverished man’s bologna, spam or, I suspect, a fast-food burger.
- Trippa alla Romano. – Pretty much what you think. They simmer the tripe in a spicy tomato sauce until it is almost tender. The sauce is more tart than your standard spaghetti sauce. Therefore it compliments (hides) much of the taste of the tripe. I have always seen it in thin strips or small bits over pasta. These dishes are not as prevalent as in the past. However, you can find them and if you are a real foodie. When in Rome…
Secondo Seafood & Fish
Rome’s closeness to the sea makes seafood easy to access and therefore a popular secondo offering. Keep in mind; most preparations are simple. This simplicity stems from the fact that recipes come from people who make do with little. For example, grilling fish, lobster, and calamari is a favorite style.
- Fried Cod Fish Roman Style. – (filetto di baccalà). Are you suddenly off of meat after the last paragraph? This fish dish is the same as the antipasto recipe but a more substantial portion for the entrée. First, an extended “bath” removes the salty taste. Follow this with frying A) in olive oil, B) with a very light batter. Soon you have a whole new appreciation for a fish fry.
- Roman-Style Braised Squid and Peas – The sweet peas set off the squid’s salty taste. The simple but tasty tomato sauce compliments the flavors.
Contorno (side dish).
In general, your secondo entree is probably arriving on a plate by itself. In that case, you need to order a side dish.
These usually consist of vegetables, often off the grill. Also, oven-roasting or boiling may be options.
They are usually in a separate (side) dish. A seasonal green, Puntarelle, is a variety of chicory you will find almost exclusively in Rome.
Insalata (Salad).
As an aside, if the side dish (contorno) has leafy vegetables, you may be skipping the salad course altogether.
Otherwise, a simple salad with ingredients from the morning market would fit in here. The entree salad we have everywhere in America is not on a traditional menu.
Simple. In Italy, that means a tomato salad may be nothing more than slices of tomato. What you see in the menu description is what you get. Once again, this may come after the entree.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a.
No discussion of Roman food would be complete without mentioning Pizza alla Romana.
Even though Americans are more familiar with pizza from Naples (Pizza Napoletana), that’s no reason not to try Rome’s pizza.
The secret to Pizza alla Romana (Romana Tonda) is all in the dough. In this case, the crust is quite thin, ultra-crisp, and will crack if you try to bend it. But, this is usually only available at night, and baking is in a coal or wood oven.
Another option, Rome’s pizza al taglio (“by the cut”) is available just about anytime. The baking is in an electric oven on sheet pans. You can buy it by the slice or amount. In other words, it is a Roman street food.
Secondo Summary.
It is more common for people to only have the entree these days and skip the primo. But if you go to someone’s house and the mamma or the grandmother has anything to do with the menu, expect more than an entree.