Sweet, velvety, balanced… three adjectives that came right from my mouth after I gobbled down my first heaping spoonful of Chef Mimmo’s sauce right from the pot. Who is Chef Mimmo, you ask? He is the executive chef and inspiration behind creative dishes at the famed Caruso, a Belmond Hotel, in Ravello, Italy.
A trip to Italy is the most delightful assault on your senses. The vibrant produce in the markets, stylish people, masterful art, incredulous architecture, and culinary delights seemingly possess a tourist and act as the enticing allure that makes visitors want to return again and again. It is a bewitching sensation to be in a place where the amalgamation of cultural aspects is perfection.The country is no stranger to great chefs and great restaurants, both known and obscure, and the best part of the food scene is that chefs and cooks have access to some of the finest products in the world. Chef Mimmo is no exception, and the proof is in his cuisine. I wanted to see if I could recreate two of his prized sauces at home with ingredients I could locate easily. At first, I was hesitant because I knew I couldn’t access the exact tomatoes he uses, but bravely, I gave it a go.
My aim was to make Chef Mimmo’s Spaghetti Ravello, and I followed the recipe from his new cookbook entitled Pazziamm ‘ja (translation: Let’s play). At first, I converted all measurements from metric to U.S. standard and assembled my mise-en-place. Chef Mimmo advises making his basil pesto first, so I whirled all the ingredients in my blender until smooth, carefully adding the extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream. I set that aside.
Step two was to prepare the base for the tomato sauce. For the onion, I used organic Vidalia onion found locally here in Atlanta. I used two types of tomatoes, Cento’s canned San Marzano tomatoes, easily found at stores and oh, so good. These tomatoes added sweetness to the sauce.
For cherry tomatoes, I used an organic brand from Whole Foods. The key with the cherry tomatoes is to blanch and peel them before deseeding them. This gave the sauce a zingy freshness.
Finally, I added a small amount of the basil pesto, and that was the magic. The velvety texture of the pesto married perfectly with the sweet red sauce. Now, truthfully, I have made basil pesto hundreds of times in my life and have also made different versions of tomato sauces over the years, but as good as I thought my sauces were, they were never like Mimmo’s. This sauce was so incredible that I ate it by the spoonful right from the pan before finally deciding to prepare some pasta.
The finished dish took me straight back to Ravello sitting outside on the balcony overlooking the sea and delighting over the best bowl of pasta one could want. The masterful Mimmo, celebrated chef and author, successfully helped me recreate those wonderful memories, and for that, I am most grateful.
If you want to experience Chef Mimmo’s cooking in person, book a stay at the Caruso, or contact them if you would like a copy of his beautiful cookbook.
https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/amalfi-coast/belmond-hotel-caruso/