Spring is delicious, and I am busy
Peas so sweet you could eat them like cereal (and other thoughts)
Hi, friends —
Someday, if you can, visit Rome in spring. I’ve never met such perfect vegetables as the ones in season now. Thorny artichokes in mauve and green with the softest, sweetest hearts. Misticanza, a blend of wild Roman greens like borage and dandelion leaves — each variety with its own distinct flavor. Tendrils of agretti, seaweed-like in appearance but mild in taste — more like spaghetti than a vegetable. Mountains of fava beans and mountains of peas, both so sweet and crunchy that a fellow joked that we should serve them in a bowl with a spoon, like cereal. And in their last week now (I say with a sob): puntarelle, the wild Roman chicory. You can use the whole puntarelle plant, but my favorite part is the core, which Romans like to spiralize and dress with anchovies, garlic, white wine vinegar, and olive oil.
It feels like such a cliché to proclaim that I’ve never tasted produce as good as the produce in Italy, but it’s true! The only rival that comes to mind is the produce we received at Hart’s from Patty at Early Girl Farm in Long Island. She’s an artist, and I worship her heirloom tomatoes.
It’s funny how I didn’t know what I would write about last week, when the Academy fell quiet over Easter, and now I’m breathless with news. Life feels big today! I’m eating well and drinking too much espresso and wine, and I walked 20,000 steps each day of the weekend, and I’ve been flung into another week in the kitchen, and I have friends and family visiting, and there are people expecting me to meet deadlines and answer their emails. The cartoonist Liana Finck (whom I’m lucky to know in real life) shared the visual below on her Substack in January, and I keep thinking about it. I know both loneliness and overwhelm intimately, and it’s rare that I occupy the space between them.
My friend Lily, who runs a cafe on Fishers Island, was in Rome for the past few days with her great-aunt Suzie, and it was lovely to spend time with them. One evening, we were talking about our ambitions, and Lily said something along the lines of, “When I’m home in the States, I want to get so much done, and when I’m in Ireland, I just want a beer.” Coincidentally, Lily also attended Ballymaloe, so we share a fondness for the pocket of County Cork we once called home. At Ballymaloe, I, too, just wanted a beer — preferably in a pub on a cold night, with a friend or two. That’s about it. You’d think Italy, like Ireland, might relieve me of some intensity, but it hasn’t. Maybe it’s because I’m at the American Academy, surrounded by distinguished people who’ve built lives around their work. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m in a city, surrounded by energy and activity. Let’s just say that, although I’m having a wonderful time, it’s not leisurely or restful, however my Instagram might appear.
The big news that I somehow haven’t mentioned yet is that my mom is here for the whole week with her friend Sarah, who lives in Israel. They’ve been friends forever, but don’t get to see each other often, so they planned to meet in Rome to see me and have some quality time together. I spent the weekend with them, and now I’m joining their plans whenever I’m not working. We covered a lot of ground over the weekend: Galleria Doria Pamphilj, lunch in the Jewish quarter (Al Pompiere, of course), aperitivo on the rooftop terrace, Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Borghese gardens, and on and on! We took mirror selfies, devoured cacio e pepe potato chips, and generally delighted in Roman gorgeousness.
On Sunday evening, the three of us attended a charity dinner cooked by Giorgia, my RSFP coworker and friend. Along with her sister and some friends, Giorgia crafted a menu and cooked up a storm for Mediterranea, an organization focused on protecting refugees from the pervasive human rights violations that occur in the Mediterranean Sea. I was grateful to play a tiny role in the project by drawing the menu for Giorgia, and it was fun to see printed copies on every table. Cooking and social activism are a natural pair, and I’d like very much to follow Giorgia’s lead in some way when I get home.
Much more to say, but that’s all I have in me today.
Lots of love to all of you! Eat something good today!
Phoebe
So glad your mom was able to visit you! And the good sounds divine!
Wow,you are packing it in, and hosting so many visitors while working intensely! I love that Liana cartoon, so true. And the dad pants are rockin’ it. Happy spring. Oh, and the handwritten menu?! Fabuloso. Is that an Italian word?