cooking school in campania
learning at the source
by Susan Van Allen
(return to Campania)

Cooking School student. Arthur Schwartz and Baronessa Cecilia Belleli Baratta Student Maureen Mathews applies egg wash to timballo; Susan Van Allen observes Student Bruce Mathews tastes the timballo

It was my turn to stir. I dipped a spoon into the pot of strained tomatoes, beef and sausage that had been simmering on the stove for two hours. Its deep red mahogany color and savory aroma took me back to my Nana's kitchen in Newark, New Jersey. But outside, the sight of water buffalo grazing on stretched out green plains zapped me to the present. I was far from where I first tasted this sauce, yet paradoxically at its source -- cooking in a farmhouse in southern Italy. It is in this region of Campania where the world's most well known Italian foods, like this ragu' napoletano (tomato sauce) and pizza were born.

Last New Year's holiday, my husband and I met up in Paestum with Arthur Schwartz, award-winning cookbook author, teacher, and former host of WOR-New York's daily "Food Talk" radio show. Four times a year Schwartz takes groups here on week-long culinary vacations that include cooking classes, visits to nearby Naples and Salerno, restaurants, wineries, and farms. For me (a grandchild of Italian immigrants), the trip was an experience that took me to the roots of the kitchens of my past.

The setting, on the green fertile Sele Plain in the region of Campania (an hour and a half south of Naples), is tranquil and unspoiled by tourists. Most visitors come to Paestum for a look at its main attraction -- the three best preserved Greek temples in Europe -- and then move on.

But our trip took us deep into the soul of the town -- its farms, food and most importantly its people. Arthur, who has been visiting the region for 30 years, learning from its cooks and making friends with the locals, opened the door for us.

I'd met Arthur through his book, Naples At Table, critically acclaimed as a "bible of regional cooking, history, and lore." In it were recipes for all my nana's dishes (which I'd never seen written down) and much more. Reading his passionate coverage of the area was a siren's call to hop a plane and get in on the adventure.

Arthur's co-host was Baronessa Cecilia Belleli Baratta -- as completely down-to-earth as Arthur, despite the regal title. Cecilia owns and operates Tenuta Seliano, the agriturismo where we dined and lodged. Amidst fields of escarole, fennel, olive trees, and horse stables, are three 18th century stone farm buildings that have been converted for guest accommodations.

Our room, in the turreted portion of one of the buildings, looked from the outside as if it was straight out of a fairytale. Inside, it was cold as a dungeon -- though the carved mahogany bed and armoire from Cecilia's antique collection gave it a cozy old world ambience. While two electric heaters were put to work, I kept my coat on and looked out the window, imagining the farm in warmer months, when the pool is filled, fruit trees are in bloom, and meals are served al fresco.

We spent a good deal of our time in the downstairs dining room, where a huge blazing fireplace and long family tables set a warm stage for lively and delicious mealtimes. Most of what we ate came directly from Cecilia's farms - from the fig marmalade at breakfast to the Buffalo steaks on New Year's Eve.

related books Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania Naples at the Table:Cooking in Campania more books...

"Taste this, you're not going to believe," said my classmate, Flo, passing me a plate of a mozzarella di bufala. She and her husband, along with another couple (all four from Long Island), were avid fans of Arthur's radio show and had taken the same trip with him last year. As if initiating me, they watched as I took a bite and swooned over the creamy fresh burst in my mouth. "That's nothing compared to what you'll taste tomorrow at the buffalo farm," laughed Flo's husband, Ken.

Ken wasn't kidding. The next morning we visited a caseificio, one of many mozzarella di bufala factories that Paestum is renowned for. It was just another work day for the men in the small bright room stirring vats of hot milk, and the women gossiping around a tub as they finished off the process by stretching and pulling the white thickening cheese and then forming it into braids. For me, it was the day I tasted mozzarella in its primal state for the first time -- such a delicious revelation that it's spoiled me for any I've eaten since.

As a pair, Arthur and Cecilia could pass for brother and sister. Both are in their late fifties, with broad expressive faces, and a boundless enthusiasm to share their extensive knowledge of Campania's cuisine.

Arthur's Brooklyn born-and-bred sense of humor put us immediately at ease and eager to learn. Cecilia is the archetype of a gracious multi-tasking businesswoman. While helping teach class, she was also supervising the cooking assistants, the preparations for the New Year's Eve party, and even arranging a car service for a classmate who mentioned she wanted to visit the mountain town of San Fele (an hour's drive away) where her grandparents were born.

Class took place in the large white-tiled renovated kitchen of Cecilia's second agriturismo, Masseria Eliseo, where she raises water buffalo. The eight of us students were given print-outs of recipes for the day, tied on our aprons, and with Arthur in the lead, the cooking party began. It was a team effort as we chopped and stirred in the well-equipped kitchen to make a lunch of risotto with prosciutto and mozzarella, escarole with pine nuts and olives, fried salt cod, and panna cotta.