andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

When I arrived at  Sala Fiano  in the  Campania pavilion,  I noticed that every seat was taken.  I wasn’t worried, though.  I had reserved for this wine tasting several days earlier.   Un Millennio di Fiano …a trip through ten different vintages of Irpinia's Fiano di Avellino.   A journey in a glass to  bust the myth .  You know, the one that has us to believe that Southern whites are to be drunk young. But this Fiano di Avellino, DOCG since 2003, was ready to prove otherwise. Antonio Paolini   Our trip through Irpinia was led by journalist  Antonio Paolini  who shared with us a brief background on the particular vintage year, gave us pertinent information on each winery’s winemaking processes, as well as their different territories.  We were then treated to a guided tasting by sommelier  Alessandro Scorsone . Alessandro Scorsone   When we taste a wine, we are tasting a philosophy , Scorsone shared. So let’s taste. Ten different vintages, ten different wineries, ten dif

 How about dinner, drinks and a movie?  That's what  Veritas  had in mind when they invited  Marco Lombardi  for a series of   cinegustologia .   Cinegustolgia is a way to immerge into a movie and see it in a different light.  To describe the movie as if you were describing a wine or something you would eat.  Using words such as  hard, soft, acidic, smooth, bitter, sweet, coarse  or  fragrant . On this particular evening, the films chosen were by director  Tim Burton .  The plan?  We'd watch a few clips of the film...discuss...pair that particular film with a dish prepared by Chef  Gianluca D'Agostino  and pair that dish to an artisan beer by  Karma Birra Artiginale . First film:   Edward Scissor Hands  or  Edward mani di forbici One of my favorite all time films.  This fairy tale like film starring Johnny Depp. We have a certain sympathy for Edward, our antihero ...feel a sweetness, smoothness.  The film has a dramatic ending...crunchy even. So why not pair it wi

It's not as fancy as some of the places you usually go to , Gianni said casually.   Gianni  - first name basis here - pizza maker and owner of  Lady Pizza  in Marano.   But who wanted fancy?  It was Saturday night, and after an evening in a nearby shopping mall and and that famous traffic in the suburbs, I wanted to relax. .  I wanted to feel comfortable.  And I wanted a pizza.  A  lady  pizza. But which one?  Around 50 or so to choose from...as well as sandwiches...and  crostini ......and kebabs.  I needed a little help...help was on its way.  A plate of spicy meatballs would help me make my decision... ....along with a plate of c rocche di patate, mozzarellina in carrozza, arancino di riso, and bigne di pasta cresciuta But I came for pizza. So let's try...  a pizza margherita...or...  a fried stuffed pizza   stuffed with ricotta dei monti, cicioli, provola, tomatoes, and pepper...  Or the parmiggiana with eggplant, tomato sauce, parmiggiano and provola ...

Luisa Cuozzo It was hard not to root for her.  Luisa Cuozzo , 23 years young, Neapolitan DOC . Luisa made it all the way to the finals of Italy's first  Master Chef Italia .  I watched nearly episode. The judges were tough...but so was Luisa.  In the end she came in second, but never stopped smiling.  Never lost her composure.  Never lost her determination to continue with her dream to share Naples and Campania on a plate.  Journalist Laura Gambacorta,  Cuozzo, and Francesca Adelaide  So when the opportunity came to meet Cuozzo last weekend at  Quartum Store , I couldn't pass it up.  Nervous excitement was what I saw in Luisa's eyes.  Sure, she prepared dishes for the scrutiny of top chefs like Bruno Barberi, Carlo Cracco , and restaraunteer Joe Bastianich  week after week after week.  But this evening was her evening.  A chance to prepare her dinner menu, lead her team, and present herself to a sold out cellar.   Cantine Di Criscio  was the host along with Casa Bar

Wear a hat,  was the message from  Paola Riccio  that morning.   It’s windy in Caiazzo .  I didn’t have a hat…but I had a coat with a hood. I was heading to Caiazzo, a small town near Caserta, about 45 minutes from Naples. I was heading towards  Azienda Agricola Alepa  to taste Riccio’s wines and walk her vineyards.  A windy version of Vineyard Hopping. Azienda Agricola Alepa is located smack in the middle of Terre del Volturno IGT country  An area where Paola’s father,  Eugenio Riccio  bought land back in 1986 and planted vineyards and olive trees.  An area in the hills of Caserta that has become famous for its native Pallagrello white and red grapes. An area where Alepa has been bottling their wines since 2003.   Upon arrival Riccio, along with her winemaker  Maurizio De Simone,  took me on a stroll through the vineyards so I could take a few photos before the wind picked up.  Our first stop was to take a look at something, well,  interesting .   Interesting because ?  Because

A few months back, I had a conversation with pizzaiolo  Salvatore Salvo .  He and his brother  Francesco  were excited about something new...or something new ish.  They wanted to enrich their menu with a wide range of choices from the Campania region.   So a couple of months after Pizzeria Salvo put their new menu out, I decided to stop by one Monday evening for a  taste ... I discovered that next to their famous  frittura,  you can choose an artisan beer from several Campania breweries.  Wines from Vesuvius, Ischia, Sorrento, and Campi Flegrei share space on the new wine list. On their margherita?  Ingredients such as Campania's San Marzano DOP tomatoes, fior di latte, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil  DOP  from the hills of Salerno. Or maybe Piennolo tomatoes from Vesuvius  DOP, mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Vesuvius.  Marinara? Anchovies from Cetara and Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP from Salerno. It was hard to resist a slice of pizza with

Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP is one of Italy's prized possesions.  And though it is not from Campania, but Northern Central Italy, it found its way to bella Napoli last weekend for a tasting to celebrate 50 years of the Prosciutto di San Danielle Consortuim.   Città del Gusto Napoli was the host of a prosciutto and pane pairing. Which Campania bread would bring out the particular flavors of this particular ham.  Particular because for a ham to become Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP (Protected Denomination of Origin), it must meet three criterea: One:  The thighs must come exclusively from pigs bred in ten regions of Northern Central Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche, Umbria). Two:Production of fresh meat mst be held in the town of Fruili where sea salt is used to preserve the meat, no chemical aditives or preservatives. And three: Ageing must be in the town of San Daniele di Fruili, where the climatic c