BABISH

recipes

community

livestream

cookware

cookbook

contact

JOIN

SPIEDINI ALLA ROMANA

Name: Spiedini alla Romana
Ingredients: 4 slices crusty bread; 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced; As needed fry oil of choice; 1/3 cup capers, drained + dried; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 shallot, minced; 2 garlic cloves, smashed; 2 anchovy filets; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 3/4 cup chicken stock; 1 cup tomato puree; 1 Juice of lemon; 1/4 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped + more to garnish; To taste kosher salt; To taste freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp cooking olive oil; 1 To garnish: lemon wedge

If you can't get to Cafe Spaghetti, try the next best thing with this recipe for Spiedini alla Romana. If you've never heard of Cafe Spaghetti, well, still give it a whirl; grilled cheese in a tangy tomato sauce, what's not to love?

original

metric

INGREDIENTS

4 slices crusty bread

8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

As needed fry oil of choice

⅓ cup capers, drained + dried

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 anchovy filets

¼ cup dry white wine

¾ cup chicken stock

1 cup tomato puree

1 Juice of lemon

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped + more to garnish

To taste kosher salt

To taste freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp cooking olive oil

1 To garnish: lemon wedge

DIRECTIONS

Assemble the sandwiches by placing 2-3 slices of mozzarella between two slices of bread. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat about ½ inch of fry oil to 350 °F in a medium high-walled skillet. Add the capers and fry for 1-2 minutes or until crispy and popped. Using a slotted spoon, remove the capers from the oil and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

Prepare the sauce in a separate saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until translucent, about 1 minute.

Add the garlic cloves and anchovies to the skillet, and cook until the anchovies have mostly melted into a sauce, about 2-3 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, then cook for 1 minute longer or until the alcohol smell has burned off. Then, add the chicken stock and tomato puree. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, oregano, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Heat the cooking olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prepared sandwiches to the preheated oil and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve the sandwiches with a generous amount of the reserved tomato sauce. Garnish with more parsley, a lemon wedge, and the crispy fried capers.

Unlock this recipe

Welcome to the...

Babish Culinary Universe

Get instant access to hundreds of written recipes, connect with a community eager to share their cooking triumphs and mishaps, and find inspiration for your next meal.

Try it out for a month free, then just $1/month

JOIN