andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

Ciro Salvo We could meet one afternoon at Piazza San Ciro , he suggested.  I was making plans with Ciro Salvo , one of Napoli’s top pizza makers/instructors , who makes a mean margherita and marinara.  I tried them both last month in Melizzano .  His pizza with a soft airy crust cooked to perfection with the finest quality toppings is still imprinted in my mind.  I had over a dozen questions that I wanted to ask Ciro.  But it’s not easy to get to exchange more than a ciao, how are you , etc etc while one is busy.  And it seems like Ciro is always busy.  But luckily for me, we were able to pick a time, a date…and eventually a place. Sure , I agreed. Piazza San Ciro in Salvo’s hometown of Portici (Na) it is then.  It would definitely be easy to remember! But who’d imagine that it would be so hot even though Portici is right on the por t.  So, first stop on the agenda? Ciro suggested we go for an ice cream and Antica Gelateria Gallo was just down the street.  Portici’s old

We drove through Irpinia to reach the destination of my first Vineyard Hopping outside of Campania.   I sat shotgun, looking out the window as a familiar CAMPANIA became BASILICATA …I was on my way to Tenuta I Gelsi   for a taste of the aglianico next door . A taste of Aglianico del Vulture in the province of Potenza a couple of hours from home. Gelsi means  mulberry, and we were greeted by two rows of mulberry trees as we made a left onto the gravel driveway. Hard not to notice the soil.  Volcanic, yes, but not what I was used to in Campania.  Here extinct volcano Mount Vulture was the king along with nearby volcanic craters, now known as the Monticchio Lakes.   Over 800,000 years of geological history was evident in the layers formed in the soil of a renovation project next to the winery. Calcareous clayey soil, packed with potassium. It was there where we pulled up, parked, and were greeted by Ruggiero Potito , ready to take us on a stroll through the nearby Agliani

Summer's halfway over.  And for some of us, that  can only mean one thing... Time for  AIS Napoli's  annual summer get together starring spumante and champagne.   This year the organizers wanted to do something big...something huge. So last Monday evening we all headed to  Nabilah , a beautiful lido in Bacoli (Na) just in time for a spectacular sunset.   A cool breeze from the sea greeted me as I greeted friends, many who I haven't seen in ages. We talked about the past year, plans for the summer and beyond.   Spumante?  Plenty of it and we were not disappointed.  And what better way to celebrate summer than by sipping your favorite bubbly  on the beach? And what better what to celebrate summer than by tasting dishes prepared right in front of you by some of Southern Italy's top chefs? pasta and beans with mussels - chef marianna vitale - SUD ristorante, quarto (na) lamb tartar sandwich with mayonnaise - chef mirko balzano - villa

Friday night.  After a long week of work, it’s the perfect night to go out and grab something to eat.  And on this particular Friday, I wanted something quick, I wanted something fast, and  I really wanted to try   Cozza Mia . Flashback...A little over a year ago,   Francesco D'Alena , owner of   Nautilus Ristorante   in Varcaturo shared with me some ideas and plans that he had for the future.  One of them was to open up a fast food place right next door to his popular bar/pastry shop and restaurant.   A fast food place with a difference, though.  Something different on Via Ripuaria, a street  where  during the summer is jam packed  with sun worshipers on their way to Varcaturo's crowded beach resorts.  This place would be Cozza Mia.   D'Alena wanted to focus on typical Neapolitan fast food specialties with a focus on seafood.  ( Cozza means mussels in Italian) Pizza was also part of the plan. And in  April 2012, Cozza Mia finally opened its doors.   Francesc

Wikipedia :   Serendipity  means   a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.     Summer evening at the buffet table at a party in Pompeii. I was holding  a plate of  o cuppetiello,  fried foods; potato crocchette, and arancini all wrapped in brown paper.  Tasty fried salty goodness just begging for something to wash it down with.    At the time, I was talking with a friend, catching up on what he'd been up to as we both headed towards the drink table.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the usual spumante wasn't being served...at least not on this side of the terrace. Though listening intently to Francesco, out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't help noticing a glass being poured.   Ah beer...ok, I thought... qualcosa diversa...something different. The conversation continued... Si, Si, blah, blah, blah as I reach for a glass on the table.  A glass

Wikipedia :   Serendipity   means   a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.   At home, after lunch, looking for something to cool me off...cool me down.  With temperatures in the 90s in Napoli I wanted something fresh.  I headed to my freezer, not really sure what I'd find.  Popsicle, no...ice cream sandwich. no way.  What I did find was a piece of the Sorrento coast...aromas of a summer gone by. A bottle of wild fennel liqueur given to me by Giorgio Scarselli of Il Bikini in Vico Equense during my first  visit last summer to one a place that has become one of my favorite places on earth .   Keep it in the freezer , he told me.  I did. And on that particularly hot and humid afternoon, I was ready to take it out. Pour it in a glass. Take in the light aromas...taste the delicate flavors of wild fennel straight from the Scarselli's garden.  A garden that hu

A cooking class at Dolce & Salato  Scuola di Cucina is always a chance to learn new and exciting dishes.   Chef Giuseppe Daddio conducted a course last week full of recipes just in time for a hot summer.  This one includes some of my favorite ingredients... shrimp, cantaloupe, and watermelon.  Here is the recipe. Ingredients for 6 : (for pearl shrimp) 12 large prawns, 100 gr fennel, 100 gr celery, 100 gr corrots, radish, 1-- gr mixed salad lettuce, salt and (For the pearls of fruit) 150 gr cantaloupe pulp, 150 gr watermelon Procedure (for shrimp) Clean the prawns, remove the head and gut the intestine. Cut  the shrimp down the middle, and beat on wax paper Cut the vegetable brunoise style  (fennel, carrots, radishes, celery) Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and oil. Place the vegetables on the shrimp carpaccio and wrap  like a pearl,then place the pearl in a silicone mold . Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Take them out  and serve with  pearls

While driving to Vico Equense last Sunday evening,  I couldn't help thinking about that sunset.  That famous Il Bikini sunset when the sun has just about finished it's job of warming up the coast line, and makes its way down towards the sea giving off spectacular colors of orange and red.   Last Sunday evening was a special dinner sponsored by Gazzetta Gastronomica to raise funds for earthquake victims in the Emilia region of Italy and conclude their 2 day ' A Pasta festival.  I arrived just as a spectacular evening was about to begin, actually, had already started.  Aperitivo hour with Ellenikos Groco spumante brut from Fattoria La Rivolta and Cobik i-a refreshing beverage with E' Curti's Nucillo and an organic chinotto. Both were the choice for fried specialties such as  sardines and potato croquettes  prepared by Bikini's executive chef Mimmo de Simone. When everyone had arrived, it was time to take our seats and be treated to a cool night unde