La Bella Napule... Beautiful Naples....while it may be one of Italy's more rough around the edges cities,
this city is the cradle of what most of us in America associate with Italy.  The immigrant population that
came out of its' poorest areas in the late 1800's up until the 1930's, along with other Italian regions, made
an indelible mark on our perceptions of Italians and more importantly Italian food.  In Southern Italy, that
import from the New World, the Tomato, is king.  In and around Naples, tomatoes will factor in so many
dishes I can't count them all, from Pizza to Zuppa di Mare..from Puttanesca to Lasagne.  In addition to
the ubiquitous tomato are breaded and fried cutlets and fritters and cheese, notably, Mozzarella.  What
inspired me to blog tonight about Naples' food?  Dominic Chianese did.  Blame it on Uncle Junior.  He
is a maestro of la Canzone Napoletana...the songs of Naples, the songs that when they come on you are
immediately transported to those Red sauce joints (and I love every one of them, i loathe when people dump on them in favor of being trendy or modern, they have their place in real food history and in a romantic
notion of what an old fashioned Italian-American restaurant is.  there...rant over.) I had the pleasure of
being at the Park Avenue Tavern at 39th and Park Ave, in NYC last night for his show.  A blend of his
folksy stylings of some Irish, American and Napoletana songs.  My second time seeing him.  If you
remember, he sang Core n'grato, a haunting and moving Napoletana canzone on an episode of THE
SOPRANOS in his character as Uncle Junior.   Mr.Chianese came over to my chair and spoke with me
before the show. A great moment this Actor/Singer who spoke with me as if we've known each other
forever, It was a great time.



After his renditions of Oj Marie and O'Marniello and the Godfather Theme, i left feeling good and
feeling my Napoletana heritage.  My maternal Grandmother was born in Castelbaronia, in Avellino,
part of Campania where Naples is, but inland.  At 10 years of age, her family moved to Naples
proper and she lived there at no.90 Via Roma until she immigrated to America in 1921 to marry
my grandfather.  Yes, I am 1/4 Napoletana and my cooking and food style reflects every bit of that
genetic code.  When I hear those Canzone Napoletana, especially when sung with such feeling
as Signore Chianese did, I'm inspired to.....(shocker) cook..!!  I'll bet you all saw that one coming!


Here's a view of Downtown Naples as we pulled into the Port of Naples on an MSC Cruise we were
on a few years ago.  This is the famed "Santa Lucia" Harbor of the Canzone Napoletana Santa Lucia.

Cutlets, cutlets of any kind are particularly Campanian and they can be fish or veal or cheese...poultry
cutlets are a bit more of the Italian-American kitchen, although you can find them in Southern Italy today.
My inspiration from my new amico Uncle Junior was to make Cotolette di Mozzarella.  This is a dish which
is awesome for today's cook looking to do something substantial without meat.  Simply put, these are
mozzarella cutlets which are served with a lemony garlicy romaine salad, spiked up with hot red
pepper flakes.   Fresh mozzarella is best BUT.....not on day one.  For table eating, fresh mozzarella is
at it's best at room temperature and eaten the day, (literally minutes) it is made.  Part of it's lush and
seductive allure is the fatty moisture that it contains.  This is not great for the frying pan and it will
be too wet to really crisp up on the outside and get properly "pully".  My advice is to buy the mozzarella
a day in advance and when you are ready to prepare this pull it out of it's water on day 2 and let it
dry out for about an hour.  Get a good sized piece, about 2 lbs, and cut it into sliced no thicker than 1/4
inch.  Any thicker and the outside will start to burn beforethe inside melts.  So, drege the mozzarella
slices in flour.  Then dip them in 3 large eggs, well beaten with 2 tsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
and 3 tbs. of pecorino romano, a good dose of freshly ground pepper.  Let the excess run off and then
dip into a flat pan of 2 cups good breadcrumbs, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. chopped flatleaf parsley, 2 tbs.
of pecorino romano.  Let the coated cutlets sit for 15 minutes.  In a wide skillet, add 3 tbs. of olive oil
and bring to medium-high heat.  Carefully place the cutlets in, do not crowd the pan, maybe no more
than 3 at a time.  You want room to easily flip them.  Let them fry till golden on each side, about 3-4 minutes
or less.  If the cheese starts to bubble up or out of the cutlet, with a slotted spatula remove them to
paper towels to drain.  Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon, hot chile pepper flakes and a
dusting of pecorino.  This should serve about 4 people, maybe 5. 


The best salad for this is a simple torn Romaine Salad dressed with a Red Wine Vinegar, 1 finely
minced clove of garlic, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil vinaigrette...kosher salt, pepper...Napoletana
cuisine, with the exception of some baroque inspired dishes, is generally a simple affair, the same
ingredients keep showing up in different ways. 
Try this Mozzarella cutlet for a lunch, dinner, or a meatless meal...


I'll end this post with Dominic Chianese singing "Core n'grato" in Napoletana dialect...
let it inspire you too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6RH4rJjwFc