One of the best things about hopping around for a post for my blog, is that magical moments pop out of nowhere. Like last month while I was rolling in Ischia with Ivano Vecciato meet our Instagram contest winner. I thought it would be a great opportunity to stop by Chef Ciro Mattera's restaurantIl Saturnino in Forio d'Ischia.
Chef Ciro Mattera
Mattera was preparing to open for the season so he figured it would be a great opportunity to warm up the stove tops! Here's a look at what went down!
Silver scabbardfish filled with hake roe and marinated red cabbage.
Bonito fish with oil, lemon and mint emulsion.
Crunch cod on, velvety onion and fava beans.
Fish fillet on cold fennel fondue and friarielli.
Mattera's dishes delicately represented the spring season teamed up with the sea that could be seen outside the restaurant's window. It was a great afternoon, I must admit. A chance to relax a bit before I needed to catch the ferry back home.
Also a chance to chat with amica blogger Valentina Scotti, a true Ischitana and chef Ermanno Nicoella. Scotti and I managed to convince the chef to hop into the kitchen for an invention test featuring some of the ingredients that Mattera had served us at lunch for an impromptu' primo piatto.
Scotti and Nicolella
Fedelini pasta with a creamy spring onion sauce, friarielli greens, fava beans and peas tossed together in a pan with silver scabbardfish.
I think I have been to the island of Ischia more in the past
6 months than in the past 23 plus years that I have been in Italy. And each time that I visit the green island,
I discover something new thanks to my amici veraci like Ivano Veccia and
Pasquale Raicaldo.
Giuseppe Giovan, Iano Veccia, Pasquale Raicaldo
A stroll through the picturesque neighborhood of Ischia
Ponte became an impromptu’ opportunity for an aperitivo, an aperitif. And since it happened to be one of the early
primavera, spring, \weekends, it seemed natural to stop for an artichoke aperitif. Roasted artichoke- carciofo arrostito, or as
they say in Ischia, carciofola arrustuta.
The location was not a swanky bar or restaurant. But a clean, colorful fruit and vegetable stand. We arrived around one pm one sunny Saturday afternoon alongside dozens of others who could not wait to try Peppe Giovan’s bbq magic. Location - Garden Fruit - Ischia.
Giuseppe Giovan
Peppe's recipe is simple but special…
He begins with a Roman artichoke and cleans the leg. He then
thinly slices a little garlic and Italian parsley. He opens up the artichoke, adds salt, the
leg, and parsley. Sometimes a little
pancetta! A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then wraps it all in aluminum
foil.
Straight to the grill – head down – for about 20 minutes –
flips it over – opens the foil.
Peppe adds a little more oil and tests to see if the
carciofola is done by using a simple toothpick and years of experience.
Paired with laughter, smiles, a fantastic neighborhood, and a promise to be back soon. The perfect pre aperitif aperitif verace!
A day or two before my Ischia adventure, I wrote my
travelling buddies – Pizza makerIvano Vecciaand ChefCrescenzo Scotti –
informing them about my travel plans.
Guys, I’ll be arriving probably around 1040. And I’ll probably be hungry! 😃
Flash-forward, Saturday morning around 1100 am. Spectacular sunshine and clear blue sky in
contrast with the inter temperatures and slighting biting wind greeted me as my
ferry pulled into Ischia Porto. There I
caught up with my greeting party, Scotti and his son Domenico alongside
Veccia.
Veccia Scotti, and Domenico
Right away I as whisked off to Ischia Ponte, near Castello
Aragonese and most importantly, our first stop – Panificio Boccia.
Panificio Boccia, a bakery that has been around since 1938
and popular with the locals since….since forever!
I soon found out why.
From the street, Panificio Boccia looks like any other
minimarket in Italy. Veccia knocked at
the small unmarked door and opened. We stepped
inside to a warm paradise of fresh baking bread produced daily in two wood
burning ovens. We arrived just in time
as Michele and Luigi were taking out bread from the oven.
One loaf would be enough for our mission. Karen, we’ll get a piece of bread, open it
up, and stuff it with mortadella, Scotti informed me.
Great!
We took our loaf, still steaming hot, next door to the
grocery section of Panificio Boccia.
Behind the counter, we handed our lovely loaf over to Andrea and
Luciana.
Luciana cut that baby open,
placed several slices of mortadella inside and served up four super sandwiches.
We paired it up with a park bench, a couple of beers, an
amazing view of the sea.
I’m not sure how many guidebooks would suggest a visit to
Ischia during the month of January.
Considering that the lidos are closed as well as a majority of
restaurants including three
Michelin starred restaurants (like Nino Di Costanzo’s Dani Maison,
recently awarded 2 Michelin stars after being opened for only one short summer
season)
So why would a food blogger hop on a ferry during a sunny,
yet windy rocky wavy day? I asked myself that question as well. However, the answer is easy. This may be the perfect opportunity
to see an Island usually jam-packed with international tourist slimmed down to just
the locals. A chance to rediscover the
island con calma, in the company of those who know it best. In the company of Ischitani like pizza maker
Ivano Veccia and chef Crescenzo Scotti who took me on a journey through the
traditions and flavors of Ischia- focusing on Forio. Forio, one of six counties on the large
island of Ischia with recipes and traditions all its own. And what better way to discover those
traditions than to enjoy a tavolata- a long lunch with friends and family. A tavolata starring many of the recipes and
flavors that inspire some of Ischia’s top chefs.
Veccia invited me into his home, into his kitchen, and into
his close group of family and friends.
Veccia is a pizza maker and his brother Gaetano, a baker, so it seemed
natural that the family’s cozy kitchen included 2 wood burning ovens as well as
a fireplace.
The long dining room table, packed with food, wine and
laughter treated me to one of the best meals I have had in a long while. Ischia awaited me with dishes prepared by Ivano's mom, la signora Anna, such as a
zampognaro bean soup.
The zampognaro
bean is a bean that is only found in Ischia, and it’s not that easy to
find. It takes a lot of work to get a
small quantity of beans including old school thrashing. The beans were soaked overnight 10 to 15 hours. Then cooked for about an hour or so alongside
carrots, celery and onions. The beans were
served on a piece of toasted bread and lard.
Another dish that caught my eye and palate included escarole
alla monachina – an endive salad stewed with raisins.
Pizza di scarola- Escarole or endive pizza is a Campania
classic, but Forio has its own twist on this stuffed pizza. Pizza dough is stuffed with stewed escarole/endive
salad, olives, capers, raisins, and in some cases, pine nuts. Instead of baking the pizza pie in the oven,
In Forio, it is cooked in a frying pan.
Mulled wine is added to give it a surprising touch of sweetness!
A must in Ischia is the famous coniglio alla Ischitana. Rabbit Ischia style. Once again, each county has its recipe, and at
the Veccia household, I discovered that the rabbit is prepared in a terracotta pot
over coals in the fireplace.
Olive oil, piperna, tomatoes, garlic, salt and
pepper and about an hour or so produces an excellent pasta sauce….
Gaetano, Ivano’s older brother prepared the pasta with an
expertise that only experience can teach.
Then an amazing thing- he tossed the pasta in the sauce, but not over
the stovetop, but right at the mouth of the wood burning oven!
As well as an amazing second course that must be eaten with
your hands!
And Ivano? It is
impossible to have lunch at a pizza maker’s home without trying a pizza or
to. In a wink of an eye, Veccia produced
his escarole pizza, known in dialect as 'a pizza ca' scarol trciut.
His pizza dough is topped with tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil and
placed in the oven.
Then, as soon as it
comes out, topped with escarole salad, tomatoes, papacelle, and marinated eggplant.
Veccia also uses anchovies if he has them on
hand. Then it is folded over and eaten like a sandwich!
Super!
As I think about that Saturday afternoon, one
spent looking to discover the recipes of an Italian island during the off-season,
I am thankful that I discovered the warmth and hospitality of the inhabitants
of Ischia as well. And that you will not
find in any guidebook. 😉
