I went to visit an old friend the other evening. Franco Pepe – yes, THE Franco Pepe of one of
the hottest pizzerias on the planet – Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo – a small town in
the Caserta province. I went, as one
usually does when one visits an amico, to catch up on things, relax, have a beer
or two. That has always been the case with
Franco. Except that sometimes Franco likes to add something to the mix
It was around 9 pm, I was hanging out in the kitchen when Pepe
called me over. Come here a minute –
Ok. Why not?
I met Pepe at one of his two pizza ovens. He had an egg in his hands and as about to crack
it open. Wait! I pulled out my camera
because I knew that something special was about to happen.
I was right. At that
moment, Franco was about to serve up a pizza that he had never served to anyone
outside of his staff before.
He cracked open an egg onto pizza dough previously topped
and quickly cooked with creamy Grana Padano cheese that had been aged for 12
months and pancetta bacon courtesy of my fav-black Caserta pork.
Then the pizza went back into the oven for just a bit – then
sprinkled in pepper – then back in.
Extra virgin olive oil is added at the end, by Pepe himself.
For me, the memories were obvious – but for Pepe? He shared with me memories of Caiazzo and his
father on Wednesday mornings. During the
mercato, when his father would serve pizzas topped with egg to his
customers. His mom often added a slice
of cheese on top. A connection that is very important to anything ne. How does
it relate to the past? Your past.
Karen, we need a name – something in English.
Then it was time for my memories to kick in. I also thought about my father. Who, whenever I visited with my son David over
the past few years, would wake up early and fix us something to eat.
A day or two before my Ischia adventure, I wrote my
travelling buddies – Pizza makerIvano Vecciaand ChefCrescenzo Scotti –
informing them about my travel plans.
Guys, I’ll be arriving probably around 1040. And I’ll probably be hungry! 😃
Flash-forward, Saturday morning around 1100 am. Spectacular sunshine and clear blue sky in
contrast with the inter temperatures and slighting biting wind greeted me as my
ferry pulled into Ischia Porto. There I
caught up with my greeting party, Scotti and his son Domenico alongside
Veccia.
Veccia Scotti, and Domenico
Right away I as whisked off to Ischia Ponte, near Castello
Aragonese and most importantly, our first stop – Panificio Boccia.
Panificio Boccia, a bakery that has been around since 1938
and popular with the locals since….since forever!
I soon found out why.
From the street, Panificio Boccia looks like any other
minimarket in Italy. Veccia knocked at
the small unmarked door and opened. We stepped
inside to a warm paradise of fresh baking bread produced daily in two wood
burning ovens. We arrived just in time
as Michele and Luigi were taking out bread from the oven.
One loaf would be enough for our mission. Karen, we’ll get a piece of bread, open it
up, and stuff it with mortadella, Scotti informed me.
Great!
We took our loaf, still steaming hot, next door to the
grocery section of Panificio Boccia.
Behind the counter, we handed our lovely loaf over to Andrea and
Luciana.
Luciana cut that baby open,
placed several slices of mortadella inside and served up four super sandwiches.
We paired it up with a park bench, a couple of beers, an
amazing view of the sea.
I’m not sure how many guidebooks would suggest a visit to
Ischia during the month of January.
Considering that the lidos are closed as well as a majority of
restaurants including three
Michelin starred restaurants (like Nino Di Costanzo’s Dani Maison,
recently awarded 2 Michelin stars after being opened for only one short summer
season)
So why would a food blogger hop on a ferry during a sunny,
yet windy rocky wavy day? I asked myself that question as well. However, the answer is easy. This may be the perfect opportunity
to see an Island usually jam-packed with international tourist slimmed down to just
the locals. A chance to rediscover the
island con calma, in the company of those who know it best. In the company of Ischitani like pizza maker
Ivano Veccia and chef Crescenzo Scotti who took me on a journey through the
traditions and flavors of Ischia- focusing on Forio. Forio, one of six counties on the large
island of Ischia with recipes and traditions all its own. And what better way to discover those
traditions than to enjoy a tavolata- a long lunch with friends and family. A tavolata starring many of the recipes and
flavors that inspire some of Ischia’s top chefs.
Veccia invited me into his home, into his kitchen, and into
his close group of family and friends.
Veccia is a pizza maker and his brother Gaetano, a baker, so it seemed
natural that the family’s cozy kitchen included 2 wood burning ovens as well as
a fireplace.
The long dining room table, packed with food, wine and
laughter treated me to one of the best meals I have had in a long while. Ischia awaited me with dishes prepared by Ivano's mom, la signora Anna, such as a
zampognaro bean soup.
The zampognaro
bean is a bean that is only found in Ischia, and it’s not that easy to
find. It takes a lot of work to get a
small quantity of beans including old school thrashing. The beans were soaked overnight 10 to 15 hours. Then cooked for about an hour or so alongside
carrots, celery and onions. The beans were
served on a piece of toasted bread and lard.
Another dish that caught my eye and palate included escarole
alla monachina – an endive salad stewed with raisins.
Pizza di scarola- Escarole or endive pizza is a Campania
classic, but Forio has its own twist on this stuffed pizza. Pizza dough is stuffed with stewed escarole/endive
salad, olives, capers, raisins, and in some cases, pine nuts. Instead of baking the pizza pie in the oven,
In Forio, it is cooked in a frying pan.
Mulled wine is added to give it a surprising touch of sweetness!
A must in Ischia is the famous coniglio alla Ischitana. Rabbit Ischia style. Once again, each county has its recipe, and at
the Veccia household, I discovered that the rabbit is prepared in a terracotta pot
over coals in the fireplace.
Olive oil, piperna, tomatoes, garlic, salt and
pepper and about an hour or so produces an excellent pasta sauce….
Gaetano, Ivano’s older brother prepared the pasta with an
expertise that only experience can teach.
Then an amazing thing- he tossed the pasta in the sauce, but not over
the stovetop, but right at the mouth of the wood burning oven!
As well as an amazing second course that must be eaten with
your hands!
And Ivano? It is
impossible to have lunch at a pizza maker’s home without trying a pizza or
to. In a wink of an eye, Veccia produced
his escarole pizza, known in dialect as 'a pizza ca' scarol trciut.
His pizza dough is topped with tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil and
placed in the oven.
Then, as soon as it
comes out, topped with escarole salad, tomatoes, papacelle, and marinated eggplant.
Veccia also uses anchovies if he has them on
hand. Then it is folded over and eaten like a sandwich!
Super!
As I think about that Saturday afternoon, one
spent looking to discover the recipes of an Italian island during the off-season,
I am thankful that I discovered the warmth and hospitality of the inhabitants
of Ischia as well. And that you will not
find in any guidebook. 😉
I can’t tell you for sure how long I’ve known Gino Sorbillo,
but I definitely know that my first visit to his pizzeria at Via Dei Tribunali
in the heart of Naples was back in 2011. That was the year that I, as a
blogger, started getting interested in the pizza world. The year that I stepped out of my neighborhood
and started to open my eyes and see what was going around in the top wood
burning pizza ovens in Campania. An
early afternoon in August of 2011 I stepped into one of the hottest pizzerias
in Naples. In one of the hottest –verace/real-
neighborhoods of the city. It was there
that I enjoyed a pizza or five or six prepared by Sorbillo and his team. A real full immersion!
Take a look at then...
The years passed, and for reasons that I still can’t
explain, I never made it back to Via de Tribunali. Sure, Sorbillo and I have seen each other on
many occasions. But back to his
pizzeria, unfortunately no.
Until…until, an exchange of holiday greetings between the two
of us developed into a ‘why don’t you come back and see what’s happening in the
centro storico?”
I took Sorbillo up on his invitation, and I’m glad I did! Sorbillo, over the years has become one of
the most popular names and faces in the pizza world, not only in Italy, but internationally
as well.
Our appointment was for 1130, I showed up at 1150. Casa
della Pizza is what was written on the door.
Casa della Pizza/ Gino Sorbillo.
I buzzed, the door unlocked, and I was let into a piece of Neapolitan
history, Sorbillo style.
Casa della Pizza- or as I saw it, an office
space/refuge/hideout if you will for Gino Sorbillo. This Casa della Pizza/pizza
house is in the very apartment building that belonged to his family is
full of pizza artifacts, memories, and flavor.
I spoke with Sorbillo a bit about his office space, his
family, and his thoughts on Naples and pizza in general. As he spoke, I listened to a young man who was
not only conscious of his family’s roots, but also proud of the hard work and
dedication that has made the Sorbillo name famous throughout the world. A family initially famous because Sorbillo’s
grandparents were known as the family that had 21 children. 21!!! His office is full of newspaper
clippings dating back to the 1930s. He
shared that many of the Sorbillo clan emigrated out of Naples, leaving only three
of the Sorbillo 21. Three that included
his father and his aunt, Esterina.
It was interesting for me to learn that back in the day; his
Aunt was responsible for the fried pizzas.
In fact, it was normal that a woman would work the deep fryer while the
men would be responsible for the wood oven cooked pizzas.
A mini tour full of touching memories. A casa where Sorbillo surrounds himself with
his past, reflects on the present and continues to dream of the future. Not just for himself, but for his children.
Talking about pizza and looking at the clock, I noticed that
it was lunchtime. Sorbillo and I stepped
out on the balcony and looked down onto the crowd below. The usual traffic stopping scene- an hour wait
is the norm.
An hour wait that is expected and enjoyable for some. In an alley around the corner, a man sings
Neapolitan songs, small groups sit on the benches in front of the pizzeria and
take selfies. This is also the Sorbillo
experience.
Gino ushered me in and right away, I was whisked into a world
of pizza frenzy.
Ground floor/ground
zero. Near the door, in plain sight of
the pizza counter, voices calling orders, host/hostesses calling out numbers of
who can come in next, waiters delivering pizzas at an amazing speed.
Second floor- dining room 2.
A little quieter, for those who want their Sorbillo experience a little
easier. Less noise. The chance to get a balcony seat.
Sorbillo took me back downstairs to a smaller room. A huge iron table in the shape of a horse shoe
perfect for single diners or couples who don’t mind a little company.
Then he pointed to a large window. A large marble counter with barstools and
amazing light. A seat there means people
watchers like me could have a pizza and a glass of beer or wine while checking
out what’s happening out on the street.
That’s where I decided to sit.
And as I sipped a craft beer, I glanced over the menu.
Margherita, I said. With
provola cheese and pepper.
Minutes later, my pizza arrived. A pizza so large that its plate served as
just a suggestion.
Later I was asked if I’d like to try one more. Why not? I said. Just a small one, something ‘al bianco’.
Minutes later, one of the best pizzas I’ve had in a long
time. Fior di Latte cheese, anchovies.
And yes, one more beer. The
perfect way to end an amazing giornata verace.
Before I left, Sorbillo and I caught up on our lives over
the past few years over a beer in his basement dining room. A dining room that housed only four tables.
Like the first pizzeria his family ran. A private conversation between G and I. Between a sip or two, a laugh and I smile, I
reflected back on my first visit 5 years ago.
I reflected on not only that the pizzeria had changed, evolved, but so had
Sorbillo.
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