AUTUMNAL OFFERINGS

We’re back from holiday and it’s almost October. Though sitting on the beach and driving through olive groves in Greece is fun, I’m happy to be home and at the pizzeria. I am always excited to revisit my cook books and see if there is something new that we can introduce at Spacca Napoli. I want to introduce to you two new specials that we will run for the next couple of weeks. Minestra Maritata is one and is a special treat, perfect for autumn weather. A minestra, not a zuppa, it predates the tomato. The recipe can be found in Arthur Schwartz’s Naples at Table. Arthur notes that it comes from a time when the Campanians were still known as "mangiafogli" which means leaf eaters. A fun read is Arthur’s discussion of minestra as a word and concept to define in English. The Maritata is a marriage, a loving, poetic embrace between a meaty broth and leafy vegetables. Prosciutto, pork loin, salami, pancetta and soppressata are long simmered with a bouquet of fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley. The meats are taken out, finely chopped and the soup is strained. Kale, broccoli rabe (rapini), escarole, curly endive and savoy cabbage are coarsely chopped and added into the soup, along with the meats, and the rich, velvety, clarified broth is then topped with pecorino and our hot red pepper oil.

This minestra has brought back memories for many of the Italians who have tried our Maritata. Truly a hearty dish, every home had its own particular version. It reminds me of food writer Pat Bruno’s discussion of the joys of Italian food and how the making of a recipe is greatly influenced by the one who makes it. When traveling through Greece, Ginny was always quick to taste the local moussaka. A traditional dish, consisting of lamb or beef, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, a cream sauce and spices, no one moussaka tasted like the other, and each was served with a sense of familial pride.

Reaching back to antiquity, our second special is a pizza with lardo. A cured pork fat, it is considered a delicacy by many.

I first experienced lardo while in Zibello, on the banks of the Po River in northern Italy, during a trip with members of Accademia Barilla. There we sampled culatello, lardo, and other salumi. Zibello is famous for its cullotello, which comes from the leg of an adult hog and goes through a special curing process; Zibello’s micro climate lending itself favorably for the curing of this particular cut of pig. See ItalianMade.com – Foods: Culatello di Zibello for more on the subject.

Way back when, the earliest of flat breads were flavored only with oil and herbs – not with tomatoes and cheese. Our “Allardiato,” consists of mild, creamy, thin ribbons of lardo with pecorino cheese and basil. The taste is something unique and amazing.

We have also begun to play with our wine list. I am now trying to introduce wines that are more particular to pizza and not only representative of the south of Italy. Be on the look out for new Nero d’Avolas, a new Montepulciano di Abruzzo, whites from Puglia, and reds and rosatos from Sardegna.

Last but definitely not least, we are having fun with Nutella! Though a surprise to some, this sweet dessert can be found as a dolce in many a pizzeria a Napoli.

Ciao per adesso

FERRAGOSTO

Ferragosto has just passed and I’ve made my calls to Italy. Ferragosto falls on the 15th of August and is a day of celebration throughout Italy. This holiday predates the time of Christ when the Romans honored their Gods, in particular Diana, and the cycle of fertility and ripening. It was then called Feriae Augusti. I remember our first summer in Torre Del Lago, watching the children splash water on whoever was nearby. It is a day of feasting, toasting and being with those you enjoy. It brings me back to my beloved Rodi Garganico and the wonderful memories I have so close to my heart. Though we lived in Firenze (Florence) where Ginny was painting and Sarah was attending la scuola elementare, Gaetano Agnessi, on Via Mafia near Santo Sprito, our summers were in the Gargano in Puglia. For me, it was heaven. Rodi Garganico, both fishing and agricultural village, sits on a promontory along the Adriatic Sea.

I often slept outside under the stars, catching the early morning sunrise as well as the full cycle of the moon. I measured my time in Rodi by the full moons I would experience over the summer. From our terrace, you could see the old villas, the sea, and the Grecian style village of Rodi from afar.

Early morning visits to the market were wonderful. There was a certain quiet that was so peaceful. There were the local contadini selling fresh ricotta, caciocavallo, all types of fish, salumi, cactus fruit, peaches and so much more. Imagine what it is like to feast on fresh baked Pugliese bread and sfogliatelle just out of the oven.

Rodi was famous for its citrus, both lemons and oranges. I was once told that the nearby Tremeti Islands’ sheltered the coast line and the surrounding hills from the northern Alpine winds, creating a micro climate conducive to the growth of these lemons and oranges. La famiglia Ciampa, originally of Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, had land in Rodi and won the premio, (first prize) for best of fruit at Chicago’s World Exposition in 1893.

We have a wonderful book at home documenting the images and logos of the various local families who were significant exporters of these fruits. The paper cloths that were used to individually wrap these fruits bore their images.

By clipping the fruits at the stem and letting them drop into the cloth without touching them, they sustained their freshness all the way to the new world. A special moment for me was handing one of these cloths over to our dear friend, Michele Pilot, of Monte Verde, Roma and Rodi Garganico. The cloth had been given to me by the local priest and bore the name Ognissanti, Michael’s family name of origin.

Michael taught me how to make various fresh pastas including orchiette. Orecchiette, meaning “little ears,” is a pasta typical of Puglia. Michael also taught me his sugo, sauce, for amatriciana using guancialle instead of pancetta. Michael’s mother and father-in-law were second generation proprietors of what had been a very popular trattoria in Rome called Carlo di Trastevere.

I have a lovely memory of an early morning shop with Michael for artichokes before catching a flight back home to America. Carciofi Judaica are a local specialty and it was fun to see Michael and his father-in-law pare the artichokes to see who had the most expertise. I think Lorenzo’s hand and his wife Marisa’s finishing touches at the stove put Lorenzo on top.

I have so many food memories from Italy that fill my heart.

Visiting Rodi in the winter and having Giovanni Albano specially make me one of my favorites, calamari ripieni, or his son Nando preparing seppia (cuttle fish) in the actual ink are just two more. Nando’s wife, my beloved Anna, would always ensure that I had a piece of pecorino or prosciutto or something special from the fridge. We have known the Albano family close to twenty years. Our second summer in Rodi, 1989, I worked for them on the beach as their bagnino (“little bath boy”) Early every morning, I would go down to the beach, open the umbrellas and set the lettini and lounge chairs in order for the day.

I long for the time when I will be in Rodi in early September to stomp grapes by foot with Giovanni. These are the grapes they grow to make a gentle vino frizzante. Though a vino rosso, it is served from the fridge and gives me as much pleasure as a glass of any of the finer wines. It was several years before I realized that the clumps of grapes that I chose every morning for my walk down to the beach were the grapes that were to be used for their wine! Signora Sparta, Giovanni’s wife, never told me not to touch them. My Signora Sparta, she is the one who always has a bottle of ficchi cotto for me to bring home, even when Giovanni has said that the year has been seccho (dry) for the figs to grow in abundance to make the cotto. A drop of cotto on cappuccino gelato is such a treat. There are many recipes that have been given to me that I look forward to making. Skate fish, risotto with strawberries, and Easter lamb are just a few.

Come the end of August we will close for two weeks. It has been a wonderful summer, but I am ready to rest and pay more attention to the love of my life, my partner, Ginny. We are in the process of expansion and hope to showcase what we create by early to mid November. I will be sorry to see the last of our fiore di zucca (zucchini flowers) and granchio (soft shell crabs) come off the menu, but before we close I will make my own interpretation of Antonio Starita’s pizza that was made for Pope John Paul at the time of the Jubileo. We have beautiful organic yellow squash to be roasted and blended with bufala ricotta. The cream will be adorned with red and yellow peppers, a touch of artichoke, and the last of the fiore.

Buon Agosto! Ci vedremo a Septembre.

Gianni

SOME SPECIAL SEASONAL EATS

Just a quick update: We have been running some wonderful seasonal specials which will continue for another week or so.

The first, Il Granchio, from Nate Appleman of San Francisco’s celebrated A16 restaurant, has been a hit. Using soft shell crabs from Maryland, not the Dungeness of the Pacific, we sautée them with extra virgin olive oil, white wine, and lemon. Rapini with a touch of anchovy is placed over garlic bruschetta and then topped with these delicate, delicious gifts of the Chesapeake Bay.

Fiori di Zucca are another special treat which bring a smile to those familiar with them. The blossoms of the zucchini are filled with ricotta and other treats. They are then lightly battered, fried, and sprinkled with a touch of salt. Another item to make its way into our kitchen is Bietole. From my aunt Joyce Goldstein’s cookbook, Kitchen Conversations, Bietole is a wonderful summer salad consisting of Treviso radicchio, oven roasted beets, a warm pancetta vinaigrette, and crumbled goat cheese. As in past summers, when the honeydew has achieved its sweetness, we pair it with our Greci and Folzani prosciutto crudo. Come try them while they are still on the menu!

Si mangia bene a Spacca Napoli!

Buona Estate!