If you’re a regular reader of Big Apple Curry, you will notice we’ve been on hiatus over the summer. We spent quite a lot of time in Italy, and it was glorious. Italy is like a dream, which most people agree, even if they’ve never been there…photos alone can make the most skeptical person smile. I had the good fortune of living twice in Italy, and returned this summer after being away for nearly 15 years. I’m not Italian but I feel like Italy is my second home…either that or I was Italian in a past life. Alongside my passion for Indian cuisine, I love Italian cuisine and make Italian dishes quite often. I suppose it goes to the heart of what I love most about cooking — how universal it is. No matter where you’re from or what cuisine you like best, somehow cooking and eating together is something anyone can relate to nearly anywhere in the world.

On the road to Sorrento: Rome to Mount Vesuvius

After soaking up the ancient city of Rome for one week, we headed south.

Passing Napoli (Naples), we stopped to climb the great Mount Vesuvius, which was glorious and arduous at the same time.

Sorrento

After a full day of travel and mountain climbing, our car crept through the hills of Sorrento to a breezy villa we had rented for a few days. We were greeted by our host Luigi and his mother, Fernanda, who welcomed us with homemade limoncello. We could see Mount Vesuvius from every window of the villa, this is the view from the master bedroom.

As we took in the grounds of the villa, we were struck by the fresh jasmine flowers, which immediately reminded us of India. As Luigi gave us a tour of the swimming pool, he turned into the garden, saying it was ours to enjoy, and that the zucchini and basil were plentiful. After days of eating out, I couldn’t wait to do some home cooking.

The next morning, I spotted a bowl in the kitchen and headed into the garden to snip a few ripe, firm zucchini adorned by full, lush flowers at the end of every tip. Whether you like them deep fried or stuffed with ricotta cheese, lemon zest and dredged through cornmeal before being pan-friend, fresh zucchini blossoms are special.

I sliced each zucchini into small, thin rounds and seared them in olive oil until they were crispy and browned.

I rummaged around the small pantry in the villa’s kitchen and found a can of crushed tomatoes and a package of pasta. That was more than enough for lunch. Chopping up some fresh basil, we all tucked into heaping bowls of rotini…

And a bottle of local Sorrentine red wine!

Since we’d used the only can of tomatoes and package of pasta in the pantry, we knew we had to head into the city center to find a supermarket and stock up on groceries for the week. There are no taxis up in the residential hills of Sorrento, never mind Ubers. Luigi kindly pointed out that while we could take the bus to the main Supermercato Pollio, it didn’t come that often, and it would be faster to take an ancient pathway by foot. While it was a little like finding our way through a Game of Thrones-type terrain, the views were breathtaking and worth every minute of the 40 minute downward climb.

We gasped at the bounty at Supermercato Pollio, which is a regular grocery store to most Italians…but we were stunned by  how fresh the produce looked…every single tomato looked perfect and unblemished, ready to eat.

We found ourselves in an aisle full of spices and smiled. There was every spice one could imagine needing for any cuisine.

Even hallmark Indian spices like turmeric, coriander, and garam masala stared back at us from the shelves. We bought all the basics so that Luigi’s villa pantry would be well-stocked with every spice for our visit and for those visitors who came after us.

My sister loves Rome’s signature dish ‘Bucatini all’Amatriciana’ which is a pasta sauce that comprises guanciale (cured pork jowl), pecorino cheese from Amatrice, tomato, and onion. You can imagine our delight when we came across packages of guanciale. I could hardly wait to make her lunch the next day.

Adding local wild mushrooms to the guanciale, I called everyone to the table for big helpings of rigatoni spiked with garlic and crushed red chilli pepper. Just as we were taking the last bite, Fernanda appeared with her homemade tiramisu, cool and creamy … much to the delight of our little 5-year old Liam 🙂 Let’s just say, it didn’t last very long!

The Amalfi Coast

As we ventured away from Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast, we visited Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. We loved the countless little shops with shelves lined with local wines and outdoor baskets full of fresh lemons the size of softballs.

Me (left) and my sister Myna (right) stopping on the road to Positano

Positano

It’s hard to describe what it smells like on the Amalfi coast at the height of summer, but fresh lemons and oranges blended with white jasmine is the best description I can think of. How could I resist when Liam asked me for a popsicle made with freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice in Positano? 🙂

Amalfi

In Amalfi, we stood in the heat of the main square (Piazza Duomo) and gaped at the stunning 11th century Saint Andrew’s Cathedral with its Arabic and Norman influences. And of course, as we explored the piazza, we encountered rows and rows of baskets of fresh lemons.

Lemons & Red Chilli Pepper

Once back in Sorrento, we strolled through the narrow streets and finally gave in to the citrus bounty by buying armfuls of splendid, small little lemon soaps for friends and colleagues back home.

And, the Big Apple Curry penchant for all things spicy meant we got excited every time we saw endless shops and stands packed full of variations and combinations of dried red chilli pepper (peperoncino). We chatted on about how our mom Geetha could set up a small shop in Sorrento and sell her homemade South Indian lemon pickle 🙂

Last Supper in Italy

As we sat down for our last supper in Italy at Il Tirabuscio near the villa, we sighed as we inhaled crusty bruschetta brimming with tomatoes, brick oven Margherita pizza, tiny gnocchi with razor clams, and seafood risotto.

Before heading back to the villa, we stared at Sorrento and the Gulf of Naples one last time.