andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

I'm a big fan of Southern Italy's primi piatti. Earlier this month I had a chance to try this fantastic first prepared by Chef Giacomo De Simone during my lunch at Hotel Le Axidie .  This dish feature  colatura di alic i from Cetara,known as anchovy sauce/juice and lemons from Sorrento.  Here is the recipe for 4. Ingredients:  280 gr fettucce pasta 200 g walnuts from Sorrento Colatura di Alici from Cetara extra virgin olive oil One untrested lemon from Sorrento One  clove of garlic Directions: Brown the garlic in the oil, add the previously walnuts and sauté in a saucepan. Cook the pasta according to directions, and when it is firm,  add to the saucepan.  Toss together, adding a little of the water from the cooked pasta.  Add a little anchovy sauce, grated lemon zest, and serve.

Via Potito Petrone 42 – Largo Pasquale Uva... 85100, Potenza (PZ) .   Google Map s... Bing. .. Tom Tom . No matter where I plugged that address in, it gave me the same news: Driving time, two hours, more or less. Those two hours would take me out of the Campania region,  into Basilicata and straight to Potenza.  Two hours for a not so typical lunch at  Chef Frank Rizzuti's Cucina del Sud .  A trip that I was more than happy to make since neo Michelin Star Rizzuti opened up his new place back in March.  A trip that would continue my Lucano cooking education which started over a year ag o courtesy of the chef.  And give me a taste of Southern cooking - Basilicata style. Chef Frank Rizzuti I was greeted with a smile by Rizzuti and he showed me around his new place.  An elegant black and white interior with splashes of bright welcoming  colors here and there.   A little hint on what my lunch would be like...elegant delicat...

Ciro Salvo Ci vediamo in pizzeria?. .. Ciro Salvo 's last words to me after we spent the afternoon together last July.  An ice cream, a walk around the port, and a visit to an organic garden.  But pizza?  Not that day.  It was Ciro's day off. So, I'd have to go visit him at Masse' in Torre Annunziata about 20 minutes outside of Naples. There I would be able to observe Ciro at work where he feels most comfortable.  So a couple of weeks after his trip to Tokyo to teach Japanese pizza makers the art of Neapolitan pizza, I braved the Torre Annunziata Friday night traffic to have a seat next to Ciro and his brand new pizza oven. A glance at the pizza menu and I instantly saw how Salvo's desire and continuous search for the best products have made their way to this little corner of Torre Annunziata.  Peocrino cheese DOP, conciato romano cheese from Le Campestre extra virgin olive oils from the Cilento region, a variety of tomatoes suc...

Wikipedia :   Serendipity   means   a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.     I took a group of friends to one of my favorite wineries last month ... Cantine Di Meo in Salza Irpina (Av).   I introduced them to Roberto Di Meo. ..we toured the grounds, the cantina, and sat down to a wine tasting in the comfort of his restructured farmhouse.   Fiano di Avellino  , Greco di Tufo, Aglianico, and Taurasi were tasted, discussed and appreciated during an amazing buffet prepared by Di Meo, his wife Rossella, and an amazing staff..  At the end of the evening the 'unforgettable assaggio'  was a simple cookie with almonds.  Here's the recipe... Ingredients 550 g of unsalted almonds, 250 g. of sugar, 1 package of vanilla, 4-5 egg yolks. Procedure Chop up the almonds.  Add the sugar, vanilla, and the egg yolks and ...

Vieni...I want to show you something .  Words spoken to me by Franco Pepe , Maestro pizza maker and friend during the lunch break at his pizza lesson last  fall.   A few minutes, a few photos, a quick peek at his dream.  Pepe shared with me his dream of expanding.  Of leaving the pizzeria that his family has been running for three generations , and open a new one just a stones throw away. He had his eye on a place in Caiazzo's historical district. And on a computer screen in a back office, Pepeshowed me photos and  talked to me about a new space...a new philosophy...one that would invite the enotourist into Caserta and  into Caiazzo to discover a territory rich in culture, wine and of course, try his pizza.  I saw photos of work in progress.  A dream three stories high that would include a bed and breakfast. A bel sogno , a beautiful dream...But it would be an enormous undertaking...full of bureaucratic red tape,,,ups...downs......

September in in Campania.  Record high temperatures...little rain.  So I shouldn't of been too surprised when I checked received a call from  Antonio.  He wanted to know if I volevo fare un giro ...go for a ride.    Antonio Dente  is the agronomist/grapegrower for Mastroberardino Winery .  And a giro with this winery is an invitation to hit some of Campania's most breathtaking vineyards. Tomorrow we'll be harvesting Greco at Montefusco ....he continued.   Perfect! I said/shouted. So, Saturday afternoon, September 28th,  my  giro  with Mastroberardino began, like it had so many times in the past, in a silver grey SUV discussing grapes, territory, wines, and everything else under the Irpinian sun.  Mastroberardino usually harvests their Greco in the latter half of October, when it is a tad bit cooler.  But an intense summer sun bumped the schedule up a couple of weeks.   We pulled up in  M...