andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

New menu - the day after.  I was sitting with Chef Antonino Montefusco in the dining room of  Terrazza Bosquet , next to the window with a spectacular view of Marina Piccola and Mt Vesuvius on the far distance.  The chef and I were discussing the new menu and checking out the pics that I had taken the night before.  Then we arrived at this set.  Montefusco's snapper.  His snappy snapper I have decided to call it.  Beautiful to look at, fantasticaaa to eat! Let's break it down just a bit.  On the right - snapper.  Montefusco's snapper delicately wrapped in a   mountain lard crust.  In the middle? A pesto made with sea fennel  that the chef and his brigade harvested themselves from the nearby county  of Massa Lubrense.  A pesto that also included a few almonds as well as pecorino cheese.  On top?  Snails.  To the left, a chili pepper sauce that was ...spicy.  No something more.... Snappy!

Thursday evening, Casa a Tre Pizzi in Mergellina, Naples.   A small, chic young restaurant not too far from one of the most popular boardwalks in Campania.   Around 10:20 pm my second course arrived at my table.   A fish dish that caught my attention – pun intended.   Chef Gianluca Farina ’s rombo .   Rombo in English is turbot.   A fish, Farina shared with me, that is not served often in Neapolitan cooking.   Farina’s version is prepared  al vapore – steam cooked.   Steam cooked and dressed in beautiful fall colors.   Let’s take a closer look – Earthy flavorful celeriac root in two versions/textures - raw and puree… Razor clams… And a sauce made with three types of Japanese seaweed. If I remember correctly, I even reached for a piece of bread to   perform one of my favorite Neapolitan rituals – the scarpetta , which means using bread to soak up the remaining bit of sauce on your plate. A fish dish fantasticaaa !

Here it is - Chef Antonino Montefusco ' s little black box.  Inside, an assaggio of one of his first course dishes served to me one late October evening at Terrazza Bosquet.   Ready Ravioli is the name of this dish.  A dish created this past summer when Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento hosted Ferrari's Calvacade 2019 .  Montefusco, the hotel's Executive Chef, was met with a challenge.  He needed to create a gourmet menu for 200 guests that could be served and enjoyed veloce ...quickly.  The theme was the 1960s.  Montefusco thought long and hard.  The guests would be moving on to Capri, so why not give them a taste of the famous ravioli caprese , but with a Sorrento twist? The traditional recipe calls for ricotta, but Montefusco wanted to share his Sorrento and opted for a cacciota from Sorrento- aged 2 days.  The dish, served then, and now on the Michelin starred restaurant's menu is as follows. First - a dish with a San Marzano and cherry tomato sauce

Quest'anno il primo piatto di zuppa forte e' tuo...appena la metto su ti scrivo This year the first dish of zuppa forte is yours ... as soon as I prepare it, I'll write  you... A message to me from Chef Domenico Iavarone of Jose Restaurant in Torre Del Greco.  A message to me with a promise.  A promise that this year I will be able to try his zuppa fort e - his version of the classic humble Campania s picy soup . To be honest, I had been waiting for this invitation for  2 years.  This particular specialty is not always on Iavarone's menu.  It's a seasonal dish with a history dating back to as far as the 1800s.  Prepared during the cold months of late fall and winter.  So it pops up from time to time - a fuori menu or special of the day. The dish is prepared with pork entrails, tomato concentrate, peppers, and lard.  It's a spicy thick soup, designed to keep one warm, full, and happy on a budget.  It's served between bread sandwich style, as a so

La Venere di Botticelli I decided to treat myself to a night out.  Get dressed up and go out to an elegant restaurant in Naples.  You know, enjoy the city by night.  I chose George Restaurant  , who less than a week earlier received a prestigious Michelin Star.  Quite an accomplishment for a restaurant that has been open for less than 2 years.  This was my fourth visit to George, and I was familiar with several of Chef Domenico Candela 's signature dishes - but not none that were on his Spasso Sensoriale tasting menu rich with new specialties for the fall/winter season.   Spasso Sensoriale which could be translated as a sensory/ sensual stroll.  Dishes pleasing to the eye and palate like this appetizer that Candela entitled La Venere di Boticelli - after the painting The Birth of Venus painted during the Italian Rennaissance by artist  Sandro Botticelli.  The theme comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a very important oeuvre of the Latin literature. Venus is portrayed na

Chef Cristian Torsiellp During the drive to Osteria Arbustico that Saturday, I was hit with everything from bright sunshine to strong winds and heavy downpours.  My drive to the Michelin starred restaurant located in Capaccio took me past the seaside where the waves were high, rough, and just a bit frightening.  A bit frightening, but honestly, a little exciting, since I was on my way to taste the cuisine of Chef Cristian Torsiello . A trip that I haven't made in over a year. As I pulled into the parking lot of Royal Hotel Paestum , where the restaurant has been located for nearly two years, the rain had stopped.  This gave me just enough time to dash into the lobby and make my 1 pm reservation. As I was led to my table and was treated to an aperitif and some amazing appetizers, I was curious as to what was going in the kitchen.  I always am.  So with the chefs permission, I entered inside Torsiellos spa del cibo.  His kitchen where the chef, and two trusted members of hi

Chef Francesco Sodano I had been watching the calendar for a few weeks before I decided. Before I decided whether to make a reservation to head back to Maiori, to Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso . I had an excellent opportunity to check out Chef Francesco Sodano 's menu at the beginning of  the restaurant’s 7-month season. (Take a look here ) Sodano, the determined, enthusiastic 31 year old chef who took over as executive chef of this Michelin starred restaurant (a star earned back in 2005) after Chef Pierfranco Ferrara left at the beginning of the year. A serious challenge for Sodano, but if he was in any way worried, he sure did not let it show in his dishes. In fact, he came out running with a menu that has a style solo Sodano  , original, different to what the restaurant's longtime clients were accustomed to.  A menu with dishes such as Ricordo del un viaggio in Peru/  Memories of travels in Peru, Risotto with fermented capers, burnt lemon and codfish roe,  milk and cerea