Spaghetti Summer - Chef Mimmo Di Raffaele, Belvedere Restaurant, Belmond Hotel Caruso, Ravello (Sa)

-

Ravello is a small peaceful medieval town which is a popular stop for international tourists during the summer.  It's pedestrian friendly with narrow cobblestone streets, small clothing boutiques, ceramic shops, restaurants and bars.  From Piazza Duomo - the main square - it is just a 7 or 8 minute stroll down one of those cobblestone streets to Piazza San Giovanni del Toro which houses the exclusive Belmond Hotel Caruso.

It was there that I decided to have lunch - at the Belvedere Restaurant.   The hotel's Executive Chef  Mimmo Di Raffaele shared with me the philosophy of his menu.  His guests, primarily tourists from all over the world, are looking for tradition.  A majority crave authentic regional dishes with products that can only be found here - in Campania.  So that is one of the key reasons that his lunch menu has choices that include mozzarella di bufala, anchovies from nearby Cetara, pizza cooked in a wood burning oven, and of course pasta.  Pasta dishes like his Spaghettoni 'Ravello' Vicidomini.  His  spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Chef Mimmo Di Raffaele





Di Raffaele's spaghetti dish is like a souvenir of the area.  A dish that shares with the diner a delicious portion of Campania in every bite.  For this dish the chef uses spaghettoni produced by Pastificio Vicidomini - an artisan pasta factory that has been around since 1812 located in Castel San Giorgio.



And the tomatoes?  Campania is lucky enough to have a wide range of varieties to choose from.  Di Raffaele uses  a rich combination from the local area such as  Corbari and Corbarello from Sapori di Corbara, mini San Marzano tomatoes, and pomodorini/small tomatoes from the Lattari Mountains which overlook the Amalfi Coast.  


A sprig or two of basil and the dish is complete.  Oh, and I couldn't resist to choose a piece of pane cafone - typical Neapolitan bread - from the bread basket to perform the traditional scarpetta, that final sweep where bread meets sauce to help clean the plate.

The perfect momento of my visit to Ravello.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My Home - Lunch at Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa with Chef Peppe Guida

-
Image
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...
Read more

La Scarpetta, Pepe in Grani, Caiazzo (Ce)

-
Image
Scarpetta. ..the word alone makes one's taste buds jump for joy.  Scarpetta, little shoe, is an act of love at the end of a meal. A show of respect and admiration performedw ith a piece of great bread and the remnants of a fantastic sauce left on the plate at the end a a course. That is the spirit behind Franco Pepe' s latest pizza - La Scarpetta.   Pepe's soft pizza dough paired with an amazing ragu tomato sauce.  For the sauce, Pepe chose three tomato varieties and slow cooked them so that they fused together to make an incredible tomato sauce. This sauce is not cooked in the oven with the pizza dough, but added on top afterwards.  Then a couple of shavings of Grana Padano cheese (aged 12 and 24 months) Just one more taste of happiness courtesy of Pepe in Grani.. .
Read more

The Trailer for Episode 1 of "In the Kitchen Campania" is Out Featuring Chef Luigi Coppola of Casa Coloni, Paestum (Sa)

-
Image
If you're a foodie, then "In the Kitchen Campania" is the perfect show to satisfy your cravings. This upcoming culinary series will feature some of the most talented chefs in the Campania region of Italy and is a celebration of the rich flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine.    You won't want to miss Chef Luigi Coppola of Casa Coloni Restaurant in this episode, which premieres on my YouTube channel on January 30th .  Be sure to save the date, watch the trailer, and subscribe to our channel to stay up-to-date with all the latest culinary excitement.  Ci vediamo in the kitchen!
Read more