It’s funny how a memory of a taste can transport you back years, even decades in your mind. From the taste of a Fudge Pop from an ice cream truck to your first foray into “Gourmet” with your initial taste of Foie Gras or Truffles – it’s a sensation you never seem to forget.
In my youth, my tastes were of course influenced heavily by my family. Sadly, my family were not adventurous when it came to food – plebian comes to mind, as they were VERY into the ‘Meat and Potatoes’ that they had been eating for years. Problem is, those meats were always either cooked “well done” (in this case, think shoe leather) or boiled until they were a gray, listless mass. It’s not that they didn’t taste good – but as I would find out later in life, they could taste SO much better when prepared properly.
One thing my family did right was choosing places to eat out. Amazingly, their love of the overly cooked meats at home carried over to asking for it to be overly cooked out as well – but I was able for the first time to experiment by requesting less than Well Done. One such place was a Tempe (Az) institution, Monti’s la Casa Vieja (The old house), where they would take us on special occasions. It was there that I first went from Well to Medium, and eventually Medium Rare, something that really set me apart from the rest of my family. As they were eating their (to me) dry, gray mass of meat, I was discovering (and savoring) that the singular stripe of pink/red in the center made a much juicier, and therefore tastier experience.
Monti’s will always hold a place in my heart no matter what culinary greatness I find. Yes, it’s Steaks and Prime Rib were excellent – although The Stockyards Restaurant had better steaks, and for my money, “The Prime Rib” (Which I don’t think exists any longer) was superior for it’s namesake item. What always set Monti’s apart for me though was two things – It’s special bread called “Roman bread”, and it’s Cinnamon Ice Cream.
To this day I can’t taste Focaccia without always comparing it to Roman Bread. Since it had been served at Monti’s for years before Focaccia became such a trendy thing, I at first didn’t connect the 2 in my mind – but there’s no doubt about it, it’s the same thing. The only real difference is the use of Onion and Rosemary in Monti’s recipe – Which I will give you at the end of this piece. And of course as a kid, the Ice Cream was at that point the end all, be all of going there. It was creamy, and the Cinnamon taste was not the “hot” variety popular today, but a smooth finishing flavor that would linger for an hour after you finished. Simply amazing.
I’m told by friends who still live in the area that Monti’s has become somewhat – Less – in their eyes over the years when compared to the newer, trendier places. Since I am not there, I won’t make a judgment – but I will say that I tend to doubt it. Chain restaurants will never have the appeal to me as they do for others.
Now as promised – Roman Bread!
Makes 12 to 16 servings
- 2 packages active dry or instant yeast (1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
- 4 cups flour
- ½ cup finely chopped onion (Tip: Use dried onion flakes and reconstitute them in hot water, gives a better flavor)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons dried rosemary, finely crushed
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Combine yeast and sugar with lukewarm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast. One cup at a time, mix in the flour, then add onion, 1½ teaspoons salt and 1½ tablespoons rosemary. Mix well. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean linen tea towel. Let rise until doubled. When dough has doubled in size, punch down.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, then turn down to 375 degrees.
Flatten dough to 1 inch thick across a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Pat the top of the dough lightly with the vegetable oil and let rise again until doubled. Sprinkle all over with the remaining rosemary and additional salt. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
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