One Friday afternoon I stopped by Casa A Tre Pizzi for a chat with Chef Giovanni Erculanese. I had just visited an archaeological site in nearby Posillipo. I was quite excited about that particular visit because I learned so much about the history of that particular section of Naples and thus that particular history of the Campania region. The chef and I discussed how important it is to understand the history and culture of a region or area to help us also understand and appreciate the evolution or creation of a particular dish or recipe in a restaurant.
That is why I was so excited when I sat down a week later for dinner just a couple of metres from the pass to try some of the chef’s dishes for the new season.
Casa a Tre Pizzi is a restaurant located where Mergellina meets Posillipo. The restaurant is run by the Notaro family – Andrea, Mirko and their father Salvatore- from Somma Vesuviana, a town near Naples. Why is this important you may ask? Well, Somma Vesuviana is a town famous for cod fish.
During that dinner, I had the chance to try cod fish in two different dishes. The first dish was a linguine with cod fish/Romano cheese and pepper. Let's examine, if just lightly the idea behind this dish. Cacio e pepe is a popular Roman pasta dish often made with linguine or spaghetti. The chef gave it a Campania swing by using cod fish.
A touch of mullet bottarga and lime...then. A fantastic first! Chef Erculanese explained that he gave the dish a boost of flavour by using a stock fish broth.
The second dish that once again focused on the territory is one that was quite exciting for me, to be honest. This dish was called Baccalà a Mergellina -translated as Cod fish in Mergellina.
There is a section of Mergellina that is quite exciting vibrant full of life. In this part of Mergellina, you will find food stands, food trucks, chalets, bright lights, traffic, cars, motorcycles, vespas, et cetera et cetera. But you will also find small tables, plastic tables, plastic chairs. A bottle – an ice cold bottle of beer, taralli---maybe some lupini beans, green olives, salt and pepper. That is what the chef sees as he walks out of work night after night after night before heading home. That was the inspiration for his dish. His cod fish is embraced by taralli crumbs, then we have a foam made with beer which represents the top of the beer glass - you know when you pour your beer you have that top that's all foamy? To the side - we have a clear gel. In this clear gel we see our lupini, our green olives a little bit of salt and pepper.
So two dishes that are able to stand strong by themselves, are given that extra push when you understand the idea their culture that territory behind the dish.
Complimenti, Chef Erculanese...Complimenti, Casa a Tre Pizzi...
A Presto!
