Papalina
A creamy Roman sauce of peas, heavy cream, and either prosciutto or guanciale. It is a richer cousin to Peas and Bacon, with papal grandeur in its name.
The name 'Papalina' references its association with papal dinners—elegant, rich, and befitting a cardinal's table. The exact origin is somewhat murky, but it emerged in mid-20th century Rome.
Only a few ingredients
Prosciutto or Guanciale
Small pieces into a dry or barely oiled pan. Medium heat. Let it colour before anything else goes in.
Peas
In with the meat. Fresh need very little — frozen need a few minutes more. They should still hold their shape when the cream arrives.
Heavy Cream
Full fat. Let it reduce with the peas and meat — three or four minutes. It thickens as it cooks. Don't rush it or it'll be thin on the plate.
Pecorino or Parmigiano
Grated over at the end. Stir it through and taste — the cream and the meat are already salty. You may not need much.
Cream is part of this dish.
Unlike Carbonara or Alfredo, Papalina embraces cream as an essential building block. It is not emulsified technique—it is straightforward richness.
Fettuccine
Wide ribbons that hold the cream and peas in every fold.
Pappardelle
Even wider and more luxurious.
Ready to cook?
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Other sauces from the same region
Carbonara
A Roman dish built on patience and restraint. The richness you taste is not cream — it is the alchemy of egg yolk, aged cheese, and the water your pasta cooked in.
Aglio e Olio
Rome distilled to four ingredients. The result depends entirely on how you treat the garlic.
Cacio e Pepe
Beyond simplicity lies complexity. Cheese and pepper. That is all. Yet the three-minute emulsification required to build this sauce separates the masters from the novices.
Burro e Parmigiano (Alfredo)
A silken emulsion of butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and pasta water. Roman simplicity at its peak—no cream, only technique. The sauce emerges when cold butter meets hot pasta and starchy water.
Amatriciana
A bold, rustic sauce from the mountain town of Amatrice. It is the evolution of Gricia, adding tomato to the holy trinity of guanciale, pecorino, and pepper.
Vignarola
A springtime celebration of Rome's finest vegetables—fava beans, peas, and artichokes tossed with guanciale and Pecorino Romano. Light, seasonal, and deeply Roman.
Zozzona
A rustic, hearty Roman pasta of tomatoes, pancetta, and a hint of cream. The name comes from the Roman dialect word 'zozz,' meaning dirty, simple man—it's a working person's dish.
Gricia
The ancestor of Carbonara. Guanciale, Pecorino, and black pepper without the egg—a dish of pure Roman clarity, celebrated for its restraint.
Arrabiata
The angry sauce. Four ingredients, one rule: enough chili to matter.