Ricordi di Pane e Nutella - Il Faro di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Sa)

 

Who doesn’t have ricordi di pane e nutella?  Bread and Nutella  memories? Who doesn’t remember the first time they tried that creamy hazelnut spread on piece of bread? Nutella©, since it was first introduced in 1964, has made its way from Piedmont in Northern Italy to kitchen cabinets, kitchen tables, recipes, and lunch boxes all over the world.

A few weeks ago, a bread and Nutella memory found its way to the corner table in Il Faro DiCapo D’Orso’s dining room brought to me by Restaurant Manager Antonio Falco.  That  latest dessert by  the fratelli Sodano; Francesco and Salvatore Sodano.  Two brothers, who growing up together, surely have a myriad of memories to share.

 

They oxidized a brioche, giving the bread the brown color of Nutella – no cocoa.   The ice cream is hazelnut, but notice that it is white.  A few drops of essence of hazelnut,   black truffle shavings...

And a sprinkle of memories.

Sophia's Kiss, Il Faro di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Sa)

 

Last Saturday afternoon, Chef Francesco Sodano, Executive Chef of Il Faro di Capo D’Orso, took me by the hand and led me through the vicoli of Naples.  Well, not really – but as we talked after lunch last weekend, my table was transformed into a narrow Neapolitan alley featuring piccolo pieces of Campania’s capital city. Pastries representing clothes hanging out to dry, Neapolitan pizza, frittatina, and even a caffè sospeso/suspended coffee.  There was one item that stood out for me.  At the center of the table was a pair of dark red lips.  Il Bacio di Sophia, Sodano told me.  Sophia’s Kiss.  Il Faro di Capo D’Orso’s tribute to Napoli’s grande donna -  actress Sophia Loren.

Let’s be honest, she  filled us with emotion  at the cinema and at the theater with her curves.  The beauty and sweetness of these lips, this lipstick.  Inside there is salty caramel, so we wanted to reproduce the sweetness of beautiful women. - Sodano told me.

I remember when I moved to Italy nearly 30 years ago.  I watched a lot of her films to help me learn the language.  And I remember thinking back then, and even now wow, what a wonderful woman.  A woman from humble backgrounds, who on the screen showed us many different personalities that I believe many of us- men and women admire.  In 2019, when she turned 85, Italian news station sky TG2424 used these words to describe her; romantic, strong, gritty, intense, seductive, magnetic, exuberant, irresistible.  I’d like to add 1 more …fantasticaaa.

Sodano left me alone in the vicoli of Naples so I could explore it on my own.  The frittatina, pizza, clothes hanging on the line.  The caffe sospeso.  There was just one small pastry left. 

At the center of the table -those dark red lips.  Il Bacio di Sopia.  How was it?  To me it  was romantic, strong, gritty, intense, seductive, magnetic, exuberant, irresistible…and fantasticaaa.

A Mouth - Watering Masterpiece a Tavola, Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Sa)

 

Chef Francesco Sodano

About  a year ago, I sat down with Chef Francesco Sodano.  As I enjoyed dessert, the chef shared with me his thoughts and reflections of his first season at the Michelin starred Il Faro di Capo D’Orso.  Sodano also shared with me his plans for his ‘time off’.  Sodano loves to travel, and one of the many trips he had scheduled was a trip to Madrid – for work and pleasure.  It was on that trip to Madrid where Sodano, a contemporary art lover, visited the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.  There he saw, up close and personal, Pablo Picasso’s Trois têtes de mouton (Three Lamb's Heads).  His inspiration for a dish that was a highlight for me last weekend during lunch. 

3 pm, Saturday afternoon.  Chef Sodano was at my table when a mini version of Picasso’s masterpiece arrived.  He explained to me that this dish, his Three Lambs Heads, would be served in three parts.  

Let’s take a look…

Sodano's lamb loin. Loin aged 2 months in beeswax with sesame tofu, barbequed endive,  and oxidized cauliflower powder.  

Sodano's lacquered lamb belly, with  bergamot gel,  and sorrel.  This piece of lamb practically melts in your mouth.  I am still dreaming about that mesmerizing citrus aroma!

Sodano's lamb’s head.  And he means head in every sense of the word.  Everything that can be found in the head of the lamb, accompanied by an emulsion of pecorino and salsa verde all enclosed in soft bread fermented 48 hours in a siphon.

As I enjoyed the last bite of this third head, I looked to my right.  There was Sodano – reflecting.  Then he looked over at me to share memories of home.  Though Sodano’s version is for his gourmet diners, the flavors ofthis dish brought him back home, where it wasn’t uncommon to serve baked lamb’s head with herbs and spices. 

 So, a chef’s love for travel and art inspired this dish.  I couldn’t help but wonder  what other museum visits would would show up on his table in the future.

Well, said Sodano.....

We are going to have to wait until next season for that mouth-watering masterpiece.

 

 

 

Reawakening - Lunch at Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Sa)

    I call it my table.  The table in the far corner of the dining room of Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso, a Michelin starred restaurant located in the town of Maiori on the Amalfi Coast.  I've grown fond of that little corner table, even if I must admit, that this visit began a little different than the others.  The restaurant had just opened for their first lunch service of 2020, their first lunch service after Italy's lockdown.  So after a quick check of my temperature at the door - to ensure that I didn't have a fever- I headed over to my table, took off my mask, and sat down. 

   Feeling comfortable when you go out, particularly as the country reawakens, is very important.  That was immediate thanks to restaurant manager Bonny Ferrara and sommelier Antonio Cannoniero.  I was treated to an aperitif which included a glass of champagne,fantasticaaa finger foods prepared by Chef Francesco Sodano and his brigade, and a little bit of conversation. Here's a look.

      Corn meal disc with smoked goat milk ricotta cheese, herring caviar, and anchovies from nearby Cetara.

A puffed pastry with almond sour cream, pumpkin seed mio, razor clams and fermented caper leaves.

A won ton with pulled beef, shiitake mushrooms and lemon compote.

Burnt wheat crackers with liver fat, cave-aged pecorino cheese and truffle.

A mozzarella handkerchief with a dipping bowl of mozzarella serum.  

    This being the first lunch of the new season, I was excited about new dishes that Sodano had in store.  He had taken out the a la carte options, instead opting for tasting menus which included vegetarian and gluten free options.  I decided to choose to let the chef choose.   Like this new entry.  Leek with ashes, lemon compote and black garlic.

    Another amazing appetizer from the chef's new menu is a dish that he calls Crab between Varanasi and Hong Kong, the reef on a plate.  So let's begin with the plate - the ceramic bowl from Picky Pottery based in Paris.  At the request of the chef, they designed a bowl that looks like a part of the sea shore.  Then Sodano added his salad crab, mussels, sea urchin seaweed and poured a yellow curry sauce (the  Varanasi because it is a city of India famous for curry) and a rice chip with XO sauce (the  Hong Kong for  the XO sauce).

Next, a pair of brand new first course dishes, beginning with these little buttons that Chef Sodano brought to the table himself.  Homemade pasta buttons filled with fermented bread topped with tiny tasty  tomato and bread balls, tomato oil and green chili pepper juice ( aka peperoncini dei fiume).

I firmly believe that Chef Sodano enjoys speaking about his dishes as much as he enjoys preparing them.  So when he came to my corner table with the next pasta dish, I sat back and enjoyed the show.

On his FB page, the chef describes this dish in this way - 

One of the dishes of my "new cuisine" post covid to which I am already fond of I think this is ... the squid lard with "bbq" pepper preserves .... The research of the material is my concept of sustainability marry this philosophy: exloring ideas and techniques from all over the world while respecting and local products .... Eliche pasta cooked in squid extract, liver emulsion, smoked lard, bottarga in beeswax (matured a year), chorizo and “bbq” pepper preserves .... this is my concept of sustainability ... respect and use of  raw material at 360 degrees. Welcome to my #cucinanuova.  

    Before the next dish, Sodano invited me into the kitchen for a look at his new bbq grill shipped in directly from Japan.  He uses this small grill to prepare his tuna dish.

A gastronomic journey fantasticaaa was drawing to an end, as the arrival of Sodano's predessert silently announced.  This one included fermented beet and robiola cheese ice cream.

Then the dolce parade hit full stride beginning with Sodano's pastiera.  Pastiera is a traditional Neapolitan dessert starring cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta cheese, and flavored with orange flower water.  It is served during the Easter season.  Well, since we all were in quarantine, many of us did not get a chance to have a slice or two since it can be quite a challenge at make at home.  Sodano's version is a attractive twist featuring the fragrances and flavors of this classic dessert.  

I enjoyed that dish so much, Sodano sent out another dessert; licorice, galatina, sour caramel.

Then the Il Faro Di Capo  D'Orso piccoli pastries...from left to right -Haribo is the goodness that can be enjoyed at any age, cotton candy dumpling with raspberry gel and hibiscus powder, absolute hazelnut, salted caramel truffle, and  matcha green tea truffle.

A meal by Sodano is not complete without the arrival of his signature Shave the Chef.  A chocolate disc with a smiling Sodano, a side of foamy mint shaving cream and barber's brush.  

    As I shaved the chef, it gave me time to reflect.  Familiar, refreshing and a fun way to end a meal. 

 And maybe that is what some of us need - something familiar and refreshing as a drive on the Amalfi Coast, a glass or two of wine, a chit chat.  Maybe some of us need to sit down at a corner table, try new dishes...take of the mask for awhile. Maybe.  Something to think about at least.  

As I put on my mask and  got up to leave, Sodano invited me back into the kitchen for one last thing.  A little something for the road.  A piece of warm nerissima bread featuring a mix of flours handpicked and baked by the chef himself.  Sodano's bread has been voted the best bread in Italy by Gambero Rosso.  And now I had a loaf to take home.   

I mentioned earlier - Feeling comfortable when you go out, particularly as the country reawakens, is very important.  

The team

An 'End of Season' Fantasticaa - Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Sa)

Chef Francesco Sodano

I had been watching the calendar for a few weeks before I decided. Before I decided whether to make a reservation to head back to Maiori, to Il Faro Di Capo D'Orso. I had an excellent opportunity to check out Chef Francesco Sodano's menu at the beginning of  the restaurant’s 7-month season. (Take a look here) Sodano, the determined, enthusiastic 31 year old chef who took over as executive chef of this Michelin starred restaurant (a star earned back in 2005) after Chef Pierfranco Ferrara left at the beginning of the year. A serious challenge for Sodano, but if he was in any way worried, he sure did not let it show in his dishes. In fact, he came out running with a menu that has a style solo Sodano , original, different to what the restaurant's longtime clients were accustomed to.  A menu with dishes such as Ricordo del un viaggio in Peru/ Memories of travels in Peru, Risotto with fermented capers, burnt lemon and codfish roe,  milk and cereal, and his delicious and divertente shave the chef.   

Service in the dining room was top level also, thanks to young maître sommelier Bonny Ferrara whose creativity results in some awesome and  unusual pairings to go along with Sodano’s menu.

However, that was then.  Since last April, all eyes on Maiori. What would happen with the season? Sodano knew we would all be watching...and we were. That was motivation but not a distraction to push ahead with the season. Spring turned to summer, summer turned to fall. Ups and downs like all restaurants go through. Changes in the kitchen and dining room staff - including the recent departure of Bonny Ferrara. Luckily, more ups than downs. A 15/20 % increase in business, positive reviews not only in the press, but also in guides such as l'Espresso and Gambero Rosso. They  also received high recognition for their breadbasket. A special honor, particularly in Italy where bread is a key staple in the dining room table.

So, yes. I had been watching the last few months, but it was not until the last minute that I decided to head back to Maori and get one last closer look. I chose Friday, 1 November, lunch service. The first day of the 3 day All Saints holiday weekend. A couple of days before their last service of 2019. A few days before the release of the 2020 Michelin guide.

Si, the season was winding down, but that didn't mean that the momentum at the restaurant was at a standstill. On the contrary. Sodano and his brigade, which includes his older brother Salvatore, were already looking ahead towards spring 2020. Therefore, I was in luck! I not only had a chance to try some dishes that broke out after my visit, but Sodano let me try 2 new dishes that would be on his menu when the restaurant opens up again in the spring.

Let’s take a look…

Aperitif

Sodano's colorful and flavorful fried pasta disc to be eaten with your hands, please...

Dumpling made with grano arso aka burnt grain - stuffed with smoked buffalo milk cheese and buffalo steak tartare.

Taco with beef, fermented cucumbers and mustard.

 Wafer with bonito teriyaki and yogurt.

Wonton with duck thigh confit, sumac, and fermented plum compote.

A lot of work goes into these tiny bites. 

 Like this one...

A mozzarella handkerchief with its serum.  

 Instructions?  Roll, dip, enjoy...

Fantasticaaa…

Antipasto/appetizers.

Two premieres

Shabu- Shabu. A dish with strong Asian roots, which the chef presented for me at the table. Amberjack ventresca marinated with salt and teriyaki was the seafood of choice and I was instructed to dip it into his infusedsmoked tea for a few seconds, which would slightly poach the fish and help it to lose some of its fat but not the flavor.

I'm a big fan of Sodano's tartare dishes - next season his menu will include this dish.  Dry aged piedmontese tartare, raw patella, fermented shiitake powder, and a salted lemon compote.

First courses

Linguine, carrots and garum. Garum - a fish sauce that dates back to ancient roman times. Before the anchovy sauce that nearby Cetara is famous for. Sodano's garum includes anchovies and mackeral. Very flavorful with Sodano’s choice of carrot. Thursday confession, I have never had carrots with my pasta...this dish was spectacular.

Another pasta dish that he wanted me to try was his sfoglia pasta with miso, marinated pesce castagna aka brama brama, sconcigli and green peppers.

Second course -

Snapper with an oyster emulsion, sorrel and fermented vegetables in rice bran.

Then the decision for dessert...which one? Just one? How about three!

Predessert…

Spiced coffee, pumpkin and robiola cheese...

Mai dire mais - translated never say corn. crunchy caramel popcorn, a salty butter ice cream, sweet corn bread. For me it brought back memories of home. (!)

Milk and cereal…(!)

Ossidazione di pina colada - coconut ice cream, oxidized pineapple, a sponge made of rum (cool) vanilla and lime. (!)

Petit fours, which included Sodano’s, shave the chef.

Wine pairings were done by sommelier Michela Barchetti which included Campania wines such as Radegonda Pallagrello Bianco by   Aia delle Monache...

Puntacroce Bianco Costa D'Amalfi by Raffaele Palma...

Quartara Fiano by Lunarossa Vini.

Barchetti, who along with server Antonio Cannoniero demonstrated their expertise in the dining room.

After lunch, before I headed home, I sat down with Sodano to tape my podcast on line here in Italian and talk about; you know...anything and everything.

Sodano seemed satisfied. Did I mention before that he was determined? He is ambitious; it shows in his words, his actions, and his menu. His dishes are a reflection of the man himself, which includes the tastes, experiences, likes and loves from his time in places such as Peru, Los Angeles, and London. We are tired, but happy, Sodano shared. He was looking forward to a break, which he plans to spend some of that time in Madrid working as an intern with the prestigious chef Angel Leon.

I wondered, though, if  Sodano was worried about the upcomingMichelin guide? Would all the hard work that the the  team be rewarded with a confirmation? He surely couldn't take it for granted. He’d have to wait, like we all would, for the morning of the 6th of November when the news would be broadcasted live.

Well, as my schedule /and poor wi-fi connection would have it, I missed the live feed. Curious assai assai, I sent a message to Sodano.

Allora? Well? I asked. 

Presa- got it ! was his response.

Antonio Cannoniero, Chef Francesco Sodano, Michela Barchetti, Chef Salvatore Sodano

Fantasticaaa!!!