Peperonata - Sicilia-Sicily

Una ricetta vegetale dalla Sicilia, Peperonata. Utilizza peperoni gialli e rossi per fare un piatto colorato. E' un piatto che puo' essere preparato in anticipo ,perche' puo' essere mangiato caldo tiepido o a temperatura ambiente.
Ingredienti per 4 persone
2 grandi peperoni rossi tagliati a fette
2 grandi peperoni gialli tagliati a fette
1 barattolo di pelati da 400 gr.
1 tazza di olive nere
3 cipolle tagliate a fette fine
6 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva
2 cucchiai di aceto bianco
foglie fresche di basilico
sale
Scaldare l' olio extra vergine di oliva in una grande padella su fuoco medio-basso. Aggiungere le cipolle i peperoni e cuocere per 5 minuti girando spesso. Aggiungere i pelati tritatiThen add chopped tomatoes .Cuocere per 10 minutes. Aggiungere l'aceto ed il sale secondo il gusto. Dopo 10 minuti aggiungere le olive nere e cuocere per 20 minuti. Servire calda , tiepida o a temperatura ambiente. Decorare con foglie fresche di basilico fresco.

By Chocolat

Focaccia Pugliese

A traditional Focaccia from Puglia in the South of Italy , it's so popular there and in the city of Bari they use to eat it with mozzarella, burrata a typical mozzarella creamy or mortadella ,like a filled roll. I love it , because I love the flavour of oregano and garlic, and it's so soft because of the potatoes...

Ingredients
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 medium potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast active dry

10 plum tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
garlic, oregano, salt
Boil the potatoes until soft and peel them. Melt the brewer’s yeast in a cup with 1 cup of warm water. In a bowl put the potatoes and mash them. Add the yeast with the water .
Start kneeding adding the flour and 1-2 teaspoons of salt : when the dough doesn’t need any more flour (maybe you don't need all the flour or you need more , it depends on potatoes quality) , make a ball and put it on a dish towel sprinkled with flour. Let it rise covered in a warm place for two hours.
Bring oven to 475 F and grease a tin with olive oil , put int the tin the dough and spread it pressing slightly with the fingers.
Sprinkle with oregano and garlic finely chopped to taste , and put on the tomatoes crushed in halves, pressing slightly on the dough.
Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste. Cook in the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 F and cook for 30 minutes more or till Focaccia is golden.Serve it hot!!

Versione Italiana - Italian version

La Focaccia tradizionale Pugliese , e' popolarissima e nella citta' di Bari usano mangiarla ripiena con mozzarella , burrata o mortadella. Mi piace perche' adoro l'aroma di origano ed aglio, e poi e' cosi' morbida grazie alle patate nell'impasto...

Ingredienti

500 gr. di farina
10 pomodorini ciliegini
2 patate medie
olio extra vergine di oliva
1 e 1/2 cucchiaino di lievito di birra secco
aglio, origano, sale

Lessate le patate e sbucciatele. Sciogliete il lievito in una tazza di acqua tiepida. Sulla spianatoia mettete un po' di farina e aggiungete le patate schiacciate. Aggiungete il lievito amalgamandolo alle patate ed alla farina.Aggiungete qualche presa di sale e cominciate ad impastare aggiungendo l'altra farina. Quando la pasta non richiede più farina fate una palla e mettetela a lievitare coperta in un posto tiepido per 2 ore. Accendete il forno a 240° quindi ungete una teglia con olio, stendete la pasta e aggiungerci ancora olio sopra e lo spalmate premendo leggermente con la punta delle dita. Spolverate con l'origano e disponete i pomodorini schiacciati a metà schiacciandoli un po' nell'impasto. Aggiungete ancora olio e sale ed infornate per cinque minuti poi abbassate la temperatura a 180° e continuate la cottura per un'altra mezz'oretta. A fine cottura la focaccia deve risultare molto dorata ed alta circa sei/sette cm. Servitela calda!!!

Penne all'arrabbiata

The name arrabbiata (angry) of this dish it's because of the use of chilli. When preparing this angry dish, feel free to use as much chilli as you want, it is up to you and to your mouth, to make it angry or very angry!
And again this recipe belongs to the Roman cooking tradition.

Ingredients for 4 persons
14 oz Penne rigate pasta

8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 or 3 dried or fresh red chilli roughly chopped

1.1 lb Chopped tomatoes
A small handful of flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
Salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan (medium heat) and add the chopped ingredients (garlic/chilli) into the pan.Sauté for a couple of minutes or until the garlic becomes golden , then add the chopped tomatoes ,season with salt, stir for a few seconds. Cook on medium/low heat for about 20-25 minutes. Cook penne pasta al dente , drain it and add it into the pan containing the sauce, then sprinkle with chopped parsley give a quick stir and serve immediately.

Versione Italian - Italian Version

Il nome arrabbiata di questo piatto e' dovuto all'uso del peperoncino rosso. Quando preparate questo piatto, usate quanto peperoncino volete, dipende da te, farla o no molto arrabbiata !

Ancora una ricetta dalla tradizione Romana.

Ingredienti per 4 persone

500 gr. di penne rigate

8 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva

2 spicchi di aglio tritati

2 o 3 peperoncini rossi freschi o secchi

500 gr. di pomodori pelati tritati

prezzemolo

sale

Riscaldare l'olio in una pentola su fuoco medio e aggiungere l'aglio e il peperoncino. Soffriggere per 2 minuti finche' l'aglio e' dorato, quindi aggiungere i pomodori pelati, aggiungere il sale a gusto, girare per qualche secondo. Cuocere su fuoco medio-basso per 20-25 minuti.
Cuocere le penne al dente, scolarle e aggiungerle nella pentola con la salsa, cospargere con prezzemolo tritato , dare una mescolata veloce e servire immediatamente.

Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino (garlic oil and hot pepper)

This a classic Italian pasta for midnight ! If you have friends at home for dinner till late and at midnight you are still hungry this pasta it's so fast to make and so tasty. Anyway here in Rome it's really a classic tradition.






Ingredients for 4-6 persons.

1 lb spaghetti

3 cloves garlic finely diced

1 little hot pepper finely diced

1/4 cup of extra virgin oil

Fill a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti to the pot and stir. Lower heat to medium and cook the spaghetti al dente. Meanwhile heat the extra virgin olive oil on medium low heat until just getting warm. Add the garlic and the hot pepper and let it cook for 1-2 minute. Garlic will keep cooking after heat is turned off, so don't overcook. When pasta is al dente, drain and put back into the pot. Add the garlic hot pepper and extra virgin oil to the pasta. Mix well to combine. Serve immediately.









Versione Italiana - Italian version

Ingredienti per 4-6 persone

500 gr. di spaghetti

3 spicchi di aglio finemente tritati

1 piccolo peperoncino rosso finemente tritato

8 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva

Portare a bollore in una grande pentola dell'acqua salata su fuoco medio-alto. Buttare gli spaghetti nella pentola e girare. Abbassare il fuoco e cuocere gli spaghetti al dente. Nel frattempo scaldare in una padella l'olio extra vergine di oliva su fuoco medio fino a scaldarlo. Aggiungere l'aglio e il peperoncino rosso e far cuocere per 1-2 minuti. L'aglio continuera' a cuocere anche fuori dal fuoco , quindi far attenzione a non farlo cuocere troppo. Quando la pasta e' al dente scolarla e rimetterla nella pentola. Aggiungere l'aglio il peperoncino rosso e l'olio extra vergine d'oliva. Mischiare bene. Servire immediatamente.

Cotolette alla Milanese

It's a typical recipe from the North of Italy , in particular it was born in the city of Milan. Kids love meat cooked in this way and above all if served with french fries.

Ingredients for 4 persons
4 big slices of veal

2 eggs

3 cups of finely ground breadcrumbs

1 stick of butter
2 cups of all purpose flour

salt to taste
1 lemon

Dredge the meat slices in the flour then dip them in the egg, dredge them in the bread crumbs, pressing down to make sure the crumbs stick.

In the meantime melt the butter in a skillet large enough to contain all 4 veal slices at once, and when it begins to crackle add them . Cook 3-4 minutes each side. Cut the lemon in 4 wedges. Serve hot Cotolette alla Milanese with one lemon wedges.

Versione Italian - Italian Version

E' una tipica ricetta del Nord Italia in particolare si attribuisce la paternita' alla citta' di Milano. I bambini amano particolarmente la carne cucinata in questo modo e soprattutto con le patate fritte.

Ingredienti per 4 persone

4 grandi fette di carne di vitello

1 uovo

pane grattato quanto basta

80 gr. burro

farina bianca quanto basta

sale

1 limone

Passare le fette di carne prima nella farina e poi nell'uovo sbattuto e per ultimo nel pangrattato.

Sciogliere il burro in una padella e cuocere le fette di carne 7 minuti per lato. Alare le cotolette secondo il gusto. Tagliare il limone in quattro parti e servire le cotolette con un pezzo di limone.

Fettuccine with bolognese ragu'

In Bologna city's restaurants, you'll find for sure this dish. Bolognese ragu' , a tomato sauce with meat, it's a classic for Italians living in this city. It needs to a little more of cooking , but it worth , because the result it's a really tasty tomato sauce. This wonderful sauce will marry with Fettuccine a famous egg pasta, with a quick time of cooking. Enjoy with a Lambrusco red wine, typical wine from Bologna Region.

Ingredients for 4 persons.

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon of butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped 1/4 cup red wine
1 14 oz and 1 28 oz can tomatoes (36 oz all together)
1 lb good quality beef, minced
1/4 lb ground pork or Italian style pork sausage broken up in small pieces
salt

4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup whole milk

In a deep pot heat the extra virgin oil. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot, and saute briefly over medium heat 3 minutes.Add the minced beef and the pork sausage, breaking it up with a fork. Add salt to taste, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.Add the tomatoes and stir well. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the gentlest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, covered, for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally and add one tablespoon of milk while stirring till it's finished. Taste and check for salt.

Spaghetti with tuna sauce

I make this pasta when my fridge is empty. I have always some tomatoes can , tuna can and obviously spaghetti ! It has a sea flavour , above all if you chose a tuna of high quality.

Ingredients for 4 persons

1 can (170 g/6 oz) Tuna, drained
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 package spaghetti
6 tbsp extra virgin oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a frypan, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chopped parsley , salt and pepper to taste . Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add minced tuna and cook for 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile cook spaghetti in salted water until 'al dente'. Drain and return to the pot.
Add tuna sauce to pasta and toss.
Sprinkle with a little bit of parsley (optional). Serve with dry white wine.

Pasta cu anciovi e ca muddica - Sicily

Sicily's turn, a typical recipe from Sicily region. Poor ingredients for a tasty result.

'Pasta cu anciovi e ca muddica' in Sicilian slang means 'Pasta with anchovies and breadcrumbs' (notice the similar words anciovi and anchovies ! A small world !).Breadcrumbs was used to replace the use of the grated parmesan cheese more expensive.Eat this pasta drinking a sparkling white wine.

Ingredients for 4 persons

1 pound of pasta (spaghetti or bucatini)

2 garlic cloves

12 anchovy fillets

8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

Fry the garlic cloves, finely chopped in a small frying pan with 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then add the anchovy fillets chopped, squash them in order to melt all the fillets. Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, gently fry breadcrumbs in two tablespoons of olive oil until it is brown. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix them. Serve hot sprinkled with the breadcrumbs.

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Don't miss this meat dish if you come in Rome , it's one of the most popular Roman meat dish.If you aren't able to come here in Rome make it at home , it's again a fast and easy recipe.

SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA

Ingredients for 4 persons :

8 round slices of veal

8 slices of prosciutto crudo (Italian ham)

1/2 stick of butter

all purpose flour

1/2 cup of dry white wine (drink the rest of the bottle...)

8 sage leaves

salt

3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Place a slice of ham over each slice of veal and then a sage leaf in the center. Roll them up and close them with a toothpick Put the oil in a saucepan. Lightly dust the involtini with flour and sauté over medium flame for 3 mins. Add wine and butter and simmer for another 3 mins. Add salt to taste.

Fettuccine and baked little tomatoes

Generally I make this savoury fettuccine during summer when here in Italy you can find in the vegetable markets or in the supermarkets the best juicy and tasty tomatoes.

I prefer to use Pachino tomatoes , a wonderful cherry tomatoes from Sicily. If you aren't able to find this variety of tomatoes, use the more juicy you find.

In Italy we like to use fresh herbs in our cooking , but it's not so simply during the winter.

Try to use fresh herbs as more as you can, you will have fantastic results. If you have a balcony or a garden try to cultivate herbs by yourself. In my small garden I have : basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender, oregano. They are all beautiful plants, and it's so nice to take care of them like babies ! This recipe is fast easy and healthy. (Did you realize I like fast recipes ?)

FETTUCCINE AND BAKED LITTLE TOMATOES

Ingredients for 4 persons :
12.5 oz of fettuccine

14.3 oz of cherry Pachino tomatoes or juicy cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

fresh (best result) or dried herbs :
1 teaspoon of parsley finely chopped

1 teaspoon of basil finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon of thyme finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon of oregano finely chopped
5 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cut the tomatoes in half. Oil a baking pan , put in the tomatoes cut side up.

Sprinkle on the tomatoes all the herbs (parsley,basil,thyme,oregano), the garlic , salt and pepper to taste. Pour on the extra virgin olive oil. Bake in oven at 450 F for ½ hour. Meanwhile cook the fettuccine 'al dente' in salted water. Drain and mix in the baking pan and serve hot.

Italian meatballs

Italian meatballs, everyone knows them ! It's one of the easiest way to make my girls eating meat (they dont' love meat ). And it's also one of the most traditional Italian way of cooking meat.

And now unfortunately I have to destroy an American myth : We don't make Spaghetti with meatballs !!! We cook meatballs in tomato sauce. Then we add the tomato sauce to spaghetti and we set aside the meatballs. Then we eat meatballs with some vegetables.

An Italian will never order for one spaghetti with meatballs in a restaurant...

We use little (very little ) meatballs when we make baked pasta (I will post soon this wonderful recipe of the South of Italy), a special pasta mixed with little meatballs, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce.

Easy and fast recipe again.

That's all.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs or 2 slices of bread
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon of parsley finely chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Soak bread or bread crumbs in milk for 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients (beef,parmesan cheese,egg,garlic,parsley,salt and pepper).Mix very well.
Form into meatballs. You can cook meatballs in three ways :
1) The classic one is to fry in a skillet with olive oil (but I personally prefer soy oil) until brown
2) Place meatballs in a skillet , pour some olive oil on , cook in oven 15 minutes (325-350 degrees). Do not overcook
3) Prepare a simply tomato sauce : put in a pan 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil add 1 tablespoon of onion finely chopped, let it fry for 1 minute
add 1 28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes , then add in meatballs. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes, till meatballs are cooked, stir occasionally and carefully.

Limoncello homemade The South Italy's liquor

You can't finish an Italian meal without drinking a wonderful small glass full of 'Limoncello' liquor. In the Italian 'Trattoria' in general the owner offer a free glass to every customer at the end of the meal.

The story of this liquor begins in 1900's in the coast of Campania region in the town of Sorrento where there were lot of lemons growing. Sorrento 's lemon quality it's particular since the lemon is bigger than other quality and it has a strong flavour.


It's so easy to make this liquor with digestive properties, my daughter made it at the maternal school with her teachers for the Dad's day !





Limoncello - Recipe
Liquor of lemons



INGREDIENTS :


12 non-treated lemons (organic)


2 ½ cups of vodka


2 ½ cups of sugar


2 ½ cups of water


PREPARATION : Carefully wash the lemons: all the non-yellow impurities should be eliminated. If necessary, use a soft brush, without brushing too hard, so as not to break the protuberances of the rind.With a large-size vegetable peeler , peel only the yellow part of the lemon rinds; the white part would confer a truly bitter taste to the liquor.


Put the lemon rinds, alcohol, sugar and water in a big, hermetic jar (one that can hold 1/2 gallon of liquid). Stir with a wooden spoon and then close the bottle. Put it aside in the kitchen, where there isn’t too much noise nor too many movements. Stir several times, once in the morning and once in the evening, with a clean wooden spoon. After six days, the limoncello is ready; it only needs to be filtered. Get a bottle, and put in a funnel, lined with a filter (a big ball of cotton will do). Slowly pour the limoncello (drop by drop) into the funnel; the liquor should be very clear when poured into the bottle. The filtering procedure should last almost a whole day: this should be done when you are certain to be staying home.


Don’t touch nor squeeze the ball of cotton: the filtering procedure would’ve been in vain. The limoncello is to be served at a refrigerated temperature.

Grandma's Taralli - recipe

It's a sweet remembering, when I was a little child going to visit my grandma in Greci, always I brought back with me a big plastic bag full of this salty Taralli with a ring shape. They still make me think about my grandma. Eat them with some slice of salami and some piece of parmesan cheese and...obviously a glass of red wine.

Here the recipe :

TARALLI
Ingredients
10 cups of all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp of salt
1 cup of dry white wine
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Work together the flour, the wine, the oil and the salt till you obtain an elastic and homogeneous dough.
Let it rest covered with a cloth for 20 minutes in a place not too cold.
In a big pot boil some water adding 1 tablespoon full of salt..
Make now taralli getting from the dough some small sticks 8-10 long like a finger and with the same diameter of a finger : close them on theirselves placing on the tops of the two ends and pressing them with a finger in order to seal them.
Take 10 at a time and put them in the boiling water and pull them again helping yourself with a skimmer as soon as they come on the surface.
Put them on a cloth, one next to the other, draining for a few minutes.
Grease a tin and put in it taralli without letting them touch on.
Put the tin in the oven(already switched on at 400º F) and let taralli cooking for 40 minutes
(they should became of a light brown).
If you want you can flavour them: you can add, during the kneding, one of these ingredients: seeds of fennel, sesame chilly pepper, oregano, scales of dry onion. One tablespoon of spices will be enough for this quantity of dough.

They discovered America

My sweet cousin Sherry forwarded me this interesting video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQUVerMGCM



It may be a symbol, since it tells about the discovery of America , and how much Italians influenced the story of this wonderful country. We can forget what our ancestors did for us and our countries (America and Italy). They passed through a lot of pain, and what we are it's because of their past hard work.

And to appreciate and to know something more about Italian immigrants I suggest this touching book. The author is a young Italian writer Melania Mazzucco.
http://www.amazon.com/Vita-Novel-Melania-G-Mazzucco/dp/0374284954

Arbereshe sweet recipe - Le Pettole

As a cooking fun , I love also to make old recipe. This is a old recipe of Arberesh tradition.
Arberesh was the Italian-Albanian ethnic group of the South of Italy. Their traditions are still alive, and I think it's nice to tell about them to our son, to preserve this precious heritage.
The town of Greci - Avellino has Arberesh tradition, and this is dedicated to it.
Here a recipe for a fried sweet traditionally served for Christmas : 'Le Pettole'.

Le Pettole
Ingredients :
5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of extra virgin oil
1 and 1/3 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoon of dried yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar
soy or sunflower oil for frying

Preparation :
Make a dough with all the ingredients ,the dough will turn a little bit sticky.
Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) for one hour.
Put a pan with the soy oil on medium heat, when the oil is hot , fry the dough , taking it with a spoon.After 30 seconds turn every 'ball' on the other side.
When ready sprinkle on le pettole sugar ,or warm honey.
This video is so simpleness, a woman from South Italy make le Pettole, enjoy it !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htvudkRErL8

Alessandra's Lasagna

When on sunday Lunch I cook Lasagna my girls go crazy, they love it, and never say I'm not hungry...In Italy it's a traditional Sunday meal.

With the besciamella sauce it will turn more yummy and soft !

Alessandra's lasagna.

Ingredients for 6-8 person

2 large cans of tomatoes

1 chopped onion

1 pound lean ground beef (optional)
5 tablespoons of olive oil

1 pound grated mozzarella cheese (optional)

1/2 pound of grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 stick butter

5 cups of whole milk

5 tablespoons flour

salt pepper

lasagna noodles

grated nutmeg

In a large pot saute' the beef and the chopped onion in olive oil for 5 minutes.Add the tomatoes,salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Besciamella sauce :

Melt the butter in the microwave at maximum power for 30 seconds.Add the flour and stir well.Add all the milk gradually and stir well. Then put again in the microwave at maximum power for 2 minutes.Stir well. Again in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir well, microwave for 2 minutes, stir well.Add a teaspoon of grated nutmeg and salt to taste.

Spray a baking pan with olive oil and put a layer of the tomato sauce then...

LAYER :

1 Lasagna noodles

2 tomato sauce

3 besciamella sauce

4 grated mozzarella cheese (optional)

5 grated parmesan cheese

6 pepper to taste

Continue layering : end with tomato sauce on top and add a small amount of Parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let it sit about 15 minutes before cutting in squares.

First recipe : Chocolate muffin with a 'tender heart'

Tortini Fondenti con Cuore di Cioccolato Caldo

Chocolate muffin with a 'tender heart'

Ingredients for 6 muffins : 1/2 cup dark chocolate melted- 1/3 cup butter melted- 1/3 up sugar - one tbsp flour
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
Put chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in a microwave.Let it stay for a few minutes to cool a little bit.Then add sugar , one egg , then the other egg. Then add the flour and stir well.
Put the batter in 6 muffin cups and put them in the freeze for 4-5 hours or more.Cook in the oven at 425 F for 15-20 minutes.
The result is a yummy chocolate muffin with a melted 'heart'.
TIP : you can add to the batter a little bit of orange zest or any spice you love like cinnamon, nutmeg , ginger and so on...

Thank you to Sherry for this wonderful silicon muffins cups !!!

Living in Rome

I want to share with you my life in Rome. I would like you to feel as you were here. Here in Rome - Italy.
I will make as much as I can to make you try what it means to live in Rome in bad and good way.
Feel free to ask me whatever you have in mind. Any doubt , answer and suggestion is more than appreciated.
Let's begin Our travel.
Have a look to this video , the song is of a famous Roman singer Antonello Venditti, and the title is 'Roma Capoccia' , that in Roman slang means the capital Rome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7jv8zmtnxE