Oh yes, discerning readers, you’ve heard of Mamma Agata before. Last year my good friend Laura of Ciao Amalfi! reviewed Mamma Agata: Simple and Genuine here on My Bella Vita and she, too, loved the book.

Rather than rehash everything Laura said about how much fun the cookbook is to read, how simple and genuine the recipes are, how much you’ll truly like the author, Chiara and her family, I’m gonna tell you how this cookbook got me over a culinary hump.

You see, one of the first southern Italian dishes I fell in love with was Parmigiana di Melanzane, or eggplant parmesan. My father-in-law makes a great version and I often ask him to make it when friends or family come to visit. But I just couldn’t do it myself.

Oh, I tried.

And I tried.

And I tried some more.

But my parmigiana was always too soggy or too oily or too tasteless.

Until now.

I knew it was fate when I received my review copy of Mamma Agata’s cookbook and flipped it open to the parmigiana recipe. It spans three pages in the cookbook, making it one of the most time-consuming, if not most difficult, recipes in the book. But I was up for the challenge.

I read the recipe from top to bottom … a couple of times … and prepped for the big occasion. About half-way through my husband came in to offer a hand.

“Oh no, you don’t!” I told him.

“This is my dish … all mine. And I want all of the credit for it.”

And Mamma Agata did I deserve some credit!

For the first time in almost a decade of trying to perfect a parmigiana, my dish held tightly together. The layers were distinct and precise. The flavors harmonized and the colors sang.

Ok-maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But suffice it to say, that parmigiana was g-o-o-d.

So good, in fact, that we had it again the next day. I heated mine first … my husband ate it straight from the fridge.

So what are you waiting for? Stop droolin’ over my parmigiana and go make your own. You can get your copy of Mamma Agata: Simple and Genuine here. If you make some of the dishes, please come back and tell me. I’d love to celebrate your culinary successes with you, as well.

Want a private lesson on southern Italian cooking from Mamma Agata? Click here to see how I can incorporate that into your southern Italy itinerary.

Which is how we stumbled upon the most fabulous salmon risotto recipe you’ll ever find. It is perfect for a romantic dinner for two but easy enough to make for a group. Pair it with your favorite Italian white wine and enjoy!

Ingredients:
(Two Servings)

>> 1/2 White onion
>> 1/2 cup Rice for risotto
>> 1/4 cup Butter
>> Smoked Salmon
>> Parsley
>> 5 cups Vegetable broth
>> White pepper

Directions:
1. Heat broth to a boil, then keep it hot while you move on to step #2.

2. Saute white onion in a little butter, then add risotto.

3. Cook the risotto for a few minutes, making sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.

4. Slowly add the hot vegetable broth, one spoon at a time, as your risotto is cooking. (about 40 minutes; Also see Risotto tips and hints)

5. Just before the risotto is cooked, add chopped salmon and parsley.

6. Cook for a couple of minutes, then remove from flame.

7. Stir in the remaining butter, add more parsley and sprinkle a bit of white pepper.

Buon Appetito!

Are you heading to Calabria or southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your itinerary.

Related posts:

1. World Nutella Day 2011: Nutella and Mandarin S’mores There’s been a lot on my plate lately,...

However, between cluster feedings, Calabria tours and our bed and breakfast, I wasn’t sure *how* I’d celebrate World Nutella Day 2011 or how I’d fit in finding, creating and perfecting a new recipe.

So, I thought about waxing poetic about all the things I love about this chocolaty-hazelnutty spread.

I considered doing a mini-roundup of my previous Nutella Day recipes.

I almost started a post that included my family’s favorite ways to enjoy Nutella … (think spoon and American white bread).

But then I saw a cooking show with my favorite Tata that inspired a new recipe and voila … Nutella and Mandarin S’mores were born.

I substituted whipped cream for charcoaled marshmallows, pulled a couple of mandarins off of our trees and pulled together this delicious dessert in less than 10 minutes.

Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients:
(Makes six s’mores)

>> Any kind of flat cookie (12)
>> 1/2 cup whipping cream
>> Nutella
>> 2 mandarins

Directions:

1. Whip your cream for a few minutes until it is fluffy.

2. Add the juice from one small mandarin. (This will change the texture of your cream, making it firmer and easier to spread on your s’more)

3. Continue to mix for a minute or two.

4. Spread the top of one cookie with a thin layer of Nutella. This will be your top. (Note: It is easier to “decorate” the top of your s’more before it is filled with Nutella and cream.)

5. Spread another cookie with a generous layer of Nutella, then cover with a layer of cream.

6. Top it with your Nutella-decorated cookie, add a mandarin slice and serve!

Delizioso!

As always, grazie mille to Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy for founding (and hosting) World Nutella Day. Check out their sites on Monday for a full roundup of today’s recipes.

Are you heading to Calabria or southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your itinerary.

I can’t remember the first time I had fagioli e rape, or beans and garden greens, but I was apparently underwhelmed. Maybe it was in a restaurant that offered it as part of an already overflowing antipasto or maybe the rape, (pronounced raa-Pay in Italian) wasn’t in season, but it just didn’t do it for me.

A year or so later, I tried it again. This time in a local trattoria when my husband spotted it on the menu and gobbled it as a side dish with his secondo. A couple of months ago, I spotted these bitter greens in the market and ever-so-kindly asked my father-in-law if he had a recipe.

He made them the next day.

And again the next week.

And no … I’m not spoiled.

If you want to take the easy way out you could technically use frozen greens and canned beans. We only half-cheat, using canned beans and fresh greens.

Here’s our recipe.

Fagioli e Rape

Ingredients:

>> 10.5 ounces borlotti beans (Gourmet Sleuth says you can substitute kidney or pinto beans)
>> 2 pounds greens
>> 1/2 onion, finely chopped
>> Olive oil
>> Salt
>> Crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the greens and cook in salted, boiling water for a few minutes (until soft.)

2. In a separate pan, sauté onion using good olive oil and add the beans.

3. Heat thoroughly.

4. Combine the greens and beans and top with crushed red pepper.

This dish is great alone or as a side item and goes well with homemade Italian bread.

Buon appetito!

Are you heading to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip.

Welcome, Laura!

***

I fell in love with southern Italian cooking on my first trip to the Amalfi Coast three years ago. The simple and quick pasta sauces, grilled fish served with just a drizzle of olive oil, fresh mozzarella di bufala with sun-ripened tomatoes and basil – everything was down-to-earth and emphasized the individual flavors and fresh ingredients. Since moving to the Amalfi Coast, this love affair has continued as I have learned about and experimented with traditional dishes. I’ve picked up a few tips here and there from cookbooks and, more often, from the kitchens of family and friends.

Yet, the greatest insight I’ve had into the regional cooking of the Amalfi Coast is from the cookbook Mamma Agata – Simple and Genuine Italian Family Recipes. This gorgeous cookbook is by Chiara Lima, the Director of the Mamma Agata Cooking School on the Amalfi Coast. Chiara has gathered not only her mother Agata’s recipes, but also the history of her beautiful family.

This book is a pleasure to read, and along the way you meet Mamma Agata, her husband Salvatore, their daughter Chiara and her husband, Gennaro, and their lovely children Mario and Paola. The beautiful photographs throughout the book exude a warmth and love that carries over into the recipes. Chiara writes, “We believe deeply that cooking is love,” and this passion is evident on each and every page of her cookbook.

The recipes shared in Mamma Agata – Simple and Genuine can truly be called home cooking from the Amalfi Coast. But not just any home cooking – Mamma Agata’s famous home cooking! Opening this cookbook—illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs—feels like you’ve just stepped into the kitchen with Mamma Agata and her delightful daughter Chiara. They walk you through the preparation of each recipe with step by step directions and photographs.

For me to love a cookbook it has to be more than a list of recipes to follow. There has to be passion and a story, and Mamma Agata – Simple and Genuine tells a story of love and one family’s way of life on the Amalfi Coast. It’s a testament to their desire to share the simple and genuine cooking from this beautiful part of Italy with others through their cooking school and this beautiful cookbook. If you love Italian cooking, especially southern Italian, this book is a must for your pantry library.

Laura Thayer is an art historian and freelance writer living on the Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy. She is the Amalfi Coast Local Expert for NileGuide and blogs about life on the Amalfi Coast at her own site Ciao Amalfi.

Traveling to southern Italy? Why not get coached on when and where to go by someone who lives there?

Photos: Mamma Agata Cooking School

I can’t remember how I first met Rosetta Costantino, the Calabrian-born chef responsible for the My Calabria cookbook, but I remember reading about her years before in an article called Calabria from Scratch, written by Janet Fletcher, the acclaimed food writer who would become an important ingredient in Rosetta’s success.

The two joined forces and as of Monday, November 8, you, too, can have a little piece of Calabria in your kitchen. My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South is almost 400 pages of Calabria’s history, customs and culinary traditions intermingled with recipes-and some of the most delicious food photos I’ve ever seen-for homemade, authentic Calabrian cooking.

I received my final copy of the cookbook about a week ago and my husband and father-in-law watched as I flipped through the pages. There was an excited jolt on my right and I looked up to see my husband peering across the table at the book.

“Oooh,” he said, “Pitta con Verdura. That’s a good one. We’ll make that one for sure.”

“So, it’s an authentic cookbook, then?” I grinned at him, knowing how proud the Calabresi are of their regional recipes.

“If it has pitta con verdura in it, it is. That was one of my old favorites,” he added, a tad bit wistful and no doubt thinking of the recipes his late mother, a native of San Fili in the province of Cosenza, prepared throughout his childhood.

In addition to the pitta recipe, I’m also eager to try some new antipasto recipes, particularly the eggplant meatballs and crostini with bottarga butter, vegetable dishes, like ricotta-stuffed zucchini and potatoes with artichokes and breadcrumbs and Mamma Mia …. those Christmas desserts, especially chinule, grispelle and the flourless walnut cake.

To complete the book, there is a glossary of pasta shapes, details on stocking a Calabrian pantry and a section on Calabria’s DOC wines.

My Calabria is more than you’d expect of a cookbook and reads as much like a travel guide or (interesting!) history book as a recipe list. As the jacket cover says, “it is a cookbook for our time,” but more than that, the book is a treasured testament to our Calabria.

***

Norton Publishing is offering three My Bella Vita readers a chance to win My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South before they can buy it!

Here are the details.

** Two cookbooks will be given away by random drawing. To be eligible-and to sign up for bonus entries-readers should:

1. Comment on this post by noon (Italian time) on Friday, November 5. (Simple, eh?)

2. For additional entries, “Like” both My Calabria and My Bella Vita on Facebook and leave a separate message in the comments telling me you did.

3. Follow My Calabria and My Bella Vita on Twitter for a third entry (and leave another comment telling us.)

4. All My Bella Vita newsletter subscribers will receive a bonus entry, so if you aren’t receiving either newsletter, you can sign up here.

** The third cookbook will be given away to a My Bella Vita “Liker” on Facebook.

Entries must be received by noon (Italian time) on Friday, November 5. Winners will be notified that day and will be announced on Monday, November 8 (the same day you can buy the cookbook). The contest is open to anyone with an address in North America.

In bocca al lupo!

Want to try Calabrian cuisine in Calabria? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip.

All Photos: Cooking with Rosetta

Last week I posted a recipe for homemade lagane pasta and promised to follow up this week with the Calabrian classic Lagane e Ceci, or ribbon pasta with chickpeas.

There are about as many varieties to this dish as there are Calabrians in Calabria and many recipes call for dried chickpeas (which you have to soak overnight prior to cooking.) We are much too last-minute for that, so our recipe uses canned chickpeas, garlic and red pepper and can be made in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
>> One can chickpeas
>> Olive oil
>> Garlic
>> Crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Empty one can of chickpeas (with the broth) into a small pot.

2. Add about a tablespoon of good olive oil, a clove of garlic and crushed red pepper.

3. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add a small amount of water, as needed to create a broth and thoroughly heat the chickpeas.

5. Remove the garlic.

6. Serve with crushed red pepper.

Buon Appetito!

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Today, we’re delving into my mother-in-law’s Cosentino past and drudging up one of my husband’s favorite childhood pastas … lagane. This flat, short, fettuccine-like pasta is easy to make and is a fun alternative to traditional homemade pasta.

Here’s the deal.

Ingredients:

>> 2 cups all-purpose flour
>> Dash of salt
>> 1/2 cup of water

Directions:

1. Add a dash of salt to the flour and mix well.

2. Slowly add the water and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. (If you need to, add a tiny bit of water, as necessary, but be careful not to saturate the dough.)

3. Form the dough into a ball, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough on a floured surface, using a rolling pin to form a circle about 1/4 inch thick.

5. Continue to roll and thin the pasta. (Cutting the circle in half will make it easier to handle.)

6. Using one side of your dough, pull the end upward and fold the dough to form a long roll.

7. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 1/4 inch strips.

8. Unroll the strips and lay them on a clean, flat surface.

9. Cook immediately.

Buon Appetito!

Traveling to southern Italy? See how I can help you create a custom itinerary just for your family or small group.

But let’s get back to this week.

In our house, this dish is called Merluzzo e Pomodorini Pasta alla Peppe … because he’s the seafood chef around here. Elsewhere, you just drop the alla Peppe, or you can call it by its English name, Cod Fish and Fresh Tomato Pasta.

I have to admit, this dish was an acquired taste for me. Remember, I grew up in southeast Texas and my idea of seafood is fried catfish with a side of shrimp, so this pretty-fancy, if you will, seafood dish took some getting used to.

Still, it is one of the healthiest dishes we make and even though it looks so pretty on the plate, it only takes about half an hour to create. Here are the details.

Merluzzo e Pomodorini Pasta

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)
>> 1/2 pound long pasta, such as linguine, spaghetti or fettuccine
>> 1/2 pound frozen cod fish (defrosted; chopped)
>> 8-10 chopped cherry tomatoes
>> 1 teaspoon seafood bouillon
>> Garlic
>> Olive oil
>> Chopped parsley
>> Crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Lightly saute garlic in olive oil, then add the fish, half of your parsley, bouillon and enough water to cover the fish.

2. Cook for about 10 minutes.

3. When water is starting to get low, add the chopped tomatoes.

4. Cook until the tomatoes are soft, and if needed, add more water.

5. Add generous amounts of parsley and crushed red pepper and mix in the pan with your al dente pasta.

6. Serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip!

It was so delectable that I decided to extend it one more month and feature authentic Italian recipes each Wednesday in October. (If we haven’t covered your favorite authentic Italian recipe, feel free to either request it or submit it, using this form!)

Today’s dish comes from our Pugliese neighbors and has everything you’d expect in a traditional southern Italian plate. There’s spicy pepper, there’s smoked ricotta … there is even some ear-shaped pasta … and best of all. It’s simple, fresh and delicious.

Orecchiette con Pelati e Ricotta

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3)
>> 1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
>> 1 can whole tomatoes
>> Garlic
>> Olive oil
>> 1/2 chopped onion
>> Crushed red pepper
>> 3-4 basil leaves
>> Freshly grated smoked ricotta (hard ricotta)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta al dente in salted, boiling water.

2. Lightly saute your onions and garlic in olive oil.

3. Use your hands to pull apart the whole tomatoes and add to the olive oil, garlic and onions.

4. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

5. When the sauce is almost ready, add red pepper and basil, cook another minute or so.

6. Serve into dishes and sprinkled with freshly grated smoked ricotta and more red pepper, if needed.

Buon Appetito!

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip!

Thumbnail photo: Il Forno

Welcome, Mary!

Bucatini all’amatriciana is named after the town of Amatrice which is now in Lazio, but up until 1923 was part of the Province of Aquila … so this is really an Abruzzese dish-and one that is a local favorite around the region.

This sauce is served best with bucatini, a tubular spaghetti-like pasta that goes well with thick sauces. Many people make this dish with pancetta, even though the original recipe calls for guanciale. (Guanciale is very similar to pancetta, however it is made with the cheek of the pig instead of the belly; belly in Italian is pancia, hence pancetta while cheek is guancia, hence guanciale. )

If you can’t find guanciale, this dish is still good when it’s made with pancetta. If you can’t find pancetta, then look for something called salt pork, which is available in supermarkets in the US. The recipe won’t be quite the same, but it will still be good. Please don’t use bacon though. It’s smoked and will completely change the flavor of the dish.

As you can see from the photo at the top, my guanciale already has some hot pepper on top. However, even though the meat is already spicy, I add more hot pepper to the dish. To be honest, I never really liked spicy dishes before, but since living here I’ve gotten used to it and this dish is best when it’s nice and piccante.

Hot pepper is a staple here in Abruzzo. Whenever pasta is served, a fresh hot pepper is usually passed around with the grated cheese. Each person uses a small pair of scissors or a sharp knife to add slivers of it to their plate, mixing it in with the pasta. However, if you do this, every once in a while you get a bite that explodes with hot pepper. Even though this recipe has pepper already added in, I’ve seen people add even more. If you like a really spicy dish, feel free to add more pepper once the dish is on the table.

I also often see onions used in this recipe; I’ve never used onions or eaten this dish when it was made with onions, so I haven’t included them here.

So, let’s get cooking.

Side Note: Pease, don’t add black pepper to this recipe. It’s one of my pet peeves that every recipe in America calls for black pepper as if it’s a staple of life, even when the original recipe doesn’t use it at all. Honestly, it doesn’t seem to be used very often here at all. I most often see it in sopressata and certain other cured meat and salami or in the dish Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Ahem.

But, back to today’s recipe …

For 500 grams of Pasta you will need:

>> 200 grams guanciale (about 7 ounces)
>> 1 large can chopped tomatoes
>> extra-virgin olive oil
>> 1/2 glass of white wine
>> 1 tsp+ ground hot pepper or hot pepper flakes
>> salt
>> grated Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese

Directions:

1. Start your water boiling for your pasta and add salt. This sauce does not take long to cook. In fact, it’s best when it’s chunky, so you don’t want to cook your tomatoes for too long. The pasta will take about nine minutes to cook, so start making your sauce a few minutes before throwing your pasta in the water.

2. Cut the guanciale or pancetta into small cubes and place in a large frying pan with high sides along with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over high heat for a few minutes until it has started to change color and the fat has mostly melted, but don’t let it get crispy.

3. Add the wine to the pan, stir and then add your tomatoes, hot pepper and salt to the pan, bringing to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes more. Taste it for salt and hot pepper, adding more according to your preferences. At this point, if your pasta is not yet done, turn the burner off and cover with a lid to keep the heat inside.

4. Once your pasta is cooked, strain it, add it to the pan with the sauce, toss it all together, pass the grated cheese and enjoy!

Buon Appetito!

Traveling to Calabria? Then check out my Calabria travel tips e-guide “Don’t Get Caught with Dirty Drawers.”

Photos: Mary of Flavors of AbruzzoMa

In fact, one of my young neighbors asked me once about a typical American breakfast.

“Bacon?” She exclaimed! “… and eggs?!? Non! Non ho capito … cosa mangiate?!?”

She was slightly disgusted by the thought of meat and eggs in the morning-until she tried it on vacation in Berlin, but that’s another story, I suppose-and couldn’t understand why anyone would want such heavy food for breakfast.

So, if you are heading to Calabria, here’s the what, when and where of eating a Calabrian breakfast.

What to Eat
Like other places in Italy, a Calabrian breakfast is usually little more than a cornetto with caffè or cappuccino … but that by no means, makes it boring. There are dozens of varieties of cornetti, or croissants, that vary from plain to those filled with cream, Nutella, hazelnut and even an assortment of fruit flavors, such as peach, apple or pear. There are also light pastries that are filled with lemon cream, apples or my personal favorite, black cherries, as well as the brioche, a type of sweet bread.

Contrary to what some might think, Calabrians don’t typically eat fruit for breakfast. However, one of my favorite summer breakfast meals is figs and homemade bread, which is apparently an exception … at least in Catanzaro.

Sometimes Calabrians will also have fruit juice, usually pear, peach or apricot. They very rarely drink that good ‘ole American fruit beverage of choice … OJ.

Where To Eat It
I know some Calabrians who have breakfast at the bar every single morning. Others prefer to take their morning coffee at home and either munch on light cookies or store-bought croissants.

If you are traveling to Calabria for vacation, your hotel or B&B will likely include breakfast in your nightly rate-and if you are staying at a resort hotel, they might even throw in those bacon and eggs. However, I suggest you skip breakfast at your hotel at least once and head into a local bar for a real Calabrian breakfast experience.

How To Eat It
Some of my favorite bars around Catanzaro have little or no indoor seating and in fact, it was one of the first things I noticed when I visited southern Italy. However, if you do break away from your B&B one morning, you’ll understand that bars don’t have many tables, because Calabrians don’t sit. They order their coffee and cornetto and eat it while standing at the bar, usually taking no more than a few minutes for their whole meal.

Depending on the type of cornetto or brioche they ordered, they might also dip it into their cappuccino … so dip at leisure.

A few hours later, typically after 10:00 AM or so, most Calabrians will have a mid-morning snack, usually a panino or in some cases, especially for those old-timers back in the historical center of Catanzaro … morzello and pitta bread.

What is your favorite part of an Italian breakfast? What kind of pastry do you prefer?

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Photo: AnimalVegetable via Flickr

The first time I traveled to Naples, I had “EAT A SFOGLIATELLA” written in big letters on my Must See and Do list. If your travels haven’t taken you to Naples or the Campania region in southern Italy, then you’re in for a sweet treat when you arrive. In Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, she came to Naples to eat the town’s world famous pizza. When I read the book, I hoped she got also got a sfogliatella while she was there. This wonderful pastry is worth the trip alone!

So, how was my first sfogliatella? Well, it wasn’t love at first bite. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) This little pastry turned out to be quite the challenge to eat. I’ve even caught a few Neapolitans making a powdered sugar mess of themselves without seeming to notice. And it’s oh so worth it! Unless you were blessed with an unusual amount of grace, you can expect a little white shower as you bite into the crunchy pastry shell dusted lightly with powdered sugar. The reward, however, is the first taste of the luscious, cinnamon scented ricotta cheese filling dotted with tiny bits of candied fruit.

While each recipe varies slightly, my favorite sfogliatelle have the perfect balance of spices and the scent of orange, and must not be too crunchy on the outside. It’s a delicate balance. It wasn’t a pretty sight the first time I tried a sfogliatella. The crunchy outer shell poked the top of my mouth when I bit in and, unfortunately, I was wearing black that day. The second time around I began to notice the subtlety of the flavors. And it wasn’t long before the sfogliatella became my favorite Neapolitan dessert!

My top choice for sfogliatelle in Naples is the historic Gran Caffè Gambrinus located right off the Piazza Plebiscito in the center of the city. I always stop by there for a sfogliatella and one of theirdelicious espressos with hazelnut cream when I’m in Naples. But you don’t have to visit Naples to find great sfogliatella. You’ll also find them at cafés and the local pasticcerie (pastry shops)
throughout the region of Campania. Where I live in Amalfi, my favorite spots for enjoying this special treat are the small and welcoming Pasticceria Leone or at the elegant Pasticceria Pansa located right in Amalfi’s main piazza.

While the sfogliatella is considered a signature Neapolitan pastry, the birthplace of this tasty treat was in Conca dei Marini, a tiny village located in the mountains of the Amalfi Coast. In the 1600s the precursor to today’s sfogliatella was created by nuns at the Monastery of Santa Rosa. You’ll still find this variety of sfogliatella, called santarosa after the monastery, in pasticcerie throughout the region. It differs in that it’s filled with a crema pasticcera instead of ricotta and is topped with a dab of crema di amarene (sour black cherry).

While I prefer the traditional Neapolitan variety, you’ll have to do some taste testing during your travels to find your favorite spot for enjoying the best sfogliatelle. That’s your Campania travel challenge, should you choose to accept!

Gran Caffè Gambrinus
Via Chiaia, 1/2
(Piazza Trieste e Trento)
Naples 80132
Tel. 081 417582 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              081 417582      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              081 417582      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Pasticceria and Bar Leone
Via Lorenzo d’Amalfi, 47
Amalfi 84011
Tel. 089 871127

Pasticceria Pansa
Piazza Duomo, 40
Amalfi 84011
Tel. 089 871065

Prefer to make your own? Check out this recipe for Sfogliatella from Mangia Bene Pasta or watch the video demonstration below.

Laura Thayer is an art historian and freelance writer living on the Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy.
She writes about travel for MNUI travel insurance and blogs about life on the Amalfi Coast at her own site Ciao Amalfi.

Traveling to Calabria? Then check out my Calabria travel tips e-guide “Don’t Get Caught with Dirty Drawers.”

Photos: MSWine and Ciao Amalfi!. YouTube video: LucianaDTT

It’s often strange to see how customs evolve, morph or change when traveling from Italy to the United States. Growing up in a mostly Sicilian household, with a touch of Calabrese tossed in for good measure, many of our superstitions, customs and delicacies were right off the boat. However, where we differ from the natives is the history behind them. As you can tell, it’s a bit like playing the childhood game of telephone to see how far off the mark a recipe, tradition, or holiday custom will deviate, as I explained here for my family’s version of the voostedda.

So, when I asked Nana about mollica (or modica, pronounced moo-deeg-yuh in Sicilian dialect), of course I got her creative story – Italians didn’t have a lot of money and when they couldn’t afford to buy grated cheese, they fried up bread crumbs to sprinkle on their pasta. That was Nana’s version. When I researched a bit more, I discovered another story – that being that Italians don’t sprinkle cheese on pasta dishes with fish in them (i.e. pasta finocchi sarde, or con le alici or con i calamari) so they created mollica as an alternative.

By now you must be saying “yuck” or “yum,” depending on your palate but Sicilians take their mollica seriously. Papa even had his own stash, which was mixed with crushed red pepper and the malocchio was bestowed upon anyone who left that jar empty.

Now, you can live large and use both grated cheese and mollica and forget that cholesterol may be an issue. The salty taste of the cheese and the crunchy taste of the mollica are true perfection for lopping up the extra sauce/gravy on your plate. And that whole “sauce v. gravy” argument is worthy of an article in itself (BTW – I have never, ever heard any Italian-American call it ragu!)

Mollica Recipe

Ingredients:
(amounts vary depending on how much leftover bread you have, but here is an idea)

>> Leftover bread
>> Dash of Salt
>> 2 tablespoons, Parsley flakes
>> 1 teaspoon, Garlic powder
>> 1 teaspoon, Oregano

Directions:

1. Bake the bread in the oven at 250° F for about 15 minutes, or until dried and crisp.
2. Crush it either in a food processor or blender and add seasoning.
3. Store in an airtight container.

Buon Appetito!

Thanks, Lisa. I love the idea of adding crushed red pepper flakes, a la Lisa’s nonno. Have you ever made mollica and if so, what do you add to your recipe?

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney and the Italy travel consultant and creative force behind Wanderlust Women Travel and the recently launched Amalfi destination wedding site, Wanderlust Weddings. Her love of Amalfi has also inspired her to gather sterling silver jewelry and gifts inspired by the blues of the region at Amalfi Blu. She also writes travel features for MNUI travel insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.

Traveling to southern Italy? Why not subscribe to my newsletter to get more information on the area?

Photos: Lisa Fantino and Fiordilatte via Flickr

To add a splash of diversity to the Calabrian-specific recipes I usually talk about, I’ve asked some of my Italophile friends from around the world for their favorites. (And if you’d like to submit your favorite authentic Italian pasta recipe, let me know and we’ll get your recipe in the lineup!)

Today’s Florence-based foodie is Katie, from Olio di Oliva e Sogni di Vino and she’s taking us back to when she first met and fell in love with one of her favorite standby dishes-Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino.

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From a chocolate-filled brioche in the morning to spaghetti alle vongole on the seaside, it is tough for me to choose just one favorite dish from the Italian cucina. But I’ll try. One of my favorite things about Italian cooking is the simple, fresh ingredients they use to create their masterpieces. So, with that in mind, I’ve done the impossible and chosen a favorite.

Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

My friend Giulio introduced me to this dish back in 2005. I had never heard of aglio, olio e peperoncino (garlic, olive oil and pepper) pasta and prior to that day and wasn’t quite sure how I felt about spicy red pepper adorning my plate. After I saw how easy it was to recreate and how it is filling, yet light, I was hooked.

I watched Giulio finely chop the aglio and then warm the olio until it was just hot enough to add the garlic. Cooking the spaghetti until it was al dente, he added it to the garlic and olive oil mixture. He tossed the spaghetti until it was coated with the garlic-infused olive oil and added a generous dash of red pepper flakes for good measure.

Since that day, this dish has become a staple in my house and I’ve altered it many times over, depending on my mood. Here is a basic recipe for pasta aglio, olio e peperonicino. There are no exact quantities, so add as much or as little as each ingredient as you want to suit your taste.

Ingredients:
>> Spaghetti
>> Extra virgin olive oil
>> 1 or 2 cloves of garlic ( I am a garlic addict)
>> Peperoncino
>> Salt
>> Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta al dente in salted water. Keep about a cup of the hot, salted water to use later.

2. Crush the garlic with the heal of your hand (to keep the flavor).

3. In a saucepan, cook the garlic and olive oil on low heat.

4. When the pasta is ready, add it to the olive oil and garlic mixture.

5. Toss with crushed red pepper flakes-as much as you can handle-and add the salted water you kept from the pasta.

6. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Buon Appetito!

* Tip: If fresh garlic and red pepper flakes aren’t staples in your kitchen, then check your dry spice aisle for a pepper/garlic mix.

Katie Greenaway is a freelance travel writer and is the Local Expert of Florence for Nile Guide where she also provides the secrets of Florence on her blog. She writes about her life in Florence on her personal blog Olio di Oliva e Sogni di Vino and contributes to MNUI Travel Insurance with travel articles.

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Photos: Antonio and Godzillante via Flickr

I’ve been collecting notes on Italian coffee and had even scribbled in a publication date on My Bella Vita’s editorial calendar, but avid traveler and coffeeholic Cecil Lee of Travel Feeder beat me to the punch. Below, you’ll find his description of what he has learned about Italian coffee, along with some of my notes tossed in … ’cause I can’t help myself!

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Like many of my globetrotting colleagues, I’m addicted to coffee and depend on that hot, steamy cup of mud to get me through my day. I also thrive on taste-testing different varieties of coffee and trying-and comparing-them in each country I visit. And who, you ask, is the hands down winner in my book for best coffee?

Why, Italy, of course.

On my recent trip through the country, I found myself visiting Italian bars … more often than I should, and besides learning to inhale my coffee at the bar-like the locals do!-I picked up a few new coffee terms to add to my Italian-language repertoire.

The most common varieties of Italian coffee you will see on the menu are “Cappuccino,” “Americano,” and “Caffè.” But for those of you who’d like to try something different, here are some, possibly new, Italian coffee terms to help you along the way.

- Caffè: In other parts of the world it is called “espresso,” but in Italy, it is simply called “Caffè.” Expect it to be served in a small cup and order “caffè” – not espresso.

- Americano: One or two shots of espresso diluted with hot water

- Cappuccino: Espresso topped with frothed milk (Cherrye’s note: An Italian cappuccino is sometimes sprinkled with cocoa powder and is my preferred morning drink here in Italy. In fact, I’ve been known to sulk like a little girl if they forget to add my cocoa.)

- Corretto: One shot of espresso mixed or “corrected” with a shot of liquor, normally Grappa or Brandy

- Caffè Shakerato: A shot of espresso that is mixed with sugar and ice and then shaken until it is frothy. (Cherrye’s note: In many bars in Calabria, a caffè shakerato is made with cold milk or hazelnut gelato … . Yowsers, talk about delicious!)

- Caffelatte: Not to be confused with “latte,” the Italian word for milk, a caffelatte is just a mix of espresso and milk and is my personal favorite

- Caffè Doppio: We call it a double espresso in Malaysia, and in Italy it is just two shots of regular ole Italian espresso

- Macchiato: A shot of espresso topped with a dollop of frothed milk (Cherrye’s note: If you are looking for something a bit sweeter, why not ask for a Caffè Bacio, a macchiato that is drizzled with warm melted chocolate … like the sweet chocolaty “kiss” it is.)

- Caffè D’Orzo: A coffee substitute that is brewed with roasted barley

- Caffè con Panna: A shot of espresso that is topped with thick whipped cream

(Cherrye’s note: Similar to a caffè con panna, a Caffè alla Nocciola (hazelnut coffee) is a shot of espresso that is served with hazelnut and topped with slivers of fresh hazelnuts. In some bars it is served with the hazelnut paste they use in their pastries, while other bars serve it with hazelnut gelato. Recipes vary, but the result is usually the same … and I bet you know what I mean. Delizioso!)

Thanks, Cecil. If you’d like to know more about ordering an Italian coffee in Italy, you can read up on that over at Ms. Adventures in Italy, pick up more Italian coffee terms with Jessica at Why Go Italy or create your own caffè shakerato like I do … my recipe is right here.

So, Cecil and I shared our favorite Italian coffee drinks with you-won’t you do the same? What is your Italian coffee of choice in or out of the bel paese?

Cecil Lee is a passionate travel blogger and photographer living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He writes about travel for MNUI travel insurance and on his own travel photo blog, Travel Feeder.

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Photos: Cecil Lee

Earlier this week I wrote a guest post for Mangia Monday, a weekly column over at Wanderlust Women Travel. The site’s owner, Lisa Fantino was interested in how Sicilians are taking a bite out of crime and it reminded her of some of her favorite culinary memories as a child.

Welcome, Lisa.

“You are what you eat, takes on new meaning with Sicilian comfort food!”

Some people eat to live and others live to eat…………….as someone with Sicilian blood coursing through her veins, I can tell you that Italians clearly live to eat. They have a love affair with food that begins the moment they cut their first molar to and doesn’t end even when old age has taken their teeth. All of this comes with good reason – because Italian food is fantastico. OK, I may be biased here but isn’t all comfort food the food we’ve eaten since birth? Well, for me that meant voosteddi on special occasions.

“Holy cannoli what is a voosteddi,” you must be saying. I had no idea but I knew it was a treat. My Papa Cicio would venture to New York’s Little Italy weekly and on some of those return trips home I would be lucky enough to get voosteddi. It was like a special snack because the whole experience was made special.

It would start with a call from Papa to Nana saying he was on his way home……..she in turn would find me and tell me voosteddi were on the way. I would wait with tummy growling, anxious for Papa to walk through that door carrying a brown bag loaded with greasy sandwiches from the heavens.

It was a ritual. Papa, Zio Vincenzo and I would gather around the kitchen table sucking down these divine bits of culinary pleasure, often joined by my cousin if he happened to be around, as Italian sons usually show up when it’s time to eat! The paper thin slices of what looked like beef were layered on the softest bread with just a dollop of ricotta and maybe some grated cheese. That was it. They went down so smoothly and I knew they had to be special because even Nana didn’t dare make these in her kitchen and she cooked EVERYTHING…..even capozzelli (Lamb’s head right down to the eyeballs)

No one would tell me where these voostedi came from – it was top secret and reportedly happened down a back alley at a door which required a special knock. I kid you not. You can’t make this stuff up and maybe you just have to be Sicilian to appreciate it.

When I was about 18 or 19, maybe even 20, I dared to ask Papa what was in a voosteddi, just in case I wanted to make one. He wouldn’t tell me. “You like it, then mangia,” he would say, twisting his knuckle into the side of his cheek with a smile on his face. That was the Sicilian hand gesture, and everything has one, that meant delizioso.

Well, I happened to be the straight chick to my Zio and cousin’s twisted sense of humor. My Zio figured he would tell me straight, “It’s bull’s balls.”

“Ew, that’s disgusting. It is not.”

“You asked and then you don’t like the answer, so just eat it, you’ve been eating it all these years.”

So I begin dissecting the sandwich, peeking between the slices of bread as if I would know what a bull’s testicle would look like when it was cooked. My cousin agrees with Zio and I do not trust this Goombah Johnny routine. Something smells like bull, if you pardon the pun.

I now finish the voosteddi, not knowing if I should waft down another or be sick to my stomach on one of the delicacies which has sustained me since I could chew.

OK, Nana would never, ever lie to me, not me. I was her #1.

“Nana, what’s in a voosteddi?”

“Bull’s balls,” she says without skipping a beat!

Nooooooooo – help me. This is the Italian kid’s versions of sliders and they were destroying me.

It wasn’t until years later, long after Papa Cicio and Nana were gone that I researched voosteddi only to learn that the mystery meat is really a cow’s spleen. Sounds kind of disgusting but oh so yummy and oh how I long for those days in Nana’s kitchen again!

NOTE: Cherrye has referred to these Sicilian treats as milza. I have seen them spelled vastedda. It’s all about dialect in Italy and with DNA from Palermo and Corleone, is anyone gonna mess with me on pronunciation?

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney and the Italy travel consultant behind Wanderlust Women Travel and the Italian destination wedding site Wanderlust Weddings. She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.

Interested in reading more about Sicily?

Check out my post today at Bleeding Espresso’s Gita Italiana-we’re talking about getting to Sicily’s Aeolian Islands from various points in Calabria or click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Photos: Papero Giallo and Eating in Translation via Flickr.

There are many places you can go when you are traveling in Calabria near Catanzaro … you could see Le Castella, visit the ruins in Roccelletta or spend a morning driving through Sila Piccola in La Sila National Park.

And that, my friends, is what I want to talk about today.

If you’ve spent much time on this site, you know one of my favorite destinations in Calabria is La Sila. Maybe it is because I grew up in flat-land, Texas and love the idea of driving through winding mountain roads. Maybe it is the clean, fresh air-99.9% pure, or so they say … or maybe it is the view, from every little corner, of a glistening lake, a canopy of pine trees or a village, with bright Italian roofs dotting the landscape.

Or maybe it is because *the best restaurant I’ve been to in Italy* is located there.

Yes, I said it. The best restaurant in Italy.

… or at least, the best one I’ve been to … Villa Marinella.

Last fall my husband and I accidentally discovered this place when our old-faithful Silan restaurant of choice was booked. We drove the kilometer or so to Villaggio Racise and pulled in front of Villa Marinella.

They were busy-hustling and bustling, serving diners, smiling at each other, ensuring a positive pranzo experience for everyone they saw … even us.

“Do you have a reservation?” They asked.

Blushing, we looked down at the floor … “No, we don’t.”

“That’s ok!” The handsome, if I can say so, server told us. “We’ll find something for you. Just give us a few minutes.”

And they did.

I can’t remember all of the details, only dish after dish (after dish after dish after dish) being plopped in front of us-grilled eggplant and zucchini, stuffed eggplant, homemade sausage, cheese and prosciutto, five-count ‘em … five!-different samples of primi plates, including porcini crepes and spinach cannoloni … and homemade wine-direct from their personal vineyard near Lamezia-all for, get this, €18 a person.

We’ve returned to Villa Marinella several times since that day, usually for special occasions-like my birthday in January or a beautiful spring day in May and we love to take our friends there when they are visiting.

Just last week, we went again. This time, the restaurant was bare-just one other family in the corner and Luigi, the same cute, friendly server, grinning at the door.

“Is it too late?” We asked, since it was well after 2:00 and we knew the family-only staff might want to rest before the dinner rush.

“No,” he insisted. “Not at all. Choose your seat.”

We did and he immediately came over to offer suggestions.

“Our friend is here from Spain,” my husband told him. “So let’s just do a small antipasto-only with homemade stuff.”

“It’s all ours,” Luigi told us. “How about some prosciutto, salami, cheese and a mixed hot antipasto plate to share?”

“Ok,” my husband said. “But not too much and really, only bring the stuff you make yourselves.”

“But we make it all ourselves,” Luigi repeated proudly. “Even the prosciutto, it is ours, too.”

We ok’d the antipasto order and moved on to first and second plates.

“We have gnocchi alla crema di zucca,” he said, and listed a few other pasta dishes made with mushrooms and meat.

Luckily for me, I misunderstood “all zucca,” thought he said “alla zucchine” and ordered a sampler primi plate with half of the gnocchi dish and half pasta with pancetta and mushrooms.

And it was the best lingual mistake I’ve ever made.

Luigi and one of his cousins brought out the primi plates and both boys dove head first into my plate of gnocchi.

“They are fabulous.”
“Delicious.”
“Best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“His mom made them,” his cousin said, as she dropped off a few more plates and bounced back to the kitchen.

“Your mom?” I asked Luigi. “Mamma mia-che brava!”

“Yes,” he nodded, the same proud, patience smile fixed on us. “She makes all of the primi plates.

“My aunt makes all of the second dishes, my uncle and cousins do the cold antipasto, my sister does the hot antipasto and together my uncle and sister make desserts and “command” the kitchen. My dad organizes the main dining room and works the bar and my brother and I seat people, serve them their meals and work at the register.”

His eyes twinkled. “We all work here together. From the time we are about seven we start carrying water to people, offering them coffee, talking to our guests. We are so lucky.”

He turned toward the kitchen.

“Oh, by the way,” he told the boys, as he turned back to look at us. “The sausage you are eating is from our final pig last winter.”

He pointed out the window, “We have all of our gardens over there-and when we aren’t here, we are all together over there working in the land.”

He let out a long, happy sigh. “There is always something to do.”

He smiled, shrugged and walked away.

I continued to work on my gnocchi mountain, my head spinning in a drunken stupor, as the soft potato dumplings and light cream sauce danced on my tongue. The boys, already digging into their sausage and Silan potatoes, were quiet. There was nothing else to be said.

We all felt we had been let in on a family secret-a little slice of the Bianco family’s life-a tale that made us love them-and their homemade everything-even more.

Villa Marinella
88050 Villaggio Racise
Taverna (CZ)

I think the pillars of a great restaurant are fresh ingredients, consistency and service-and Villa Marinella has all three. What do you think is the most important thing to look for in a restaurant?

Traveling south? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Last week my friend and expat-in-southern-Italy counterpart, Tina of Tina Tangos wrote about three things to love about living in Italy.

And yes, it is all about the food.

The thing is, Tina and I are both lucky not only to live in Italy, but to live in southern Italy, where the food is apparently that much better. So in addition to Tina’s three things to love, I’d like to add a few of my own.

1. Say Cheese

My husband got quite offended earlier this week when I was near tears at the local Lidl’s British Week when I discovered there was no more Cheddar Cheese.

“You are in Calabria, Cherrye,” he told me. “We have the best cheese in the world.”

Well, since I am yet to sample all of the world’s cheeses and have a few French friends who’d defriend me if I agreed, I’ll just say that yes, Calabria has great cheese.

In fact, Calabrian cheese, especially Provola di Sila and Pecorino Calabrese are some of my favorite things about Calabria, so if you see them when you are out and about, be sure to give them a try.

2. Peperoncino, Per Favore

Oh, I’ve written of my passion for the peperoncino many times over the years, still it is one of my favorite things about southern Italy and thus, merits another mention.

I love how Calabrians use the ever-popular pepper in most of their plates, then offer it freely for those (of us) who’d like to add a little more power to our pranzo. I love how they don’t look at you strangely if you add it to your pasta and how oftentimes you get your choice-fresh, dried or oil-for your pizza.

3. Melanzane Mania

Even in Texas I loved to top my dishes with a pretty pepper or a chunk of cheese, but it is the mighty melanzane-or eggplant, if you please, that has taken me by surprise. This pretty purple produce is great sliced and grilled, fried, rolled into a ball or baked. Unfortunately, perfection has alluded me and most of the time my melanzane ends up either old-soaked or dry. However, my father-in-law is the melanzane master, so luckily for me, I can still get my fill on this Calabrian specialty.

Ok, if you had to choose-what ONE food-related item do you love most about southern Italy?

This post was written on behalf of Affordable Calling Cards.net, the company that sells-you guessed it-affordable calling cards to Italy. You can either check out their calling cards or read posts written by other expats in the ACC community.

Traveling south? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Photos: Academia Barilla, Gusti di Calabria, Netturbe, Dolci e Non Solo (also a great source of Italian-language recipes).

Laura, an avid tea drinker and fellow expat in southern Italy was interested-and I do believe a tad jealous-and wanted to explore the bella bergamot.

So, let’s welcome her, shall we?

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Those of you who have traveled to Italy will understand when I say that Italy is a coffee country. The morning traditionally starts with a cappuccino and the rest of the day punctuated with short, strong shots of espresso often served standing up at a bar. While this is a fine way to stay caffeinated, I’ve always preferred a nice cup of tea.

Yet, ordering a cup of tea in Italy makes me feel, well, like a tourist. And since enjoying a cup of tea also requires much more time than the average 30 seconds an Italian needs to enjoy a cup of espresso, I usually keep my tea preferences between myself and my large stockpile of tea at home.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered recently that bergamot, the distinctive scent that flavors Earl Grey tea (one of my favorites!), comes from bergamot oranges. And where, you might ask, are bergamot oranges grown? Just down south! South, that is, from where I live on the Amalfi Coast in Campania. I’ve never associated tea and Italy in any way, but, as it turns out, Calabria is the only place in the world where the climate is just right for bergamot oranges to grow naturally.

You’ll find groves of bergamot oranges growing along a stretch of the Calabrian coastline from Villa San Giovanni to Gioiosa Ionica, wrapping around the toe of Italy’s boot from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Seas. These very particular citrus trees sure have a good taste when it comes to location!

But before you go peeling and biting into a bergamot orange, you should know that these pear-shaped, yellow fruits are thought to be a natural cross between a lime and a sour orange. This makes them quite sour to eat fresh. The juice and zest of the skin are often used in candies, liqueurs and pastries. The essential oil extracted from the skin of the bergamot is also used for perfumes, cosmetics and, of course, Earl Grey tea!

Calabria is a region of Italy I’ve longed to travel to and discover since I moved to Italy, and now I have just one more reason to lure me south. Next time as I sip my cup of Earl Grey tea, instead of feeling out of place in Italy’s coffee culture, I’ll be wondering instead if the bergamot in my cup of tea came from the beautiful coastline of Calabria.

Laura Thayer is an art historian and freelance writer living on the Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy. She writes about travel for MNUI travel insurance and blogs about life on the Amalfi Coast at her own site Ciao Amalfi.

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Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan your trip to Calabria or southern Italy.

Photo: Laura Padgett and Jen Maiser