There’s more than Naples if you want to eat excellent pizzas in Campania. This is proven not only by the success of Franco Pepe in Caiazzo, but also by the work of many colleagues of his in other provinces of the same region. In Benevento, for instance, there’s Ernesto Verricchio’s Oasi dell'Antica Quercia.
A nice countryside restaurant next to a large cork oak, close to the city, where the whole of the Varricchio family takes care of the hospitality (his children Mario, Luca and Laura, who also work in the laboratory) of the cakes (his wife Gina) and of the pizza, Ernesto himself.
This business was almost born by chance: Varricchio, who used to be a carpenter, a sailor and a sports entrepreneur, wasn’t born in the business but became a chef out of his passion, a few years ago, deciding to work with commitment and research.
With no prejudgements, he studied in the North and learnt everything about ovens and flour – he even participated in Pizza Up in 2012, while Gina follows the “Morandin method” to manage the mother yeast – and in Naples to understand the secrets of Neapolitan pizzas.
Putting his new discoveries and his manual skills to use, he built himself the oven he uses today for his pizzas. He defines his pizzas as “discs that can be reproduced infinitely”. The dough is based on whole-wheat four – such as Petra3 which he used for his Corbarina at the Bufala Fest last September in Naples – and durum wheat, with strong hydration (70%) and a long maturation (48/72 hours) so as to achieve digestibility, aroma and flavour.
On top of that, he puts the best of Campania’s food production, crossing the border from time to time: fiordilatte from Agerola, tomatoes from Vesuvius, from Corbara from the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, tuna and anchovies from Cetara but also pistachio cream from Bronte, capers from Salina and Irish Cashel Blue cheese.
His pizzas, however, are often a tribute to his territory and its traditions:
from Mallone (in the photo, broccoli cream, mashed potatoes, fiordilatte from Agerola and cotechino, named after a dish from the farmers’ tradition in Benevento);
to Ramata (fiordilatte from Agerola, pancetta and a real ragout with golden onions from Montoro and red beer, with a sweet flavour in pleasant contrast with the sapidity of the pancetta);
passing through the delicious Pancia Magra (made with a creamy base of fiordilatte from Agerola and cheese with green pepper and lean pork belly of Nero Casertano).
Luciana Squadrilli
source: http://newsletter.identitagolose.it/email.php?id=555
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