I remember my first
Campania Christmas more than 20 years ago. Days and days of nonstop eating from the 24th of December to the 6th of January. Flavors and recipes much different than I had grown up with. I must confess that I love my turkey and stuffing, but I thought it would be neat to ask some of Campania's top gourmet chefs what dishes are found on their family's holiday tables. What dishes they grew up with - what memories have followed them throughout their careers - what dishes they cannot live without.
It was interesting to note that at home - each chef sticks with tradition, and almost all of the dishes are prepared by their moms, mother-in-laws and/or grandmothers.
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| Chef Lorenzo Montoro |
Chef Lorenzo Montoro ( Il Flauto di Pan, Ravello) is from Sarno. His family is rooted in traditions from the Sarno region - they even own a farm that produces quality herbs and vegetables for many of the top restaurants in Italy. Fried codfish, stuffed escarole, and fried eel are musts. Eel and river shrimp are typical farmer's dishes in the area since for many farmers, fish was out of their price range. Another typical dish? Broccoli, simply boiled and topped with lemon and olive oil.
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| Chef Domenico Stile |
Chef Domenico Stile (Enoteca La Torre, Rome) is from Gragnano. His family also sticks with tradition with dishes such as fried codfish and reinforcement salad. This sald is quite popular during the season with ingredients such as cauliflower, Neapolitan peppers aka papacelle, green and black olives and capers. On Christmas Day? Lasagna with meatballs ( made with ground beef and sausage), hard boiled eggs, and chiodini mushrooms.
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| Chef Angelo Carannante |
Chef Angelo Carannante (Caracol, Bacoli). One of Carannante's dishes that he cannot live without is his mother-in-law's reinforcement salad. It wouldn't be Christmas without her version that includes anchovies. The chef assured me that it is really really good!
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| Chef Antonio Lebano |
Chef Antonio Lebano (Terrazza Gallia, Milan) A few weeks ago I was in Milan and spoke with this young chef about his holiday traditions. Lebano is from the Vesuvius area, and his eyes shone brightly as he spke to me about this Christmas Eve snack from his childhood. Pane cafone, escarole, piennolo tomatoes (produced by his uncle) , and anchovies. I made some myself today. Fantasticaaa!
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| Chef Domenico Candela |
Chef Domenico Candela (George Restaurant, Naples) Candela is from Marano, a small town in the Naples province. And though he has spent years outside of Naples, primarily in France, his heart is rooted in traditions from his beloved Napoli. So what can we find at his family's Christmas table? Many fish based dishes. One that sticks out? His mother's
linguine allo scoglio - linguine with seafood such as mussels, shrimp, and clams.
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| Chef Antonino Montefusco |
Chef Antonino Montefusco (Terrazza Bosquet, Sorrento). Montefusco shares with his diners a dessert that his mother has prepared for years during the holiday season. Mostaccioli. This typical Neapolitan recipe includes a dough that needs to rest for at least 5 days before baked, then glazed with white sugar and a cocoa.
Boun Natale, tutti!
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