andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

photo: Nico Boccia I had a chance to try this bite-size sandwich prepared by Chef Mirko Balzano of Villa Assunta last week in Avellino.   Balzano uses calf meat from Irpinia for this creation al crudo (raw).   The beautiful photo by Nico Boccia gives you an idea of how super this sandwich is. Ingredients For   the sandwich : 400   g flour   "00 " , 1   g yeast , 300 g of water , 20 g sugar For   the mayonnaise : 1 egg , 1   egg yolk, 1 tablespoon   vinegar , 1 tablespoon   lemon juice , 1 pinch   of salt , 500   ml   extra virgin   Ogliarola For   the   burgers : 100g   beef round , 100g tenderloin , Sorrento tomatoes Directions Prepare   the dough   sandwiches with   flour,   water, and yeast ,   Once a smooth dough is obtained   add   the sugar and   let   rise.   After the dough has risen, form it into small rolls of about 40/50 g e...

This appetizer, served to me by Chef Giuseppe Daddio of Locanda delle Trame , was a perfect beginning to a memorable Sunday lunch. Simple ingredients = fantastic flavor. Ingredients   for 6   : For the scallops :6 fresh   giant   scallops , gr .   150   buffalo mozzarella   , 6 fresh basil leaves, salt and   pepper   to taste. For the breading: 2 eggs, flour ‘00’, grated breadsticks, olive oil (for browning) For the marinated vegetables: carrots, zucchini For the   marinade   mixture : 250 gr . extra   virgin olive oil ,    20 gr white wine vinegar , 3 gr salt Directions: Clean   the scallops ,   remove the   membrane,   slit   the middle and   stuff with a   slice of   mozzarella and   basil. Bread scallops   according to the   classic   method   (flour ,   eggs and   grated   breadsticks ) . Once breaded, brown the scallops...

Here’s a dessert from Chef Paolo Barrale which really shows his Sicilian roots.   A lime granita with a white chocolate mousse.  It was a hit at his cooking class held at Marennà earlier this month. Ingredients for 4:   Mousse:40 cl of milk, 1 lime, 75 gr of white chocolate, 1.5 gr of gelatin, 75 cl of whipping cream Granita:   500 cl of green apple juice, 5 cl of lime juice, 20 cl of absinthe ,2 gr gelatin, 1 green apple, 1 fennel, 100 gr sugar, 100 cl water Directions: Mousse: In a small pan, heat the milk, add the chocolate and le it melt.   Soak the gelatin in cold water in a small bowl.   Squeeze out the excess water and add it to the chocolate mixture.   Grate the lime peel and add it as well. Whip the cream and add a small amount to the chocolate mixture. Warm the mousse to 30°C and stir vigorously.   Add the remaining whipped cream and stir delicately, from the top down.   Place in the refrigerator. Granita:   In a small pan,...

M-e-s-á-l-i. ..Jenny said. Jenny Auriemma , sommelier and part owner of La Locanda di Bu …a Michelin star Restaurant located in Nusco (Av). Mesáli , I learned, is an association of restaurants in Irpinia who have teamed together to promote the territory through its products and fantastic cucina …Jenny handed me a guide about a year ago when I met her and husband Chef Antonio Pisaniello for the first time. A guide packed with the names and addresses of some of the top restaurants in the Avellino region. Fast forward about 13 months. The Mesáli Association has a new guide packed with professionals ready to introduce me to my Campania- Irpinia style , through recipes, culture, and customs. Once again, Jenny steps in, asking me if I would like to attend an event which would focus on not only on the book, but on the territory that I have become affectionately attached to over the  last few of years. The scene, Country Sport Complesso in Avellino. Poolside…Twelve restaur...

Ernesto Fico Saturday in the city. This time of year, Naples is nearly deserted.  But being  Saturday I had that desire for  pizza.  This week’s choice was Antica Pizzeria Donna Regina .  Ernesto Fico ’s Donna Regina.  Pizza by Fico as his t-shirt proudly announced.  Fico, son of a pizza maker, opened up his first pizzeria in San Giorgio A Cremano back in 1988.  Via S.S: Apostoli, #4, in Naples,however, is where he has called home for the last 7 years. The menu…Ordering a pizza is not as easy as one might think. We wanted something different …a pizza (or two) that would show us a little bit Donna Regina.  One that would show us the best of a pizza by Fico … While deciding, I overheard Ernesto say prepariamo o ‘cuptiel …yes!  Classic in Naples.  Brown paper cone…stuffed with all kinds of fried specialties.  Oggi?   Today?  Fried pasta, zucchini, arancini, and crocchè.   Something to tie you ...

Pasquale Torrente Cetara-Amalfi Coast.  Eighteen years in Campania, and I had  never been to this secret by the sea .  A sleepy village that around 2,500 people call home.  Home of the Torre di Cetara .  Home of  the C hurch   and Convent   of St.   Francis ,seventeenth   century, whose dome and nave   was frescoed   by the painter   Marco Benincasa .   Home of the Church   of St.   Peter the Apostle , renovated   in the eighteenth   century, with a baroque interior ,   with the dome   bell tower from the   thirteenth century   with mullioned windows ,   and  an octagonal   belfry . A fisherman’s village famous for its tuna, it’s sardines, …and Chef Pasquale Torrente .  So I asked the chef to show me around.  Help me understand what was so special about this little town.  Talk to me about street food, and everything and anyt...

Front row Sorbo Serpico. Lezione di Cucina .   And when it was time for this fantastic firs t, I just knew that it would be perfect for the blog.   Here’s the recipe courtesy of Chef Paolo Barrale, Marennà. Ingredients for 4 people :   200 gr of ‘broken’ ziti, 300 gr of Piccadilly tomatoes, 1 kg of mussels, 300 gr of green peppers (frigitelli), 3 cloves of garlic, hot red peppers (to taste), 2 bunches of parsley, basil (to taste), 100 gr of ricotta (from sheeps milk), extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper. Directions: Rinse and clean the mussels well, then pt them in a pot woth a little parsley, basil, and a clove of garlic.   Cook on the stove top, covered, until they open.   When the mussels have opened, shell them and filer the juice.   Cut the mussels with a knife into fairly large pieces and put to the side.   Place the tomatoes in boiling ater for 8 to 10 seconds, peel them, and cut them into quarters.   Eliminate the insides and t...

There was something more spectacular than the menu. Though I must admit it was pretty spectacular. More energetic than the colors of the endless quantity of dishes on the buffet table. Though I must admit they were very vivacious. Hotter than the heat last Monday at Dolce &; Salato Scuola di Cucina & Pasticcieria . Though I must admit, things had heated up quite nicely. Things had heated up for a special event. Graduation day. Six students from the cooking school’s Masters Professional program. Six students…aspiring professionals who had spent the last three months in Maddaloni…studying…preparing… sacrificing . All for this moment. A moment to share with family and friends. Their day. Their graduation day. Their last day at Dolce & Salato, but their first day as professionals…Professionals who were about to embark on a journey….jump into their dream. So I observed closely as Chef Giuseppe Daddio and Chef Aniello Di Caprio , owners of the school,...

Chef Paolo Barrale Numerous times over the past year I have stood in Marenna 's dining room.  Marenna', Feudi dei San Gregorio 's Michelin star restaurant, headed by Chef Paolo Barrale .  I have stood by the window next to the kitchen.  A large window placed there so that diners like me can observe Barrale's team in action.  Observe how his kitchen staff puts together those dishes that later come to meet us at our table.  And numerous times I have desired to be on the other side of the glass...with Chef Barrale...for a more intimate, up close and personal look. My chance came on the 6th of July.  A cooking class held by Barrale, the third in a series of get togethers held in  Marenna's second kitchen located behind the private dining room.  It was here where I, and another 29 or so, students spent nearly four hours learning cool recipes for a hot summer.   E' arrivata l'estate -summer has arrived! The chef took us step by step as h...

A pizza for lunch.  Nothing unusual for those of us in Naples.  A pizza at your neighborhood pizzeria.  This particular Saturday, I chose a neighborhood in San Giorgio a Cremano.  I chose Salvo-Pizzaioli da 3 Generazioni .The Salvo family has been the neighborhood pizzeria in various addresses for three generations. They have called Largo Arso 10/16 home for 5 years.   A neighborhood pizzeria, where I chose to sit outside, on a little terrace above the sidewalk with a view of the neighborhood park, with a light breeze on my face.  A neighborhood pizzeria where I could enjoy a crocchè di patate and fried pasta appetizers paired with a cold beer and sounds of the street;  light traffic, children laughing…the neighborhood .  Where I could look at photos of the earlier generations on the wall.  Look, listen and learn how life used to be in the Salvo neighborhood. A pizzeria where I could chat with pizzaiolo Salvatore, a young pizz...

I'm not sure why, but the morning of my visit to meet Chef Giuseppe Daddio of Locanda delle Trame , I was a little nervous. A few butterflies .  Come to think of it, I had a little trouble sleeping the night before.  Why?  I've known the chef for awhile...well, kind of.  I have published a few of his recipes on my blog over the past few months.  But officially, we had never met.  I decided to fix that.  I made an appointment with the chef at his restaurant in Caserta for a Sunday lunch.  An appointment to sit down, try some of his dishes, and figure out what was up with all the butterflies.   Sunday lunch , served on the terrace.  A glass of spumante  asprinio from I Borboni .and a very  light breeze to help combat the heat that afternoon. A glance at the menu. A menu that opens with a note from the chef.  And skimming over the page, this phrase jumped out at me, E' vero l'occhio e l'offatto sono sempre im...

Technically, I wasn't lost. The two phone calls to Chef Antonio Pisaniello were only to ensure that I was heading in the right direction. Then, a quick question to an elderly couple waiting at a bus stop in Montella (Av).   Ok, one wrong turn . This particular afternoon I was on my way to visit Chef Pisaniello. But not in Nusco. Not at La Locanda Di Bu , where I had met him and his wife Jenny Auriemma nearly a year to the day ago. Not to his 1 Michelin star restaurant located in one the most beautiful centro storicos I have ever seen. I was on my way to Ponteromito…6 km from Nusco. Home of Pisaniello’s new adventure- Trattovia. Antonio was outside when I pulled up and directed me to park just across the street. He was running a little late himself. B U S Y was the word to describe his last few weeks. Lessons at a cooking school in Hong Kong…Festa a Vico, Milan,  and of course, the grand opening of Trattovia on the 13th of June. As soon as I walked insi...