The Italian Takeaway

For some strange reason, being in a lockdown somehow augments one's desire to eat out. It really must be true, then: one does not miss something, until it's gone. In Germany's case, put into a cage, locked up and the key thrown away (or at least to be found at a much later date). 

And so it was, that we ordered from the Italian restaurant, Ristorante Rossini - a Pizza Vorderschinken Champignons (Ham and Mushrooms Pizza) and Spaghetti Carbonara. 

The amount of absolute joy that coursed through me when these arrived at my door - so hot and fresh off the stove, the steam was coming off them in soft billows of smoke - was unspeakable. It may not have been the joy I had when my baby girl came out of me, but yes, pretty close. 

The first order I (gleefully) unwrapped was my Spaghetti Carbonara, with Vorderschinken or ham slices. 

The spaghetti was tender soft and pliable, just the way I like my pasta. I know this is subjective, as I mentioned in my earlier blog Spaghetti @ Willy B, some foodies like their pastas more on the springy side. While this is true of my short pasta like cavatappi, penne and macaroni (or elbows, as they are sometimes referred to) , I am quite particular about the pliability of my spaghettis and fettucine. Rossini did not disappoint. 

To add to my enjoyment of pliable pasta, the carbonara sauce was delightful. Essentially, carbonara sauce is a concoction of egg, hard cheese with some pork and pepper (please don't quote me, I am not a recipe expert). The end result is usually a richly-flavoured sauce that is creamy in texture. 

 After eating countless pastas in carbonara sauce, I have discovered that the creaminess of sauce differs from one cook to another. While I am a willing victim to absolute cream, I do find that a carbonara sauce that is a little too creamy tends to give that bloated feeling. That, I have to admit, is an unwelcomed sensation. With experience comes wisdom (or so they say) and thus, I have become more wary of TOO-creamy carbonara sauces. 

I am thrilled to say I found this to be in perfect balance. Not too creamy-rich that one feels nauseated at the end, yet so richly cream that one has the feeling of being fulfilled. 

The amount of carbonara sauce, too, was just nice. My spaghetti strands weren't swimming in it, and neither were there any that were left bereft of sauce. Like I said, just nice. Kudos to the chef for that perfect measurement.

And then there was the pizza. 

All of Rossini's pizzas come with a base of tomatoes and cheese, with toppings of choice (in our case, ham and mushrooms). 

Unlike some pizzas we've ordered before which had "empty" spaces in between the toppings so you could see the dough, our pizza was fully topped up with heavenly slices of ham and mushrooms. 

Generosity of ingredients always, always gets a thumbs-up from me, and most other customers too, I suspect. Nobody likes a stingy cook, after all. So to see my pizza all filled to the brim with the ingredients we ordered practically guarantees a positive response.

To top it off (pardon the pun), the ham slices and mushrooms blended delectably with the pizza base. Imagine the combination of tomato sweet-sourness, rich cheese, salty ham slices and bland, moist mushrooms. Exquisite. 

I must give homage to the dough. That, in itself, was perfect - soft and moist after some absorption of the tomato base, cheese, ham and mushroom combo, and on its own, pretty tasty too. I don't like a hard, dry pizza dough - in fact, substandard dough alone is the reason why I hesitate to order pizzas sometimes.  

Suffice to say, after today's order, my faith in pizza is restored. 

I think Rossini's can expect to ring my doorbell again. And possibly again. 

https://rossini-erfurt.de/ 

[As part of my personal support for local businesses during the pandemic, I will provide links to each restaurant or eatery that I blog, whenever possible]