A Neapolitan Feast

The feast of San Gennaro - the patron saint of Naples, is the perfect time to celebrate the quintessential Neapolitan flavors. Attending the San Gennaro Festival in New York's Little Italy was one of the highlights of my youth. Even though my family is of Calabrian origin, I still felt a deep connection to the saint and the people of Naples. The annual festival was (and still is) the perfect excuse for all Italians, Italian-Americans, and New Yorkers of all ethnicities to celebrate together.

Food, of course, is at the heart of the festivities, and the celebrated cuisine of Naples and the Campania region alone deserve a semester long of study. One of my favorite resources is Arthur Schwarz' Naples at Table which is a wonderful journey through the region's food, culture, and history. 

One of the amazing aspects of Naples' history is the number of great empires which called it their capital, beginning with the Greeks, who called the city "the Athens of the west," and made it the commercial and cultural heart of Magna Grecia. As a result, many of the inhabitants of Naples have Greek origin.  Over the millennia, all of the various palatial influences, combined with rich agricultural traditions and numerous cultures created culinary delights like no other. To learn more about the splendors of Campania and Magna Grecia, watch my podcast from the Italian Cultural Institute in LA here:

And, if you'd like to try your hand at classic Neapolitan dishes, here are the recipes from my Campania cooking class....

Lemon Infused Spaghetti/Spaghetti al Limone

When Arabs ruled southern Italy and Sicily, they introduced many new agricultural crops. In Campania, they planted lemon groves along the bases of Mt. Etna, thereby giving the region a world renowned culinary gift. Over the years, the volcanic ash fortified the citrus trees and nowadays lemons grown in the Amalfi area are some of the largest and sweetest in the world. 

Serves: 6 as a first course

Ingredients:
zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup heavy cream

Freshly grated black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley

1 cup parmigiano reggiano

Preparation:

Combine lemon zest, juice, cream, and a small amount of black pepper in a medium saucepan over low heat.

Continue to simmer, whisking occasionally while preparing the spaghetti.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Add salt and spaghetti, stir, and reduce heat to medium low.

Stir spaghetti occasionally, and cook, uncovered, until cooked but still firm to the bite, approximately 8 minutes.

Drain well and return to pot.

Add parsley and parmigiano reggiano to the sauce and whisk well to combine.

Pour sauce over the pasta and turn well to coat pasta evenly.

Serve hot.

Chicken Breasts Caprese Style/Petti di pollo alla Caprese

This simple chicken breast recipe is from my Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook and contains a topping reminiscent of Caprese salad.  The word Caprese describes anything native to the Italian island of Capri, located off the coastline near Naples.  Because the Campania region of Italy (home of Capri, Amalfi, and Naples) was home to Italy’s buffalo ranges – the locals were able to enjoy an abundance of fresh mozzarella – and recipes containing mozzarella (or other local specialties like lemons) were called Caprese.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each) sliced in half widthwise making 4 (4-ounce) pieces, pounded thinly

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of crushed red chili flakes

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 roma tomatoes, sliced into 8 slices each

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded

¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Preparation:

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in a large, wide, oven proof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chicken.  Cook chicken 5 minutes per side, turning once, or until no longer pink and a meat temperature registers 165F degrees. 

Sprinkle crushed red chili flakes over the chicken and squeeze lemon juice over the top.  Preheat broiler.  

Top each piece of chicken with 4 tomato slices and ¼ of the mozzarella. Place under broiler and broil until cheese is golden (about 3 minutes).

Remove from oven and top with fresh basil.

Lemon and olive Salad/(Insalata di limone ed olive)

Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1/2 cup

This recipe is from my Italian Diabetes Cookbook. Lemon and olive salads are traditional in both southern Italy and north Africa.  You can substitute Sicilian blood oranges when they are in season; their red color imparts festive flair to this sumptuous salad. Fennel also makes a delicious and healthful addition.

4 lemons (about 1 pound total), peeled and sliced into rounds

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

½ cup green or black olives, gaeta, if possible, pitted, and chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (preferably first cold-pressed and unfiltered)

1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch crushed red chile flakes

Place lemon slices on a large platter and scatter parsley and olives over the top. 

In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice and olive oil together, and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red chile flakes. Drizzle over the salad, and serve immediately. 

Creamy Lemon Tart

This is Lemon Meringue Pie’s Italian cousin. It’s taste combines the perfect balance of sweet and citrus flavors of the cream with the buttery flavor and crunchy texture of the crust. The cream tastes great on its own. When you don’t have enough time to make your own crust, use store bought.

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:

For the Pie Dough:

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

5 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs, beaten in separate bowls

4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

For the Cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

6 egg yolks 

1 cup sugar 

3 tablespoons grated lemon peel

4 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour

Preparation:

For the Crust:

Combine flour and unsalted butter in a food processor until fluffy. Add in sugar and 1 of the eggs, process until blended.

Add water a tablespoon full at a time until a soft dough is formed.

Shape the dough into a large ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or firm.(Dough can also be frozen at this point and thawed before using. If you chill the dough for more than 1 hour, it will need to set out at room temperature for a while before rolling out).

To make the Cream:

In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring the cream just to the boiling point.

Add vanilla and lemon juice and remove from the heat.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks together with the sugar until mixture is pale yellow.

Whisk the flour into the mixture.

While whisking, very slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.

Whisk well to combine and pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Bring the mixture almost to the boiling point over medium heat while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and place a piece of waxed paper on the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.

Cool to room temperature.

To Form and Bake:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

When crust has finished chilling, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch round.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom.

Fold in dough edges to create thick sides, and make prick marks here and there on the base of the tart with a fork.

Freeze crust for 15 minutes.

Line the crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove pie weights and brush dough with egg wash.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Cool crust in pan on a rack.

When crust is cool, spread filling inside and chill until serving.

Buon appetito e buona festa a tutti!