LITTLE ROCK — Ask a Neapolitan what to eat in Naples and you will hear one of two answers. I promise. "Pizza!" or "Buffalo mozzarella!" (With the exclamation mark.) Or maybe they will say "Pizza WITH buffalo mozzarella!"
They will not say pasta, although they might think it. They will not say seafood, although they eat it. They will not say wine, although they certainly sip it. They will recommend one of the aforementioned two foods because that is where their hearts are. And, they will say, it is only in Naples - and the Campania region in which it sits - where you can find each in its perfect form.
On a steamy spring morning on the Plain of Paestum, southwest of Naples near Salerno, the cars were stuffed into the gravel parking lot of Tenuta Vannulo buffalo ranch. They were waiting at the ranch's shop to purchase mozzarella from what is said to be the only organic buffalo farm in Italy. (The buffalo eat locally grown organic food in tidy pens and are scrupulously tended: they shower twice a day and take electronic massages as they wish.)
Customers were lined up out the door of the tiny shop that sells fresh buffalo mozzarella. There were foreign tourists in the crowd, but the ambient sound of the talk was distinctly Italian. I was there as a guest of the Campania Department of Tourism, which had told me about Vannulo in response to requests for information about cutting-edge buffalo mozzarella producers. Otherwise, I would likely never have heard of it.
In Tenuta Vannulo's shop the question was not, "What would you like?" but rather, "How much?" The only product sold issqueaky fresh buffalo mozzarella that has been made by hand just hours, or perhaps moments, before in the room just behind. The products sold are balls of mozzarella and braids. Nothing else.
By noon, the mozzarella - and the 1,000 people who stood in line to get it - were gone.
As a neophyte, I was given this advice: "Don't eat it right away. It needs to sit for 24 hours so the flavors can develop. And don't put it in the refrigerator." (In the cold the fresh cheese seizes up and hardens, like overcooked chocolate.) Instead, one should pour the mozzarella and the slightly cloudy water in the bag into a bowl, cover the bowl with a plate, and let it rest on the counter until it is ready to be eaten.
Fresh buffalo mozzarella is distinctive: porcelain colored, not stark white. When you bite into it, the buffalo milk drains out and the texture is elastic and slightly stringy. The flavor is a little bit sweet, depending on what the buffalo has been eating. Without being heavy, it is incredibly rich. It is 9 to 10 percent butterfat rich, compared with the generally 3 to 4 percent butterfat found in cow's milk. It is worthy of a car trip to get it. Heck, it is worthy of a plane trip from Los Angeles.
Chief among its best uses would be pizza, of course, although care must be taken not to overpower the mozzarella flavor. So Pizza Doc - star of Naples' famed pizzerias - is the perfect venue: great crust cooked in a hellfire-hot wood-burning oven and topped with buffalo mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Or buffalo mozzarella can be served with a drizzle of Pesto Oil (recipe follows) on a sandwich or on a bed of fresh basil leaves, with tomato on the side.
It is also good cut in smallcubes with pasta, said Ferrante. But if you are thinking of administering serious seasoning, you should use cow's milk mozzarella, she said.
Oh, and about that other local passion - the one for pizza. Since the best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin, 2006) anointed Pizzeria da Michele the best pizza place in Naples -make that the best pizza place in the world - the line out the door and the quality, according to a couple of locals, is not what it used to be. They recommend, among other places, Pizzeria Trianon on via Colletta. I ate pizza at another well-loved place, Pizzeria L'Europeo di Mattozzi on via Marchese, and I thought theirswas terrific. But, as with ascertaining the best buffalo mozzarella in Campania (which of course translates to the best buffalo mozzarella in the world), it seems every Italian has an opinion.
"People defend their own (cheese), like they defend their favorite pizzeria," a local woman named Claudia told me. Who's right? "Everyone. Well, me." PIZZA WITH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA Cornmeal 1 pound commercially made pizza dough 8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick 3/4 cup lightly salted and drained chopped ripe fresh or canned tomatoes 1/3 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons olive oil
Sprinkle cornmeal on a 12-inch pizza pan. Stretch pizza dough out to fit and pat into pan. Place pizza dough in preheated 500-degree oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp and just starting to brown. Remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Arrange mozzarella over crust and sprinkle with tomatoes and then basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Return to oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is just starting to melt. Serve warm or tepid. Serves 4 to 6.
BUFFALO MOZZARELLA SALAD WITH TOMATO RELISH 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons (2 large cloves) chopped garlic 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes, drained, or 1 1/4 cup chopped fresh Salt 1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed 8 ounces sliced buffalo mozzarella or mozzarella balls
Heat olive oil for 30 seconds in uncovered saucepan. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrance is released. Add drained tomatoes and heat through for about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and let sit until cooled to room temperature. On a rectangular serving plate, arrange a line of basil leaves, a parallel line of tomato relish (in the center) and then a line of buffalo mozzarella. Serves6 to 8.
Note: This is also good served with the pesto oil that follows.
SANDWICHES WITH TOMATO,
BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND PESTO OIL 9 small ripe tomatoes Salt 4 whole wheat rolls 1/3 cup fresh Italian or American basil leaves, plus leaves for garnish 1 shallot 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup buffalo mozzarella slivers
Cut tomatoes in eighths and sprinkle with salt. Set aside. Halve rolls and lightly toast. To make pesto oil, place 1/3 cup basil and shallot in food processor or blender, and pour in oil while motor is running. Season to taste with salt. Top roll halves with tomato and mozzarella chunks, and drizzle with Pesto Oil. Garnish with remaining basil leaves. Serves 4 to 8.
Note: Pesto oil is also delicious drizzled over pasta.
SPIRAL PASTA WITH TOMATOES
AND BUFFALO MOZZARELLA This recipe was adapted from FourSeasons Pasta by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle, 2004).
1/2 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced Pinch hot red pepper flakes 1 3/4 pounds ripe plum tomatoes Salt 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 pound fusilli 1/2 pound buffalo mozzarella, cut in 1/2-inch cubes 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add garlic and pepper flakes, and cook until garlic begins to color. Add tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Add oregano, crushing it between your fingers to release its fragrance. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Pour into serving bowl and immediately top with sauce and then mozzarella and sprinkle with parsley. (Heat from pasta and sauce will melt mozzarella.) Serves 4 to 6.
Three Rivers, Pages 53 on 08/21/2008