Botox, Beer, and Bucket Lists- Francesco Capece, La Locanda dei Feudi, San Cipriano Picentino (Sa)

 

It has been at least a couple of years since I added La Locanda dei Feudi, Francesco Capece’s pizzeria, to my bucket list of places to visit/pizzas to try.  There, however has always been one thing that made me press ‘pause’.   The distance.  Google maps told me time and time again that the distance from my home to my pilgrimage destination was 100 km – about 62 miles.  About an hour or so of driving. 

The past few months, however, I was encouraged by close trusted friends to go for it.  His toppings are great…I was told.  His pasta dough is close to perfect…another shared. So last weekend, I decided to test it out for myself -  to see what La Locand dei Feudi would reveal to me on an early Saturday evening in June.

The pizzeria opens at 7:30 pm.  I arrived at 7.  Oops!  That was ok, a smiling Capece assured me…that way he could spend a few minutes to chat before his busy Saturday evening began.

The past year has not been easy for pizzerias in Campania like Capece’s.  La Locanda is only open during the evenings and did not cater to delivery or take away during the red zone periods.  It was painful for the 30 year old pizzamaker and his team to remain closed for a long period of time.  Capece shared with me that during the closure he renovated his kitchen, ordered new mise en place and worked on his menu. That way he would be ready when the time came.

Ready for evenings like that particular Saturday.  As I sat down at my table, he suggested that I take a look at the menu. 

Francesco, I have been studying your menu for 2 days.  I would like to order your Botox.  Botox and a beer.

Bene!  was his response.

A few minutes later, my beer – chosen by Capece – arrived.  Hilde, Extraomnes Brewery.

A few minutes later, a little surprise. Since I hadn’t ordered one of the many tempting starters, Capece wanted me to try a slice of his Neapolitan Genovese.  This pizza is first fried then placed in a wood burning oven with stewed Montoro copper onions, celery and carrots.  After it comes out of the oven Capece places Bavarian Scottana beef and annurca apples, Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, extra virgin olive oil DOP Colline Salernitane (Giffoni), and basil. 

A pleasant surprise, I must admit.

Surprise #2-

An arancino made with saffron risotto creamy Normandy butter, 36-month aged  Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Mangalica prosciutto cotto, jersey fiordilatte, ground black pepper, served on a bed of cream 100 giorni peas, and San Marzano tomatoes.

This was also pleasant.  But I must admit, I was curious about my Botox.  The pizzeria was filling up, and I was getting a little nervous about the ride home and whether or not I would make the 11 pm curfew.

Then I remembered that part of the pizza experience is the pizzeria experience.  Chatting with friends/family…right next to La Locanda, there is even space with a small playground and piazza for young children.  Fantasticaaa, because after being restricted for months and months, a little breath of fresh air and liberty is more than welcome.

Back to my Botox…

Capece brought it to my table himself and quickly explained the ingredients before racing back to the kitchen….

A fondue made with  Caciocavallo cheese aged in Castelcivita caves, a Jersey cow fiordilatte, buffalo milk blue chees, Cilento white fig jam, 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano chips, Leccino (Controne) monocultivar extra virgin olive oil, and basil.

 I had my Botox, and I enjoyed every last bite.  Of course I was curious about the name.  Capece explained.

First of all because, I made fun of the name of a friend of mine "Bodo" by dedicating the pizza to him. But then I decided that I had to give it a meaning. I wanted to make a 4 cheese pizza greedy and satisfying.  After all, you feel fulfilled after eating it - just like a woman who does Botox and is satisfied with the results.

I thought about that for a bit as I checked La Locanda dei Feudi off on my bucket list.  Am I satisfied?  Fulfilled?

Experts say Botox treatments can last 3 to 4 months…

I’m not sure if I can wait that long before my next fix- plus there is an entire menu to try.  100 km is not really that far after all…

In the meantime, I'll enjoy my Botox fix and my Saturday evening in pizzeria - one of the best that I've had in a long time.

Pizza for Pranzo, Maestri Pizzaioli, Secondigliano (Na)

 

Though many in Campania enjoy going out to a pizzeria in the evening, I have always preferred a pizza for pranzo.  A pizza for lunch. I mean, I need to go when and where the pizza is good, where I feel relaxed, where I feel at home.  And though there are numerous guide books, lists and classifications on where to find the best pizzeria, I tend to ignore those.  Pizza is personal. I refer to ask a friend or two their opinion, and then check it out for myself.  That is how I found Maestri Pizzaioli.

Maestri Pizzaioli is a pizzeria nestled in a one way street  in Secondigliano (Na).  It has been serving pizzas to the neighborhood (and beyond) since 1955.  On my first visit - I've been several times in the last few months - I had a little difficulty parking.  Then I got up the nerve, and parked Neapolitan style.  Maybe you get the picture.  

The moment I entered I felt a casa.  I quickly glanced around. checking out the dining room.  Absorbing everything.  The photos on the walls, the trophies, the newspaper articles.  The conversations of diners at the tables nearby, the warmth of the pizza oven, the aroma of pizzas baking in the wood burning oven.  

Gaetano and Enzo Abbate

Behind the banco was Vincenzo Abbate aka Enzo, who along with his brother, Gaetano, are the second generation of pizzaioli. I quickly introduced myself and was directed to a table in the corner.  Perfect!  That way I could check out everything.

Enzo Abbate

A table in the corner has been my spot on my visits over the next few months.  A table where I tried several of the Abbate pizzas, which can be baked the classic way, or int o rutiello, which in dialect means in a deep dish.  

So, let's take a look at some of Abbate's pizzas that I tried - Abbate giving me the chance to enjoy 2 pizzas in one.

 Like this one, er, two.  on the left, the profumata.  Profumata, fragrant - with octopus, tomato sauce and fresh garlic.

On the right side - a margherita pizza made with red and yellow piennolo tomatoes.

Here's another 50/50 white pizza.

This time, let start on the right - with a 4 formaggi - 4 cheesy cheeses.

Then on the left, a white izza with porcini mushrooms and cicoli (pressed fatty pork).

Scrolling their menu, and also their FB page, it is hard not to be think/dream about what I will order on my next visit. My next pizza per pranzo at Maestri Pizzaioli.

 

 I need to go when and where the pizza is good, where I feel relaxed, where I feel at home.  

Nailed it!

Summer Vacation a Casa - Casa Vitiello, Tuoro (Ce)

Halfway through July and friends and family have been asking the same question over and over again 'Karen, how have you been spending your summer vacation?'
At home/a casa.

Casa Vitiello - a pizzeria not too far from home that has become, basically, home.

So one Saturday afternoon I decided to check out what Francesco (Ciccio) Viteillo had been serving up on his summer menu.

He served up three pizzas for a mini pizza party with estate/summer as the theme.

One-

Pizza alla Nerano.  A pizza named after the famous Campania pasta dish starring sauteed zucchini,  mint and Provolone del Monaco cheese.

Two- 

La Colorata, A colorful pizza starring yellow and red tomato confit, fior di latte cheese and fresh marjoram.

Three-

O' Ciurilli.  Ciurilli means zucchini flowers in dialect, and the ones on Ciccio's pizza are from the family garden. And speaking of garden, the curly endive salad is from an organic farm belonging to amici - Fondazione Leo.

Then there's fior di latte, anchovies from Sciaccia, Sicily  and black olives- pitted and powdered versions.

So, the way I see it, summer vacation at home is not such a terrible thing.

Viva the staycation!

Ristorante Pizzeria Da Ciccio, Forio, Ischia (Na)

During my latest trip to Ischia, my amico and personal enogastronomical tour guide Ivano Veccia was unable to pick me up at the port as he has done several times before.  Let's just say that on that particular afternoon Veccia was busy doing what he loves best - making pizza!  Veccia alongside Nello Casile (ex owner of  Il Limonetto) have started a new adventure a quick  walk from the Forio port.  A new adventure under an old name - taking over Ristorante Pizzeria Da Ciccio.  

Ivano Veccia

I was curious and somewhat excited about sitting down in a pizzeria and finally getting a chance to try one of Veccia's pizzas for the first time. So a little more than a month after the black and white wood burning oven had been lit, I ordered a beer, sat down at a table on the terrace, and began a mini pizza tasting.

The first pizza wasn't a pizza exactly.  It was a panouzzo, a sandwich  made in a wood burning pizza oven.  This one Veccia calls his Panouzo  Cucuzziel 'Cas' e Ov' with zucchini, onions, fior di latte, eggs, caciocavallo podolico cheese and basil. 

Veccia's inspiration?  His mom, of course, who would prepare a similar version for him as he was growing up.

Next up, another memory from home.  Lasagna Povera - a poor man's lasagna.  Povera/poor due to the absence of ricotta and meatballs.  But what may be missing in the number of ingredients, eccia made up for in aroma and flavors.  

A creamy Grana Padano cheese sauce  topped with San Marzano DOP tomatoes, oregano and basil.  An added  bonus  can be found on the pizza crust.  That's where Veccia sprinkles grated Grana Padano cheese - aged 12 months.

Pizza number three is actually Pizza Number 1.  

Yes, named Number 1 since it is a classic Nello Calise recipe dating back nearly 15 years - when Calise ran the now closed Il Limonetto.  Ingredients include pork carpaccio (prepared in salt), rucola, and lemon zest.

Last up - a pizza that Ivano calls The Veccia.  

The Veccia is packed- that familiar Grana Padano creamy sauce, speck ham, fior di latte cheese, mushrooms, and a rucola pesto.

So...what do you think? Veccia asked.

I think...

I think II'll be back soon!

Una Giornata Verace with Gino Sorbillo, Naples (Na)

Gino Sorbillo (center)

I can’t tell you for sure how long I’ve known Gino Sorbillo, but I definitely know that my first visit to his pizzeria at Via Dei Tribunali in the heart of Naples was back in 2011. That was the year that I, as a blogger, started getting interested in the pizza world.  The year that I stepped out of my neighborhood and started to open my eyes and see what was going around in the top wood burning pizza ovens in Campania.  An early afternoon in August of 2011 I stepped into one of the hottest pizzerias in Naples.  In one of the hottest –verace/real- neighborhoods of the city.  It was there that I enjoyed a pizza or five or six prepared by Sorbillo and his team.  A real full immersion!

Take a look at then...

The years passed, and for reasons that I still can’t explain, I never made it back to Via de Tribunali.  Sure, Sorbillo and I have seen each other on many occasions.  But back to his pizzeria, unfortunately no.

Until…until, an exchange of holiday greetings between the two of us developed into a ‘why don’t you come back and see what’s happening in the centro storico?”

I took Sorbillo up on his invitation, and I’m glad I did!  Sorbillo, over the years has become one of the most popular names and faces in the pizza world, not only in Italy, but internationally as well.

Our appointment was for 1130, I showed up at 1150. Casa della Pizza is what was written on the door.  Casa della Pizza/ Gino Sorbillo.  

I buzzed, the door unlocked, and I was let into a piece of Neapolitan history, Sorbillo style.

Casa della Pizza- or as I saw it, an office space/refuge/hideout if you will for Gino Sorbillo. This Casa della Pizza/pizza house is  in the very apartment building that belonged to his family is full of pizza artifacts, memories, and flavor.

I spoke with Sorbillo a bit about his office space, his family, and his thoughts on Naples and pizza in general.  As he spoke, I listened to a young man who was not only conscious of his family’s roots, but also proud of the hard work and dedication that has made the Sorbillo name famous throughout the world.  A family initially famous because Sorbillo’s grandparents were known as the family that had 21 children.  21!!! His office is full of newspaper clippings dating back to the 1930s.  He shared that many of the Sorbillo clan emigrated out of Naples, leaving only three of the Sorbillo 21.  Three that included his father and his aunt, Esterina. 

It was interesting for me to learn that back in the day; his Aunt was responsible for the fried pizzas.  In fact, it was normal that a woman would work the deep fryer while the men would be responsible for the wood oven cooked pizzas.

A mini tour full of touching memories.  A casa where Sorbillo surrounds himself with his past, reflects on the present and continues to dream of the future.  Not just for himself, but for his children. 

Talking about pizza and looking at the clock, I noticed that it was lunchtime.  Sorbillo and I stepped out on the balcony and looked down onto the crowd below.  The usual traffic stopping scene- an hour wait is the norm.

An hour wait that is expected and enjoyable for some.  In an alley around the corner, a man sings Neapolitan songs, small groups sit on the benches in front of the pizzeria and take selfies.  This is also the Sorbillo experience.

Gino ushered me in and right away, I was whisked into a world of pizza frenzy.  

Ground floor/ground zero.  Near the door, in plain sight of the pizza counter, voices calling orders, host/hostesses calling out numbers of who can come in next, waiters delivering pizzas at an amazing speed. 

Second floor- dining room 2.  A little quieter, for those who want their Sorbillo experience a little easier.  Less noise.  The chance to get a balcony seat. 

Sorbillo took me back downstairs to a smaller room.  A huge iron table in the shape of a horse shoe perfect for single diners or couples who don’t mind a little company.

Then he pointed to a large window.  A large marble counter with barstools and amazing light.  A seat there means people watchers like me could have a pizza and a glass of beer or wine while checking out what’s happening out on the street.  That’s where I decided to sit.  And as I sipped a craft beer, I glanced over the menu.

Margherita, I said.  With provola cheese and pepper. 

Minutes later, my pizza arrived.  A pizza so large that its plate served as just a suggestion.

Later I was asked if I’d like to try one more.  Why not? I said.  Just a small one, something ‘al bianco’.

Minutes later, one of the best pizzas I’ve had in a long time.  Fior di Latte cheese, anchovies. 

And yes, one more beer.  The perfect way to end an amazing giornata verace.

Before I left, Sorbillo and I caught up on our lives over the past few years over a beer in his basement dining room.  A dining room that housed only four tables.

Like the first pizzeria his family ran.  A private conversation between G and I.  Between a sip or two, a laugh and I smile, I reflected back on my first visit 5 years ago.  I reflected on not only that the pizzeria had changed, evolved, but so had Sorbillo. 

A real giornata verace.

 Can’t wait to return!