Katie Caldesi - The Amalfi Coast

First row left to right:

Enza Milano, Michelina,

Gregorio Piazza

Second row left to right:

Giovanni Di Bianco,

Helen Cathcart, Stefano Borella

Third row left to right:

Vincenzo Di Monda,

Gianfranco Cioffi,

Francesco Tammaro

What an amazing year we have had working with these two wonderful women, Helen Cathcart, Photographer, and Kate Pollard, Commissioning Editor. Helens photos make our food sing and Kates ability to channel our enthusiasm onto the page was indispensable. Both pour experience, knowledge and love into their work and yet manage to be fun too. Designer Clare Skeats has done a great job on this beautiful book, thank you. To the ever-smiling Manjula, for all her hard work and washing up! And a big thank you to the lovely testing and tasting panel of Do, Teresa, Helen, Nicky and Teresa.

We would like to say a big thank you to the following people, their generosity with their time and wonderful food was inspiring:

Enza and Rino Milano:

Ristorante Il Pirata

Via Terramare

84010 Praiano (SA) Italia

www.ristoranteilpirata.net

Giovanni Di Bianco

Il Giardiniello

17, Corso Vittorio Emanuele

84010 Minori (SA) Italia

www.ristorantegiardiniello.com

Francesco Tammaro

Ristorante San Pietro

Piazzetta S. Francesco, 2

Cetara SA Italia

www.sanpietroristorante.it

Gianfranco Cioffi from

Zero Ristorante Pizzeria

12 High Street

Ware, sg12 9bx

Herts UK

www.zero-ristorante.co.uk

Netta Bottone

Cumpa Cosimo

Via Roma 4446

Ravello (SA) Italia

Tel: 0039 089 857156

Andrea Pansa Pasticceria

Piazza Duomo 40

84011 Amalfi, Italia

www.pasticceriapansa.it

Sal de Riso Pasticceria

Minori (SA) Italia

www.salderiso.it

Next 2 Ristorante

Via Pasitea 242

84017 Positano (SA) Italia

www.next2.it

Clelia Del Gaizo

Bar Mare

Via Marina di Praia 9

Praiano (SA)

Nicola Giannullo

Ristorante Rabbit

Via S.Lorenzo 98

80051 Agerola (NA)

www.rabbitagerola.it

Faith Manna and Michelina

Villa Michelina

Praiano (SA) Italia

www.amalfivacations.com

Villa Cimbrone

Via S Chiara 26

84010 Ravello (SA) Italia

www.villacimbrone.com

Trattoria da Gemma

Via fra Gerardo Sasso 11

84011 Amalfi (SA)

www.trattoriadagemma.com

Antonietta and Antonio Neclerio

(Dairy)

Agerola (NA)

Italia

Owners of Londons Caldesi in Marylebone, Caldesi in Campagna in Bray, and the Marylebone La Cucina Caldesi cooking school, Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi have a passion for Italian food. They have spent over 10 years teaching students at every level, and have written several cookbooks. Katie and Giancarlo have two children, Giorgio and Flavio.

CALDESI.COM

The Amalfi Coast by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi

Cetara is an unspoilt fishing village and home to shoals of shiny silver anchovies. Known as alici or acchuighe, they are the reason for the towns wealth and heritage. While the anchovies are often eaten fresh, Cetara is famous for colatura di alici the juice that is collected from the anchovies while they are stored and pressed in salt. It has become the delicacy of the town and is served in every restaurant over hot spaghetti or linguine, usually mixed with garlic, chilli, olive oil and parsley.

The anchovies for colatura can only be caught between 25th March and 22nd July, when the shoals are plentiful. Pasquale Ferrara, a local boat-builder who has a passion for making colatura in wooden barrels, learnt the technique from the old fishermen and believes the real thing to be far superior to the shop-bought variety. If fresh anchovies are hard to come by, replace them with other small oily fish, such as fresh sprats.

Many Amalfitani restaurants, such as the beautiful garden restaurant appropriately named Il Giardiniello in the town of Minori, defy the Italian tradition by serving anchovies stuffed with cheese. Two marinated fillets are pressed each side of a slice of provola cheese then breadcrumbed and fried. Served as a hot antipasto they are mouthwateringly good.

To prepare these little fish for frying, first cut off the head and then remove the backbone and belly with your fingers, pulling up from the tail (see picture on previous page). Trim off the dark flaps of skin on each side and rinse clean under cold running water. Drain on kitchen paper, season and dip in a coating of flour. Fry in batches in hot sunflower oil until crisp. Drain again on kitchen paper to absorb the oil and serve with slices of lemon and a further scattering of salt.

Clockwise, from top: Stuffed Anchovies; Marinated Anchovies; and, Fried Anchovies.

While sipping a glass of sparkling Falanghina at Ristorante San Pietro in Cetara we savoured anchovies marinated with garlic and chilli, followed by a spoonful of to cleanse our palate, which worked a treat. Try to find the freshest fish you can to make this recipe; the older the fish, the more likely it is to fall apart after marinating, so give it less time in the lemon to begin with.

250 g (9 oz) fresh anchovies or sprats, cleaned and backboned

juice of 1 lemon

75 ml (2 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

good pinch of salt

1 red chilli, depending on strength, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

juice of 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (optional taste first!)

Start by making the marinade. Lay the fish in a deep, flat dish. Mix the lemon juice with 50 ml (2 fl oz) of cold water and pour over the fish to cover, adding a little more water if the fish is not quite covered. Refrigerate for 48 hours, or until the flesh becomes pale and opaque. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together (excluding the lemon juice or vinegar). Arrange the fish onto a serving dish and pour the dressing over. Add more seasoning or chilli if needed, and only then dress with the extra lemon or vinegar, if you feel it needs an extra punch. See the .