Tastes of the past in the Spanish Quarter

"... it was the orgy of creams, the sweet and savoury casatielli and of so many other good things to eat.  We children helped in the kitchen for small treats, we assisted spellbound by the various preparations.  At the end the prize:  the pots, the trays, the bowls to be cleaned with our small fingers and spoons, and the wooden mixing spoons, all to be licked clean."  

This is how Signora Nella remembers the days of Easter spent at the Osteria of Aunt Lucia and Uncle Nunzio at Boscotrecase. Memories that bring to the table guests the first uncertain footsteps which Nella made into the world of her culinary art.  Memories that certify her "doc" origins and her passion for the good tastes of the past. 

Going to the home of our "Cesarina" is a good way to visit one of the most charming and still authentic areas of Naples. Nella's family live in fact in the Spanish Quarter, or as it is commonly known by Neapolitans  "i Quartieri" or "The Quarters".   The name by which the neighbourhood is known comes from the start of the XVI century, on the tracks of the chessboards of the companies of Spanish military garrisons (Cuarteles Espagnoles) who constructed the great artery that carried everything, which bore the name of the Viceroy who built it, Don Pedro of Toledo, today Via Toledo. From an urban point of view the Spanish Quarter represented the initial nucleus in the modern era of Naples which then developed over the centuries to become a real "city within the city", with much more character in respect to other quarters. To cheer the appetite in the boiling scenery offered by the partenopea life, fried aubergines with mozzarella, an appetiser with the robustness of a main course,  typical of the area around Vesuvius. 

The antique Pastificio Setaro di Torre Annunziata has, for three generations, specialised in the production of pasta from strong grain flour, which renders the pasta and cauliflower, that Nella prepares with pine nuts and "passolina" which are small sweet grapes just arrived from Palermo, even tastier. The traditional old recipe is that of the Signora Scognamiglio who was appreciated by everyone for her creativity in the kitchen. 

But Naples, notwithstanding it's heart of volcanic fire, is also a place of the sea and here one can always find the totani imbottiti with breadcrumbed head and tentacles accompanied by parsley potatoes, that always go well with fish.  If ones visit takes place during the Summer months the possibility is increased of being able to sample the famous "porchiacchello" known nationally as portulata, a juicy wild herb that grows in the uncultivated areas of southern Italy. Then the perfume of amalfitano lemons that since Roman times have been found on the coast and that contains in themselves the synthesis of natural elements that render them so typical and at the same time unique. The "sfusato amalfitano" has been used for many years and for diverse uses: as a base for typical desserts of the coast, in this case in our crema di ricotta limone, to that of the limoncello which Nella offers iced as a digestive.

The plates on which the different dishes are presented are traditional partenopean ceramics of Vietri and its outskirts.

Curiosity:  Around the XI century, along the Amalfi Coast, there were many lemon groves.  They became more widespread when it was discovered that lemons were very useful in the treatment of scurvy, an illness which strikes due to lack of Vitamin C, which is of course abundant in these fruits.  The "lemon gardens" along the coast are mentioned by various authors.  In 1600, one of these wrote about "limon amalphitanus" which had many characteristics similar to those lemons found on the coast today.  Matteo Camera spoke during the same period, of lemons of Minori that were taken by sea to other Italian markets together with "limoncelli" and of "cetrangoli", a term which was used to indicate bitter oranges.  The "Sfusato Amalfitano" lemon has two important characteristics which are it's tapered shape from which the term "sfusato" comes and the area where it is found being the Amalfi Coast. It has a clear coloured peel, and intense aroma and prfume thanks to the wealth of essential oils and terpeni, a juicy and sour pulp with very few pips.  It is also easily distinguished from other lemons because it is always picked with a small piece of branch still attached.