Pit Stop - Hot Chocolate and Chiacchiere Le Colonne Style

Last Sunday afternoon I had lunch in Caserta . On  my way back home, I decided to make a pit stop.  A pit stop which included a steaming mug of hot chocolate, you know...made with real chocolate.  A pit stop which included serving or two of chiacchiere; strips of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. A pit stop at Le Colonne Restaurant, located a stone's throw from the amazing Caserta palace dating back to the 18th century.
There I met Michelin star chef Rosanna Marziale who came up with the cool idea of setting up a food trailer in the small piazzetta right in front of the family's restaurant.  And with a  super chic trailer on loan from a friend, Valeria Fusco, she decided to go for it.  Why not? It would be the perfect opportunity for Sunday strollers like me to stop by and pick up some of the restaurant's famous dolci, in particular Carnevale specialties such as castagnole (sweet dough balls)  or the chiacchiere that caught my eye.

The future?
The sky's the limit for Marziale.
In the meantime, Sunday pit stops at Le Colonne Restaurant are highly recommended.

A Star in Cantina - Chef Rosanna Marziale at Quartum Store, Quarto (Na)

Chef Rosanna Marziale

A Friday night wine tasting event turned from the usual to world class when Michelin star Chef Rosanna Marziale of  Ristorante Le Colonne visited Azienda Vinicola Di Criscio's Quartum Store.  Well, she didn't just visit.  She brought several of he famous dishes from Caserta and paired them with the wines of the winery based in Quarto.  

The evening began as every evening should...with a light fresh spumante.  We had a glass or two of Asprinio Spumante brut metedo chamat to go with our first two courses.

Then it was time for our appetizer:

'Minestra Maritata' with mozzarella and anchovies

Followed by our pasta course:

Mozzapepe and lemon

Our main course called for a new wine.  Campania Aglianico IGT 2010 aged in barrique which the chef used to prepare her stew.  

Buffalo meat stewed with Aglianico and creamed mashed potatoes with saffron

Our dessert...

Mozzarella cake with a raspberry sauce

Paired with Grappa di monovitigno di falanghina Campi Flegrei.

Friday night in cantina will never be the same.

#CampaniaChic-Two Days - Tanti Chefs

CHIC chefs-Lino Scarallo, Paolo Barrale, Antonio Tubelli, Rosanna Marziale,
Vincenzo Guarino, Angelo D'amico, Gianluca D'Agostino

Whoever believes the proverb too many chefs spoil the broth never had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with CHIC.  CHIC? An association of  chefs - CHIC-Charming Italian Chef made up of some of Italy's best ambassadors of Italian cuisine.  President Chef Marco Sacco of Piccolo Lago in Vebania (VB) was in Campania for a couple of days last week to present the new 2013 guide and festiggiare with the association's Campania chefs and anyone else who wanted to join in the action. I wanted to join in.
So of the 5 chic events, I managed to make it to two.  Starting with Sunday morning, April 14, Hotel Romeo, Naples. After a presentation of the guide and a quick induction ceremony of Campania's newest CHIC, the party moved to Romeo's Sushi Bar and Restaurant. With a glass of DUBL Aglianico spumante in hand, we had a chance to try small specialties prepared by the chefs themselves, such as ...

Chef Angelo D'amico - Le Macine Una Hotel -
Cafone bread cannolo , broccoli, capersi and olives all'aglio 

Chef Rosanna Marziale - Le Colonne -
 Dolce ...Margherita

Chef Antonio Tubelli - Timpani e Tempura -
Pizzaiola all'aglio dolce 

Chef Vincenzo Guarino – L’Accanto Hotel Angiolieri -
Pizza flavored bon bon ,buffalo mozzarella soup

Chef Gianluca D'Agostino - Ristorante Veritas -
Saltimbocca with marinated bonito yogurt and capers

Chef Lino Scarallo - Palazzo Petrucci -
Metamorfosi di pizza Margherita

Chef Anonino Pisaniello - La locanda di Bù -
"a pizza e nata cosa"

The next day was the opportunity of a lifetime.  One that I couldn't pass up.  April 15, resident chef and CHIC vice-President Paolo Barrale hosted a whole parade of chefs, CHIC and non,  at Marenna'.  This would be the place for a chic jam session. Where chefs had the challenge of choosing ingredients provided by the sponsors of the day and take them into the kitchen to create something special and unique.  No competition.  No prizes. Just the enjoyment and satisfaction of cooking with collegues.  And once the show got rolling, it was hard to keep up! Here is just a sampling...

Chef Paolo Barrale

Chef Angelo Sabatelli

Chefs Lino Scarallo and Angelo D'Amico

Chef Angelo Sabatello

Chef Andrea Gabin

Chef Andrea Ruggiero

Chef Antonio Pisaniello

Chef Paolo Barrale

Chef Angelo D'Amico

Chef Gianluca D'Agostino

Chef Mirko Balzano

Chefs Peppe Stanzione, Rocco De Santis and Salvatore Bianco

Plate after plate after plate.  I asked questions, I got answers.  I snapped photos, I passed the black pepper, the olive oil.  I tasted along with some chefs...stood back and watched others.
I got caught up in the jam, so to speak.  And when it was all over, it really wasn't.  I mean, there's a dozen or so plates to write about...a dozen or more restaurants to visit...
I better get started...

Caserta's Easter Classics - Ristorante Le Colonne (Ce)

I must admit I was tempted.  I was drawn in.   Seduced by photos on Facebook published by Ristorante Le Colonne and Chef Rosanna Marziale.  Delicious photos of delicious desserts, just in time for the Easter season.   So the decision was easy.  The weather was spectacular.   The perfect day for a passeggiata.  Autostrade A1...exit Caserta Nord.  
I was greeted by the sempre smiling face of Marziale.  And after a caffe' and a chat,we got down to business...a crash course on what happens in Caserta during the Easter season.

First up...Casatiello.  A hearty Easter bread made with cheese, eggs, chopped salami and pancetta (bacon).  A delicious bomba of a bread which could be considered a complete meal thanks to all the goodies packed inside.  I particularly love how the egg is cooked right into the bread...shell and all. Perfect for those Easter Monday picnics.

Marziale then showed me a dish that I was not familiar with...one that is a sweet variation on the Casatiello Easter bread....Casatiello Dolce.  At first glance, it looks looks like an enormous muffin with a dolce white icing on top and sprinkled with confetti...

The next three desserts can be considered part of a set.  Or, one dessert in three different versions.   The Pastiera.  The Easter Cake.  There's the classic Neapolitan Pastiera made with ingredients unmistakable not to miss ingredients and flavors such as ricotta, boiled wheat, eggs, and candied fruit.

I learned that in Caserta, you may also have a slice of pastiera made with rice....

or with tagliolini (pasta).

Marziale had one more dish to share... Pavlova.  A dish named after the Russian dancer Anna Pavlova.   Le Colonne's version is a meringue filled with a two types of creams; a yellow and an orange crema pasticciera,/pastry cream.  

Time seemed to fly by., and my  crash course on Caserta Easter classics  was over.  I just need to go back and pick up my diploma .... and a casatiello....and a pastiera...and a pavlova.

Lunch with Chef Rosanna Marziale - Le Colonne (Ce)

There was a little unexpected excitement as I opened up Chef Marziale's menu last weekend at Le Colonne in Caserta.   What would I find inside? Would it be a dish that I tried when we met for the first time a few years ago?  Or maybe one that she had presented on a TV program that I had seen the night before?  Rosanna Marziale, chef, cook book author, and Campania's Mozzarella di Bufala World Ambassador.  What should I have expected?

Chef Rosanna Marziale

I mean, should I have expected a pre lunch specialties such as a sfogliatelle pastry stuffed with vegetables instead of the usual sweet filling?

Or to be handed an mp3 player with my first appetizer...biancadolio?  I pushed play and the storyteller ttook me on a journey, describing the dish...a small bite-sized ball of mozzarella stuffed with toasted cubes of bread (pane cafone).  

This gentle voice, complete with background music and the sound of crickets,   invited me to gently roll this treat through a valley of powdered tomato before popping it into my mouth...

Or the procession of dishes that arrived at my table...each starring Marziale's mozzarella...

Palla di mozzarella...a mozzarella ball stuffed with taglerini pasta, then breaded and fried..

or the dish that she chose for the Water Plate Contest.  Her ovomozzo...her mozzarella stuffed with a poached egg.  This served on top of a delicate acqua di riso and acqua di pomodorini del piennoli (rice and tomato water). 

After tasting this dish, I headed straight to the kitchen for a live demonstration on how she got the egg into the mozzarella...did I expect it to look so easy?  Marziale placed the mozzarella in the microwave for a little under a minute

...flattened it out

...carefully placed the egg inside and wrapped it up like a package...

But my mozzarella party was not over...more dishes were on their way to my table by the window...

Pizza al contrario... A pizza where Marziale used mozzarella as the pizza crust (after stuffing it with toasted bread) and then topped it with a sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes and basil...unexpected...

an open ravioli dish prepared with fresh shrimp, a shrimp bisque, with the ravioli pasta 'inside'...unexpected...

a clam soup topped with mozzarella was unexpected as well...

unexpected and delicious...each dish was.  

Like Marziale's homage to Japan. Her Tonkatsu with starring black pork from Caserta and mozzarella.  

and her veal, slowly cooked at a low then high temperature in balsamic vinegar.  On the side... unexpected serving of friarelli broccoli and  hazelnut ice cream...

No... didn't expect any of these specialties expertly prepared by Marziale.  

What do I remember most?  

Hmmm...Sitting down with Marziale after lunchwith some special desserts and a glass of tisane tea as we   discussed  her recipes, food and photography.

We discussed her family's other restaurant, Tenuta San Bartolomeo, a location popular for weddings and ceremonies.  I even promised to stop by  for an unprecedented butterfly exhibit that runs until the end of November.  We discussed the upcoming Giornate Gastronomiche Sorrentine which will be held in December in Sorrento where Rosanna and several other female chefs prepare the menu at a gala dinner held on the 1st.

A full plate, so to speak.  A lot going on.   Marziale smiled...she likes it that way.  Whether she's touring sharing Campania with an international audience or in one of her restaurants, she's doing what she loves.   

And that you can surely expect.

Italian Version

Ristorante Le Colonne  

Viale  G. Douhet  N. 7

81100 Caserta

Tel. 0823 46 74 94