Matera, Italy, a weekend among the stones

Matera in Southern Italy has been awarded the title of European City of Culture 2019, beating off stiff competition from fellow Italian rivals Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena. Known in Italy as "la città sotterranea" (subterranean/underground city), it is a unique and special place. Full of narrow streets, history, atmosphere, it is waiting; ready to be explored by you. 

The ancient city has been established for over 7000 years, the initial dwellings being caves carved into the soft sedimentary rock. So important is Matera historically, that in 1993 it was given protection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic centre is known as “the Sassi” (the stones), with beautiful narrow streets climbing up the hill as the city spills down with its white stone houses. 

Matera is in the Basilicata region of Italy, neighbouring Puglia. Just in case you look at my pictures and feel a sense of déjà vu, don’t worry. You are right to think you’ve seen it before if you have seen the Mel Gibson directed film “The Passion Of The Christ” or the Richard Gere film “King David”. Both had scenes filmed in the ancient and evocative city. 

My base in Matera was in the heart of the “Sassi”, in Guiseppe’s gorgeous cave house “La Suite de Nei Sassi”. A historic ancient cave, carved by hand into the soft sedimentary rock, it has been a dwelling for centuries. 

Restored to clean away soot deposits from thousands of indoor fires and to put in plumbing and electricity, Guiseppe has turned a primitive and basic place to live into a romantic home away from home. Small niches for candles and poultry are cut into the stone, and in the ceiling are dotted the odd sea shell, giving away the way in which the stone of the caves was created, millions of years ago. The Suite can be booked online: https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/la-suite-nei-sassi.it.html
 

If you want to get a feel for the city, you can get a whistle stop tour in an “Ape” van. Not ape as in primate, but app-pay as in bumblebee. The Ape van, made by Piaggio is the big brother of the Vespa (wasp) scooter. There are several firms offering Ape van tours of Matera, but I recommend Ape Vito, run by Vito as his family have lived in Matera for generations, and his tour gives a real insight into the twists and turns of the city’s history, including his stories from the era of his grandparents. You can check out Vito’s website for more details: www.apevito.com.

Walking around the Sassi, exploring the churches and small museums will keep you busy during the day. But what about food? The very south of Italy boasts some wonderfully vibrant local produce, and the food of Puglia and Basilicata is earthy, rustic and utterly delicious.

La Abbondanza Lucana

After receiving a recommendation of this restaurant from a Materan foodie, we had to visit a couple of times in the hope of getting a cancellation table, so popular is this restaurant. It prides itself on serving traditional recipes made with the best local produce, garnering it an entry in the Michelin guide. 

The mixed starters are a must-have here, because not only does it give you a chance to sample the best of local, seasonal ingredients, but also the best of the traditional cooking techniques of the area. Take a look at the photos on the wall while being shown to your table. Anyone who is anyone who visits this town comes here to sample this superb foodie experience. I recommend the shared starter platter, which promises and delivers Puglia on a plate.  

Vico Bruno Buozzi, 11-11 Bis Sasso Caveoso, Matera

Telephone number: 0835 334574

Email: francescoabbondanza@gmail.com

EGO Restaurant and Bistro

EGO, standing for “enoteca, gourmet, origini”, rather than a person with a big ego, this is a restaurant and bistro with ambitions to use the best of ingredients in highly original ways and/or the utmost of care. The restaurant is on the ground floor level, where Puglian food is reinvented and revolutionised into something very intriguing and individual. The kitchen is in full view of diners, through the huge glass windows and glazed door to the dining room. Downstairs is a bistro serving excellent cocktails and more informal nibbles. Run and staffed by passionate food lovers, you will receive great recommendations and fabulous food. We visited both the restaurant for their tasting menu (highly recommended) and the bistro for evening drinks and were thoroughly impressed by the attention to detail and high quality of the food in an area of Italy where pride in food is very strong indeed.

Via Stigliana, 44, Matera

Telephone number: +39 392 90 30 963

Email: info@egogourmet.it

La Cola Cola Ristorante Pizzeria

La Cola Cola is not a fizzy drink tie-in; the name comes from a cockerel like ceramic figure made in the local area. When you need a light meal and pizza is the only thing which will fit the bill, this is the place for you. Set in a small, pedestrian-only road behind the main square, you might find Cola Cola a little difficult to locate. Ask people who live nearby, or follow the hungry locals on their way there. When you get there, the small doorway is immediately underwhelming. However, once you are in, you will realise this is a huge, cavernous temple to pizza. 

Made in the burning hot wood fired oven you walk past to get to your tables, the pizzas are big, thin and generously topped. All the produce is natural and sourced locally. Booking is essential, as this place is very popular with the Materans. If you haven’t booked, you may find yourself joining the queue for tables which gets distinctly longer as the evening progresses. Built in 1700, much of this place has been dug out of the Tufo rock, giving you something to think about when you see there are three large spaces in this restaurant. What a labour of love!

Vico Spartivento, 21, 75100 Matera

Telephone number: +39 339 706 8259

Website: http://www.lacolacola.it/?lang=en

This writeup and reviews represent the genuine views of Snigdha. Snigdha paid in full for her trip to Matera, and these views represent her experience. Snigdha has received no incentive, financial or otherwise for posting this blog post. 

Pasta with Broccoli (Guest post by Linda Poulnott)

At the beginning of the year, I was fortunate enough to host a "residency" of guest blog posts by my friend Linda Poulnott. Linda has lived in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy for over 20 years. Through her total immersion into the language, life and culture of this exciting and vibrant part of the world, she has learned how to cook the food of this region authentically. It is with great pleasure that I am happy to say Linda has returned to Snig's Kitchen with a new recipe for us all. 

Linda Poulnott, your brilliant post author

You may have missed Linda's residency, but fear not, here are the links to her three brilliant and helpful posts:

How to cook like a Neapolitan Mamma (food and cooking advice): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html

Risotto con Funghi Misti (Risotto with mixed mushrooms):  http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/risotto-con-funghi-misti-guest-post-by.html

Parmigiana di Melanzane (Neapolitan Baked Aubergines): http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/parmigiana-di-melanzane-guest-post-by.html

The key thing which you will realise from Linda's writing and recipes is how unfussy good Italian food can be. I have found this to be a revelation. I have, like Linda, tried to cook cheffy and complicated Italian recipes from cook books. Linda has previously described how on her arrival in Italy, she tried to replicate these overly technical and fussy dishes, only to find that the real food of the Neapolitan region could be appealing, flavourful and satisfying without the hassle. 

Linda's approach is refreshing, simple and delightful. This recipe, her fresh trofie pasta with broccoli, is entirely in keeping with her philosophy on cooking. Who would have thought you could rustle up something tasty, healthy and authentic so rapidly? Perfect for a weeknight or a speedy weekend lunch. 

So I hope you will read and try to make this recipe and if you didn't have the chance to catch her previous posts, that you will travel back in time to the start of 2015 to read them!

My thanks to Linda for her lovely recipe, another wonderful guest post that I am proud and happy to include here. 

If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to post in the comments below. Alternatively, I am sure you can ask Linda on twitter. Or perhaps you just want to say hello and thanks to Linda, as she is a friendly and fun person in the twitterati. Just look for @nnamorata. 

Buon appetito, my readers. Over to Linda!

The finished dish: fresh trofie pasta with broccoli

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI

This dish is very simple and ideal to make when you get home after a busy day. It should take you about 15mins to prepare. It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

People in the Gulf of Naples eat it in winter when broccoli is in season. It’s a Neapolitan “comfort food” dish. If you can get it, try to buy fresh pasta for this dish. In the photo you’ll see I use Trofie shaped pasta.

Fresh trofie pasta

If it’s hard to find, orrechiette or cavatelli shapes work well too.

YOU WILL NEED:

A large frying pan

2 Medium saucepans

A wooden spoon

A sieve to drain the pasta

INGREDIENTS  FOR TWO PEOPLE:

About 300g of Broccoli

150g of Pasta

1 clove of chopped garlic

Couple of glugs of olive oil

A handful of grated pecorino cheese (parmesan is fine to use too)

A few dried chilli flakes or some fresh chopped chilli to taste.(Try not to go too hot if you want the original dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Wash and cut up the florets of broccoli and boil in a saucepan until softened. (Don’t bother adding salt to the water.)

2. Put a couple of glugs of olive oil into the frying pan and put on a medium heat. Add the chilli and chopped garlic,taking care not to burn them.

3. Drain the broccoli, keeping some of the water to add if needed. Add the broccoli to the frying pan and a little of the water. I like the dish creamy so I mash most of the florets with a fork. At this point I add the salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking the broccoli

4. At this point you can start cooking the pasta in a saucepan.

5. Once the broccoli mix is creamy in texture (remember if it gets too dry, you can add the “broccoli water” that you kept earlier!), you add it to the cooked and drained pasta. Mix well and throw in a handful of the grated pecorino cheese.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Parmigiana di Melanzane (a guest post by Linda Poulnott)

I have been proud and pleased to host a "residency" of guest posts from my friend and Italian food aficionado Linda Poulnott. Linda, originally from Scotland, moved to the Bay of Naples over 20 years ago. Since then, she has immersed herself into Neapolitan life, the language and culture - in particular, the culinary heritage. 

Somehow, Linda managed to find me through the magic of the internet. We have lots of interests in common. She appears to tolerate the fact that I prattle mainly about nonsense, and has somehow seen fit to give me her own authentic recipes and cooking tips to share with my readers. I wonder why such immense generosity, but gladly and gratefully accept. It would be churlish to do anything else, right?

Regular readers will have discovered her excellent thoughts on how to cook like a real Neapolitan Mamma here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html. Her first recipe, a satisfying supper dish of mixed mushroom risotto can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/risotto-con-funghi-misti-guest-post-by.html

If you're not a regular reader, then I highly recommend that you read all of Linda's guest posts, but perhaps you would like to dig into this, her newest post, first!

Thank you Linda for an amazing series of blog posts. I am truly gobsmacked at the time, trouble and effort you have gone to - and I'm not a woman usually lost for words. I would also like to say your recipes are wonderful. Simple, direct and full of all the things which make the best Italian food special; great ingredients and cooking done with love.

PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE (Neapolitan Baked Aubergines)

This dish has got to go down as one of my all-time favourites. In Naples it’s usually eaten as a starter or served as a side dish with meat. I sometimes make a batch at the weekend and use it as a sandwich filler on a crusty bread roll to take with my packed lunch on workdays. It can also be cut into small portions and frozen. This version is suitable for vegetarians.

Ingredients for 6 people

1.5 kilos of aubergines

A 400g bottle or can of tomato “passata” (sieved tomatoes) or chopped tomatoes

1 small onion

300 grams of Mozzarella, sliced

A small bowl (around 8 tablespoons) of finely grated parmesan

A handful of fresh Basil

Olive oil (not extra virgin as it can be too strong and overpower the flavours)

Salt and pepper to taste

You will need:

An oven proof dish (a casserole dish is ideal)

2 frying pans

A colander

An oven

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. Wash and cut the aubergines lengthways into thinnish slices. Cover in salt for around an hour and leave in a colander to drain out the bitter liquid. Rinse the aubergines well and gently squeeze out any remaining liquid. Pat dry and set aside.

3. Chop the onion finely and add to a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil. Fry gently until soft, then add the tomatoes and a couple of basil leaves to the pan. Simmer  for about 20mins until the sauce becomes quite thick then add salt and pepper to taste. (Remember the aubergines may still have some salt left over from the draining process, so go easy!)

4. While the sauce is reducing. Add some oil to another frying pan and fry batches of the drained aubergines. Cook them until they turn a light golden colour, then drain them on some kitchen roll paper.

5. Slice the mozzarella cheese and grate the parmesan.

6. Use an ovenproof dish. A casserole is ideal. Spoon in enough sauce to cover the bottom, then add a layer of aubergine, a couple of slices of mozzarella and sprinkle some parmesan on top. Add another layer of sauce, aubergine then cheese etc, etc. Continue layering until you use all the ingredients.

7. Finish off with some mozzarella and parmesan sprinkled on top. This will turn a nice golden colour in the oven.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven set at about 150 degrees Celsius for around 30mins.

Locally, we have variations of this dish. If you don’t like aubergines you can use courgettes instead. Some people dip the aubergines in a beaten egg before frying. (In my opinion, it makes it a bit too heavy).  Some folk add slices of ham or salami. Delicious served with chunks of warm, fresh, crusty bread.

BUON APPETITO!

Risotto con Funghi Misti (A guest post by Linda Poulnott)

I was delighted to host the first of my friend Linda Poulnott’s posts about Neapolitan cooking, based on her experience of living in the Bay of Naples for over 20 years.

Linda’s first post, about how you can cook like a real Neapolitan Mamma [Come facette mammeta (like mother makes)] is full of useful tips which can be easily followed to great effect can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/come-facette-mammeta-guest-post-by.html

But right now I am very pleased to be hosting the second of Linda’s guest posts. This is her take on an authentic southern Italian risotto. I love the directness of this recipe. I love risotto, and I enjoy making it at home, but perhaps have been overcomplicating this classic dish. Linda’s version is deceptively simple, but lives up to one of her guiding principles for “real” Neapolitan food; to let the ingredients shine and speak for themselves.

So I will now leave you to enjoy Linda’s brilliant recipe, which I hope you will make at home and share with your family and friends.

Linda Poulnott; friend, cook, guitarist, music fan and all round lovely person

RISOTTO CON FUNGHI MISTI (Risotto with mixed mushrooms.)

Ingredients for 4 people

350g of arborio risotto rice

150g of fresh mixed mushrooms (you can use a pre-packed selection)

1 medium onion

1 small glass of white wine (or a large one and you can drink half!)

50g of cooked ham (optional) (look out for Italian proscuitto crudo, but any cooked ham will do)

500mi vegetable or ham stock

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

A handful of finely grated parmesan

A teaspoon of finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Salt

Pepper

You will need:

A frying pan

A saucepan

A ladle

Method

1. Clean and chop the mushrooms, onion and garlic.

2. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms, garlic, ham and onion gently until cooked (about 10 minutes), add a little salt, then set aside on a warm plate. If you prefer to add the garlic towards the end of the cooking time to prevent burning, this is a good idea.

3. Prepare the stock in a saucepan and IMPORTANT (!) keep it simmering! Have a ladle ready to add the stock to the frying pan when needed.

4. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan which should be on a medium heat. Add the rice and stir until it starts to turn opaque. At that point pour in the glass of white wine and stir.

5. When most of the liquid has been absorbed add the first ladleful of stock. Once again stir until the liquid has almost been absorbed then add another ladleful. The secret of a good risotto is to keep it simmering and stir often. Do not be tempted to add lots of liquid at once or turn up the heat. This results in rice that's soggy outside and hard in the middle. Yuk!

6. After about 12 minutes try some rice to check if it's almost ready. Add salt if needed. 

7. Near the end of the cooking time add the mushroom mixture, parsley and, just as you are ready to serve, add the grated parmesan. The risotto should have a very creamy texture. 

You can garnish with the remaining parsley.

BUON APPETITO!