andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

Spaghetti with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and spicy red pepper chili peppers may be one of the most popular classic spaghetti dishes around.  Spaghetti, aglio, olio e pepperoncino contains basic ingredients –  staples available in every kitchen cupboard making it perfect for that late night pasta fix with friends. I recently had a chance to try Chef Marcello Corrado ’s version of this pasta favorite.   Spaghetti, aglio, olio e pepperoncino but with a twist or two... Spaghetti – check.   Garlic – check.  Extra virgin olive oil and pepper flakes – of course.   And the twists?  Corrado decided to add lumache snails to the mix as  well as a mesmerizing flow of parsley chlorophyll gently poured into the dish table side. Fantastic…

I couldn't think of a better way to beat the August heat than visit  Casa del Nonno 13 for lunch.  The Michelin starred restaurant's dining room is located in a cool underground cantina carved out of tufo stones.  I took the drive out to Mercato San Severino to check out some of the new menu items by Chef Marcello Corrado . Like this appetizer - suckling pig tenderloin... fresh garden vegetables, soft creamy  potatoes with bay leaf powder... Amazing.

While summer days are meant for the sea, sun and sand the nights are meant for…meant for laid-back leisurely dinners in the company of friends and family.  In Italy, that usually means going out for a pizza at least once a week.  Since I had not had a pizza night in a real long time, I decided to check out a pizzeria outside of my usual rounds.  Something different.  An alternative . I decided to head out to the small town of Tuoro not very far from the Caserta Royal Palace.  It was there where I met up with Francesco Vitiello , aka Ciccio, the 24-year-old pizza maker, patron, and energetic pulse behind CasaVitiello .   Francesco Vitiello This pizzeria has developed a strong devoted following in just a couple of short years and I was about to find out why.   It only took a few minutes for me to get swept up in his enthusiasm as he showed me around the tiny pizzeria whose young cast and crew were   setting up for another packed summer evening.  He led me ov

 Let's continue my gastronomical journey that I took last week in Ravello at Rossellinis Ristorante.  It was there where I tried Chef Michele Deleo's La Mia 'Arrabbiata' di Vongole Veraci / My Pasta with Clams and "Arrabbiata' Sauce .  The dish features rigatoni pasta that had been cooked in the water released while the clams were steamed open, then bathed in an Italian parsley sauce.  So where does the arrabbiata sauce come in?  Arrabbiata literally means angry but in terms of pasta sauces, it means spicy and is prepared with garlic, tomatoes and red chili peppers.  Deleo spiced up sweet datterino tomatoes in a coulis sauce, added burrata cheese, and anchovies. Check out the plating!  Each rigatoni received its own clam, its own serving of arrabbiata sauce,  and was placed in what I like to think of as its own little valley. The pasta dish came served on a gorgeous glass platter that the chef designed himself! Fantastic..

Here's an appetizer that not only hits you visually  with its beauty  but also earns high marks for the time, dedication, technique and creativity.  I really enjoyed my time at Rossellinis Ristorante in Ravello and this dish by Chef Michele Deleo is one of the many reasons why.   Red Mullet alla Norma - a take on a popular pasta dish from Sicily. Pasta alla Norma is a first course that features tomatoes, fried eggplant and grated ricotta salata cheese.  Deleo's appetizer does not include pasta, but red mullet fish.  The fish is stuffed  with pine nuts and raisins and then wrapped gingerly in fried eggplant.  The mullet seems to be floating on top of its ragu sauce that has been scented with wild fennel and a cacioricotta cheese fondant. Fantastic.

I must admit that when this dish arrived at my table I couldn't help but smile as well as appreciate Chef Michele Deleo 's  love and respect for the flavors and products of the Amalfi Coast. The chef's Il Riso Acquerello/Acquerello Rice . The first thing I noticed was the bright yellow color.  That color thanks to the sunny sweet yellow cherry tomatoes from the nearby town of Corbara which the chef used to not only cook the rice in,  but also prepared a soft bed of tomato gelatin for the fresh seafood he delicately placed on top.  Other local specialties include flavorful fior di latte from Agerola and a compote of Amalfi lemons. A sprinkling of liquirizia di mare on top... Fantastic.

It was hard for me to ignore the excitement upon my arrival in Ravello, a tiny treasure chest that sits high above the Amalfi Coast.   I took a leisurely stroll through the clean centro storico with its bars, shops, and gardens before I arrived at my destination – Via San Giovanni del Toro 28 .   Home to the 5 star Luxery hotel Palazzo Avino , but more specifically, home to the Michelin starred restaurant Rossellinis . The heat and humidity of the day was soon forgotten as I looked out over the restaurant’s terrace which features a comfortable breeze and  a jaw dropping panorama of the Amalfi Coast.  Forgotten as I sipped on a glass of champagne,  glanced over the menu and soon served Chef Michele Deleo ’s benvenuto . The chef’s welcome to Ravello/welcome to Rossellinis .  Twelve powerful packages of flavor, technique, and creativity designed to invite the diner to relax and enjoy what was about to become an incredible gastronomical experience. An invitation served on a