Campania | Radicchioblog

Villa Massa Limoncello – A Burst of Summer

June 16, 2010

Limoncello is a staple at the end of meals in Italy, especially during the summer months but you can find it all year long. There are other after dinner digestives such as Amaro and Mirtu but Limoncello holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Some 16 million liters of Limoncello are produced on a yearly basis.

Limoncello is synonymous with the Amalfi coast in Italy and the Campania region. Lemon cultivation began there in the Middle Ages. Lemons grow particularly well in this area thanks to the composition of the volcanic soil which also has considerable potassium within it.

Limoncello has also become very popular in the United States thanks to a number of producers, among them Villa Massa.

Villa Massa Limoncello is a made from the rinds of fresh Sorrento oval lemons, a protected variety of lemon with the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) designation. The lemons are carefully peeled within 24 hours of harvest. Sorrento lemons are much desired for the quantity of essential oils that they contain in their rinds. At Villa Massa, the lemon rinds macerate in alcohol for three days. After several days the liquid is filtered and blended with a syrup of purified water and castor sugar. This product has 30% alcohol or 60% proof.

Villa Massa is located in the Piano di Sorrento on the Sorrento Peninsula. In order to receive the coveted PGI designation, the lemons must be grow in a particular way and using organic cultivation methods, free from pesticides. In fact, Villa Massa’s Limoncello uses no perservatives, no artificial flavorings nor coloring agents. Just lemon rind, sugar and alcohol.

The Massa family has been located in the Sorrento Peninsula since the late 1800s but the company that makes Villa Massa Limoncello was founded in 1991. Still the recipe that they use to make the Limoncello is the same as the one created in 1890.

Limoncello can also be used in cocktails and in cooking recipes.

By Susannah Gold

2 Comments | After dinner drinks, Campania, Cooking, Dessert, Ingredients, Italian Regions, Wining | Tagged: Campania, Cocktails, Lemons, Limoncello, Naples, Protected Geographical Products, Sorrento, Sorrento Oval Lemons, Villa Massa, Volcanic Soil | Permalink
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Is Mozzarella Really Made from Buffalo Milk? Yes if it is a DOP From Campania

February 2, 2010

Is Mozzarella really made from buffalo milk? Sometimes it is, in fact. Mozzarella di Bufala along with Pasta is the queen of the Campania region. It is usually white and solid but can have different consistency as well.

Mozzarella di Bufala is one of Italy’s protected products with a DOP or Denominazione d’origine protetta designations. Buffalo came to Campania at the beginning of the Middle Ages as beasts of burden. Their traditional home is in the marshy area between Caserta and Salerno. Some say that the home of Mozzarella is the town of Aversa in Campania.

Mozzarella can be served as at the beginning of the meal as an antipasto, as a main course, a second course, as a snack, a side and even a dessert. The name Mozzarella comes from the action that the dairy farmer does, they cut off a piece of the cheese or mozzare with thumb and the index finger.

It is hard work and is generally taught from one generation to the next. Each mozzarella is to have the same weight just by eyeballing the amount cut off. This is done wholly without using scales and is a source of pride for the dairy farmers. Mozzarella can be served as an oval ball or in a braided version.

The right mozzarella is a key ingredient in making the perfect pizza. This is one of the reasons why the pizza from Campania is considered to be the best Italian pizza. Mozzarella di Bufala has made a splash all over the world and can be bought in many different countries.

2 Comments | Campania, Cooking, Ingredients | Tagged: buffalo milk, Compania, Italian Cheese, Mozzarella di Bufala DOP, Pizza | Permalink
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Italian Holiday Desserts- Struffoli From Naples, A Special Christmas Treat

December 1, 2009

As the Christmas season rolls around, one begins to think of what foods signify Christmas and the holidays. Italian regions each have their own particularities and today, we will speak about one dessert which comes from Naples, Struffoli.

Struffoli are fried balls of dough covered in honey and candied fruit. There are a great addition to any holiday meal and are not that difficult to make. The main issue is to get good honey. Together with sfogliatelle, the baba and the pastiera, struffoli are among the most well known and amusing desserts from the Campania region of Italy.

Legend has it that the dessert hails originally from Greece, when Naples was part of the Magna Grecia. Magna Grecia means Greater Greece and refers to the 7th and 8th centuries BC when Greeks populated Southern Italy in search of more land. Many inhabitants of these regions retain cultural traditions and foods that began during that time.

The name struffoli, in fact, comes from the Greek “strongulos” which means “round in shape”. This dish was originally made by nuns from the different religious orders and apparently given out in recognition of good works. Struffoli are considered good omens or harbingers of good things.

Here’s a great recipe for making struffoli from Accademia Barilla.

Pairing a dessert wine from Italy could also be a lovely idea for Christmas. Campania grows a fair amount of Malvasia Bianca but not a lot of it is sold in the United States. You can find Malvasia Bianca from Apulia more easily or try struffoli with a dessert wine from another region, such as Sicily which offers a host of dessert wines made from Malvasia and from the grape Zibibbo, also known as Moscato d’ Alessandria.

Leave a Comment » | Baking, Campania, Cooking, Italian Regions | Tagged: Campania Region, Italian desserts, Malvasia Bianca, Moscato Bianco, Naples, Struffoli | Permalink
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Italian Desserts – An Endless Variety of Sweets

September 24, 2009

Italian desserts are plentiful and varied. Each small town has at least one well known dessert for which they are famous.

In some of the Northern regions such as Lombardy, dry, crumbly cakes such as Sbrisolona from Mantova are all the rage. In the South, heavier, creamy desserts like the Cassata from Sicily or the Pastiera from Naples are signature dishes.

Throughout the country there is also a strong tradition of chocolates, often mixed in with nuts such as Torrone.

Another example of this type of “Italian chocolate bar” are the croccantini. They are tasty bars of ground hazelnuts coated with extra fine plain chocolate.

Italy also has a number of rare dessert wines to pair with these sweets. Years ago the lion’s share of sweet wines were based on white grapes such as Gewurztraminer, Moscato, and Malvasia. Today many types of wines are made into dessert wines. Even grapes that traditionally make robust red wines such as Primitivo di Manduria are being made into sweet wines.

Vigne e Vini, a winery from Apulia makes a lovely dessert wine from Primitivo called Chicca while Oltrepo’ Pavese near the Lombard city of Pavia also makes its own dessert wine called Sangue di Giuda.

This wine is made from a blend of three grapes, Croatina (65%), Barbera (25%, and Uva Rara (10%). These grapes are all indigenous or native to the area.

Light and somewhat fruity, this particular wine is a great surprise to many people. It has a beautiful color and a big frothy mousse. It has strawberry and raspberry aromas on the nose and the palate.

If you need a bottle of something esoteric to bring to someone’s house, try Sangue di Giuda, guaranteed it will be an interesting evening.

Leave a Comment » | Baking, Campania, Dining, Italian Regions, Lombardy, Sicily, Wining | Tagged: Croccantini, Primitivo di Manduria, Sangue di Giuda, Sbrisolona | Permalink
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Gragnano & Pizza: An Ideal Pairing

September 22, 2009

Cantine Federciane’s Gragnano DOC is full of surprises. At a recent wine tasting, many people thought that they were drinking a Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna. Much to their surprise, the wine had more body and different earthy aromas than the Lambrusco they remembered. They were not wrong however. The wine wasn’t a Lambrusco at all but a Gragnano, made from a blend of indigenous grapes from the Campania region of Italy. Piedirosso, Sciascinoso and Aglianico are blended to produce this delicious red wine from the Sorrento Penisola. The soils are volcanic and the winery’s website says that they see the perlage or bubbles in this wine as reflecting the eruptions of Vesuvius. The wine is made in stainless steel and ferments at a controlled temperature on selected yeasts. It undergoes a secondary fermentation in autoclave in order to create its characteristic foam.

Gragnano

The wine is a beautiful rich deep ruby almost purple red. It is best when served cool and is refreshing with berry notes, a lovely body and rich texture. This wine can always be found on the menu at local restaurant and wine bar Tarallucci e Vino and is on the menu at numerous restaurants in New York City. This wine is considered to be the ideal wine for pizza.

1 Comment | Campania, Dining, Italian Regions, Wining | Tagged: Campania, Gragnano, Pizza | Permalink
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Italian Wines For July 4 Holiday

July 2, 2009

Italy offers a wide variety of wines that will work well with holiday fare for the July 4 celebrations. Many people will be out grilling and instead of serving a big Zinfandel, why not try a Primitivo di Manduria from Apulia. Many think that the grapes are related but recent research shows that the parent grape for Primitivo is actually a Croatian grape and that the two are not at all related. What they do have in common is that they can be big, juicy wines with a peppery note that can offset barbecued meats. If Primitivo is not your cup of tea, try an Aglianico from Campania or an Aglianico del Vulture from Basilicata, another region in the South of Italy. Also, a robust and full bodied wine, it is a bit softer on the palate with more fruit and fewer meaty flavors than Primitivo. If you aren’t serving meat but pasta dishes and lighter foods, any Sangiovese based wine will work very well. Red wines from Tuscany are mostly based on different clones of Sangiovese. Some are blended with international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Sangiovese is a fruity wine with high acidity. The acidity is what makes this such a food friendly wine. Acidity cuts through some of the heavier flavors and spices in food. Whatever you are serving, you can find an Italian wine to match. Check out these recipes for your holiday party.

1 Comment | Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Cooking, Dining, Events | Tagged: Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture, Altacucina, Barbecue, July 4 recipes, Primitivo di Manduria, Sangiovese | Permalink
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