Tales of a Territory in a Box, The Crus of Alois Winery, Pontelatone (Ce)

 

I recently had the opportunity to visit Alois Winery , a family winery located in the Caserta province.  This winery, located in Pontelatone, not far from the Caserta palace, has been around for over 30 years.  It is a winery that focuses on the production of three grape varieties tied to the territory- Pallagrello Bianco (white ), Pallagrello Nero and Casavecchia (red).  The drive from my house to the winery takes about 50 minutes or so.  On my way there, I realized that I hadn’t been in 8 years.  8!  Wow.  Did I remember the way?  Maybe better to use Google Maps.  I arrived without problems.

The harvest was just over, but no problem.  I decided to visit the vineyards another time.  My eyes were attracted to the bottles.  A certain set of bottles in particular.  Their Crus-their wines produced from particular vineyards. 

Trebulanum® Casavecchia di Pontelatone DOC – Casavecchia

Morrone® Terre del Volturno IGT - Pallagrello Bianco

Murella® Terre del Volturno IGT - Pallagrello nero

I was attracted to these particular bottles, not just for the clean white and gold labels- but for the clean wooden boxes. Each box had 6 bottles.   And in that box, there was another box.  And in that box there were jars. 

Let’s take a closer look.  How many times have you bought a bottle of wine, read the label and tried to imagine what and where was being described?  Massimo Alois asks himself the same questions, and is a soil collecting fanatic.  So besides the (numbered) labels giving info about the location and altitude of the vineyard, Alois has included samples of the terrain in little jars.  Pretty cool!

Alois has also included maps- maps designed in collaboration with artist Felix Policastro and printed by Massimo Longabardi. 

What better way to learn about a territory? Open a bottle, pour yourself a glass, check out the maps, run your fingers through the soil in the jars…

Then have your own mini tasting- swirl the glass, take in the aromas, and finally taste. 

Cheers!

A Magical Mystery Tour -12 Morsi Burgers and Friends, Caserta (Ce)

A laid back Saturday afternoon was the perfect time for me to (finally) head out to  12 Morsi Burgers and Friends.  I have long been a fan of Chef Mirco Scognamiglio's magnetic personality and magical combinations that have made him and 12 Morsi one of the top gastropubs around. 12 Morsi has 2 locations - one in downtown Naples and the other in Caserta.  I chose Caserta - which has been open a little more than a year.

Chef Mirco Scognamiglio

 I walked in around 1 pm, quickly eyed the place and found Scognamiglio sitting at a table, totally relaxed, waiting for the long day ahead.  Since I was the first to arrive, it gave me the perfect opportunity for a little one on one time with the chef to chat about the menu for my first visit.  It wasn't easy.  It never is when I vist a restaurant for the first, so I place myself totally in the hands of the chef.  

Do you trust me?  he smiled.

Of course! I smiled back.

Let the magical mystery tour begin.

So we got started with a few starters -

Angus beef tartare seasoned with salt, extra virgin olive oil and pepper.  Scognamiglio added lime zest, fresh ginger, homemade mayonnaise, basil oil spheres, and beet and chard sprouts.  This all sat neatly on a thin braided eclair.

Next up, the chef decided to have me try his chicken and fries.  It may look simple, but these were deep and delicious.

First lets talk about the fries.  Two large potato wedges lightly seasoned and fried.  Then the nuggets that which have an impressive story all their owned.  Scognamiglio bones and chops up chicken then places them into silicone cube molds.  The cubes are then vacuum sealed and slow cooked.

Then they are bathed in corn meal and lightly fried.  A lot of work - but this is not your simple pub.  Scognamiglio prides himself for the time and care it takes to prepare each dish including the homemade dipping sauces.

Next up is a panino that I had been dying to try.  His steamed bao bun! 

The bun is filled with pork belly which had been slow cooked for 18 hours.  Scognamiglio then adds his teriyaki sauce...

and tops it all of with friarielli greens that have just popped into season.

I wanted a burger, but I couldn't decide which one.  Scognamiglio thought I should try two...

His buns are homemade, of course.  Soft  -but strong enough to host his burgers.  One housed his cheeseburger made from angus beef  with Westcombe cheddar cheese, the chef's pickled cucumbers...

 and his super sauce which is a blend of bbq, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and anchovies.

Next his Yimmy Burger with caramelized onions, a sunny side up quail egg, and a truffle sauce. 

I couldn't leave without tryong one of 12 Morsi's steak - the chef insisted.  So I agreed to an assaggio- a bite or two of his bistecca.

Scognamiglio uses Friesian beef and prepared medium-rare...with just enough pink.  Grilled pumpkin, zucchini, and eggplant were the perfect sides.

 As much as I would have wanted to dive into dessert, there just wasn't any room. 
My magical mystery tour is on a brief pause - to be continued soon.  Very soon, because at the end of the month, Scognamiglio is changing his menu to include a couple new steamed bao bun sandwiches, for example.  Then I need to try those desserts...did he mention cheesecake?  Also, I'm curious about some of the wines and beers that make up his carta di vino.

So, stay tuned for the next stop on the tour!

Pizzeria I Masanielli - Sasà Martucci, Caserta (Ce)

So it went down like this - after trying two, well three slices of his pizza in Ravello (see here) I decided.  I decided that I would make that 30/40 minute drive out to Caserta and try hipizza made in his wood burning oven in his pizzeria.  I'm talking about a decision to have lunch with Salvatore Martucci - better known as Sasà Martucci.  The pizzeria?  I Masanielli  - Sasà Martucci.

Pizza maker Sasà Martucci

A little over two years had past since my last visit.  You've got a lot of catching up to do - Martucci joked with his signature smile.  So we looked over the menu and narrowed my pizza lunch to just 4 pizzas.  Not an easy task!

First up was a pizza that Martucci named after himself - the Sasà Martucci.  

A white pizza with tuna foam, crispy Giarratana onions, baked black olives, fior di latte, Kione extra virgin olive oil (Slow Food Presidio) and edible flowers showered on top. A pizza that represents a little of his personality. (He promised to tell me why in the future)

The next pizza was Martucci's take on a classic Campania pasta dish.  The Nerano.  Why the name?  Because Spaghetti alla Nerano was born in the seaside town of Nerano and features zucchini and cheese - just like this pizza.

Martucci uses a Parmigiana Reggiano fondue on the base  then tops it with fior di latte, a combination of green and yellow zucchini, crispy zucchini flowers, yellow zucchini chantilly, Provolone del Monaco cheese, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

Pizza number three - 8 Morsi - created with Mirco Scognamiglio, the chef of 12 Morsi. 

The pizza is baked with velvety yellow zucchini squash and fior di latte.  When the pizza comes out of the oven, Martucci adds Friesian beef shoulder, Parmigiana Reggiano foundue, balsamic vinegar and Koine extra virgin olive oil.

I had room (and time) for one more.  Pizza number 4.  Pizza Rosa, Pink Pizza. 

This pizza is actually a focaccia.  The primary difference between a focaccia and a pizza is that a focaccia's dough is higher than a pizza since it uses more leavening.  After the focaccia is baked, Martucci adds salmon that has been marinated in lemon, stracciatella di bufala cheese, pink pepper, fresh mint and extra virgin olive oil.

Lunch over,  Martucci sat down for a quick chat and a cup of coffee.  In just a few days he would be closing down for a few weeks for a well deserved vacation.  Then he would be back to work.  Back behind the pizza counter.  Back with new ideas for new pizzas.  

Ti aspetto! he said.  I'll be waiting for you!

At the Table with Ciccio - Casa Vitiello, Tuoro (Ce)

Francesco Vitiello

Last Saturday began as some usually do.  I slept in late, a little grocery shopping, and a lot of housework. So around 1 pm, I needed a boost. I needed to recharge my battery, so to speak.  So I headed out to Tuoro, Caserta - precisely to Casa Vitiello- to pop in on Francesco, aka Ciccio, Vitiello to see what he has been up to.  And yes, to try a pizza or two.

Saturday afternoon - lunch.  The only afternoon that Casa Vitiello is open for lunch.  Since I love late pizza lunches, it was perfect!  I arrived around 2 pm under a unusually scorching spring sunshine.  Perfect!  I needed to recharge.  I sat at a table right outside the front door, under a huge umbrella, with a perfect view of the ragazzi of Casa Vitiello preparing and serving a large array of pizzas for the packed pizzeria.

I ordered a beer, because during a Saturday lunch at Ciccio's, a beer pairs perfectly.  Ciccio suggested a craft beer from La Terra di Lavoro, Senz a Pensieri - loosely translated as without a care.  Exactly!

I looked over the menu - excited about the choices.  Then I heard the magic words Karen, I have some new pizzas that aren't on the menu.
Bingo!

So Ciccio and I shared a little pizza degustazione- I tried three slices along with the staff paired with a cold craft beer and some cool conversation.

Pizza number one -

Roasted artichoke, Provola from Agerola, and lonzarda ham from the prized Caserta black pork.

Pizza number two -

Cream of asparagus, fior di latte, egg mimosa, and grated  Laticauda sheep cheese on a hemp pizza crust.

Pizza number three -

Mozzarella di bufala DOP, puntarelle, roasted garlic cream, anchovies from Cetara, essence of extra virgin olive oil on a hemp pizza crust.

Just what I needed.  But we weren't finished!  The lunch crowd had left, so Ciccio decided to do a little mozzarella testing.  Yes, at times he does use mozzarella on his pizza instead of fior di latte.  It is important to Vitiello, though, that the cheese is not too wet causing problems during cooking. Problems that can make the pizza crust damp or nearly soaked.  And no one wants a soggy pizza! One solution to fix that problem is to slice up the mozzarella and let it drain for a bit so that it loses about 60% of that excess liquid.

Another possible solution may be found in the mozzarella that I had a chance to share with Vitiello and company.  A mozzarella that is drier - the pasta di mozzarella - Vitiello explained. You can almost taste the buffalo, he added. No buttermilk added.  None at all.

So, three new pizzas, a great cold beer, and an impromptu mozzarella cheese tasting.  Enough to recharge my battery until my next visit, which I'm sure would be sooner and not later!

Grazie, Ciccio!