Few recipes embody "luxury in simplicity" like the lemon leaf-wrapped meatballs from La Caravella of Amalfi, a dish introduced by Nonna Marietta, captured by Mamma Anna, and jealously guarded by her son Antonio.
The story
There's a Caravella that continues to sail in Amalfi: the one belonging to the Dipino family. It was in 1959 when Mamma Anna and Papa Franco boarded, bringing the everlasting Mediterranean aromas into the kitchens of a medieval aristocratic palace, once the residence of the Piccolomini family, founders of the Amalfi Duchy, where the ducal archives had been safeguarded during the Renaissance. Anna, a homemaker and self-taught cook, possessed both skilled hands and a discerning palate. She received valuable advice from Franco's brothers, hoteliers, who traveled the world. The journey began with the traditional dishes of an honest trattoria and evolved year by year into a sophisticated cuisine, aided by a deus ex machina like Enrico Cosentino, the inventor of scialatielli.
"Along with the shrimp cocktail and lemon soufflé, it became one of the star dishes. The Michelin star arrived in '69 and faded a few years later, until I revived it in 1995, as communicated to me by Alfonso Iaccarino. I remember the restaurant thriving, with my father as the master of hospitality and the dining room," recalls Antonio today. It was his father who turned the establishment into a hub for artists, including Andy Warhol ("because pop art was born in Amalfi"). In the late '60s, Warhol suggested painting a room black, red, and purple, as a backdrop to his paintings for sale. "Today, it would be extremely elegant, but back then, with ceramic lanterns, it looked like a cemetery. We ended up removing it. I've been proposed to reinstate it several times, but I never agreed, so as not to discriminate against customers."
However, Antonio was ambitious, and after extracting all he could from Cosentino's expertise, he spent six months at Bonvesin de la Riva with Gualtiero Marchesi and his dream team. The result is a cuisine of utmost purity—distinctly Mediterranean yet timeless—founded on the concept of subtractive flavor. There's no temptation to overdo, no shadow of upheaval. Instead, it's the evolution of a spontaneous, almost naive approach, and recipes that embody the immediacy of the Mediterranean, combining recognizable tastes, vibrant colors like the surrounding ceramics, and pure local ingredients, brought to life through carefully honed preparation techniques.
The dish
"My cherished memory dish was prepared by Nonna Marietta, an exceptional cook, alongside Mamma Anna. They were among the first women in Italy to receive Michelin stars in the '60s. And it's still on the menu. Traditionally, it was made with rabbit, but we started with chicken. Even though I adored it, I didn't want to eat it because I saw animals arriving alive and it bothered me. So they told me it was fish. The lemon leaf is the most delicious part, capable of imparting an incredible aroma; we also use it for grilled swordfish tartare.
However, it's not easy to find enough today, as it becomes problematic for the plants, so the dish fell out of use. Fortunately, we have our own. Only Amalfi sfusato lemons, as they have thicker, more substantial leaves that don't burn or tear." Enjoy it with a glass of Fiorduva Marisa Cuomo.
CHICKEN MEATBALLS IN LEMON LEAVES
Ingredients for 4 people
- 500g of local chicken breast
- 2 slices of stale bread
- Basil and parsley
- Pine nuts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 8 large and untreated lemon leaves
- Mixed greens or sautéed broccoli raab, as needed
Method
Mix finely chopped chicken breast with soaked and squeezed stale bread, finely chopped parsley, whole basil leaves, and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Let it rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
Place a spoonful of the filling in the center of a lemon leaf, roll it up, and secure with a toothpick. Cook in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for 15 minutes.
Serve the lemon leaf-wrapped meatballs at the center of the plate, with sautéed broccoli or mixed greens on the side.
Address
La Caravella Restaurant
Via Matteo Camera, 12, 84011 Amalfi SA
Tel: 089 871029
