It was an invitation to dinner that I could not refuse. Executive
Chef
Crescenzo Scotti asked his close friend and fellow Ischian, Chef
Nino Di Costanzo to join him for the
second night of his Dinner with the Stars, his four hands dinner series at
Il Flauto di Pan, Villa Cimbrone, one of the
most beautiful and romantic places on earth.
We’ll have dinner in the crypt instead of the dining room,
the chef had written me a few days before the big event.
The crypt? I thought. I had visited it months before. I remembered
it as a large empty place with plain, but impressive arches dating back to the
Gothic era. That memory was soon forgotten as I walked
into the crypt last Monday evening. The
staff had transformed the space into something out of a fairy tale.
I took a silent tour as the chefs met with the dining room
staff for the pre service briefing. I
then followed Scotti and Di Costanzo into the hotel’s garden for an aperitif
paired with sparkling wine and a spectacular September full moon.
Eggplant parmigiana
The chef’s stuffed pepper
Braided zucchini stuffed with white fish and fresh mint
Seared scallops with watermelon gazpacho
Time for dinner, so I, along with about forty guests, headed
to our seats. There we were greeted by
music, a glass of Monte di Grazia Bianco IGT white wine and the first appetizer
of the evening.
Lobster cappuccino with potato cream and black ink squid powder,
Chef Scotti’s classic signature dish.
The next plate that arrived was accompanied by a mesmerizing
aroma of fresh dill. Scotti prepared
scampi, burrata and basil with pork cheek together with a celery sauce, lemon tarallo
and toasted almonds.
The next dish that left the kitchen was a familiar one. One that I had tried for the first time while
sitting at Di Costanzo’s chef’s table at
Dani Maison in Ischia a little over a
year ago. His
risotto with lemon,
zucchini and shrimp.
To be savored slowly.
Between dishes, I had the pleasure to discuss the wines
served so far with sommelier Arturo Terminello and Event manager Baldo
Durazzo. Terminello chose to stay on the
Amalfi Coast with the wine list for the night.
Wines such as Vigna Grottapiana by Ettore Sammarco and Tramonti rose’ by
Tenuta San Francesco.
It was at this point that the chefs entered silently and set
up shop table side to prepare the next course – Le Fumarole.
 |
| Chef Di Costanzo and Chef Scotti |
This dish is Di Costanzo’s homage to his
island, his Ischia, where there are geysers on the island – fumarole- that some
islanders use the heat to cook with.
The
chef steamed cooked cod over hot rocks and herbs. He then delicately placed the fish on the
serving dish inside a colorful crown of crunchy seasonal vegetables such as
zucchini, peppers and tomato confit, and topped it with a double sauce starring corn on the cob and cauliflower.
From delicate to hearty- the next dish served was Laticauda
lamb topped with a foie gras sauce.
Chef
Scotti had explained this dish to me earlier in the evening. He noticed that I was admiring the mini
apples at the pass during one of my many visits to the kitchen. The chef actually
had diced up Campania’s tasty Annurca apples and cooked them in red wine, sugar
and cinnamon. Some of the cubes are then
shaped into tiny spheres, wrapped in plastic and frozen. The rest of the cooked
apple cubes are placed into a red wine reduction along with a gelling agent.
The frozen apple spheres are then added to
the gelled mixture giving it a shiny glassy look. The apples, lamb, and a Modica chocolate sauce and a glass of Borgo di Gete by Reale.
It was impossible
to resist the urge to clean my plate with bread!
It was time for dessert – well, predessert. The tomato, which is not a tomato at
all. But a delicious burst of passion
fruit.
This followed by a plate of strawberry, milk cream and dark
chocolate and a glass of Passion dessert wine by Cantina Apicella.
The arrival of dessert usually marks the end of the meal,
the end of the evening. The guests go
home, and the chefs along with the brigade prepare something to eat for
themselves. Usually a plate of spaghetti
with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and red chili peppers flakes.
Chef Scotti had every intention to keep this casual tradition alive, but he added a twist.
He invited his dinner guests and members of the dining room staff into
the kitchen. I’m not sure how many were there…Fifty or so?
It felt like a big family – pasta – sparkling
wine, and in the end, a sugary chocolate-topped bomba!
It was an invitation to dinner that I could not refuse. Executive
Chef Crescenzo Scotti asked his close friend and fellow Ischian, Chef Nino Di Costanzo to join him for the
second night of his Dinner with the Stars series at Il Flauto di Pan, Villa Cimbrone, one of the
most beautiful, romantic and friendly places on earth.
Grazie, Chef!
