Winding, twisting up Via Roma, there is a persistent, gentle breeze that pulls the dry salt of the Tyrrhenian Sea up from the coast and over the cobblestones of the main street of Gragnano, a tiny hillside town in the shadows of rumbling Mount Vesuvius. It is by design. The streets of Gragnano, called Città della Pasta, or city of pasta, were designed to channel ocean breezes used to dry pasta that hung outside. Once, this avenue would have been draped in pasta, row upon row of wooden racks, noodles drying in a wind the street was built to capture and channel. Today, the dozens of pasta factories that once crowded Gragnano—where even the graffiti is spaghetti—have dwindled, and the pasta, still considered some of the best in Italy, is dried indoors. Alfonso Cuomo is the 10th generation of his family in the business—Pastificio Cuomo. Young and energetic as he discusses pasta’s potential to reinvigorate his community, he is one of my guides during a weeklong exploration of the simple—and surprisingly speedy—pastas of the Neapolitan region. He starts by showing me the massive building, parts crumbling, where his relatives once made pasta one step, one floor at a time. Whole… Read More

Mint, thyme, rosemary, sage are important elements for Italian cuisine and in summer when it is easier to find them fresh, do not miss the opportunity to make dishes where they become the protagonists. This is what we tried to do with the Fusilloni Neapolitan Cuomo with herbs and lemon. Ingredienti 200 gr. of Fusilloni Napoletani Cuomo 1 clove of garlic 2 generous tablespoons of crushed mint 4 leaves of minced sage 1 tablespoon of poor minced rosemary 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme 1 abundant tuft of wild fennel 50 grams of butter 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 15 gr of pine nuts 1 organic lemon a sprinkling of pecorino cheese salt black pepper Sminuzza sage, mint, rosemary, thyme and put aside. In a pot with enough water to cook the pasta, boil the tuft of fennel for a couple of minutes. Drain it, chop it and keep a spoon aside. Keep the water in which you cooked the fennel aside because you will need to cook the pasta. In a large pan melt the butter and oil over medium heat, add the split garlic and half (this will give way to remove it before adding the pasta… Read More

Paccheri are the perfect pasta that marries the excellence of craftsmanship and Paccheri Cuomo go very well with a stuffing of fish seasoned with tomatoes and olives. A recipe that includes in it flavor all the character and the flavor of the south Italy soul. Ingredienti 90 gr. of Came smooth paccheri means 180 gr of juicy tomatoes 200 gr of plaice 200 gr of potatoes 15 g of fragmented black olives 5 grams of desalted capers ½ minced onion 1 clove of garlic parsley thyme black pepper oil Boil the potatoes. Cook the flounder in a pan with a bit of oil, when it is ready, chop it. In a pan, sauté the garlic and the chopped tomatoes, the parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme, salt, cover and let go on a low heat. Once the sauce is ready, shake a third part of it. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, add salt and 4 sprigs of shredded thyme. Stir and keep warm. Cook paccheri Cuomo in abundant salted water, once al dente you can fill them with the potato and flounder stuffing. In the dish, make a base with the smoothie dressing, place the paccheri in such a way they tend… Read More