A Foodie Pilgrimage in Campania, Italy

Having recently spent a blissful week on the Amalfi Coast of Italy (reviewed here and here), I was thrilled to return to the region by invitation of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) on a foodie expedition to learn about some of Campania’s produce.

A region of great beauty and contrasts, Campania, on the southwestern tip of Italy has edgy Naples at its heart, ancient Pompeii nearby, as well as some of the most luxurious summer retreats on the Amalfi coast and Capri, where artists, celebrities and well-healed travellers have flocked for decades.

Life is a Beach!

A culinary and agricultural powerhouse, the region supplies some of the country’s sweetest tomatoes, the best buffalo mozzarella and burrata cheeses, as well as being host to the cities of Gragnano and Naples, the Italian capital of artisan pasta and the birthplace of pizza respectively.

A cheese platter from Campania - buffalo mozzarella, burrata, trecce

A wine-producing region, Campania is also famed for its native grapes, making for elegant whites including Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, as well as the aromatic Falanghina. It also produces hearty reds made from the native Aglianico grape.

The main purpose of our visit to Campania was to learn about the production process of peeled Italian tomatoes, from the farm to the consumer. We visited two major Italian tinned tomato producers – La Doria (www.gruppoladoria.com) and Calispa (www.calispa.it). At Calispa, we were taken into the production line for their Nobile range of peeled tomatoes.

The process is for the most part automated, from washing the fruit to de-stemming and peeling. The stage which requires the most care and attention is the final selection, which highly trained local Italian women have done for generations.

The sheer quantity of tomatoes being processed was staggering, but not surprising considering that Italy is the second largest producer of tinned tomatoes in the world, behind only California. Sixty percent of the Italian production is exported to Europe, with the UK luckily being one of the largest importers.

There are few tomato-based pasta dishes I can imagine making without using Italian tinned tomatoes, because they are harvested at the peak of their ripeness and flavour, they will make the richest sauces. Peeled tomatoes are one of the pillars of Italian cooking, and without them, there would be no pasta or pizza.

At Calispa, we tried their premium range of peeled tomatoes, Nobile, including the highly regarded San Marzano plum tomatoes, considered by many chefs to be the best in the world. Indeed the San Marzano were sweeter and more intense in flavour than the other varietals I tried, and I can’t think of another peeled tomato I would rather use for pasta sauces today.

To experience for ourselves some of the local peeled tomatoes, a magnificent dinner was held at the seafood restaurant Mare Nostrum (www.ristorantemarenostrum.it) in Salerno. Tomatoes were featured in every course including dessert – a refreshing San Marzano tomato ice cream, accompanied by a Baba of tomato cream and a confit of pachino tomatoes!

San Marzano Tomato Ice Cream

Another interesting visit was to the Syngenta Research Institute (www.syngenta.com), where we met some of the people behind the eye-opening work being carried out there. In Italy, Syngenta has around 400 employees mostly in R&D, where they study among other projects, different methods of helping rural communities increase farming productivity in sustainable ways.

Tomato Crop Research at Syngenta

Syngenta was followed by a visit and lunch at Agriturismo Al Celone, Foggia (www.alcelone.it). Agriturismos are essentially holiday-letting properties on Italian farms, either as part of the farmer's house or in a separate building in the farm grounds.  They are usually better value than hotels and are set in some of the most beautiful parts of the Italian countryside, but best of all, they are generally foodie places offering excellent meals, including lots of produce from the farm itself, and from the locality.

The Agriturismo Al Celone was quite a large, recently restored property with four bedrooms and three dining rooms, set in a farm on the outskirts of the town of Foggia.  This makes it a convenient base for visits to Campania, but is also very close to the plains of Puglia, the Gargano National Park and the Appenine mountains.

Lunch was a simple but delicious affair, starting with a selection of antipasti, including tomatoes over grilled bread, some fantastic cheeses and cold meats, followed by Orechietti pasta.

PDO Burrata of Campania

For me, one of the most interesting visits was to "Mail" – a traditional producer of buffalo mozzarella (www.caseificiomail.it), owned by the Raimondo family.

Buffalo mozzarella is made from the milk of the domestic Italian water buffalo, and is traditionally produced in Campania (which has had its own PDO or Protected Designation of Origin since 1993), and particularly in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno.

It is not entirely clear how water buffalo ended up in Italy (one theory is that the Arabs introduced them to Sicily, and then the Norman kings moved them in around 1,000 AD to southern Italy, initially as work animals). They have certainly been there for many centuries, and cheese has been made from buffalo milk in Campania since at least the twelfth century.

A special feature of the milk is its richness - to produce 1kg of cheese, 5 kg of buffalo milk is required, compared with 8kg of cows milk. A litre of buffalo milks costs three times the price of cow’s milk. On this visit, we saw the whole production process from milk heating, to curdling, curd maturation, spinning, shaping and packaging.

Particularly magnificent is the PDO burrata of Campania (burrata meaning 'buttered') - a stupendous fresh cheese with an outer solid shell of mozzarella, and a centre of creamy fior di latte. This cheese has become a staple in any decent Italian restaurant in London, but unfortunately it does not travel well, and it is hard to find anything in the UK as unctuously rich and flavoursome as the burrata I ate at Mail.  (Incidentally, the best I have had in London was at the restaurant Quattro Passi, reviewed here).

Close to Mail is the 80 hectare buffalo farm Agricola Filippo Morese (www.caseificiotavernapenta.it), where we had the opportunity to learn some interesting facts about the beasts, as well as seeing them close up and personal.

Owned by the Morese family since 1694, today the farm has 600 buffalo kept in modern stables, with several hectares of grassland for grazing. It has a yoghurt bar for visitors, situated in the ancient courtyard at Taverna Penta. Guided tours by the owner, Filippo Morese, or his Swedish wife Flavia are available by prior arrangement.

At Pizzeria Tenuta Antica Braceria (Cava de' Tirreni (SA) 84013
Via Vitale A., tel 0894689378) in the little hamlet of Sant' Anna II, 6 miles northwest of Salerno, we were given a pizza-making demonstration, including the use of peeled tomatoes as a base sauce.

The pizzeria produced some of the best pizze I have eaten anywhere - all their pizza bases are left to prove for 24 hours before being stretched out, topped with the most flavoursome local ingredients, and of course incomparable tomato sauce, before being whacked into a wood-fired oven. This is a gem of a place, relatively undiscovered (it does not have a website), and I highly recommend a visit if you are in Campania.

From pizza to pasta, the demonstration was followed by a visit to Pastificio Di Martino (www.pastadimartino.com), one of the oldest and most famous pasta manufacturers in Gragnano, the capital of artisan pasta in Italy. Here, we met Guiseppe Di Martino, the third generation of the family and the current owner.

Pasta has been produced in Gragnano for over 500 years, and is considered by Italian chefs to be the country's finest. Indeed it was granted its own PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) quality designation by the EU in 2013.

So what makes Gragnano pasta better than pasta from other parts of Italy? Gragnano producers are thought to have become so expert in the pasta making because of several factors unique to the town. One is that, before the advent of modern heaters, Gragnano had just the right combination of salty sea breezes and sunshine to provide the perfect conditions for drying pasta outdoors. Today, this is reflected in the lower temperatures and longer drying times (50 to 65°C for 18 to 80 hours depending on the shape) compared with the rest of Italy (80 to 100°C for 4 hours).

A second reason is that Gragnano pasta is made exclusively from the Senatore Cappelli durum wheat semolina native to southern Italy, giving a unique flavour and a higher percentage of protein than any other pasta in the country.

Moreover, the combination of low temperature drying and high protein content gives rise to pasta with stronger walls. As the hydroscopic starch cells absorb water, they push out the walls of the pasta, but since these are strong from the high protein content and slow drying, they will not easily break but remain al dente during cooking. 

Finally, the slow extrusion through a bronze die used in Gragnano gives rise to a roughened surface, ideal for holding the pasta sauce and flavours.

Pastificio Di Martino produces huge quantities of pasta, of which 80% is exported, including an own-brand Tesco variety (Lumache shape for 89p, buy it here) we saw being labelled up during our visit, so look out for Gragnano pasta at your local supermarket.

The closing event of the trip was a cooking show and superb dinner at the Citta' del Gusto Napoli del Gambero Rosso (www.gamberorosso.it), featuring one-Michelin-starred chef Raffaele Vitale of Casa del Nonno13 (www.casadelnonno13.it) in nearby Sant’Eustachio di Mercato San Severino.

Chef Rafaelle Vitale

We learned how to make the local PGI Gragnano pasta in three different styles - bucatini pizzaiola style with cherry tomatoes, mezzi canneroni lisci with peeled tomatoes and basil, and finally ziti with Neapolitan ragu sauce.

The mezzi canneroni lisci, despite being the simplest pasta dish, was to me the most interesting. The pasta was cooked in water for only two minutes, then transferred to a simple sauce of peeled tomatoes, basil, olive oil and salt, where it was cooked for a few minutes more. Cooked in this way, the pasta absorbed the highly flavoured tomato sauce, and was outstanding.

Dinner featured the finest produce of Campania, served with elegant simplicity and accompanied by local wines from Villa Raiano (www.villaraiano.com).

Tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella was followed by a delectable aubergine parmigiana cooked individually in jars – one of Chef Raffaele Vitale’s signature dishes.

Having opted for a later flight, I had most of the last day to explore Salerno on my own before returning to the UK (this consisted mainly in researching all the town’s restaurants for my final lunch).

The lovely main town of the Amalfi coast, Salerno is a great spot to spend a few days, with a beautiful seafront promenade, the Castello di Arechi and the magnificent Duomo all worthy of a visit.

The seafood restaurant L'Unico (http://www.lunicoristorante.it/), near the Duomo, came highly recommended, and this is where I headed for my last meal in Campania. This is a simple restaurant serving a selection of excellent Mediterranean dishes at reasonable prices. The outdoor courtyard in front of the restaurant is a nice place to sit and enjoy your meal whilst people watching.

I started with a couple of antipasti – fried anchovies stuffed with scamorza cheese and mint (€8) got proceedings off to a good start with a ½ litre carafe of a light and fruity Falanghina, produced by A. Sammarco (€7). The combination of cheese and fish worked well in this dish, which goes to show that deep-rooted culinary rules are there to be challenged.

This was followed by a platter of well-made, flavoursome roast courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese (€6).

For main, I opted for Spaghettone al Riccio di Mare or sea urchin pasta (€12). The sea urchin was very fresh and made into a creamy lemony sauce - this was a brilliant dish and one that warrants a visit to L’Unico on its own right. I enjoyed my meal at L’Unico and would recommend it to anyone visiting Salerno.

Writing this post, I am reminded of how much I experienced and learnt about Campania’s superb produce – its preserved peeled tomatoes (San Marzano especially), buffalo mozzarella and burrata, the wonderful pasta of Gragnano and not least, the outstanding pizze of Naples and the region as a whole. I came away from this trip with a deeper understanding of the provenance and quality of these ingredients, and will be looking to incorporate them in my cooking repertoire in the UK.

Special thanks to the Italian Trade Agency, Antica Pasta di Gragnano and the Associazione Nazionale Industriali Conserve Alimentari Vegetali and Citta del Gusto for hosting this trip.

Stelle di Stelle Pop-Up Dinners at Harrods - Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde (3-Michelin Stars, Enoteca Pinchiorri of Florence)

Words & Photography by Matthew Brown and Luiz Hara

Name: Stelle di Stelle Pop-Up Dinners at Harrods

Where: Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, London, SW1X 7XL, http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/stelle-di-stelle

Cost: Stelle Di Stelle offers two set menus, one for lunch and one for dinner. Dinner includes six courses and an aperitivo for £115, or £140 with matching wines and beer. At lunchtime, a four-course menu and aperitivo is also available at £65 or £85 with matching beverages.

About: Stelle Di Stelle is a series of pop-up dinners taking place on the lower-ground floor restaurant at Harrods (in the space previously occupied by Frescobaldi) and is run in association with Identità Golose, a culinary association established to promote modern Italian cuisine. 

From September 2014 to January 2015, Harrods welcomes five of Italy’s best restaurants, with 13 Michelin stars between them, to take up residency in-store. Hosting for one month each, the Italian chefs will provide diners with a special edit of their signature dishes. 

For December, Stelle Di Stelle is being run by restaurateur and sommelier Giorgio Pinchiorri and head chef Annie Féolde, of the three Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence. The partnership between Pinchiorri and Féolde is one of the most long-standing and illustrious in Italian cooking. Enoteca Pinchiorri began as a wine cellar and tasting room in Florence in 1972, with Annie Féolde starting to serve dishes to accompany the wine in 1974. It went on to become one of Italy’s best restaurants. Féolde was the first woman in Italy to be awarded three Michelin stars, whilst Pinchiorri has amassed one of the best wine cellars in the world, with over 145,000 bottles and a particular focus on Italian wines.

Today, Féolde is supported by head chefs Riccardo Monco and Italo Bassi and remains dedicated to using culinary experimentation to give new life to the history and cuisine of Tuscany.

What We Ate: Visiting in the evening, we went for the six course set menu with matching wines.

The meal began with an aperitivo of Grana Padano flakes and prosciutto - both the cheese and the ham had a creaminess and an understated saltiness that gently whet the appetite. They were accompanied by a selection of Italian breads, including a traditional Tuscan white loaf and a Focaccia so light and delicately flavoured with rosemary it was a great accompaniment to the amuse bouche.

The first course was a chestnut mousse with pancetta, pine nuts and rosemary-infused olive oil. The mousse was silky in texture, making it light without being overly aerated and fluffy. The saltiness of the pancetta and the crunch of toasted pine nuts perfectly complemented the subtle sweetness of the chestnut.

This was followed by octopus cooked in olive oil with pumpkin cream, coffee pearls and watercress sprouts. In a 3-stage cooking process the octopus was poached and cooked confit, before being roasted ahead of serving. This ensured that the flesh remained tender and soft, even in the thickest parts of the octopus tentacle. Alongside the smokey coffee flavour, the pumpkin cream supplied an unlikely warmth and depth to the dish, a theme that would continue in the meal’s second seafood course.

For the third course, however, we were served a poached egg with Alba white truffle and Grana Padano fonduta. The combination of truffle and cheese brought a new intensity to the meal, and was given balance by the addition of a broccoli mousse. There is an Italian tradition of using egg as a pedestal for the bold flavours of truffle, and here the addition of fried breadcrumbs provided a welcoming contrasting texture.

The egg was followed by another excellent dish, fusilli al ferretto with artichokes, scampi and liquorice powder. The fusilli al ferretto are a star of the Enoteca Pinchiorri menu, and Féolde’s spirals of pasta are slender and tightly wrapped, giving both a more delicate appearance and a stronger texture. Like the pumpkin cream served with the octopus earlier, the artichoke provided a warmth that resounded throughout the dish, offset by the sweetness of the liquorice powder.

The fifth course, a rack of lamb topped with garlic and thyme and served with soft and hard polenta with cavalo nero was similarly impressive. I enjoyed the contrasting textures and clean flavours of the polenta against the medium-cooked lamb and the addition of white thyme crumble.

The dessert, we are told by our waiter - a combination of bread, chocolate, oil and salt -reflected Féolde’s memories of her childhood in Florence, in which these three ingredients were given to children as a reward for good behaviour. A chocolate mousse was served inside a dark chocolate bar, and alongside a dark chocolate crumble. The bar was sandwiched between an olive oil and salt-infused biscuit, the sharpness of which was a much needed counterpoint to the richness of the chocolate. Despite this, however, the dessert lacked the complexity of the other dishes. The trio of flavours was delivered well, but the dish lacked either the lightness or the depth that generate true love for a dessert course in my opinion.

What We Drank: Unsurprisingly, given its name, the focus at Enoteca Pinchiorri is as much on the wine as it is the food, and that was no less the case here. Appropriately for the time of year, the meal included a duo of Ferrari Astis. The first, served with the Grana Padano and Prosciutto, was a light spumante providing a great background to the salty aperitivo.

The second course was served with a Rosso Di Montalcino Doc San Polo 2012, a Tuscan red with light tannins and notes of plums, blackberries and black cherries, making it a good companion to the hearty seafood dish. 

It was followed by the second of the Astis, a Special Edition 2002 Vintage Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore. Unlike the spumante before it, made with a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, this blanc de blanc wine was made to a blend that Giulio Ferrari had kept secret his whole life. The fruitiness typical of Chardonnay was complemented by an incredible brioche flavour, developed over more than 10 years of ageing. This depth made it a worthy challenger to any champagne, and an ideal companion to the bold flavours of the white truffle and Grana Padano.

Surprisingly, the fourth course was served with a beer, the Moretti La Rossa, a double bock beer made with 100% malted barley. This gives it a dark amber colour and a rich sweet taste that went well with the caramelised artichokes and liquorice powder. A wine might have stood more delicately in its place, but the beer brought out the most comforting elements of this wholesome pasta dish.

The lamb was served with a Poggio Al Tesoro Mediterra IGT Toscana 2011, another Tuscan red made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes. This was an undeniably full-bodied wine, with notes of tobacco, black pepper and plum and a chewy consistency that made it a strong companion to the meat course.

Finally, the dessert wine, a Giovanni Allegrini Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2010, had an incredibly complex sweetness, with aromas of prune, blackberries and clove that made it a valuable companion to the simplicity of the dessert.

Likes: There is so much to like about Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde’s takeover of Stelle Di Stelle. Fantastic ingredients and traditional combinations are brought to life with such complexity that they feel brand new. Surprises on the pairing menu, such as magnificent Giulio Ferrari Trento DOC 2002 and the Poggio Al Tersoro Toscana gave the meal a celebratory feel - ideal for December.

Dislikes: Few rooms could do justice to the quality of the Italian cuisine on offer here, and this space on the Lower Ground floor of Harrods is not quite one of them. It does succeed in providing an escape from the end of year mayhem on the shop floor, however, and ensures that the focus remains on the artistry on the plate.

Verdict: If you haven’t made it to Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde’s three Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Stelle di Stelle at London’s Harrods may be the opportunity you were waiting for, and right at our doorstep. Recommended.