I thought I died and gone to heaven...

One of my favourite lunch places on the island is definitely Ristorante Il Riccio, a fishy h(e)aven for fish lovers. It's located in Anacapri, on the cliffs right next to the famous Grotta Azzurra (great to combine the two). Beautifully decorated, amazing views and the most incredible seafood. The perfect place to spend your sunday and  take a dip, enjoy a delicious lunch and relax on a sun bed and just dream away with a chilled falanghina... 

Thank god it's sunday today!

P.S. If you can't choose what to eat because you're worried you're going to miss something great, order one of their antipasti selections  and try them all!

P.P.S. Very important; Leave some room for their dolci. They have this room, which we like to call "the secret chamber", that is packed with amazing desserts. You can eat as much and as many as you want... Definitely heaven!

A visit from Dionysus

Dionysus (also known as Bacchus): the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. Protector of those who do not belong to conventional society and thus symbolizes everything which is chaotic, dangerous and unexpected, everything which escapes human reason and which can only be attributed to the unforeseeable action of the gods.

In other word(s), Luciano. Our friend from Sao Paolo who came over for a quick and unexpected visit last weekend.  2 days  full of great laughs, crazy stories, good drinks and the most amazing illustrations...

Ciao Zio Lucius... ci vediamo in Brasile!

PS: Did I mention that he's probably the last person on earth without a cellphone?  And he has no intention of getting one (?!)

Zio Lucius and Jack at Marina Piccola

Visiting Il Faro (lighthouse) of Punta Carena

Some unexpected action at Punta Carena (...)

Just an ordinary day...

What a way to decompress after the stressful move... Sun, sea and great food! We took our scooter and drove to the beach, where we sunbathed while Jack was playing in the water.We had a great lunch at our favorite place at Marina Piccola.  Fresh gamberi, calamaretti fritti and a delicious sicilian white wine... I really can't complain about my new home can I?! 

Yum, yummy, yummiest!

My favorite snacks are polpette di melanzane, the most amazing eggplant fritters. They taste so good that you can't stop eating! Especially the polpette of  beach club La Fontelina nearby the Faraglioni... I've heard they are Capri's yummiest. Anyway, this is my mother-in-law's recipe, equally yummy of course! 


Ingredients
1 kilo eggplant cut in pieces (4 large and long ones)
4 eggs
half cup freshly grated pecorino
half cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 cup white bread crumbs
3 tablespoons fresh chopped (flat leaf) parsley
extra vergine olive oil also for frying
pepper
salt

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the clean eggplant pieces and boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the eggplant is tender. Drain the pieces on a paper towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Roughly chop the eggplant and put in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 eggs, the cheese, garlic, parsley and 3/4 of the bread crumbs and mix until moist. Make sure the mixture isn't too liquid! Otherwise add more bread crumbs. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Add some extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Shape the eggplant mixture into small balls.  Roll each ball in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs. Let the polpette rest for 15 minutes before you fry them. Fill a large pan halfway with olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the polpette until crisp and golden brown. Buonissime!!!!

Love at first bite...

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's amore"

There is one thing I really love about Naples; the FOOD... If you love to eat (a lot) like me, Napoli is certainly the place to be. Personally, if I lived there,I would eat all day long. The food is always great, even a simple panino at the train station is tasty. You just can’t turn down all the delicious food the city has to offer. And if you find yourself in Naples the one thing you MUST try there is pizza. I never had a soft spot for pizza’s but after a visit to pizza paradise it became one of my weaknesses...   
The Neapolitans "discovered" la pizza. In 2009 the pizza margherita celebrated its 120th birthday. This famous pizza was born in 1889 at Pizzeria Brandi(this is what I've heard). Because of king Umberto and queen Margherita's official visit to Naples, Brandi's pizzaiolo (pizza baker) made a pizza with the colors of the italian flag. Basil green, mozzarella white and tomato red. The royal family appreciated the pizza so much that they named it after the queen.
One slice of a true margherita will change your life (good bye Domino's and Pizzahut)... The secret lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients and the genuine recipe of the dough, which is really hard to copy. In fact, in order to maintain and preserve the high  quality of one of Italy’s most important export products, “l’Academia della Vera Pizza Napolitana”(the Academy of the real Neapolitan Pizza)judges if a pizza is a real pizza. It wouldn’t be a good idea to let them judge the pizza’s in Holland – I guess I know what their verdict will be after they tasted our "genuine" pizza hawai or pizza shoarma... 

PS: Good pizzerie in Naples: Brandi, Da Michele and 

Donna Margherita 
PPS: Try the margherita with mozzarella di bufala(buffalo mozzarella)...absolutely delicious!

Behind my dad a painting of Napoli's lovable mascot Pulcinella 

as pizzaiolo at Brandi. 
Like Pulcinella we also need very little to be happy; A slice of pizza and a jug of wine!

A genuine margherita:thick soft borders and a tender middle

Something fishy

Fritto Misto di Mare, or Mixed Fried Fish. Little can be more refreshing, or more picturesque, than a fritto misto di mare at this cute place at Marina Piccola. Ristorante La Piazzetta is runned by Gregorio and his wife, lovely people...
Fresh fish rolled in flour and served with lemon wedges. Local lemons of course just plucked or fallen of a caprese lemon tree...che buono!!!