andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

I've lost count as to how many times I have seen Chef Peppe Guida since we met for the first time last April .  On every occasion, from dinners at Pastifcio dei Campi to visits to Marina Yacht Club , we always ended our conversations agreeing that I needed to visit him a casa sua ...his home, his restaurant, Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa in Vico Equense (Na). I chose a Saturday afternoon to visit the chef's home, which really was just that...a home.  A renovated house dating back to the 17th century.  Chef Guida took me on a little tour pointing out where the pizza oven used to be, for example, which now is a small corner intimate dining room/wine cellar.  My eyes, however, were drawn to the family room where among antique furniture and plants hanging from the ceiling was a comfortable couch. I sat down for a while to relax,  discuss the latest news from Napoli, and talk about Guida's menu over a glass of spumante and a soft warm slice of casatiello with...

Wikipedia :   Serendipity  means   a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it.     Not 24 hours earlier, a friend of mine mentioned that I should try some wines from the Vesuvius area.  My nose is often in Irpina he reminded me,with a smile. So was it a coincidence that while trying out the new pizza menu last week at 50 Kalo ', I spotted some new additions from the Vesuvius area on the wine list?   Maybe, maybe not. So after ordering a fried pizza stuffed with ricotta and piccante nduja, I chose a glass   of Vigna Lapillo Lacryma Rosso DOC 2013 from  L'Azienda Vinicola Sorrentino  to pair with it.  80% Piedirosso, 20% Aglianico blended together from this vineyard blessed with volcanic soil.  Intense ruby red colors, intense aromas and a slightly tannic flavor held its ground with my pizza of choice for the day. ...

 What makes a dish memorable? The colors, the presentation?   The aromas, the flavors?   All of the above? Let's take  this dish I tasted recently at Taverna del Capitano in Marina del Cantone (Na).  A super sunny November weekend with an amazing view of the mare was the background for this snapshot. Palamita fish - cotto and crudo (cooked and raw) is a classic here,  but this time Chef Alfonso Caputo added a special touch.  A special pizzazz to the palate which held it's own next to this tasty steamy  fish served on a hot rock and olive tree wood.  An orange marmalade prepared with sultanas and cinnamon tossed with black rice made this dish, well, memorable. The colors, the presentation, the aromas, the flavors...

During a recent dinner at Pastificio Dei Campi' s intimate insane kitchen I had the opportunity to try several pasta dishes prepared by Michelin star chef Peppe Guida of Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa . There were three in particular that caught my eye and captured my palate.  Three dishes with a few simple ingredients prepared with passion and experience. Pasta e Ceci/ Mixed Pasta with Chick Peas Chef Guida added super al dente pasta to to a saucepan containing  chick peas, and  burnt garlic  extra virgin olive oil.  After a few minutes of stirring, he plated the dish and added fried chick peas on the top. Grande. Finta Genovese/ Penne Pasta, Onions, and Pecorino Cheese Slow cooked onions are the secret ingredient to this dish.  The chef used onions from Montoro, Avellino famous for their delicate flavor.  After nearly two hours of cooking under very very low heat, he added al dente pasta tossed for a couple of minutes with gra...

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a fall morning than a passeggiata in a Campania vineyard.  A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do just that thanks to an invitation from Marco Ricciardi , delgate of AIS Caserta and my new friends at Fattoria Alois . The invitation included a visit to the winery's vineyards where the vines were bursting with beautiful mature aglianico, pallagrello nero, and casavecchia grapes. The invitation included a chance to help out with the harvest that morning. The invitation included a tour of the winery and  a lesson on vinification led by agronomist Nicola Trabucco. Of course, the invitation included a wine tasting of Alois's wines paired with some amazing cheese awesome pane, and an amazing lunch. I can't wait to go back next week.  You see, the invitation also included a return visit where we will learn about pruning the vines...touring the winery...wine tasting...and an amazing l...