andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  Dinner with friends . That’s how Giovanni Lamberti , photographer and sommelier described it as he invited me to dinner last week. One of the little dinners that he throws about twice a month in which he invites friends to hang out and talk about food and wine. Well, Giovanni’s friends include Chef Francesco Parrella of A Taverna Do Re and Francesco Martusciello , CEO and winemaker for Grotta Del Sole . And it was at Parella’s restaurant that his latest little get together took place. He designed a menu to pair with four wines from Grotta Del Sole. As we ate our starter; a crunchy bruschetta with guanciale, Martusciello presented his family’s winery. A story that I’ve heard before, but never tire of listening to. Especially when he talks about Asprinio… Asprinio D’Aversa . Images of past harvests played on the wide screen TV as Francesco talked about this grape, grown in vineyards with vines measuring up to 20 m high. Vines that hug poplar trees. Vines that produce this acid

Mise En Place is back with a new spring schedule at a new location.   On Tuesday, April 5 th beginning at 1800 ish , Chef Nicola Di Fillipo will teach a class traditional Easter recipes.   A discussion on wine pairing will be led, as usual, by sommelier Marina Alaimo .   Terre del Principe and Quintodecimo are the wineries selected for this event.   For more information, or to sign up, contact   Mise En Place . Mise en Place via Cervantes 55/16 80134 - NA Tel. 081 19806236/48 Fax 081 19806236 miseenplace @ lestanzedellacultura.it

  Passagiando sulla Bocca degli Inferi  or    "Walking along the Mouth of Hell" Join Flegreando and discover the legends and stories linked to Lago D’Averno, the ancient entrance to Hades and a fascinating and mysterious place since ancient times. It will be possible to conclude the day with a visit to the historic Mirabella Vineyard,  located behind the Temple of Apollo. where you can also try their wines and local products.   For more information or to reserve a spot, email info@flegreando.org. Contribution € 5.00 Cost for the tasting € 10.00 Reservations required Clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended Meeting time is  10.00 at Restaurant del Lago d'Averno-Charon

  Another   Sunday lunch starring   live jazz   at Veritas .  This time the musical atmosphere will   echo that of   the   early days of j azz   with a touch of   spring ! This will be an excellent chance to try Chef Gianluca D’Agostino ’s new spring menu.  For more info or to reserve, contact Veritas Restaurant directly. veritas restaurant corso Vittorio Emanuele 141 80121 Napoli t 081 66 05 85 www.veritasrestaurant.it info@veritasrestaurant.it Lunch start 13.00 pm - 15.00 pm Sunday and Holidays Dinner start 8 pm - 11.00 pm Tuesday - Saturday

Chef Francesco Parrella of A Taverna Do Re knew exactly what he was doing when he paired this amazing appetizer with a glass of Asprnio D’Aversa Spumante Metedo Martinotti (Grotta Del Sole ). A lightly fried mozzarella with an anchovy and basil pesto. Here is the surprisingly simple recipe: Ingredients 50 g of mozzarella di bufala, bread dough, extra virgin olive oil (for frying), pine nuts, basil, and anchovies. Procedure Wrap the mozzarella in the bread dough and fry in olive oil. Prepare a pesto using the basil, pine nuts, anchovies, and olive oil. And there you have it. A Taverna Do Re 2, Supp. Fondo Separazione, Naples  80100 Italy 081 5522424

I have a friend named Luigi. Luigi Tecce . And he makes a Taurasi that everyone has been talking about; Poliphemo . A wine made with aglianico grapes from his vineyard in Paternopoli (Av). With grapes from vineyards that are at least 85 years old. I tried his 2006 for the first time last summer in Taurasi’s centro storico. It was perfect with a panino di salsiccia alla brace under the stars. I’ve had his 2005, most recently at last weekend’s Parlano I Vignaioli . On several occasions, I’ve tasted his 2007, not out yet, but he brought a bottle or two along with him to Ariano Irpino last month. We shared it the judges table over 12 plates of spicy soffritto. His aglianico…his Taurasi…his Poliphemo. Luigi is full of surprises. He likes to experiment in his cantina. So when I saw him during the Dsfida di Soffritto with a dark, green unlabeled bottle, my curiosity got the best of me. This bottle held one of the wines that he makes for himself in small quantities. Luigi smiled and p

It was a little over a year ago that I attended my first sommelier class. A lot has happened since then, but I remember that class as if it were yesterday. I especially remember the words of then AIS Campania president Antonio Del Franco . He told our class of 50 or so aspiring sommeliers that a sommelier never stops learning. He stressed the importance of getting out and discovering. Training, if you will, as an athlete would train for an athletic competition. Those words have stuck in my mind. And as I approach the end of my II level sommelier class with AIS Napoli , his words are often replayed over and over again in my mind. Last weekend in Campi Flegrei, on Lake Fusaro came my chance to practice what Antonio Del Franco preached. Parlano I Vignaioli was a two day event , held March 20-21, which featured nearly 50 organic wine producers from all over Italy. Stands were set up in  Casina Vanvitelliana with a beautiful view of the Ostrichina and Lake Fusaro in Bacoli (Na). The

What better way to share a territory with friends than to introduce them to the wines and recipes of a region.  That was the the idea behind Andiamotrips latest wine tour on Saturday March 19th.  An adventure in Irpinia starring the wines and the food of this beautiful part of Campania. The day began at Villa Raiano , a winery in San Michele di Serino.  And on the winery's terrace, with an amazing view of the valley, we received a mini history/geography lesson from our guide and friend, Lello Del Franco .  He pointed out the hills, the mountains, and explained to us how vast and diverse a territory Irpinia is.  Something that we would soon learn during our wine tasting. After a tour of the winery, we got down to business.  Wine tasting.  And when you are talking about Irpinia, you are talking about the big three, Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino , and Aglianico . Two whites and red grape that thrive here. On this particular day, Villa Raiano shared with us their newly bottl

Nautilus Enoristorante has invited us to their monthly Accademia del Gusto . A series of events which includes a full course meal and wine tasting. This month the menu is based on baccala', cod. ''Il Baccalà tra Sale e Dolcezza''...The meal will feature wines from the winery Masseria Frattasi . The cost of the evening is 35 euro. But the evening does not end at dessert. Afterwards, Michelangelo di Toma will lead us through a whiskey tasting explaining the various origins, characteristics and posible pairings of the following; Balvenie 12yo double wood Glenfiddich 18yo Alderbeg Vigedail And what is a glass or two of whiskey without a Cuban or Tuscan cigar? The fun starts at 2030 ish ... For more info, or to sign up, contact me at andiamotrips@gmail.com or call Nautilus directly at 081 839 2006 or info@nautilusitaly.it

Per Eva Every year around March, Gaetano Bove throws a party.  He throws a party to show his love for his territory...his Tramonti...his Campania  And this year's celebration was no different. The cantina of Tenuta San Francesco was where friends and family gathered for una grande festa .  We celebrated over a lunch that included true Campanian home cooking such as pasta and fagioli, sauage and friarielli, and barbecue spare ribs. We celebrated with salami, cheeses, and prosciutto.  And we also celebrated over glasses of wine that I have enjoyed many times over various occasions ( here and here ...and here ).  Wines such a   Tramonti Bianco 2010 and 2009. ..a celebration of Campania's Falanghina, Biancolella, and Pepella.   Per Eva 2009 , celebrating his wife Eva as well as Genestra, Falanghina and Pepella. The celebration continued with the reds...Aglianico, Piedirosso, and Tintore celebrating in a glass of Tramonti Rosso 2008 and 4 Spine Riserva 2007 .   E'Iss

A spectacular view from Le Campestre's terrace The Campania region invited me out for the perfect Saturday. A Saturday ‘made in Caserta’…a beautiful part of the region that I must admit, I know little about. An early spring sunshine accompanied me on my way towards Castel di Sasso, towards Az. Agricola e Agrituristica Le Campestre . It was here where I would spend my afternoon and get to know this part of Campania also known as Alto Casertano through its beautiful scenery, local products, and wonderful people. It took me on a walk through Casavecchia vineyards and over to the stalls to see Caserta’s particular black pigs and piglets. It invited me to pull up a chair on Le Campestre’s terrace which has a spectacular view of the countryside. Where I could breathe in fresh, clean air, enjoy my aperitivo of local products from surrounding producers. Here I met mozzarella and ricotta from Il Casolare . A thinly sliced prosciutto crudo from Masseria Trianelli which was fantastic

Le Castagnole Every now and then it happens…not often, but every now and then. Festa della Donna and Carnevale sharing the same day. And seeing that I had the day off, I decided to celebrate in my own sweet way. In search of something… dolce. Something particular that I would find during this time of year in my Campania region. I stopped by  Nautilus , a bar/ pastry shop, and restaurant located in Varcaturo (Na) for a chat with owner Francesco D’Alena who shared with me some of Campania’s sugary specialties. Le Chiacchiere …you can’t have Carnevale without this airy dessert made with flour, butter, yeast and eggs. Baked or fried, then topped with powdered sugar. Behind the counter, next to jars of sanguinaccio , a chocolate dipping sauce, they lay. If I desired, I could even have it predipped in chocolate. I desired. Le Castagnole …Here was something that would definitely work towards filling that sweet spot. Simple sugary spheres filled with a Chantilly cream. A cream that

When Slow Food Irpinia Colline dell’Ufita e Taurasi invited me to attend the 4th Annual Disfida Del Soffritto in Ariano Irpino as part of the technical jury, I was honored, flattered, and excited. I would have a chance to sit in on a battle for bragging rights on which community had the best traditional recipe for this pork based dish. In Irpinia, in the Avellino province, soffritto is a dish which is traditionally prepared using a caratella di maiale , pork organs such as lung, spleen, intestines and heart. It is sautéed in sugna (pig fat)…not stewed and depending on who you talk to, other ingredients such as tomatoes, potatoes, rosemary, and bay leaves can be added to the mix. It is served with day old bread, and of course, hot peppers…the hotter the better! So how do you judge tradition? Particularly a traditional dish which can vary greatly from town to town…county to county? Non era facile …It wasn’t easy. But it was sure fun! Seated at the judges table, along with M

I took the opportunity last weekend to travel through southern Italy….well, sort of. I visited Mostra D’Oltramare in Fuorigrotta (Na) during Agrosud 2011 . From the 25th-27th of February, this exhibition hall was full of stands with gastronomical products from not just Campania, but other southern regions as well such as Basilicata and Calabria. An excellent opportunity to taste cheeses, salamis, olive oils, and other prodotti tipici . An excellent opportunity to have a pizza prepared by Gino Sorbillo and by As Pizziaouli Napolitani . Snacking and shopping…does it get any better?

There it sat…plain…simple…black… SUD Ristorante stamped on the front cover. The wine list. SUD’s wine list. A complement to chef Marianna Vitale’s highly acclaimed menu featuring Campi Flegrei and Campania. A collaborator, a comrade, a friend. And a crucial part of the dining experience that SUD does not take for granted. I stopped by SUD one afternoon to talk to co-owner Pino Esposito and get a closer look. Entering into SUD, my eyes went directly to the shelves that cover the entire right side of the restaurant. A wall covered completely with wines. My eyes habitually go straight to the Campania labels, and here I saw many familiar faces. Pino tells me that about 40 % of his 300 wines are from Campania. A point that is important for him and his restaurant. I reached for the wine list. A list that Pino is in the process of revising, something that he does from time to time. That afternoon, in fact, his wine consultant, Fabrizio Erbaggio and SUD’s sommelier, Francesca Martu