Last Saturday. Lunch. Contaminazioni Restaurant in Somma Vesuviana in the Naples province. I was about 1/3 of the way into Chef Giuseppe Molaro's Nami tasting menu when it arrived. A plate of spaghetti. Spaghetto freddo alle alghe, I was told. Cold spaghetti with seaweed.
I know what you may be thinking. But don't. This is not leftover spaghetti that the chef had just taken out of the blast freezer. This spaghetti was cooked to order, then 'cooled down' bain-marie style but over ice. The result is a perfectly cooked al dente pasta.
When Molaro stepped into the dining room,I asked him about the dish. He described techniques and procedures that I would not be likely to reproduce at home. As he spoke about ingredients such asginger, tomato vinegar (made by the chef), iko wakame in chardonnay vinegar, parsley cream, nori seaweed, ... I must confess I went into a little trance.
As I swirled my spaghetti around my fork, I couldn't help but think deeply about the color of his pasta dish. Green. A color that many believe symbolizes nature and the natural world. Spring. Tranquility. There are some who believe it also represents rebirth, prosperity, balance and harmony.
After last Saturday, for me it stands for spaghetti madness.
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