EAT/DRINK
on Amalfi Coast
The “sfusato” is the protagonist on the table with dairy products of Agerola and seafood
There isn’t a garden lacking of it. Actually, cultivating lemons identifies the proper definition of garden in the Amalfi Coast. A constant presence in the lands conquered with difficulty on the crags of the hills, terraced with dry limestone walls known as macerine. A fundamental element of the landscape which Unesco has declared as a World Heritage Site. Therefore, such a precious plant had to be given a protagonist role. Its fruits were widely used by the Schola Medica Salernitana, which has inherited the knowledge from the Arabs, it was already since the 11 century for Amalfi people as well in a continuous contact with the oriental world. From this latter they learnt the benefits of a fruit, which was an efficient antidote against the scurvy, a serious risk for sailors. Therefore, thanks to home gardens, the sailors of the Republic took with them on board large quantities of lemons during their long crossings. Especially since the well-known lemon in the Coast, the sfusato Amalfitano PGI, has a higher percentage of vitamin C than all other species.
With a tapered shape, very perfumed, rich of juice and essential oils in the peel (flavedo), the limon amalphitanus in present in many of gastronomic preparations of the Amalfi land. As a seasoning, in salads, transformed into a sorbet, marmalade or essential aroma of creams for typical desserts of the area, including sfogliatelle. The grated lemon peel in the ricotta ravioli and the leaves to perfume the smoked mozzarella slices. To cap it all, the most famous liqueur of the Coast, the limoncello.
Lemon is the companion of fishery products which have a considerable space in Amalfi cuisine: seafood, bluefish, octopus, scorpionfish, sea breams, amberjack and other fishes, different according to the seasons.
With lemons, vineyards are also widespread on terracing. Between Furore, Ravello and Tramonti, wine DCO Costa d’Amalfi is produced. The grapes are very much related to the specificities of each territory: Aglianico, Biancolella, Pepella only in the Amalfi hinterland, Ravello and Gran Caruso. Tintore is the ancient Tramonti grapevine saved from extinction.
Thanks to the water from the Reginna Minor torrent which made the mill run, Minori has been historically among the major producers of Pasta in the South, not less than Gragnano, where there is a strong tradition of pasta. Among the most ancient type of pasta, recognised by the UNESCO, there are the fusilli and the Ndunderi, prepared for Santa Trofimena: small gnocchi made with flour, eggs, Parmesan and ricotta cheese from Agerola.
This ladder is the birthplace of the dairy products of the Coast. The excellent milk from Agerolese cows is the basis of the famous Provolone del Monaco PDO (“Provolone of the Monks”). The “monks” were the dairymen who took it to Naples, and who, to be protected from the cold, covered themselves with a sackcloth, similar to the religious’ tunic. Matured in the cellars between 4 and 18 months, it is a very fine cheese, an added value of many dishes, starting with pasta and potatoes. From the cow’s milk of the Lattari mountains, you can obtain excellent fiordilatte cheese, smoked provola cheese and ricotta, ideal for the pastiera cake.
Cured meat is not missing, especially in Agerola: soppressata (dry salami), pancetta and capocollo. Combined with rye bread and wheat bread, toasted bread and wild fennel taralli (salty biscuits).
Beside Naples, Tramonti is another capital of Pat pizza, made with mother yeast (“criscito”), with white flour or wholemeal flour (in which case the wild fennel is added to the mixture), cherry tomatoes, fiordilatte cheese from Lattari Mountains, oregano and olive oil PDO from the Salerno hills.
Among the fruits, ancient and rare species are extraordinary: limoncella apple, tubbiona apple, pennata pear and mastantuono pear.
Among the typical products, there is the Sarchiapone from Atrani with cylinders of elongated pumpkin, local cheese and minced meat cooked in tomato. In Maiori, the typical recipe, cooked particularly on 15th of August (Ferragosto), and aubergines with chocolate ( ‘a mulignana c’a ciucculata). According to tradition, it is a work of a Franciscan friar who prepared it to the brothers with fried aubergines and a sweet Cream to which the dark chocolate was later added.
"Colatura" of anchovies (Anchovies extract)
For centuries it has been the distinctive element of the Christmas Eve dinner of the inhabitants of Cetara. In poverty times, it was the alternative to the lack of clams and sea food, a particularly renowned condiment today, and produced in small quantities according to a recipe handed down from generation to generation since the Middle-Ages, when hit was elaborated by the monks of San Pietro a Tuczolo, who in summer time fished anchovies. The recipe was transferred to a written form in 1807. The direct successor of the omnipresent sauce in ancient Romans cuisine is the garum. All this is the “colatura” of anchovies from Cetara, the precious amber-coloured liquid which takes almost a year of work, before being ready to use in kitchen.
We start from spring, because at the origin of this, there are the majatiche anchovies, which are caught between the 25th of March, feast of the Annunziata, and the 22nd of July, Saint Maria Maddalena day. Freshly caught, anchovies are deprived of the heads and the entrails and arranged in layers in a container, where they are covered in sea salt for 24 hours. Right after, they are transferred to a small barrel, called "terziano", in which they alternate with layers of salt. The small barrel is covered with a wooden disc on which different weights are arranged, gradually lighter over time. The liquid secreted by the anchovies in brine is slowly on the surface and gradually recovered and put in transparent glass bottles, which from that moment are exposed to direct sunlight for four or five months. After that period, the liquid returns to the terzigno for the final phase. Draining between the layers of fishes, once again, it takes the scent, the flavour and the substance, to then, through a whole, be collected and filtered with special linen sheets called cappuccino. The liquid collected at the end of the long process in December is of an intense color and is bottled putting a sprig of oregano, before closing the cap. This way, the “colatura” of anchovies from Cetara is ready to be combined with spaghetti or linguine in the easiest and most characteristic recipe. But the colatura can also be combined with other types of pasta and vegetables, such as Broccoli.
The recipe
Scialatielli pasta from Amalfi with cherry tomatoes
Take half a kilo of cherry tomatoes, wash them and cut them in halves or into slices. Put them in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil, salt and herbs (the ones you prefer) to marinate for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Mix half a kilo of durum wheat flour with water or milk, a few tablespoons of oil, three chopped basil leaves, salt, pepper and grate some aged goat cheese in it. Make the puff pastry and roll it out, obtaining strips.
Put the tomatoes with the sauce in large pan and cook it on high heat, until all the marinating water is absorbed. In the meantime, boil the scialatielli in abundant water. Drain, add to the sauce and serve on the table.
The sauce with cherry tomatoes and seafood is also perfect for the scialatielli.
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