Tag Archives: AAR

Working in the Garden

The RSFP’s garden at the AAR is a constant source of controversy.  Luckily, as interns, we just work in it and don’t have to deal with any of the ridiculous, annoying politics that stipulate importance of appearance over practicality and purpose.

On Wednesday we typically work in the garden weeding, seeding, planting, harvesting peppers and lettuce, transplanting or picking fruit.  This week was particularly exciting because our beets grew enough so that we could thin and move them so that they can grow even more into big yummy beets in the soil.

Chris thinning, weeding and transplanting beets

tidied up beets

We also were finally able to plant starts for Venezia and Oak Leaf lettuce that we had seeded about a month ago.  Lots of lettuce to come.

our newly planted babies: venezia starts

Aesthetically, they aren’t beautiful but they look very professional and they serve an incredibly important purpose in the health of our lettuce and starters.  I’m talking about he tarps.  And the best part about them, you can’t even see them from outside the garden because the hedge blocks them from view.  So who really cares?  We’ll all just have to learn to love them.  They come with the lettuce.

the highly controversial plastic tarp covers

And, of course, Andrea showed us how to pick Quince like a boss.

Andrea monkey picking quince

Week One and Done

Heat, jetlag, 9-hour days, swollen ankles and espresso shots.  That pretty much sums up the first for week for me.  It’s my first time working in a kitchen other than the ones in my and my friends’ homes and it’s definitely different.  Still fun and delicious, cooking in a commercial, industrial kitchen (8 burners, two pasta boilers, a tilt-skillet, double ovens, piastra, multiple prep stations and a dish-washer) felt pretty intimidating at first.

My new roommates and fellow interns assured me I would be fine.  The first night, Lizzy, a seasoned private chef from England living in Switzerland, and I hiked down into Trastevere for dinner together.  We chose a nice enough looking place and ordered Pizza con Fiori di Zuca and Tagliata con Insalata di Rugala e Pomodoro.  We were both so hungry that either of us probably would have been satisfied by kabob but the pizza and steaks were fine.  Definitely couldn’t compare to the next night’s dinner with all the interns and Mona at a Sardinian spot on the Gianicolo called .  The meal was simple and delicious.  I had fish egg pasta, a taste of scamorza (fried cheese), calamari fritti and contorni.  The restaurant is family run and Mona encouraged us to work there on our days and nights off.

When 4 AM rolled around on Monday, the 6th, I wasn’t really nervous or intimidated anymore, just excited in anticipation of all the food I was going to get to cook and eat.  I love to eat and, having eaten at the Academy for a full week a year ago, I was salivating just remembering the lunches and dinners I had the pleasure stuffing myself with.  Just as a quick preface to the week, my only complaint is that I do not have enough self control during staff lunch to keep myself from stuffing myself.  It makes everything after 3:00 pretty tough, unless it’s topping and tailing fagiolini (green beans) during which sitting is acceptable.  But I’ll get to that.

From 4-6:00 AM I reviewed and re-reviewed my AM Intern responsibilities.  At 6 I put on all my cooking gear: undershirt, loose jeans, clogs, chef jacket, backwards Cal hat.  I grabbed my extra sharp knives, notebook and camera and headed across the street to the kitchen located in the back of the main American Academy building.  My first task, taking inventory.  At times tedious, taking inventory is often confusing, but interesting, education and necessary.  It seems to be one of the ways Mona and Chris come up with the daily lunch menus.  Other morning tasks include filling salt containers, bowls with yogurt, and bowls with grana, slicing meat for panini, peeling and cleaning onions and garlic, lighting burners and picking up most of the deliveries that come in.  That last part is actually pretty cool, especially when the deliverer is Giovanni Bernebei, the farmer outside Roman city limits from whom the RSFP receives huge crates of food each week.

I have only worked the lunch shift so far and have helped to prepare so many delicious dishes. Whenever anyone is making something I want to learn how to make I’ll watch.  I’ll list a few things I’ve prepared and have watched others prepare:

  • Lots of salads like Insalata di pomodoro e Peperoni
  • Bruschetta Pomodoro
  • Roasted Tomatoes
  • Lots of meat and cheese slicing for panini
  • Ricotta Ravioli
  • Sliced pork over rughetta with salsa verde
  • Cepolle – fried pollenta balls with induja sausage in the middle
  • Sauteed escarole, chard
  • Roasted Eggplant
  • Boiled carrots and fennel
  • Roasted Fenne with roasted purple onions
  • Melanzane Puree with pizza bianca
  • Fagiolini with endive and red onions and shaved fennel
  • Cavetelli – pasta
  • Orzo Salad with zuchini, green beans and pesto
  • Fritatta with leeks and chard
  • Matriciana Pasta al cepo – with a little handholding… (this is made with guanciale!)
  • Faro con pomodorini, zcchine e onion
  • Potato Salad

I wash and tear a lot of greens and I’d like to think I’m getting pretty good at it.  By tearing I mean making bit size pieces of lettuce.  I also really enjoy using the meat slicer; I like to see how thin I can slice prosciutto.  Getting thinner.

A few words of warning: I love it here and I may never leave.

Stay tuned for infrequent updates and maybe even a recipe or two!

A’Roma

We have arrived.  The American Academy in Rome (AAR) is housed in the Mckim building, a beautiful old villa-like structure in front of a park atop the Gianicolo.  It’s surrounded by embassies, more parks, other academies and sweeping views of the city.  The food here is delicious.  The kitchen is run by two ex-Chez Panisse chefs (as much as I know so far….) and also employs cooking interns on roughly five month cycles.  It that something you might be interested in? Yes, please.

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