Philadelphia Italian Restaurant
Philadelphia is the proud home to many cultures and ethnicities. And it is a seconda casa for many Italian Americans. So make Christina’s Restaurant your seconda casa as well with our authentic Central Italian dishes. We have specialties that are tomato based while using all types of meat, fishes, percorino cheese and olive oil. Try our succulent fiorentina steak with your red wine. Be satisfied with our fish stew flavored with fennel, porcini and saffron. Or choose our panzanella salad or pasta aglio e olio as vegetarian alternatives.
Christina’s Restaurant uses fresh, local ingredients and the finest imported spices. Our top-notch chefs have trained many years in the old country. We strive for authenticity and we also welcome creativity. But most importantly, we make you feel right at home – or rather, a casa ora. Have a special occasion with family, friends or an amore? Give us a call or visit our website to book a reservation.
Central Italian cuisine
Central Italy is made up of four regions: Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche and Lazio – proud home of the cucina povera (peasant food). The summers in this part of Italy are warmer than the north allowing for more tomatoes to grow. Cool winters make it an optimal place for leafy vegetables, wild mushrooms and fresh herbs. Dishes are created using minimal ingredients that rely on local produce. One example is Umbria’s zuppa di verdure all’agliata, a vegetable soup consisting of basil leaves, onions, potatoes, carrots, celeries, tomatoes, cannellini beans, and aromatics.
Where would Mediterranean cooking be without olives? In the city of Ascoli Piceno, stuffed olives are painstakingly hand-made giving it the air of a special occasion. Green olives are pitted, filled with meat & cheese, dipped in beaten eggs & breadcrumbs and deep fried in sunflower oil. Called olive ascolane, this dish can be served as a starter or a snack-to-go.
A proud specialty from the coastal city of Ancona is the brodetto fish stew. The dish is tomato-based and locals claim that the recipe has not changed from the original version. Thirteen varieties of fish are used as a reminder of the number of participants in the Last Supper or the 13 masks of Calamo’s Fontain – depending on who you ask. Although the dish follows that Central Italian rustic style, it is a rich recipe as it consists of various seafood from the Adriatic: cuttlefish, mussels, clams, prawns, monkfish, hake, sole, dory, mantish shrimp, ray – served with garlic-rubbed bread.
One of the signature meat dishes from Umbria is the porchetta, a savory, fatty and boneless pork roast stuffed with garly, rosemary and fennel. The Chianina cattle in Tuscany makes for good bistecca (beef steak). It is a cut of the meat from the part of the loin close to the leg. The Tuscanians take this very seriously as it has to include a porterhouse cut, must be well-marbled and must be 2 inches thick. In preparation, the loin is dry aged for 2 to 3 weeks to concentrate the flavor.
The schiacciata alla Fiorentina is a the Tuscanian version of the sponge cake. The only difference is that the schiacciata has an orange zest and an option of fillings such as ricotta & cream. Originally served only during Easter, it can be found in pastry shops all over Florence and is available all year round. And in the capital city of Rome, you can enjoy a piece of crostata di ricotta, a sweet tart or pie that is made with ricotta and mixed with sugar and lemon zest. Raisins and coca can also be included.
And finally, we go on to the most looked-up items in our menu: the pasta. From Tuscany, we have the gigli. Translated to lilies, the gigli’s delicately ruffled edges and fluted form makes it appear like a bouquet of pasta. It goes well with thick and creamy sauces; and it can also be served with fresh zucchini, garlic and parmigiano-reggiano. The buccatini is a long noodle with a hole in the center of each strand. And finally, the noodle that needs no introduction: the spaghetti. Our spaghetti here in Christina’s comes in two forms: the thick spaghettoni and the thin capellini.
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