Aversa DOC

Aversa is one of the two places in Italy most famous for its Mozzarella di Bufala (Caserta is the other). And don't I know it. I ate my weight in the precious stuff during my time living between Ischia and Naples. There is absolutely nothing that can compare to a so-fresh-it's-warm ball of true water buffalo mozzarella oozing with milk. The milk of said beast is particularly high in fat, which means it is particularly delicious. No imitator can be tolerated after being ruined on the real thing. (Don't even try, upscale grocery store!)

Neapolitans are so proud (SO. PROUD.) to call this one of their many regional gifts to the world. A slice the size of a ham steak is but a snack, incapable of adding girth to the thighs of anyone and in fact, is nothing less than a nutritional miracle. Just ask any mamma italiana.

"A taste is worth more than 1000 words." Sure is.

Mozzarella in Carrozza (mozzarella in a carriage) is the name of a dish prepared like this: put a generous slice of fresh mozzarella between two slices of bread, dip it in flour and egg, then pan-fry. One can only imagine the crunch which gives way to the soft, fragrant and gooey interior. Mamma mia! And it just begs for a simple glass of high-acid, Aversa DOC. Enjoy.

Text below adapted from: Del Canuto, Francesco et al., Il vino italiano, panorama vitivinicolo attraverso le denominazioni di origine, Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Bertani & C.), Milano, 2010 (2002), fourth edition.

Recognized as DOC 8/12/93

Production Zone: includes the townships of Aversa, Carinaro, Casal di Principe, Casaluce, Casapesanna, Cesa, Frignano, Gricignano di Aversa, Lusciano, Orta di Atella, Parete, San Cipriano d'Aversa, San Marcellino, Sant'Arpino, Succivo, Teverola, Trentola-Ducenta, Villa di Briano e Villa Literno, all in the province of Caserta; Giuliano in Campania, Qualiano e Sant'Antimo in the province of Naples

Yield: max 12 tons per hectare

Grape Variety: Asprinio, min 85%

Minimum alcohol: 10.5%

Aging potential: on average, 1 year

Other types
Spumante: made with 100% Asprinio with a minimum alcohol of 11%. In the case of vineyards trained using the "alberata aversana" style of vine training (an environmental and cultural contribution of the appellation), the yield cannot exceed 4 kilograms of grapes/sq meter of wall and 240 kg of grapes per plant, with a maximum number 50 plants per hectare
Alberata or Vigneti ad alberata: wines made in the Aversa appellation using grapes obtained from vineyards planted using the alberata aversana method must include Alberata or Vigneti ad Alberata on the label.
Also, Asprinio can precede the name of the appellation on the label, for example, Asprinio di Aversa DOC

The production area, which includes 22 townships in what used to be Liburia,** is identified by its Asprinio vineyards trained to poplar trees, which act as stakes or supports for the vines. This method of pruning creates large green walls that can reach up to 15 meters [roughly 45 ft] in height. This white grape variety, by name, reveals its distinction among other grapes--its intense acidity. If great care isn't taken in the vineyards and the winery, the acidity can become too aggressive.

The problem with most producers of this wine is that they source their grapes from growers and are therefore unable to intervene in the vineyards to help improve the quality of the end product.

This unique style vine training is of Etruscan origin. Although it is striking to behold, pruning is extremely difficult at the tops of the plants.

One producer of note is using canopy pruning, with more plants per hectare and lower grape yields. The result is a wine that, perhaps, doesn't reflect the tipicity of the grape variety in that the wine is less acidic. (In the debate over typicity vs. defect we risk a never-ending argument...) Without a doubt though, the wine is more enjoyable because it's softer. It is in this vein that the producer is aging some if his wine in 7, 10, and 15 hL oak barrels for 1 year. [Here we go again with the barriques!]

Although only humble results are obtained using the Charmat method, sparkling wine made from Asprinio is delightful as an aperitif. Still wine from the appellation pairs well with seafood salad, fish dishes, pizzas, calzones, and the famous mozzarella in carozza. [See intro]

Asprinio is also used in the production of passito (dried-grape wine) in the appellation Terre al Volturno IGT.

**Liburia is the ancient name for the area known today as Terra di Lavoro (Southern Lazio and Northern Campania). The Latin name is derived from the word Leborini who were an ancient tribe that inhabited the area. The modern name, Terra di Lavoro means "land of work."

Learning to Deal: Fried Chicken and My Thoughts on Breadcrumbs

Let me just start by saying that there is no excuse to use store-bought bread crumbs. They are SO easy to make as long as you have bread. And if the bread is fresh, as long as you have time to dry them out in the oven, let them cool completely, and grind it down in the food processor (that you surely own), you will never have to resort to industrial leftovers...

But what's a girl to do when her guy asks her ever so sweetly to make his favorite fried chicken for dinner? At 6:00 in the evening and she still had to go to the store? How could I say no? (My "fried chicken" is an Italian-style cotoletta di pollo, I use thinly-sliced** chicken breasts and bread them with flour-egg-breadcrumb coating.) The preferred contorni are mashed potatoes and some kind of leafy green, so you can imagine that this is no 30-minute meal.

An obvious solution would be to grab a pack of store-bought breadcrumbs (see first paragraph), but I had turned my back on them years ago after realizing that they all contained partially-hydrogenated oil. In a very Christopher Columbus moment I discovered Kikkoman Panko a few months ago and realized (joy!) that they have no P.H. oil on the ingredient list.

In any case, whether you make your own crumbs or buy them at the store, you can easily put a little sass in the frass by "doctoring them up," as my mom would say. Here's what you do:


Once your crumbs are processed, add lemon zest, fresh basil, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and Parmiggiano-Reggiano and pulse until everything is ground (for the chicken in the first pic, I even used a spoonful of cornmeal--can't ignore the 'southern' in me). Last week I threw in a bit of lively tarragon that was in my fridge and it added a whole new level of aroma to the seasoned crumbs. The flavors of lemon and basil tend to whither a bit in the heat, so don't be shy--use a whole lemon's zest and a brazen handful of basil.

That's the secret, as for the rest (flour-egg-breadcrumb-FRY) you are all accomplished cooks and know exactly what to do!

And who doesn't love fried?

**From the "don't get me started" section of my blog: "thinly-sliced" is a foreign concept here in Austin. I was quite spoiled in Italy to find everything sliced to perfection--prosciutto, veal, pork, chicken breasts, turkey breasts--everything! The patience that I exercise when the butcher proudly shows me how carefully he cut the breast down to a one-half-inch thickness is grounds for canonization. The way that I cheer on the deli guy to cut my prosciutto better (come on, you CAN DO IT!) is a testament to my optimism, right Jeremy P? One day it will be better in Austin...it will! I have a dream, and in it, I can almost see you through the slice.

Pastasciutta Part 2: La Cottura

Click here for Part 1.

La Cottura in Italian refers to "how you cook the pasta." Jeremy (my very own highly-paid Italian language expert) explained to me that there is no direct translation, when I asked him if there were another way to define this word without using an entire English phrase.

But there is no direct or "slavish" translation for this second important element in making a great plate of pasta. Much more simple, at the same time much easier to err, than it would seem.

The simplicity (and difficulty) in all of this is twofold.

1. Salting the water
2. Duration of boiling

For the first, many a cookbook would have you egregiously underseason your water. I use the word "season" because how you flavor the water translates to flavor enhancement of the pasta itself. In Italy, we can eat a fantastic primo piatto, but recreating that glory once home can leave even the best home cook scratching her head, wondering why she can't get that same intangible...umph.

One thing that I have seen over and over in my years in Italy is a generous flow of salt into the boiling pot. Taste your water; it should be just a bit less salty than the sea. This may seem like an exaggeration but I promise it will take the pasta itself from being a neutral vessel for the exaltation of your best sauce to a supporting role that takes the whole show over the top.


Second, please don't overcook your pasta. I said PLEASE DO NOT NOT NOT OVERCOOK THE PASTA! Did you hear me? Chewing on slightly undercooked pasta is preferable to the awful sensation of a rigatone that gives up too easily under the pressure of your teeth.

Besides the flavor of your sauce, you should really be enjoying a well seasoned spaghetto with the pleasant tactile sensation of pasta that is perfectly al dente. You want to feel, taste, and smell its presence underlining the fabulosity of your perfect ragu'.

To achieve this effortlessly, read the cooking time on your box of high quality dried pasta (remember lesson 1?) and drain it about 2 minutes short. There will be carry-over cooking as well as a bit more time in the pan with the condiment. (Please tell me that you stir your pasta in the pan with the sauce! Also important--must meld.)

Tell your guests to sit down and dig in when the plate hits the table because, honey, zee pasta waits-a for a-nobody!