andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

A few weeks ago I was in Sorrento - at  Gio Ponti Restaurant  in the spectacular  Hotel Parco dei Principi  to be exact.  It was my first visit back in nearly 2 seasons so I was super excited to see what  Executive Chef Vincenzo Piacente  had been up to.  Of the many dishes I tried and admired, this Neapolitan classic -  Candele Pasta alla Genovese  - stood out.  I had a chance to hang out in the kitchen as the chef and brigade were plating up.  I took advantage of that time to learn a little history about the dish from Marcello Mosca -- a true Neapolitan. Marcello shared with me that this classic recipe handed down to him by his grandmother was basically a poor man's dish.  Onions, carrots and pork were slow cooked to form the pasta sauce and it was used to top pasta formats such as maccheroni.   Nowadays, pork has been replace with beef - preferably with some fat to withstand the long ...

A little over a month has passed, but this appetizer starring flying squid by Chef Michele De Martino of Casamare in Salerno is unforgettable to say the least.  A dish that is a tasty mix of land and sea. I asked the chef for the recipe and here it is. Squid alla Luciana with Taralli from Agerola For 2 people you need 2 medium flying squid (cooked), onions to taste, 6 Gaeta olives, and a bit of Pantelleria capers, 3 piennolo tomatoes.   These  ingredients are mixed together with bite sized taralli from Agerola and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Amazing! .  

La mia cucina e' di concetto italiano, sa di storia e di tradizione, nello stesso tempo semplice e creativa. Chef Eduardo Estatico La memoria del gusto e dei profumi della mia infanzia, la verace cultura napoletana, la passione per il teatro di Eduardo De Filippo e le mie esperienze professionali ispirano i miei piatti. La mia idea di cucina e' di stile neoclassico che va sempre alla ricerca del contemporaneo: rigorosamente di stagione, senza pregiudizi, di orto, di mare e di terra insieme. Il viaggio del gusto parte dalla Napoli di un tempo, mia citta' natale, si nutre di Campania, fa il giro d'iltalia e infine approda a Capri, l'isola azzura. Chef Eduardo Estatico J Kitchen Capri My cuisine is based on Italian concepts, its history and tradition, and at the same time, simple and creative. Memories of taste and fragrances of my childhood, true Neapolitan culture,  passion for  Eduardo De Filippo's plays and my professional experiences inspire m...

A few weeks ago I headed to Capri to visit Chef Eduardo Estatico .  Estatico is the executive chef of J K Place , and more specifically the head chef of J Kitchen , the hotel's gourmet restaurant.  It's been four years since your last visit, Estatico jokingly reminded me.  We've got a lot to catching up to do. . So, after a series of amazing appetizers, coming soon, the chef invited me into the kitchen for a chat as he prepared the first course.  One that the chef had picked personally for me from his rich selection of primi piatti.  His Riso Carnaroli Riserva San Massimo al peperone ripieno scoppiato . A risotto dish with all the flavorful goodness of the classic ingredients of  Neapolitan stuffed peppers bursting on the plate.  Take a look as Estatico and Francesco Cappelli explain how the dish is prepared... Steps include adding creamy roasted peppers to the rice and stirring stirring stirring, along with white butter a...

Chefs Nino Di Costanzo and Pasquale Palamaro The 4th edition of Ischia Safari is just around the corner.  Safari - as I call it is the ambitious undertaking of two of Ischia's top chefs; Nino Di Costanzo and Pasquale Palamaro . This year promises to be bigger than ever with nearly 200 chefs, pizza chefs, and pastry chefs participating in two grande evenings on the isle of Ischia.(take a look who here ) The objective of this fabulous fund raising event remains the same---raising money for students to attend hotel and restaurant management school.  Here's a quick breakdown of what to expect... Sunday, 16 September an exclusive Gala Dinner at  Ristorante Indaco featuring some of Italy's top 1 and 2 Michelin starred chefs.  Tickets can be purchased online here .  Monday, 17 September a grande festa at Negombo.  A fantastic opportunity to mix and mingle, drink and dine.   Tickets can be purchased online here . For more info check out the...

August 4 th around 9 pm… A quick exchange on WhatsApp between Chef Angelo Borghese ( Osteria Al Paese) and myself. Karen, buonasera, com stai?  Listen, on the 23 rd of August will you be in the area? I, along with Gian Marco Carli will be hosting a dinner at Il Principe in Pompei…. Hi Angelo.  I’m fine, thanks.  The 23 rd I should be around…even if Pompeii is about an hour’s drive.  Remind me! Ciao! Well, the chef didn’t need to remind me -as the weeks went by, the date remained saved on my mental calendar like a post it note.  A post it note with a half a dozen question marks scribbled on it. Questions and curiosities that motivated me to arrive a little early for the sold out event. Since I was the first to arrive, I headed straight to the kitchen where I found Borghese and Carli adding the final changes to dishes that were to be prepared in little less than an hour.  Borghese handed me the menu for a quick look.  A menu rich with...