Christina Cooks: Back to the Cutting Board

- Here on the Amalfi Coast, there's a sleepy town called Scala, where a family embraces every shred of wisdom from their past, but boldly embraces the future with organic farming, wine production, seed-to-table, everything you can imagine that creates sustainability in life.

So let's celebrate food, wine, family, and love.

(speaking in Italian) (lively music) (lively music continues) - [Speaker] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by Finamill the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable swappable pods.

Finamill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by.

- Hi, I am Christina Pirello, and this is "Christina Cooks" and I am in Scala on the Amalfi Coast, and I'm cooking with my new friend Stefano.

- Nice to meet you.

- Stefano, we are gonna make today a lovely dish called pasta with broccoli with your mom who will join us in a little bit.

And the broccoli is cooking.

- Great.

- While the broccoli cooks, I was wondering if, your family story is amazing and it's just, we came here for lunch, as you know, maybe a year ago.

And I just fell in love with the family and what you do.

And it's so in line with my mission of sustainability and making the planet a better place.

So would you tell us the story of how this all began?

- Thank you very much.

Of course.

I'm very proud to show our story and to tell you and to all of you our story that was started here in 1961.

- Okay.

- Where our grandfather Antonio opened in this place.

We are here in Scala, that is the oldest village on the Amalfi Coast.

- Really?

- Yes.

Scala is the oldest village on the Amalfi Coast is located just opposite the beautiful Ravello just on the other side of the valley.

And in 1961, Antonio, called from everybody Zi'ntonio.

That means Uncle Antonio's.

- [Christina] Uncle Antonio.

- [Stefano] Is a nickname.

- [Christina] I was wondering where, okay.

- Yes, it's a dialect in Neapolitan.

He opened a family hotel with small five rooms and a restaurant on the side, very close to the garden of the family.

Uncle Antonio, so our grandfather Antonio, had a really interesting life.

So not easy at all.

He was born in 1918.

- [Christina] Wow.

- He was a soldier during the second war.

And once back to Scala, in the end of the war, he got a job as a police traffic man.

Once back to Scala, he used to invite friends and locals to have lunch with him.

Every single day, there was somebody at home to have lunch with him.

And finally the mom, so our grand grandmom named Francesca told him, Antonio, "Time is up.

It's time."

(both laughing) "It's time that you open your own restaurant because I cannot continue working every single day to make-" - And cook for your friends.

- "For you and your friends."

- And so now all four of your brothers.

- Yeah.

- All four of you work in the business.

- Yes.

Growing up- - [Christina] With different jobs.

- Exactly.

- [Christina] Right.

- And now we are all working all together.

We have four different activities, but we work all together.

Giuseppe the oldest brother is our Sommelier, Antonio, the second brother is our food and beverage manager.

And he's the head waiter and he is the one who helps Ciccio, our father to take care of the farm.

And Marco, the third brother, is the chef executive of the restaurant.

And I am the one who's managing the hotel since 2020 when I finished my master degree in tourism management, - I know you're working very hard.

They work very hard here to have zero waste, which is amazing to me that you even consider that most hotels, most businesses not so much.

- Yeah, that's true.

But what we believe is that first of all, from farm-to-table is a great choice of food and sustainability.

Then working with the family, of course make a huge difference for people, that we are welcoming people from all over the world and they are making us richer, of course, with their story and with her view of the life, point of view of the life.

- Your brother Antonio said to me that you make the family bigger every time you meet someone.

- Yes.

- Which is so nice.

- That's very true.

- Is it okay with you if I, do you think it'll be okay with mama if I put the orecchiette in the water?

- Of course, yes.

She will not argue.

- Shall we call her?

- Yes, Mama.

- Okay.

- Come in.

- Ciao Marinella.

- Bonjourno.

- It's me again.

(group laughing) - Orecchiette.

- Orecchiette is in the water.

- Si.

- Broccoli is boiled.

- Brocolli.

- Si.

- Okay, (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

(Christina speaking in Italian) - Si.

- Okay.

Okay.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) So in typical Southern Italian style, as I've discovered working here, the garlic goes in whole and we we take it out.

Yeah.

So they use the garlic just to flavor the oil and then it comes out.

- [Stefano] Exactly.

- And then a little bit of peperoncino chili peppers to bring a little spice to life.

So orecchiette, if it's fresh cooks very quickly, maybe three or four minutes.

- Four minutes in total, (speaking in Italian).

- Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) - Si.

- But the dried orecchiette takes about 10 minutes.

- [Stefano] 10 minutes.

- So we're cooking it- (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Exactly.

- Okay.

So four minutes for fresh, 10 minutes for dry.

And so as we cook, we are just making the garlic (speaking in Italian), a little golden.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

- Blonde.

- Blonde, si.

(oil splattering) - Whoo.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Christina laughing) Sorry, Stefano.

That was amazing.

Sort of the mission of the family is healthy as well.

Healthy living, healthy lifestyle, healthy eating.

So look at this really quickly, you guys.

So all we did was boil the broccoli, which was picked fresh in the garden today, and boiled for maybe, (speaking in Italian).

- Si.

- Four minutes, but no need for a blender or, anything.

It's just with a fork.

It's becoming a cream, (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - But all it's only olive oil, pasta cooking water and broccoli.

- Broccoli.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - And a little bit of salt.

- And.

- Okay.

- Chili pepper.

- Ah, yes, we can't forget those.

(both laughing) And a little peperoncino, chili pepper.

- Si.

- So, oh.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) (Christina laughing) - Okay.

And now to make the sauce sort of turn creamier, we add a little sort of turn creamier, we add a little of the pasta cooking water.

And that starch will help to create a sauce that will stick to the pasta.

And so we'll cook the pasta part way and then it will finish in the gravy.

So now we're gonna take orecchiette right from the pan.

It's about 60% cooked.

And now it we'll finish in the broccoli sauce and what we're doing is dragging a little bit of the cooking water, the pasta cooking water with orecchiette.

Marinella while I do this, (speaking in Italian).

- Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) - Si, si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Si.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Si, si.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - She said, I just asked her if she loves working with the family.

And she says she's very content to do so and it makes her very happy.

Okay.

(speaking in Italian) - Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) - And she continues to spoil us with- - She does?

(indistinct) With her cooking.

- Yeah, she continues cooking for everybody and excellent pastry.

So good.

- And the boss.

- She's the boss, definitely, we can say that she's the boss, yes.

(chuckles) - But in every family, the (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Si.

(speaking in Italian) - Si.

- Si.

(laughs) (Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) So I just said every woman is a boss in her family.

And she said, "Nah, usually."

So now this just cooks with the starch of the cooking water, until it thickens enough and it's become like a quasi-pesto without doing any work except boiling broccoli, boiling pasta and sauteing.

Like, that's it.

This is just cooking, it's doing the job itself.

If this dish were any easier, it would cook itself.

And it's as healthy as any dish you can imagine putting on your table.

- [Stefano] Yeah.

- Look at that.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) - [Marinella] Si.

- [Christina] All three.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) Okay, I'm gonna eat this because I'm on my way to speak to Antonio about his wonderful, amazing organic garden.

Hmm.

- Hmm.

(Christina speaking in Italian) Wow.

- Very tasty.

(bright music) (bright music continues) - There are farmers and then there are farmers.

I'm here with Antonio who manages the farm and the garden here in Scala.

Antonio, help me understand how you, for three generations, am I correct, have been you do everything here.

Seed to table.

- We try to do everything in our farm.

- And everything natural, organic.

- Organic, without pesticide, without chemical products, without phytosanitary.

Just ahead, we are going to be helped by some variety of grass that we use in the farm, like corn to attract red chimchar, green flies called chimchar or sunflower to attract the red spider that gave noisy to the tomatoes, some parsley to take the bugs away from the peppers and the eggplant.

This is the way how we try to help.

- So you plant these.

- We start from the seeds.

When we grow up tomatoes, usually we say for the prettiest tomatoes that born are closer to the soil.

In this way we are going to say for the DNA of the plant.

- [Christina] Okay.

- That's why we took the one that born closer to the soil.

- Okay.

- Following the moon, because in farming, it's very important, taking care of the moon.

- Wait, wait, listen to this.

Go ahead.

- You have to know that all the products that give you first the flower and then the fruit, you have to put the seeds in the soil, when the moon is growing up.

- When it's rising.

- Rising up.

- Okay.

- While all the products that instead give you first the fruit and then the flowers, you have to put the seeds in the soil when the moon is raising down.

Knowing these things, also, when you will reproduce the seeds, you have to choose, in the case of the tomatoes, the prettist tomato, when we have got the moon growing up, cut it off.

And after we save with the seeds, the tomatoes, we will eat it because we try to, don't waste nothing.

- Of course.

- While all the seeds that our father that is very patient, is going to stick one by one on some paper napkin.

- No, come on.

- And then once they are dry, he's going to roll it and save them in, you know the wine box?

The wine box.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- He's going to save all the seeds on this napkin, so- - So they pick each seed out of the tomatoes, the best ones, dry them on paper.

- Dry them on paper- - Roll them.

- On paper, roll them, and save it - Until it's time to plant.

- Yes, in this start, this is now the best time to plant the tomatoes.

We already plant next moon.

And now we plant some other again, because now- - And by doing you as much as you can guarantee in nature, you guarantee the best quality fruit from the plant.

- Always the same.

Always the same.

- Always the same.

- Variety of tomatoes.

- Like good quality.

- Always the best, the one that for us is the best.

Because every tomatoes, we've got some San Marzano tomatoes, Sorrento tomatoes, Rio Grande, a variety that we save for the winter time called the Piennolo.

The variety is called- - Piennolo.

- The Borghese a principe that has got a type of bones on the bottom.

And it's very interesting because during the life that tomatoes, we don't dry, we don't give that tomato water, it grow up alone.

- Wait, wait, wait.

Really?

- Very strong.

Yes, while the San Marzano, the Rio Grande, the Sorrento you need water to let them grow up and to let them produce.

- Right.

- This variety of tomatoes does not need water.

In the meanwhile, it grew up.

And this allowed these tomatoes to preserve for the winter time.

That's why we are able to make the grapes, the Piennolo That's why we are able to make the grapes, the Piennolo and save for winter time.

- Really?

- Otherwise, with the water tomatoes could waste.

- I always wondered why, I have a friend in Pompeii who every Christmas gives me Piennolo.

- Yeah.

- And I always think, how do we have tomatoes in December?

- Yeah.

- But now I know.

- Yes, you have to know that Piennolo it's born just in that area because on the bottom of the volcanic of the Vesuvius they have got wonderful soil and the Borghese principle is going to be cultivated there.

- And when you cook these tomatoes, it turns into a confit in your pan.

There's no water.

They become thick and rich and amazingly sweet.

Antonio, (speaking in Italian).

I wish I could stay here for many seasons and learn just a little of what you know, but I had a wonderful torta with your mom.

And I'm gonna go off and learn how to make it.

(bright music) (bright music continues) In my world, while eating healthy is absolutely essential, the other thing that's absolutely essential is having really good quality desserts.

So I'm here with Marinella, (speaking in Italian) again and (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) What's the name of this one?

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - We're making an apple tart.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - With orange.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - And marmalade, orange marmalade.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Apples.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - And a, (Christina speaking in Italian).

So pasta frolla is a dough in Italian baking that's always made with butter and it's very like soft and pliable and easy to work with.

And to make it vegan is a feat that is unbelievable.

Okay, (Christina speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, I'm peeling the apples and then dicing them.

At the same time Marinella is gonna begin making the pasta frolla.

Okay, (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Si.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - So that's (speaking in Italian).

- Si.

- So she's putting in soy milk.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, so 125 grams.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - 100 grams of sugar.

You can use regular sugar, integral sugar, coconut sugar, (speaking in Italian).

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - And what she did was mix it with a whisk and then.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, so.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - 80 milliliters of, (speaking in Italian).

sunflower oil.

Sorry, I'm going back and forth in my head.

English to Italian.

And you just mix.

As you can see, she's just mixing, mixing, mixing to make something that comes together and holds, emulsifies.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, so I'm gonna dice the apple into small pieces.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - So Marinella is saying she's got to sift the flour, which is normal, when you sift flour, which I'm very bad at doing, sometimes I don't do it.

It really does give you a lighter result.

And especially with a pastry crust, it's gonna give us something that's more pliable and not heavy.

Especially being vegan, right?

There's nothing to give it lift.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, so she put in the flour and now she's putting in potato starch.

And the potato starch is gonna give us a nice soft crust.

Really?

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) - Si, si.

- So I told her that I often use tapioca and she said that that's fine.

When you have wisdom in front of you, you use it.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - So two little spoons, we would probably say two.

That's about two tablespoons of lavender.

Everything gets sifted.

And what that does, I'm learning as I get older, that when you sift, what you get is a better mix of your dough (Marinella speaking in Italian) - So she's just.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Yep, the (speaking in Italian).

- Si.

- So lemon zest, grated lemon zest, which will give you, (speaking in Italian) the perfume of the orange is here is like crazy.

I thought the apple smelled good, but the oranges, whoo.

So the zest of a whole lemon, orange, lemon, orange.

I'm smelling lemons and oranges.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Also (speaking in Italian).

That's why I was smelling lemon.

Okay.

So now she, everything is beautifully sifted, but a really good baker goes also in there with their hands to make sure that it's exactly as you like.

And now it's all going together to dry into the wet.

Okay, so now beginning to pull it together.

So Marinella, (speaking in Italian) - [Marinella] Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, goes in the fridge.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

Ah, okay.

- Si.

- So the dough has to rest.

It has to sit in the fridge.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay an hour, less than an hour in the fridge.

So the apples are done.

And so what Marinella did was she prepared a dough ahead of time so that it's rested and ready to go.

And it's very, it's soft, but still tender.

It's really firm and nice.

Okay.

So just a light knead.

She's not getting an upper body workout here.

Just a light knead.

Look how responsive this dough is.

It's amazing.

Okay.

- Si.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) - Si.

(Christina laughing) (Christina speaking in Italian) - [Marinella] Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) And what we're doing is rolling it to be a little bit bigger than the pan.

It's amazing.

(speaking in Italian) - Si.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, a little bit thinner.

Turn it again.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- Si, si.

- Okay.

So because the dough's so responsive, you can just pick it up and put it in the pan and you kind of press it in without stretching it.

So she just laid it in and it kind of fell into place, cut away the excess.

Okay, now we spread (speaking in Italian), the marmalade.

This is their homemade marmalade.

It smells like heaven, but you can use a marmalade that you buy in a shop.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Beautiful.

Okay, now we're gonna add a little bit of sugar to the apples and mix.

So about two tablespoons.

- Si.

- Of sugar.

- Okay.

- Some lemon juice is gonna go in.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - We mix all this together and the lemon juice is going to keep the apples yellow, but it's also gonna allow the sugar to stick to the little apples.

And you notice we didn't put much in, but again, you can use coconut sugar, you can use integral whatever you like.

(speaking in Italian) - Si.

- So now this is gonna go in evenly.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) Okay.

- [Christina] Okay.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay.

On your tart.

Now we just gently knead the rest of the dough.

And so the second crust that we roll will completely cover the top and that'll keep the juice of the apples inside, the sweetness inside.

And give us a really nice finish.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - So it only bakes for about 30 minutes.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - Okay, so for us- (Marinella speaking in Italian) - It would be about 350 Fahrenheit.

Now, you just gently fold the dough in half and because it's a pasta frolla, you can fold it, you can manipulate it, and she's fitting it in the sides.

You can see the little bits of orange zest in there.

It's amazing.

Again, cut away your excess, which can get re-roll later and used for something else.

And then just not a fancy crimp.

This is a really beautiful rustic tart and we made one a little bit earlier.

I'll go get one.

So this is one that we made earlier, Marinella.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Si.

So we're just gonna finish it with a little powdered sugar through a sieve because desserts have to look finished.

(speaking in Italian) - Si.

- Okay, we're gonna cut it.

The pasta frolla is as you would expect, perfect.

You can actually feel how beautifully firm the tart is.

I'm gonna lift it out.

(speaking in Italian) I always say, I hope when I lift the first piece of a pie out, - Wow.

(Christina speaking in Italian) You can see the apples.

You can see, (speaking in Italian).

Okay.

Shall we?

- Si.

- Si.

- Ah.

Okay.

(Christina speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) We need a good coffee to go with this treat.

Marco.

(Marco speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) This is Marco.

(speaking in Italian) Si.

Marco's the chef of the family.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) - Marinella.

(Marinella speaking in Italian) (Christina speaking in Italian) (Marco speaking in Italian) I have learned more today than I've learned in many years, here in Scala on the Amalfi coast.

(speaking in Italian) (Marinella speaking in Italian) - It's so happy to have new friends that will be as family.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - [Speaker] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by Finamill the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable swappable pods.

Finamill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our [email protected].

And by following Christina on social media.

(bright music)