I am so lucky to meet Alberto (grown up in Rome) in Milan, and even better he cooked a roman dish for me: Straccetti con la rughetta ("tattered" strips of beef with arugula). Lean sirloin is cut into thin strips and browned quickly in a skillet, and a mess of arugula is tossed in at the last minute, just to wilt it.
I was very surprised to discover the technique of wilting arugula. I always put them in salad and never thought about other way of cooking it. The dish is simply amazing combination between strong beef flavor and rich, peppery arugula. It is very simple to cook as well:
http://www.recipelink.com/mf/3/10883
“The term arugula (variations of Italian dialects) is used by the Italian diaspora in Australia and North America and from there picked up as a loan word to a varying degree in American and Australian English, particularly in culinary usage.
It is rich in vitamin C and potassium. It has been grown in the Mediterranean area since Roman times, and is considered an aphrodisiac.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arugula
That is just one dish. We also had ravioli with zucchini and 2 year-old Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italian). It is my first time to try a 2 year-old true Parmigiano from Parma where they produce it. The traditional marking with the inscription in full “Parmigiano - Reggiano” is impressed along the side of the whole cheese and enables the identification even on small pieces. The flavor is rich, nutty and a slightly gritty texture. I would through away all my cloth to empty the luggage and bring back home some true Parmigiano. A dinner like that makes all worries go away! Of course we had red wine too!
“Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, fat granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, and Mantova, in Lombardy, Italy.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano
The link also explains how the real Parmesan is made- quite amazing process.
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