L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T oday, I'd like to w r i t e a b o u t a r e c i p e a l m o s t e v e r y o n e m a d e a t l e a s t o n c e , o f t e n w i t h o u t k n o w i n g i t had a name at all: p a s t a alla checca. P o s s i b l y t h e g r e a t e s t improvised summer dish out there, its sauce is barely a sauce at all, and nothing, really, gets cooked but the pasta itself: ripe little toma- toes (ciliegini, datterini, or the sweet ones from Pachi- no) cut small; cubes of moz- zarella and a little caciotta romana; basil torn by hand, a g o o d o i l , s a l t , a t u r n o f pepper, a pinch of oregano if the mood takes you. That is the whole of it. You boil the p a s t a , m i x e v e r y t h i n g together, and the warmth does the rest, loosening the cheese just enough to bind it a l l i n t o s o m e t h i n g f r e s h , light and, somehow, more than the sum of its parts. Let's be honest, on a blazing August afternoon, when the last thing anyone wants is to stand over a hot stove, it is close to perfection. Pasta alla Checca… that s o u n d s c u r i o u s e n o u g h , right? And even if you don't f i n d i t c u r i o u s , y o u m u s t accept that its etymology remains mysterious. Now, that is where it gets person- al, because Checca is the old R o m a n p e t - f o r m o f Francesca, which, you will understand, gives me a cer- tain weakness for the dish. The usual story says that it was named for a cook called C h e c c a , p e r h a p s t h e o n e behind an old Roman oste- ria sign, Sora Checca, that the city half-remembers. But the truth is no one can say for sure. For full disclosure, I'll mention there are other, earthier explanations too, t h e k i n d p o l i t e c o m p a n y leaves at the bar, and we will happily do the same. Something we know for s u r e i s w h e n p a s t a a l l a Checca was born, and it may surprise you, because con- trary to so many of our most iconic dishes, it seems to have surfaced only in the 1960s and taken hold in the Seventies. One account sets it precisely in 1972, in an osteria on Via dei Coronari, in the tangle of streets near Piazza Navona. The Rome of those years was spreading outward and f i l l i n g w i t h s m a l l , c h e a p , lively eateries, and in home k i t c h e n s p e o p l e w a n t e d e x a c t l y w h a t p a s t a a l l a Checca offered: something quick and easy on the wal- l e t , m a d e f r o m w h a t w a s already in the larder and on t h e w i n d o w s i l l , w i t h o u t lighting up the stove for an hour. It was a recipe for a p a r t i c u l a r m o m e n t , f o r summers in a Rome of new neighborhoods and modest means, but plenty of hopes f o r t h e f u t u r e . I t e v e n p i c k e d u p a c e l e b r a t e d c h a m p i o n i n U g o T o g - nazzi, who gave the world a fierier version he christened s u l r o g o , " a t t h e s t a k e , " sharpened with chili, which also became very popular; but the best thing about it is that, however you make it, the idea remains the exact same: no fuss and the best tomatoes you can lay hands on doing most of the labor while you do almost none. But, like every dish peo- ple love, pasta alla Checca has its factions, one lets the pasta cool completely before dressing it, just like you'd d o f o r a p a s t a s a l a d ; t h e o t h e r t o s s e s e v e r y t h i n g together while the pasta is still warm, so the mozzarel- l a g o e s s o f t a n d f a i n t l y filante, stringing from the f o r k . B o t h a r e r i g h t , depending on the day, the c o o k a n d , o f c o u r s e , t h e heat. S t r a n g e l y e n o u g h , f o r something so delightful and u b i q u i t o u s i n R o m a n kitchens, it was rarely part of restaurants' menus until r e c e n t l y , w h e n a y o u n g R o m a n c h e f , A n d r e a Antonini, served a refined v e r s i o n a t I m à g o , t h e starred dining room of the H o t e l H a s s l e r a b o v e t h e Spanish Steps, with smoked b u f f a l o m o z z a r e l l a a n d a whisper of wild fennel, plat- ed as prettily as anything in the city. Across town, a lit- tle street-food shop called, inevitably, Ciao Checca hands it out in compostable tubs to eat as you wander the market. A n d h e r e , a s s o o f t e n happens at the Italian table, we also find a connection with the US, because I am s u r e p l e n t y o f y o u h a v e p r o b a b l y b e e n m a k i n g pasta alla Checca for years under some other name, or no name at all: the August s u p p e r o f r i p e t o m a t o e s , torn basil, and fresh moz- z a r e l l a , t h r o w n t o g e t h e r when it is too hot to think straight; the caprese you can twirl on a fork. That it should turn out to be a gen- uine Roman classic, with a somehow unknown history a n d a f a i n t l y m y s t e r i o u s name, only makes it dearer. Call it whatever you like, its simplicity makes it a winner every time! P a s t a a l l a C h e c c a (Adapted from Il Cucchi- aio d'Argento Serves 4 Ingredients 10 oz (280 g) spaghetti, or a short pasta 3 ripe tomatoes (or about 2 cups cherry or datterini tomatoes), diced 5 oz (150 g) fiordilatte mozzarella, diced 3 o z ( 8 0 g ) c a c i o t t a romana (or another mild semi-soft cheese), diced Fresh basil Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper A p i n c h o f o r e g a n o (optional) Method W h i l e t h e p a s t a c o o k s , dice the tomatoes, the moz- zarella – let it drain a few m i n u t e s i n a s i e v e s o i t sheds some of its whey – and the caciotta. Gather them in a serving bowl with the torn basil, a generous pour of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and leave them to sit while the pasta finishes. Drain the spaghetti, tip it i n t o t h e b o w l , a n d t o s s quickly. For the warm, filante ver- sion, serve at once, while the heat softens the cheese into threads; for the cooler one, let the pasta lose its steam first. Either way, a pinch of oregano at the end does no harm. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Pasta alla Checca: the Roman pasta you cook without really cooking Pasta alla checca is one of Rome's simplest summer dishes, prepared with fresh tomatoes, sometimes mozzarella, basil and olive oil, then tossed with pasta (Photo: Jon Osumi/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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