For the Holy See, I had just one thought: Communion wafers.

I mean, when one thinks of Catholic cuisine, that’s about it, right? Glutinous metaphoric bits of bread for parishioners.

But that’s less of a blog post, and more of an April Fool’s Joke.

So instead, I thought about the context of the Vatican – and Roman cuisine. Italy has such great food, and is one of those countries where identifying a true “national dish” is going to be a challenge… but Rome? The dish of Rome is, of course, carbonara.

One of my favorite meat suppliers, Tails & Trotters, has been harder to get to after a nasty fire last winter. Until they rebuild, I can’t just stop in for some guanciale or pancetta on my way home from work.

But one of the things I love doing with my kid – one of the ways I’ve beaten the limitations of parenthood I mentioned in the St. Lucia blog – has been to go to the Portland Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. That’s where one goes to get good pancetta in Portland.

Delicious, savory pancetta, ripe for some rendering.

On a recent Saturday, sitting at home, wondering what to make for dinner, I thought about the pancetta I had in my freezer, the pecorino and parm in my fridge, and the light bulb went off – carbonara time.

This dish couldn’t be easier to make. Shred cheese, render meat, whisk eggs, boil noodles, mix.

Check out the recipe from the New York Times.