Two elements are the basis of a well-made recipe: good technique and excellent raw materials. If it is true that the difference is in the skill of those who cook, it is equally true that without a good vegetable garden it is difficult to propose a dish as it should be.
Ph. Enrico Nocera - Trentaremi
We talk about the vegetable garden because summer is the moment when the land weave becomes colored. Of "Cima di Viola", to be precise. It is in the second decade of June that the so called aubergine is born. Typical of Campania, and in particular of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese and Agro Nolano areas, the Cima di Viola aubergine has a sweet taste, a very tender solidity and no seeds. These characteristics make it perfect for some of the recipes that symbolize Campania and Neapolitan cuisine in particular: parmigiana, “a funghetti” with piennolo cherry tomatoes, dipped in egg and fried. The taste of summer is all here.
The inevitable parmignana | Ph. Enrico Nocera - Trentaremi
Linked to very fertile territories - those of ancient Campania Felix - well watered and with a fresh climate, the Cima di Viola aubergine, with its elongated and curved shape, is recognizable by anyone who has at least once tasted the specialties of Campania cuisine and Southern Italy.
The harvest period begins in June and continues throughout the following month. It stops for a short time in August for pruning plants and starts again in September and October. In favorable weather conditions, the harvest can continue even in November and December. In autumn, the aubergine is generally used for the production of preserves or products in oil. According to the ancient peasant traditions, the aubergines are peeled, sliced, pickled, blanched with water and white wine vinegar and then they are preserved in oil with hot pepper.
Aubergines in oil | Ph. Enrico Nocera - Trentaremi
Those who lived in a peasant family still remember rows of glass jars full of aubergines cut into strips and immersed in oil: a delicious side dish, especially paired with pork dishes or immersed in the classic "cozzetiello" of bread, that is to say the final part of the loaf, whose soft inside - slowly - absorbs all the flavors of the aubergine.
The Cima di Viola is a symbol of immediate, tasty cuisine, and is still one of the most appreciated ingredients of Campania's country cooking.