A Spaghettata with Chef Antonio Pisaniello

Chef Antonio Pisaniello

In the midst of the CHIC jam session, surrounded by fun and frenzy, there was one question that kept popping up in my mind...
Where is Pisaniello?
Chef Antonio Pisaniello, that is. I had seen him the day before at Hotel Romeo.  He told me  would be at Marenna the next day so we could chat a bit.  But 2 hours after start time, no sign of Tonino.  No sign of Tony.  No sign of the Pisa.
Then - as if on cue- Pisaniello arrives.  And after making his rounds, greeting friends and colleagues, he got down to work.
First stop...over to choose a few products.  I watched from a distance as he picked a few ingredients. Then I approached my amico, my friend.
Where have you been? I asked.
In giro...around,  he smiled.  Understandably so.  Pisaniello runs two restaurants and a catering business.  In addition, he is preparing to leave for New York City (again) for a few months.
I let him get back to work.  I've known Pisaniello for a few year and I've always enjoyed watching him a create his dishes.  At the stove top...dietro i fornelli. 
There wasn't a lot of time left...no problem for Pisaniello. He chose to prepare a quick pasta dish...a spaghettata.
Spaghettata.  Defined as dish of spaghetti.  One that can can be prepared quickly.  One that was simple.  Tasty.  Delicious.
Though I'm not sure about the simple...it sure looked tasty and delicious...

A simple dish of spaghetti with foie gras, clams and red carrot juice. A sea snail on the side.  A dash of black pepper.
Piatto pronto...
Complimenti Pisaniello...

Soul Pasta 11 11 11 - La Locanda di Bu - Nusco (Av)

Chef Antonio Pisaniello and Chef Raffaele Vitale

Pasta on the menu.  Nothing particularly unusual about that, I mean we are in Italy.  But Chef Antonio Pisaniello, La Locanda di Bu in Nusco had an idea.  An entire menu featuring pasta.  From  antipasto to the dessert.  

We'll call it Soul Pasta - l'anima di pasta...he decided.  He chose a particular date - 11 11 11.  He asked friends  Chefs Raffaele Vitale, Lorenzo Principe, and Jonathan Rossi to team up with his staff to pull it off.  Pasta was provided by Giocchino Orlando's Casa del Tortellino, a pasta house that specializes in producing pasta using ancient grain.  Wine?  Antonio Caggiano brought along his Bechar 2010, Tauri 2010 and Salae Domini to pair up with a menu that included...

fried gnocchi with corbarino tomato sauce

nero a metà-taglioni al nero di cuttlefish, cream of potato, and bergamot

 

yellow winter-paccheri rigati with cream of pumpkin squash, powdered porcini, fried bread al tartufo nero

 

                                              

                                                          fusillipommarolpuork-fusilli with sausage

                                            
                                       

lemon cold air-taglioni with amalfi lemons, ricotta cream,candied fruit, 

hazelnut and vanilla oil

It was another entertaining event put on by Pisaniello and his wife, Jenny Auriemma...because we all need a little soul with our pasta....

  

An Evening with Mesali-an Invitation to Discover Irpinia

M-e-s-á-l-i...Jenny said.

Jenny Auriemma, sommelier and part owner of La Locanda di Bu…a Michelin star Restaurant located in Nusco (Av). Mesáli, I learned, is an association of restaurants in Irpinia who have teamed together to promote the territory through its products and fantastic cucina…Jenny handed me a guide about a year ago when I met her and husband Chef Antonio Pisaniello for the first time. A guide packed with the names and addresses of some of the top restaurants in the Avellino region.

Fast forward about 13 months. The Mesáli Association has a new guide packed with professionals ready to introduce me to my Campania-Irpinia style, through recipes, culture, and customs. Once again, Jenny steps in, asking me if I would like to attend an event which would focus on not only on the book, but on the territory that I have become affectionately attached to over the  last few of years.

The scene, Country Sport Complesso in Avellino. Poolside…Twelve restaurants ready to share their stories, their culture, their dishes in a grande buffet on an unusually cool summer evening.

Between assaggi of appetizers, first courses and desserts, I did my best to get around to everyone…say hello, try a dish, and enjoy the spirit of the evening. The spirit of the evening…a spirit that wasn’t meant to last for only few hours. A spirit shared with Amazing Appetizers such as Axx 150 3 colori per Italia-a tomato tartar with a basil sauce and topped with pecorino ice cream-La Locanda di Bu. A Parmigiana zeppola on a bed of tomatoes and basil by Oasis Sapori Antichi. Other dishes that I managed to get my hands on were La Ripa’s Regno delle due Sicilie-an eggplant timballo with Vesuvius tomatoes and melanzania perlina. A hamburger crudo, raw, with montoro onions, carmansciano cheese , star anise, and guanciale
all’aglianico-Villa Assunta . Fantastic firsts? Fusilli rustichelli con baccala, spring onions from Oasi Sapori Antichi. A canneloni bean soup by Valleverde and Cannazze Calitrane by La Locanda del Arco. And when it came time for desserts, there was a little space for il croccantino from Antica Trattoria Di Pietro, a Bianco di yogurt and rosa amarena-La Locanda di Bu, Dolcemara arancia-L’Incanto, Magnum di Ravece-Villa Assunta, and a final ‘toast’ with Rocco Rafaniello’s mini chocolate cake from La Ripa.

That evening I discovered that Mesáli’s guide is not just a list of restaurants. It is an invitation. An invitation to Irpinia. A region that I know well for its wine. And here it was …inviting all me to discover its recipes, prodotti tipici, its chefs.

A challenge? It’s nice to discover that there is a lot to discover…

And why not?

Antica Trattoria Di Pietro dal 1934
Corso Italia, 8 // Melito Irpino (AV)
Tel. 0825/472010

Ristorante La Pergola
Via Freda, 4 // Gesualdo (AV)
Tel. 0825/401435

Oasis Antichi Sapori
Via Provinciale, 6 // Vallesaccarda (AV)
Tel. 0825/97444 – 97021

La Locanda di Bu
Vico dello Spagnuolo, 1 // Nusco (AV)
Tel. & Fax 0827/64619

Antica Trattoria Martella
Via Chiesa Conservatorio, 10 // Avellino
Tel. 0825/32123

Ristorante La Pignata
Viale dei Tigli, 7 // Ariano Irpino (AV)
Tel. 0825/872355-872571

Osteria del Gallo e della Volpe
Piazza Umberto, 1 // Ospedaletto d'Alpinolo (AV)
Tel. 0825/691225-25023

Ristorante L'Incanto
Via del Municipio, 30 // Sant'Andrea di Conza (AV)
Tel.0827/35021

Ristorante Valleverde
Via Pianodardine, 112 // Atripalda (AV)
Tel. 0825/626115

Villa Assunta Ristorante e Cantine
Via Capo di Gaudio // Mirabella Eclano (AV)
Tel. 0825/476169 Cell. 3392515010

La Locanda dell'Arco
Via dell'Arco di Zampaglione, 1/3/5 // Calitri (AV)
Tel. 0827/310951 Cell. 346 7235766

La Ripa Ristorante Museo
Borgo Medievale // Rocca San Felice (AV)
Tel. 0827/215023 Cell. 347 2389097 – 393 9453762

Italian Version

Natale with Chef Antonio Pisaniello,La Locanda di Bu...and Red and White Reindeer

It was time to go back…or up, I should say. Up about 941 meters above sea level to Nusco. Nusco in Alta Irpinia (Av). To this small and beautiful centro storico with a fantastic view of Irpinia. Back to Vico dello Spagnuolo, 1. Back to Chef Antonio Pisaniello, his wife Jenny Auriemma, and their restaurant La Locanda di Bu.

It was unusually warm this December afternoon, but as soon as I opened the doors, I felt the spirit of Natale…The usual red and white interior was joined by a team of dancing reindeer. Reindeer who reminded me that maybe it’s time to write a letter to Santa Claus…to Babbo Natale…A letter like this one…

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good girl this year. I’ve worked hard. For Christmas, I’m not asking for much…just a few items that coincidently are found on La Locanda di Bu’s menu.

1) A bowl of bean soup…Warm, creamy bean soup with a small vegetable ball on top.

2) Pumpkin bruschetta. Pumpkin from Jenny’s mother’s garden. Pumpkin that has been marinated in vinegar, then placed on top of lightly toasted bread. A touch of olive oil. I’d like two, please.

3) Zeppoline with broccoli.

4) A broccoli salad, warm, with truffles on top. Underneath the broccoli, I would like to find peppers, anchovies, and warm toasted cubes of bread.

5) Fried ricotta. Not just any ricotta, though. Ricotta from Montella (Av). Crispy on the outside. Then, Santa, it must be placed on a bed of broccoli sauce with a few cubes of pancetta from Venticano. I would like it decorated with aqua di pomodoro, anchovy oil, and potatoes.

6) Spaghetti. A warm plate of Spaghetti di Gragnano. Spaghetti that has been tossed gently in a velvety sauce of peppers and cacciota podolico. A light shower of black pepper on top.

7) Canazzi or ziti with a rich ragu sauce. The sauce must be made with lamb and sausage, then slowly cooked for hours under the watchful eye of Pisaniello.

8) I would also like some dinner rolls. Warm rolls straight from the oven. Rolls that have a potato filling. Or broccoli. Or sweet onions that have been simmered for hours. Perfect for soaking up my pasta sauce.

9) A pork rib. One that has been roasted in Pisaniello’s oven, and laid to rest on a bed of potatoes, apple and pistachios.

10) Flan al cioccolato. A little chocolate cake, just for me. It must be served warm, and as I place my fork in it, I would like melted chocolate to ooze out the middle. On the side, rum ice cream, please. Homemade ice cream, with raisins and a little chocolate.

11) A tray of little pastries. Little pastries starring creme brulè.

12) The sincere genuine smile of Jenny Auriemma as she expertly suggests new wines for me to try, like Greco di Tufo from Cantine Storiche di Marzo.

Yours truly,
Karen

Italian Version

Rossidisera-October 30th, La Locanda di Bu (Nusco, Av)

Chef Antonio Pisaniello and his wife Sommelier Jenny Auriemma have put together an incredible  series entitled Rossidisera (Reds of the Evening). This Saturday, October 30th, Jenny has chosen  Azienda Vitivinicola Guerriero from Taurasi to sit side by side a 5 course meal prepared by Chef Pisaniello.

The cost is 40 Euro (wines included).

For more information, contact La Locanda di Bu at 0827 64619 or 392 26 03 952