There are many dinner sets in Villa La Madonnina. I know nothing about their history but they are an important part of the life of the Villa. I have counted five separate compete dinner sets, and when I say complete, I mean not just dinner plates, and side plates, and salad bowls, but also chunky platters for big feasts, and large bowls for salad, and cruet sets, and cups and saucers.
The navy-blue-and-stone coloured set is by far the largest. Underneath, it says 'Casola,', Positano. I would use this set for winter, and for heavy cooking. A lasagne would display nicely on this set. It comes with a five large oval serving platters, a soup tureen, a coffee pot, and a set of coffee, as well as espresso, cups.
We cooked 'Bistecca alla Fiorentina' on these plates, and the huge grilled, t-bone steaks perfectly suited the solemn, stone background, and the confident, stalwart grape-and-vine decoration. Bistecca ala Fiorentino is not a dish of the region - Amalfi cuisine is seafood, mozzarella, and pasta at it's finest - but Luca managed to find us enormous red and shiny steaks, which the Americans would describe as 'Porterhouse'.
To prepare the steaks, I brought them to room temperature and seasoned them lightly with a cut garlic clove, and rosemary from the garden, rubbing the meat vigorously with both. I took some leftover stalks of rosemary, bruised them to release their oils, and let them sit in a bowl of extra virgin olive oil. I basted the steaks with the scented oil when they were turned.
The task of cooking steaks is for a patient person, and usually involves a glass of wine. My husband sat by the grill with a glass of Giardino di Klingsor, from Ravello, and monitored the progress of the steaks with interest. An announcement was made to the family: "The steaks are on", and everybody carried on with whatever they had been doing but fully aware that, soon, all activity would cease when the steaks were done, and we would all respectfully assemble at the table for the eating of the meal.
The side dishes were simple, and didn't dare compete. Sauteed potatoes were crispy in the local olive oil. Enormous sweet peppers, the size of my hand, were charred, steamed, peeled, and settled into a bath of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasoning. Charring the peppers is an efficient way to pre-heat your grill for the steaks, and also make your vegetable side dish at the same time. The broccoli here is amazing: small florets on tender stems that melt away when you eat them, nothing like the woody trees you find in Britain.
The steaks took time - always more than you'd expect - and after long, solemn, studious observation, they were tested, discussed, returned, and turned, and discussed again, and finally presented proudly on their navy-and-stone emblazoned platters, to the waiting family. There is no need for horseradish, or mustard, or ketchup, with a steak like this. The gentle scent of rosemary/garlic oil, grilled peppers,
and sea air, is the perfect accompaniment.
For pudding, a small cup of granita, made with fresh lemons, sugar, and rosemary tea, cuts through the richness of the meal and freshens the taste buds. Limoncello, the pungent and heady lemon liquor of the region, wraps you in a gentle, alcoholic haze, and is an important part of the ritual of watching the goats on the hillside, at nightfall.
Marcie Layton
8th April, 2019
from La Villa Madonnina, Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
For more information contact amalfi-villa.com, or reserve@villa-la-madonnina.com.
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