Campania is on the one hand famed for pizza, which originated in Naples, and tomatoes (the plum variety comes from Mount Vesuvius), and on the other for extraordinarily rich aristocratic dishes, for example eggplant Parmesan. In short, there's something for everyone!
Once you have shaped a meatloaf, there are a number of options. The most common is probably to put it in the oven, but Neapolitans also fry meatloaves, and a Neapolitan fried meatloaf offers a pleasant change of pace from the more standard baked meatloaf. So, for that matter, does a Neapolitan fried meatloaf recooked in tomato sauce or onion sauce.
Zuppa di pan cotto is an extremely simple Italian bread soup, true peasant food that was a perfect way to use up leftover bread much too precious to be thrown away or given to the livestock. And now, a very easy, quite healthy recipe
Minestrone is more a universe than a recipe, with variations to suit every possible taste. This Savoy cabbage minestrone is Campanian, and a welcome change of pace during the colder winter months of the cabbage season. It is very much simple peasant food.
This is a Campanian bell pepper recipe, and is frankly rather lusty. Since bell peppers will flavor the oil they're cooked in, you should use a cup, and cook them in batches.
Gattò is Neapolitan for the French gateau, and generally refers to a pie, be it savory or sweet. This particular gattò is savory, and -- steaming in the middle of the dining room table -- will be a wonderful change of pace on cold winter day. It also adds a new dimension to the concept of mashed potatoes.
Fried Mozzarella, or Mozzarella Fritta: The idea of frying a cheese that melts when it gets hot might strike some as strange, but if it's breaded the breading will form a golden crunchy crust, while what's inside will be deliciously creamy. As an added bonus, this is very easy to do. To serve 4:
These croquettes, which are similar to some varieties of arancini di riso, are an important component of Frienno e Magnanno, the classic Neapolitan fritto misto. They're also excellent as an antipasto, and like their Sicilian cousins make fine snack food. This recipe will serve 6.
Friarelli are medium sized, slender, thin-walled, mild, pale green peppers that work very well when stuffed with a breadcrumb filling and fried
Friarelli are medium sized, slender, thin-walled, mild south Italian peppers that are perfect for frying. In their absence use something similarly shaped; bell peppers would be too meaty and also too large. As I said, friarelli are mild; if you want you could use something hotter, but if you do it will mask the flavors of the filling.
Breaded, Fried Peppers, or Peperoni Impanati e Fritti: This is an unusual recipe that Caròla Francesconi was given by Monzù Gerardo Modugno; it brings to mind chips and will be a pleasant and unusual side dish, or a real treat in a fritto misto, and could also double as an antipasto.
One of the finest dishes known to man! An excellent recipe, with several variations; cut into small squares it's an excellent appetizer.
In small portions this is a nice summer appetizer; in larger amounts it is refreshing summer meal or fine picnic food.
Sandwiches made with eggplant and mozzarella, fried -- a Neapolitan classic.
A refreshing summer eggplant dish that will also be a nice appetizer.
Fried string beans are a tasty antipasto or side dish.
Tomatoes stuffed with rice, and a Roman variation with pasta.
Pizza and pizza-like creations are common throughout Italy, and a number of regions claim the honor of having invented it in the first place. Not that the invention could ever be proven -- the idea of slipping a flattened disk of dough graced with a topping into a hot oven and baking it quickly is amazingly simple, and many people must have come up with it independently.
More wonders from the pizza oven.
A Neapolitan Easter bread with bell peppers, prosciutto, ham, and other goodies.
A simpler, but equally tasty Neapolitan Easter bread with salami and cheese.
Susamielli: These are traditional Neapolitan Christmas cookies, and are S-shaped. For two possible reasons: First, in the past they were called sesamielli, and covered with sesame seeds. Second, they were (and are) called Sapienze, because they were made by nuns of the Monastero della Sapienza.
Naples has a long tradition of holiday baking. Ms. Francesconi, author of La Cucina Napoletana, recalls that when she was a girl her house would fill with "all the bounty of God." She presents recipes for quite a few Christmas cookies, most of which are quite intricate, and are the sorts of things that many will now buy ready-made from pastry shops (Italians scramble as much as anyone else these days…).
Fried Mozzarella, a South Italian classic, is much lighter might expect, and can also be rather sensual. In short, a perfect summer second course or entree.
A Neapolitan Layer Cake, or Dolce alla Napoletana: According to Artusi this is extremely refined, and he is, of course, right.
Babà was supposedly invented by the chef of an exiled Slavic king who settled in Nancy (France). Word of the man's voluptuous creation rapidly got around, and someone took it to Naples, where it the pastry shops adopted it with an enthusiasm that continues unabated; the Neapolitans are considered the master babà-makers of Italy.
In introducing it Artusi says, "This pastry wants to look its maker in the eye. In other words, it requires care and patience to make it."
In Abruzzo, eggs and cheese are added to bolster stewed lamb.
An elegant Neapolitan fish & greens salad that will be perfect in important occasions.
A rich Neapolitan mixed fried foods dish with all sorts of things, including fish.
This recipe was written up by Cavalcanti, one of the great 18th century Neapolitan gastronomes, and transcribed by Caròla Francesconi in her La Cucina Napoletana. It serves six, and will go well with a fruity white wine, for example a Fiano di Avellino.
Yet another way to prepare for the arrival of Lent is Lasagne alla Ricotta; this recipe, from Jeanne Caròla Francesconi's La Cucina Napoletana, is a transcription taken in turn from a spectacular compendium Cavalcanti, Duca di Buonvicino, assembled in the 1850s.
Eel meat is oilier than that of many fish, and is consequently ideally suited to the grill. This recipe is an indispensable part of the Neapolitan Christmas Eve dinner.
These lasagne are a Neapolitan specialty, a spectacular sendoff before the privations of Lent. Time was every family had its variation, and the poor saved for months to make it.
The traditional beginning of the Neapolitan Easter meal, this is by today's standards somewhat heavy. Should you prefer, make broth and serve it with tagliolini (similar to tagliatelle but about an eighth of an inch across). If you intend to follow tradition, this recipe is after Cavalcanti, the great Neapolitan gastronome of the mid-1800s.
Caggionetti: And here's another cookie request that came in before the holidays; my apologies for getting to it now: "Every Christmas my mother makes an Italian fried pastry. The filling is chopped chestnuts, cocoa powder, citrine fruit, and a little anise for flavor. She has always called them pastagels, but others call them caganettes. They are made like ravioli and deep fried. Do you have any information about them? OR a recipe. My mother's family came from a region of Italy near Naples."
This is actually a timballo, and is drawn Cavalcanti, the great 19th century Neapolitan gastronome. Rich food fit for a feast.
In Naples, San Guiseppe is the day for zeppole. The pastry shops and friggitorie (fried food stands) churn them out in astonishing quantity, for eating Zeppole on the 19th is another of those traditions that must be observed. Despite their size everyone eats at least two or three, or even four...
This is summery baked pasta dish, which will be especially good when it's quite hot; though you can serve it hot, it will also be quite good cool.
Struffoli are (they're always referred to in the plural) now an absolute requirement at the end of a Neapolitan Christmas day dinner. However, in introducing them in her la Cucina Napoletana Caròla Francesconi says their inclusion is relatively recent -- Crisci mentions them several times in the book he wrote in 1634, but they don't appear on his Christmas menu.
Rich, elegant Neapolitan almond cookies for Christmas Eve. Frittelle, Cenci and other Fried Delights
Neapolitan Meat Ragù, Carne al Ragù: This is an elegant, rich Neapolitan recipe published by Cavalcanti in the late 1830s and reprinted by Caròla Francesconi in her wonderful La Cucina Napoletana. She notes that the meat used should vary depending upon the goal in mind; though Cavalcanti suggests one use an elegant cut if the primary goal is to serve a pot roast as a second course, he also used other cuts, and also other animals, including chicken and pork.
Asparagus Parmigiana Style, Asparagi alla Parmigiana: About the only relatively complex sauce that Asparagus works well with is meat sauce, perhaps because meat sauce is an excellent foil for other things. Here you can use it, or unsalted butter, in association with the cheese. This is a 19th century Neapolitan recipe.
Lentil and Borragine Soup, or Minestra di Lenticchie e Borragine: Borragine is a wild grass whose stalks and leaves are covered with fine white hairs. It's used in Liguria, where it figures prominently in preboggion (a mixture of wild herbs and grasses), and Campania, where it's generally cooked with lentils. It's invariably cooked because the hairs would make it unpleasant raw. In the absence of borragine use spinach or beet greens; the results won't be quite the same but should be good.
Neapolitan Pasta with Lentils, or Pasta e Lenticchie: A vegetarian variation on pasta e fagioli, from Naples.
Neapolitan Lentil Soup, or Zuppa di Lenticchie: This is an amazingly simple soup.
I've had a number of requests for a torta di ricotta, ricotta pie, of late. Like all other traditional recipes, there are many variations to this, some simple and others quite complex. Here's a Neapolitan version that's on the complex side.
I recently received a request from Cathy, via AOL, for a migliaccio recipe made with corn meal and cooked on the top of the stove. In Northern and Central Italy Migliaccio is either a pig's blood concoction (which is rare nowadays because of the difficulties involved in procuring fresh blood) that can be salty or sweet, or a winter pastry made with chestnut flour -- obviously not what Cathy had in mind.
Neapolitan Cuisine has many dishes identified with one festival or another, which in the past were made only then: le lasagne del Carnevale, for Carnival, struffoli at Christmas, and a several Easter pastries, the most important of which is the Pastiera, a centuries-old dish that appears in innumerable versions, each made according to a closely guarded family recipe...
Spiny lobster is very nice, and this is an elegant Neapolitan recipe that will be the star of a Christmas Eve dinner.
No collection of cutlet and scaloppini recipes would be complete without Carne alla pizzaiola: "It's so humble and so simple it has no history -- nobody knows who invented it or when, though the name suggests its cradle may have been a pizza oven, and its father the pizzaiolo. But does it matter? Let's just enjoy it as it deserves (Caròla Francesconi, La Cucina Napoletana, p. 433)."
"These maccheroni may not be 19th century," writes Caròla Francesconi, "but they're quite worthy of standing beside maccheroni alla Campolattaro and Maccheroni alla Montglas, and like them are part of the refined Franco-Neapolitan tradition that has delighted our palates with a great many dishes."
The recipe was devised by Marcello Diaz, son of the great General who stopped the Austrians in WWI, and was prepared by Luigi Picone, chef of the Circolo del Remo e Della Vela Italia.
Vermicelli alla Campolattaro I: A recipe kindly provided to Caròla Francesconi by Count Paolo Gaetani; Don Emilio Capomazza Marquis of Campolattaro, who lived in the mid-1800s, was a charming conversationalist, cultured gentleman, Mayor of Naples, and Member of Parliament, who also found time to create three renowned pasta sauces that bear his name. The first, to serve 6:
Clam or Mussel Soup without Tomato, or Zuppa di Vongole o Cozze in Bianco: This is classic, simple Neapolitan fare, and will work well as a first course, served with bread to mop up the drippings.
Capuntini with Baccalà, or I Capunìdde ch'u Baccalà: Capuntini are a South Italian variety of pasta shaped (roughly) like a zito that has been split lengthwise, and this is a classic Christmas Eve dish in Altamura, in Puglia. To serve 6 you'll need:
Fried String Beans, or Fagiolini Fritti: This is an old Neapolitan recipe, a quick, tasty antipasto that will also work nicely as part of a fritto misto. Cavalcanti says to season the fried string beans with a sweet and sour sauce, which, he adds, will go well with other fried foods as well. This is a 19th century seasoning, and now many people would possibly omit the sweet and sour, preferring to go with just salt to season their fried string beans. You can choose according to your preference.
Zuppa Inglese alla Napoletana, or Neapolitan English Trifle: There are many variations on English trifle in Italy. This one is Neapolitan, and calls for pan di Spagna rather than Savoiardi, and for ricotta instead of pastry cream. Different, but just as tasty.
Mussels au Gratin, or Cozze al Gratin: Here's an elegant, tasty Neapolitan solution for the problem of dealing with a mound of mussels.
Peppery Mussels, or M'Pepatella di Cozze: It's hard to get much simpler than this Neapolitan recipe. To serve 6 you'll need:
Clams or mussels cooked in their juices, without any tomato sauce. Plain, simple, and satisfying.
A touching story and a tasty recipe to greet the birth of a little girl.
This recipe is among those traditionally served on Christmas Eve, though there's no reason to enjoy it only then.
A rich Neapolitan onion-and-meat based sauce for pasta that has nothing to do with Genova, but is very good -- the Feature recipe in my review of Naples at Table.
A rich, spectacular Neapolitan stuffed chicken recipe fit for a special occasion.
Chicken with a tasty, tomato and rice filling.
"Ambitious, but if you're a broccoli rabe fan it's worth the effort." From Ditty's Sunday Supper.
Fiery Broccoli Rabe, or Rape Nfucate: Luigi Sada says, in "La Cucina Pugliese", that in the Leccese section of Puglia it's custom to start off the Christmas Eve dinner with Rape Nfucate and focaccia.
Caròla Francesconi was the Dean of Neapolitan food writers, and her friends were happy to share recipes with her. This particular dish, she says, was devised many years ago, perhaps by Luigi Pignatelli della Leonessa Principe di Monteroduni or a cook of his, and has been passed down in the family, with different family members making slight modifications to it.
Lemon is delightfully refreshing when it's hot.
Vermicelli alla Campolattaro III: Don Emilio Capomazza Marquis of Campolattaro, who lived in the mid-1800s, was a charming conversationalist, cultured gentleman, Mayor of Naples, and Member of Parliament, who also found time to create three renowned pasta sauces that bear his name. The third, which is by far the most elaborate, and would work nicely at a banquet, perhaps, or when one wanted to impress one's guests. To serve 6:
Vermicelli alla Campolattaro II: A recipe kindly provided to Caròla Francesconi by Count Paolo Gaetani; Don Emilio Capomazza Marquis of Campolattaro, who lived in the mid-1800s, was a charming conversationalist, cultured gentleman, Mayor of Naples, and Member of Parliament, who also found time to create three renowned pasta sauces that bear his name.
An elegant Neapolitan pot roast that also provides sauce for pasta.
Hi, Kyle.
Thought I'd contribute this wedding soup recipe. This is the one I grew up with, so it's of course the only one I can eat! I don't know if you need this at all, but I felt compelled to send it in.
Best,
Chris Castellani
Two versions of a great Neapolitan dish that has nothing to do with weddings. Both include shredded meat, among other things.
A hearty Neapolitan Easter soup.
Stuffed Cannoli, or Cannoli Farciti: Most cannoli are sweet, the glorious ricotta-filled Sicilian Carnival pastries. Not all, however, this savory cannolo recipe is from Cavalcanti, the great 19th century Neapolitan gastronome; the recipe will serve 6, and will be a delightful part of a platter of mixed fried foods for a larger party.
The translation of the name is literal; the happy diners traditionally consume this Neapolitan fritto misto as the just-fried foods are skimmed from the pot and drained. This of course means that the cook eats separately (if at all), unless everyone moves to the kitchen or you have a portable burner set you can set up where you're dining. The Neapolitan oil of choice is rendered lard, but you are quite free to use peanut oil or whatever other oil you prefer.
Lamb with Eggs and Cheese: This recipe is from the Abruzzo region. Lamb is the signature meat of the region; the custom of adding eggs and cheese to what would in any case be a hearty dish derives from the belief that lamb "thins out," as it were, in the cooking. Hence the need to bolster it, and the recipe continues to be a great favorite despite the more recent trend towards lighter dishes.
Kid (or lamb) stewed with cheese, eggs, and peas, is one of the standard Neapolitan Easter dishes.
Several people have written in reply to the question about raisins in polpette: Roger says, "My mother always made meat balls with raisins and pignolia nuts. As I remember they were delicious. No one that I asked ever heard of such a thing. Both my parents were from the beautiful hill town of Montemiletto, Avellino, Campania." Rosalie says... And here is a Neapolitan recipe for meatballs with raisins and pine nuts, served in a quick tomato sauce.
Neapolitan savory cannoli with a tasty pork-based filling.
Riccioli Amalfitani, and an Eggplant and Mozzarella Sauce for Them: The word ricciolo means curl, and is quite appropriate in this case; it's a shape that will work quite well with chunky sauces.
The Sauce: Eggplant is extremely versatile, playing a central role in South Italian cooking, from Sicily's pasta with eggplant through the glorious Neapolitan Melanzane alla Parmigiana. Here it stars in another pasta dish, with mozzarella.
There are a number of stories about the origins of this zesty sauce, the raciest being that a Puttana, or Lady of the Evening, could prepare it in the time it took here to work with a client, and enjoy it while recovering from her exertions. Whatever, it is good.
Though slow-cooking pomarola is quite tasty, there are times you'll want something quicker -- that's when this classic Neapolitan sauce comes into play. It's perfect for pasta, but will also work well with rice or pizza.
Potatoes and Oregano, or Patate e Origano: A quick, easy recipe from Campania.
The great Neapolitan gastronome's accompaniment for fried foods and hard boiled eggs, with a recipe for fried string beans too.
These are Neapolitan fried ravioli, for want of a better name, and are an indispensable part of Frienno e Magnanno, the classic Neapolitan fritto misto. They'll also work quite nicely as antipasti, or as a side dish, and you may find yourself making them as snack food. This recipe will serve 6.
This is a Neapolitan recipe, from Caròla Francesconi's La Cucina Napoletana. "Beware, it must be made right," she warns. "If the bread in the filling becomes a gritty paste, if the eggplant aren't well fried, if the peppers aren't thoroughly cooked, or if the ratio between container and filling is off, you'll end up with something soft, squishy, and inedible...
Eggplant is extraordinarily versatile. This Neapolitan recipe is from Cavalcanti, a famed 18th century Gastronome; it will serve 6 and is perfect for an elegant meal.
A fungetiello, i.e. al funghetto, means “cooked in the manner one would cook mushrooms,” and though I have never encountered mushrooms stewed with olives eggplant are quite nice this way. The recipe is Neapolitan, from Carola Francesconi’s La Cucina Napoletana, and serves 6.
Melanzane a Scapece are marinated eggplant; the word scapece derives from the Spanish (who ruled in Naples) and can be applied to any dish (usually fish or vegetable) marinated in a sweet-and-sour sauce. This particular eggplant scapece is quite refreshing in summer and should be made a day ahead.
Eggplant is extremely versatile. Here, round eggplants work best.
A dish that's in carrozza has mozzarella, and is fried; it's also extremely Neapolitan, and if done right is superb. Her we have perhaps the most classic version, with eggplant.
In introducing this greatest of Neapolitan dishes, Ms. Francesconi tells of going to a wonderful restaurant on the Isle of Ischia, long before it was taken over by the hoards of modern tourists, to enjoy the Pirozzi Sisters’ Parmigiana di Melanzane. It had a special touch nobody could figure out, some said eggs, and others even suggested chocolate as the secret ingredient; Ms Francesconi closes with the hope that somebody, building on her recipe, will manage to equal that marvel of yesteryear.
This is a classic Neapolitan way to stuff tomatoes; they'll work well as either an antipasto or a side dish, and can be served wither hot or cool. To serve 6 you'll need...
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, or Sciuille co la Pastetta: There's something exotic about Neapolitan cooking, if one is looking at it from a plain Tuscan perspective like mine. It's tremendously rich, and the word "libidinous" often comes to mind. As in this recipe from Cavalcanti, the great 19th century Neapolitan gastronome.
True Limoncello is made in Sorrento, from lemons whose trees overlook the Mediterranean. However, if you have good lemons where you live (I'd want organically grown here), you can get pretty close. It's not difficult.
One of the most interesting, and at times frustrating aspects of Italian cuisine is dish names: In some cases the same dish will be called by different names in different places, and this is due to vagaries of dialect. Pastiera is an example of this: Though
