THE ONE FROM CAMPANIA
Regional Italian Dinner Party - Episode 1
THE ONE FROM CAMPANIA
Menu to serve 6
SNACK - MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA
STARTER - CIANFOTTA ALLA NAPOLETANA
MAIN - CALAMARATA
PUDDING - TORTA CAPRESE
Ciao amori miei! Today we embark on the first in a little sub-series that will run through the coming issues of the newsletter. WE ARE GOING REGIONAL. As some of you may know, I am obsessed with Italian food. My first job as a chef was in an Italian restaurant in London ; Angela Hartnett’s (queen) Cafe Murano in Mayfair. Until that point I had always loved Italian cuisine and had been lucky enough to holiday there frequently in my life. But it wasn’t until the deep dive of working in that kitchen, with a 98% Italian staff, that I really, properly fell hard. I loved chatting to the team about their town’s specialities; hearing them argue about what to call the pasta shape we had made that day or about how many layers there should be in our lasagne. I am one of those people with an ear for language (my degree was Spanish and French), so I started to pick up a bit of Italian too, albeit mostly swearwords. I became fascinated with the locality of it - two staff members from the same region could have a vastly different idea of what a dish should be just because they grew up in two different villages. After leaving that kitchen I couldn’t ignore the gnawing compulsion that had taken over my brain - to know more about pasta, about Italian food culture and the different forms it takes.
That was almost 7 years ago, and since then I have picked up Italian properly, having worked there on an off for a couple of summers pre-covid, and even had planned to move there in March 2020 (I am sure you can guess why that didn’t happen). I have travelled there a lot more, although nowhere near enough. I am still obsessed, still thirsty for the knowledge, still determined to discover more secrets. Because that is what I feel is so addictive for me - it’s finding a little, idiosyncratic recipe and feeling like you’ve discovered a secret.
So today I’m hopefully going to spark a little of that in you too. We start the Regional Italian Dinner Party series with the iconic Campania; home of Naples, Amalfi and pizza. There is so much more to eat than pizza though, and so much more to see than Naples and Amalfi. Campania is in the volcanic, dramatic coastal South West, about ankle level on the boot. It is historically a less wealthy region and this is reflected in the cooking. It is also, however, bountiful - the rich volcanic soil providing beautiful vegetables and fruit, including the famous Amalfi lemons, and the sea supplying endless treasures. Campania is the home of mozzarella, of much dried pasta (if you see Gragnano written on a pasta packet - that is the town in Campania where most of the best stuff is made), of sfogliatelle and all manner of amazing pastries, of delicious Strega liqueur, of puttanesca, and of an awful lot of fried stuff. It’s a bloody great place to be quite honest. Trying to decide on a menu that made the most of this incredible region was very tricky, but as always the parameters for a good dinner party were my guide - delicious, impressive, easy and can be made in advance are what we go for every time. And we have all that in SPADES with this blinder of a DP.
If you do get a chance to visit Campania, Naples is simply divine and well worth a couple of nights, as is the Cilento coastline and the islands of Ischia and Procida. I thoroughly recommend grabbing a car and touring around, but skip Amalfi unless you want to be surrounded by tourists.
MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA
Essentially a deep fried mozzarella sandwich, and why bloody not. In Campania this was how any old mozzarella was used up - sandwiched between cheap bread, dunked in a pastella (batter) of eggs and flour and fried until crispy outside and molten within. “In carrozza” means “in a carriage” which is a terribly romantic way of describing the filth that this dish really is. Our version today is also dipped in panko breadcrumbs - not at all traditional but it is how we made it when we did it for staff food at the restaurant, as we always had loads on standby for the Chicken Milanese. It makes for a supremely crispy sandwich that can be cooked and then reheated very effectively. As far as a cheese pull goes - I find that the best for this is fior di latte aka cow’s mozzarella. It is slightly drier than buffalo mozzarella making it a better melter - this one works well.
Makes 6
250g ball of fior di latte mozzarella, drained well and cut into 6
12 slices cheap white bread, crusts removed
3 eggs, beaten
100g plain flour
100g panko
Salt and pepper
400ml vegetable oil
To make the sandwiches slice the mozzarella into 6 rounds and drain well on kitchen paper. Pop a piece of mozzarella on a piece of bread (crusts removed), and season well. If you are adding an extra filling, whack it on. My favourite is a couple of basil leaves, a few pieces of sliced red chilli and an anchovy. Pop the other piece of bread on top. Now the cheapness of the bread comes into it’s own - you should be able to squidge the bread together with your fingers to completely seal the edges. It will squish and mold easily into a secure carriage. Trim the edges, set aside and repeat. When you have made them all, set up the flour in one dish, then the beaten eggs next to it, then the panko. Dip and coat each sandwich well in the flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs and then place on a tray lined with parchment. When you have done all six you can place them in the fridge for a couple of hours until you are ready to cook.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan - it should be about half an inch deep. When the oil is around 170 degrees, pop 3 sandwiches in gently and start to fry. Turn the sandwiches a couple of times during cooking until they are an even golden brown on both sides - about 5 minutes. Drain the cooked sandwiches on kitchen paper and let them stand for about a minute or so to avoid burning your guests with molten cheese. Then dig in!
MAKE AHEAD -
You can assemble and breadcrumb the sandwiches up to 3 hours before cooking, just make sure they are kept chilled in the fridge.
If you prefer not to fry when your guests are here, you can fry the sandwiches up to 6 hours ahead, cool and refrigerate until needed. When you want to eat them, preheat the oven to 200 and pop them in on a tray for 5-8 minutes until piping hot. They will be crispy and molten again!
SUBSTITUTIONS -
I love the following additions to the mozzarella - chopped basil, chopped red chilli, anchovies, leftover tomato sauce or ragu, salami, prosciutto or mortadella, pesto.
CIANFOTTA ALLA NAPOLETANA
Cianfotta, as it is known in Napoletano dialect, or Ciambotta in the rest of Southern Italy, is a vegetable stew similar to ratatouille or caponata. It was born out of the glorious glut of summer vegetables that grow in Campania, ensuring nothing was wasted. It’s a super simple dish, great as an antipasti as I am suggesting here, but also as a side for grilled meat or fish or even as a main. This is one of those things that you eat and think - wow, I can’t believe that tastes like that, it’s just vegetables. But it is vegetables the Southern Italian way, ie. with plenty of oil, plenty of salt, and plenty of time.
Serves 6 as a starter.
100ml extra virgin olive oil
3 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
450g potatoes (around 2 medium ones), peeled and roughly chopped
1 aubergine, roughly chopped
2 courgettes, roughly chopped
350g vine tomatoes (around 3), roughly chopped
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
A small bunch of basil
Salt to taste
Add the oil to a large saucepan or casserole and place on a medium heat. Pop in the onions and fry gently for 8-10 minutes until they have softened, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds before adding the aubergine. Stir well to combine, fry for a minute or two and then add the peppers. Continue adding each vegetable, stirring it in, frying for a couple of minutes to let the heat come back to the pan, and then adding the next until you’ve got them all in there. Pour in 150ml of water, and a few whole sprigs of basil and add a very generous pinch of salt. Turn the heat to low and leave the Cianfotta to cook for roughly 1 hour and ten minutes, stirring every so often, until everything is soft and forgiving. Take the stew off the heat and leave it to cool completely and rest, ideally overnight. When you are ready to serve, simply gently reheat it until warm, not piping hot, and stir through a large handful of whole, fresh basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread and parmesan if you like.
MAKE AHEAD -
The Cianfotta is invariably better after a good rest, like a ragu, so that all the flavours can settle and mingle and relax into each other (also like the beginning of a dinner party). So I would suggest making it the day before, two or 3 days also works, as does 6 hours.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
I would keep the vegetables the same for the most part, although of course if you have more of one thing then feel free to add it - this dish isn’t relying on exact quantities necessarily.
Fresh oregano is lovely here too, as well as basil.
CALAMARATA
Calamarata is the name both of this dish and of this pasta shape, particular to Naples that resembles the rings of a sliced up squid. So, practical as they are, the Napoletani decided it would go great WITH squid. And it does. This version is a hybrid of both the traditional Calamarata recipe and of Calamari in Umido, ie. braised squid. As you may already know, squid is a funny old sea creature to cook. It needs either the briefest of cooks - around a minute on a high heat, or a long and slow cook - at least an hour, and anything in between will be chewy and rubbery. Typically the squid sauce for Calamarata is a quick cook jobby, coming together in the pan as the pasta boils. But we know that for a Dinner Party’s sake, this isn’t always practical. Enter a squid sauce made like Calamari in Umido - tender, slow braised squid that can be reheated and tossed with the pasta when you need it. Easy bloody peasy.
Serves 6
600g of cleaned squid (roughly 4 whole squid), ask your fishmonger to do this
1kg fresh tomatoes - a mix of diced vine tomatoes and colourful, sweet cherries (halved) is nice
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
200ml white wine
2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt to taste
90ml olive oil
800g calamarata pasta (use rigatoni or paccheri if you can’t find calamarata)
Start by prepping your squid, although if you’re squeamish you can always ask your fishmonger to do this part for you too, as well as cleaning it. Take the body of the squid and slice with a sharp knife into rings, roughly 2 cm thick. Cut the wings into 2 - 3 pieces and half the tentacles, cutting any long ones down. Pop the oil into a large saucepan on a high heat, then add the garlic and quickly fry for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant but not browning. Then pour in your squid and chilli flakes. It will sputter a bit but don’t worry! Fry for a minute before adding the white wine. Bring the wine up to a simmer and reduce by half before adding in the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Bring the sauce up to a simmer and then turn the heat down to very low. Leave to blip slowly with a lid on for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to cook for another 30 - 40. Take a piece of squid out to taste it and check the cooking - it will still feel like it has firmness but will be tender and soft to the tooth. That is when it is perfect! Leave the sauce to cool completely and then chill until needed.
When you are ready to cook, get a large pan filled with water up to the boil and then salt generously - taste the water, it should taste as salty as you would have a soup, NOT like the sea. Reheat the sauce and drop the pasta when the water is boiling, stirring well. Calamarata takes a while to cook, so give it about 10 minutes (stirring often) before using a kitchen spider to transfer it straight from the pan to the pan of sauce. Add a couple of ladles of pasta water and combine the pasta and sauce really well, before leaving it to cook in the sauce for a further 3 - 4 minutes. This will make the sauce thicken up and become glossy from the starchy pasta. Add more pasta water if it feels too tight. Finally, just before serving check the seasoning and drizzle with a lovely bit of grassy extra virgin olive oil, before piling onto a platter to serve, or plated if you prefer.
MAKE AHEAD -
You can make the squid sauce up to 2 day ahead and just reheat on the day.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
If you don’t like squid, you can do this sauce with prawns but only add the prawns right at the end - they only need 2 minutes cooking!
If you want to add a herb, a lovely smattering of finely chopped parsley is delicious here.
TORTA CAPRESE
This is a bloody wonder of a cake. Originally from the gloriously chic island of Capri that sits in the Gulf of Naples, this dessert has been described in Italian as one of history’s most fortunate mistakes. The myth goes that a Caprese baker forgot to add flour to a cake he was making and discovered the ethereal fudginess you get from a nut based, flourless cake. God love him for it to be honest! It is a really easy recipe, with a quick cook time (essential for fudginess) and it keeps brilliantly too. I have eaten this almost every day since I made it and I have absolutely NO regrets.
Serves 8-10
200g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
200g ground almonds
20g hard amaretti, crushed (optional, you can just add 20g extra ground almonds if you wish)
200g golden caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, diced
2 tbsps dark cocoa powder, sifted
6 eggs - 2 whole, 4 separated
1 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
Mascarpone or whipped cream to serve
Preheat your oven to 150 fan. Grease and line a 23cm springform tin. Pop the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and melt together - either over a pan of gently simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave. When the chocolate is completely melted, mix together well and set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl beat together the ground almonds, amaretti if using, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, whole eggs and 4 egg yolks. The mix will be very thick. I like using the crushed amaretti here because they have a beautiful almondy caramel flavour but feel free to omit. Add the melted chocolate mix to the almond batter and stir well to combine. Then in a separate, large and very clean bowl, use an electric beater (or a stand mixer if you have one) to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Using a metal spoon, take a large spoonful of the egg whites and beat it hard into the chocolate mix - this will loosen up the stiff batter enough to incorporate the rest of the egg whites softly. Then add in a quarter of the whites and use the spoon to fold them in gently. Continue until all the whites are in and folded evenly through - be patient with your folding and don’t rush it, it’s worth taking the time over it. Transfer the batter into the lined tin and pop the cake in the oven for 28 - 30 minutes. Go for the shorter time if your oven runs hot, or slightly longer if you think it is cool. Remove and leave to cool completely. The cake will be fudgy and slightly gooey in the middle and that is exactly what we want! When the cake is completely cooled and you are ready to serve, transfer it to a plate. Dust with the icing sugar and slice with a sharp knife, serving with mascarpone or cream.
MAKE AHEAD -
This cake is absolutely sensational eaten the day it is made, but it also holds up really well in the fridge so it’s completely up to you, 2 days later it is just as delicious as long as it hasn’t been cut into. I would recommend (as always, I am a broken record) bringing it to room temperature before serving if it has been previously chilled though.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
If you want the cake to be dairy free then swap the butter for vegetable fat.
Instead of amaretti you could add a teaspoon of almond extract or a teaspoon of almond liqueur if you like.
TIMEPLAN
This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.
MISE-EN-PLACE
This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised.
Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.
STYLING GUIDE
MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA
Sandwiches are notoriously hard to style, particularly when they are sealed shut and look a bit like a findus crispy pancake. SO my biggest tip here is don’t worry too much - no one will be looking at the sandwiches until they are already in their mouths. I do suggest checking out this absolutely DIVINE selection of Italian plates on Etsy though - a nice colourful plate here does wonders for a brown slab.
CIANFOTTA ALLA NAPOLETANA
This dish is so bright and colourful - kind of the opposite of our crispy snack. It is also lovely and lush with veggy oily goodness, so choose a plate with a lip to start with. I love a bit of a colour on colour vibe, so go for gorgeous brightness again if you can, or if in doubt a blue tone will be delightful too - it will bring out all the reds and greens and yellows.
CALAMARATA
This dish is very visually striking I find and so I would go for a simpler platter or plate here. A colour palate similar to the dish is also good too - creams and reds and yellows work beautifully. As always, I love a sharing moment for pasta and given the shape it’s an easy one to serve à table.
TORTA CAPRESE
Simplicity is key here, no icing or piping needed on this cake. I would just make your life easy and serve it whole, slicing as you pass it around the table. Particularly as the cake will dry out if you cut it before. A deep bluey - green is lovely against the deep brown but anything you have that is big enough works. Even a cake stand would be grand!
Grazie di cuore for reading this weeks love letter to Southern Italian cooking - I hope it inspires you to explore more lesser known Italian dishes, to take that trip to Naples you always wanted to do or to try a squid dish at home that is unfuckupable. Huge huge love and until next time, a dopo! x