Romina Sodano introduces Gino Sorbillo and Giovanna Voria

by Tonia Credendino

Gino Sorbillo & Giovanna Voria & Grotte del Sole
At the Mise en Place culinary school, “G” is a synonym of tradition and the improvement of the territory.

Gino Sorbillo is a dynamic man who promotes the art of the typical Neapolitan pizza making all over the world. He is successful thanks to high quality raw materials and great ability.

The recipe of the typical Neapolitan pizza

Giovanna Voria, a pulse connoisseur, is one of the spokeswoman of the Cilento tradition. She is creative and expert. Last year she was a guest of the Association of people coming from Campania who live in Venezuela. She opened a farmhouse, Corbella, in a secluded valley not far from the Paestum temples. She is the upholder of tradition and creativity.

Pizza, the leavening

Grotta del Sole, a winery in Quarto, was opened at the beginning of the Ninenties and the aim was to recover high quality wine producing areas which had been neglected, even if they had been renowned in the past. So they have improved the Phalegrean Fields where the Piedirosso wine is produced and the Sorrento Peninsula where there is the production of the Gragnano and Lettere wines.

Pizza, the loafs

The people attending the course were excited. They came from all over Italy and the world. I met Alba Pezone, the headmistress of the "Parole in Cucina" culinary school in France, she came here to discover the secrets for her book “Goutez à Naples”.

Mise en place: the lesson

Claire Gordon, Faith Willinger's pupil (an American journalist and writer, the ambassador of the Italian cuisine), came from America and now is getting a master's degree at Sorbillo’s.

Marina Alaimo, Gino Sorbillo and Romina Sodano with the Piedirosso wine produced by Grotta del Sole

The headmistress of the Mise en Place culinary school, Romina Sodano, is a national landmark for high level gastronomy and was really excited.

Mise en place, the beginning of the lesson

Gino showed how to make the dough with water at room temperature and a few grams of yeast, sea salt and "00" soft wheat flour. After kneading he made some loafs.

Gino rolling out the dough

Gino adding the toppings

Gino took some loafs prepare 9 hours before which had a rough bottom and a smooth surface and rolled them out. He stuffed them with skilled and quick gestures.

Mise en place, the calzone is ready to be baked

The topping ingredients were of very high quality: the meat and sausage produced by Sabatino Cillo, the sheep ricotta from Moiano, the San Marzano tomatoes, the "fior di latte" cheese from Agerola and the salami from Mugnano del Cardinale.

Giovanna and Gino with the heart-shaped pizza :-)

Then Giovanna showed her human side illustrating her daily work in the didactic farm with children and urged to educate them to eat healthy food and discover the traditional tastes.

She used borage, wild fennel, myrtle, sage and laurel which were soaked in batter and fried. I particulary enjoyed a fritter made with figs, fennel and walnuts and the savoury and sweet ones made with chickpeas.

The food was paired with the Piedirosso and Lettere wines produced by Grotta del Sole and selected by Marina Alaimo with care. These wines are fresh, sparkling and light.

Finally they made a heart-shaped pizza which is a symbol of the professional harmony whose aims is protecting and promoting Campania.

Tonia Credendino and Gino Sorbillo

Traduzione in italiano su http://www.lucianopignataro.it/a/scuola-di-cucina-mise-en-place-come-si-fa-la-pizza-gino-sorbillo-e-giovanna-voria/20802/