andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

A few weeks ago I had this amazing appetizer during a cooking class at Marennà.  Chef Paolo Barrale took simple ingredients to come up with a fantastic fusion of flavors.  Poached eggs will never be the same for me again. Here is the recipe. 'L'Uova Maritata/Poached "Married Egg" with Turnip Greens and Truffles Ingredients for 4 people :  4 eggs, 100 grams of ham, 30 g of parmigiano cheese, 2 bunches of turnip greens, 2 cloves garlic 1 red pepper, 1 black truffle , cubes of bread for the broth : 1 chicken, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery, 1 small white onion, 1 tomato, thyme, rosemary Procedure Clean and gut the chicken, then  place it in a large pot. Peel the vegetables and set  aside. Cut the onion in half then brown in a frying pan.. Add the onion and vegetables to the chicken and cov...

My Friday Night Wine Tasting  series is back.  And for the Spring cycle, I have decided to focus on Campi Flegrei wineries in the Naples area.  Last Friday's choice was   Quartum Cantine di Criscio located in Quarto (Na).    When I first visited their Quartum Store  a little over a month ago, I knew it would be the perfect place for a Fridayvisit.  After a tour of their winery, we were treated to their Asprinio Vino Spumante Metedo Charmat paired with mozarella di bufala DOP, ricotta, and various salamis. We tasted their Aglianico in two versions, a rosè and a full blooded red which spends 9 months in barrique and at least 4 months in the bottle.  Cheese with an organic marmalade from Casa Barone , bruschetta with olive oil from Azienda Agricola Meoli , and torroncini from La Provenzal e played their part as well.  Besides having a comfortable space to wine taste, Quartum Store is just that...a store where you can shop not only for Q...

April was shining brightly as I turned the curves on my way to Torrecuso, Benevento.  I was on my way to  Fattoria La Rivolta for an appointment with owner Paolo Cotroneo . I was excited about my first Vineyard Hopping visit to Benevento and  I was eager  to learn about his territory, his winery, and his wines.  I wanted to walk the vineyards that have been in his family for generations.   Soaking in the spring sunshine while standing in the vineyards as Paolo  spoke about his winery’s history it was hard to listen.  It was  hard to listen  without imagining how it must have been like when his grandfather ran the property that Fattoria Rivolta calls home . A large family hard at work managing 120 hectres of land.  A family with 8 children, dozens of grandchildren.  A family with vineyards growing several varieties of international grapes smack alongside Campanian favorites such as Falanghina and Aglianico.  Back th...

The 6th Annual Disfida del Soffritto put together by Slow Food   Irpinia Colline dell'Ufita e  Taurasi   was held this year in Savigano Irpino on Pasquetta , Easter Monday.  I had a chance to sit at the judges table to help decide which soffritto recipe was the best among those participating in the contest.  There were 9 teams representing 9 different counties spread throughout Alta Irpinia as well as a group as well as a first; Casa Greta, a team representing a home for the disabled in Vallata (Av). The judging began at lunchtime so those of us who arrived early took a twirl around the various stands for a light brunch.  Then it was time to get down to business. Ten dishes using the basic recipe...pork and/or pork innards and peppers.  Each team then gave it their personal touch according to local traditions and family recipes... Savignano Irpino Ariano Irpino Flumeri Paternopoli Grottaminarda Casa Greta Carife Teora ...

Pasqua , Easter, is approaching and on Wednesday evening, Chef Paolo Barrale of Michelin star restaurant Marennà   opened his kitchen to share a few recipes and tips on putting together a mouth watering pranzo.   He began with what some might think of as a simple dish, a poached egg with  with   turnip greens   and black truffle s .   Simple ingredients packed with flavor, escpecially the homemade chicken broth made to accompany the dish.  Paired with Feudi di San Gregorio's DUBL Aglianico, spumante metedo classico . Chef Barrale then showed us how how to prepare his primo piatto . He prepared pasta dough for ravioli and  then stuffed it with ricotta cheese.  The cooked ravioli was then  placed on a bed of creamy fava beans, a thinly sliced guanciale , bacon, and zabaglione.  The chef paired this plate with Campanaro 2010 DOC. Paolo Barrale For the second course, Barrale led us step by step as he and h...

Wine maker Gennaro Reale Last week was a busy one for Gruppo Vignaviva . It was   wine week in Veneto, and Gruppo Vignaviva , the brain child of winemakers Fortunato Sebastiano and Gennaro Reale .   Veneto gave them the perfect opportunity to showcase over a dozen of their wineries at Vinitaly, Vivit, ViniVeri, and VinNatur . Wineries from different territories who all shared a common belief.   Great wine begins with a great grape.  And if that grape is grown organically, even better.  Nearly all of Gruppo Vignaviva's wineries are certified organic.  Those who aren't are seriously considering it. I made an appointment with a busy Gennaro Reale for 1230 ish  on Tuesday the 27th.  He had just arrived at Vinitaly after spending the morning nearby checking in on some Vignaviva's other wineries at ViniVeri just a half hour away. We met in the Campania Pavillion and  headed straight to Irpinia...to a brand new winery called Vigne Guadag...

It was easy to make myself comfortable, make myself at home in the colorful corner of their stand in pavillion 6, E 3.  I found a seat alongside drawings by Piero Mastroberardino hanging on the wall.  I found a seat at a table alongside Mastroberdino 's oenologist  Massimo Di Renzo and agronomist Antonio Dente .  They were willing to spend some time with me that morning to talk about their whites...I was ready ready to listen, and taste.  I was curious about the new vintage and really eager to try some of the older ones.  So we began with vintage year 2011, in the bottle for just a short period before the fair.   Lacryma Christi Del Vesuvio Bianco DOC, Falanghina Sannio DOC, Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and Greco Di Tufo DOCG .  All young wines with promise. We paused a moment to talk about the harvest year.  A good one for reds, I was told.  But they are very happy with ther whites as well.  I was told that the philosophy of th...

I’m not sure I would have found the place if I didn’t run into winemaker  Maurizio De Simone  on the beaten path.  All I had to do was take the Agnano exit and turn right after the  roundabout.  A roundabout that I have been going around five times a week for the last 15 years or so on my way to work. I never imagined, however, that if I turned right and followed a dusty road I would find one of the most amazing vineyards I have seen in my life. Raffaele Moccia and Maurizio De SImone So there was De Simone, hanging signs to help lead me to  Azienda Agricola Agnanum …Campi Flegrei’s little secret.  At the end of the road, De Simone introduced me to  Raffaele Moccia,  who along with his father  Gennaro  takes care of their vineyards that have been in the family since the 60s.  Vineyards that grow in sandy, dusty, dark grey volcanic soil 500 meters above sea level.  Falanghina and Piedirosso here…nothing else.  That...