A Day in Naples and an Afternoon with Nonna Bice

I decided to visit Nonna Bice, she lives in a small town called Airola, not far from Naples, so a stop in the most authentic city in Italy is a must. 

At the end of August, the city is perfect for sightseeing, those who live in Naples move to summer houses, tourists prefer the Amalfi Coast, and few people remain in the city's alleys, the muggy heat and the smell of food and motorcycles.

 The world's image of Naples is made up of stereotypes, some true, some less so; it is true, Neapolitans are almost all nice, it is true, it is a noisy and colorful city, it is true, you eat very well, on the streets you can drink a granita with Amalfi lemons and you have to do it strictly with open thighs, it is true, “Quartieri Spagnoli” are the most authentic thing about Naples, it is also true, you can eat a great pizza “a portafoglio” (folded first in half and then again in half)  for only 1 euro, it is also true.

Living in Naples, even if only for a few days, is like being the protagonist of a film, every day something different can happen, you can become a spectator of incredibly authentic and singular events, just by walking through its streets. 

Scenes of everyday life, such as going for groceries, taking a walk along the waterfront or among the “Quartieri Spagnoli”, take on a completely different connotation than you might have in a city other than Naples, something that cannot be described in words but that you can only experience by living it. 

And so before I went to visit Nonna Bice I indulged in a few days as a tourist, drank countless coffees, from the classic Neapolitan coffee to the hazelnut coffee from the “Vero bar del Professore,” a variant with a teaspoon of hazelnut cream in the cup, ate Sfogliatelle, Babà, fried pizzas and “frittatine di pasta” along “Via dei Tribunali”. 

Despite the muggy days walking through the streets of the city did not bother me at all, and so retracing “Via dei Tribunali” I arrived at “Piazza del Plebiscito”, while an adorable gentleman sang “Malafemmena,” one of Totò's most famous songs, dedicated to his wife.

Leaving the square behind, the road continues and leads toward the waterfront, where the Vesuvio peeps out, the harbor, fishermen, and children jumping between fishing boats anchored at the “Rotonda di Via Nazario Sauro”. 

This is where you can see the diversity of the population, elderly people sunbathing on discolored plastic chairs, children taking the plunge by holding hands, girls sunbathing on the moored fishing boat, and even engaged couples exchanging effusions on the rocks, all within reach of a promenade along the Mergellina waterfront. 

Once the hour of sunset arrived, I took the funicular. I decided to enjoy this show from above, from Castel Sant'Elmo, where all Naples is under your eyes, the harbor, the Vesuvio, Spaccanapoli and on clear days you can even see Ischia. 

And with the sunset behind me I take the train to visit Nonna Bice, together we will cook a typical Neapolitan recipe, gnocchi with braciole ragù. 

Bice is an 89-year-old Nonna, with sweet features and tapered hands, typical of a woman who has always worked in her life. She greets us, as all Italian grandmothers do, with a moka of coffee at the ready, apologizing if she cannot stand so much because of back pain. 

In her eyes we catch a glimpse of the 64 years she has worked in the factory, she owns with her children a company in the shoe industry, every morning she still goes there because as she tells us, she has to be made aware of all things, both the good and the bad. Under no circumstances does she want to be sidelined in business, and it is because of this tenacity and zest for life that she keeps herself as young and beautiful as a young girl. 

Bice has decided to cook gnocchi in another version, which is just as tasty and soft; the gnocchi will be prepared without the use of potatoes, but only with boiling water and flour, and then topped with a braciole sauce. 

Ingredients for 6 people: 

GNOCCHI: 

-  Flour 00 (Cake/Pastry flour) 6 cup

- Boiling water 

- Extra Virgin Oil

RAGU': 

- Braciole (Veal  Chops) 50 oz (800gr)

- Tomato sauce 1 lt (30.5 fl.oz)

- 1 Onion

- Extra Virgin Oil

- Salt to taste

Meanwhile, Grandma Lucia has also arrived, she lives upstairs and is married to Bice's brother, she helps us prepare lunch. 

First, so that it is ready for lunch, even before preparing the gnocchi dough, we prepare the ragu. 

In a pot we put a bit of oil, minced white onion and sauté a few minutes; once golden brown we add the braciola pieces, browning them first on one side and then on the other, so that they “seal.” Having completed this step we add the tomato sauce and salt, ours is the one handmade by Nonna Bice, so the ragù has a whole other flavor. 

And so it is, with these 4 simple ingredients, that we prepare an extraordinary seasoning for gnocchi. We do not know if there are any secret ingredients, the only one perhaps is patience, the ragù must be cooked for at least 3 hours on low heat. 

And now, after the second coffee and an anecdote from Grandma Bice, we prepare the dough. 

The flour should first be sifted, so that any residue is removed, once this is done, it is put “in a well” in the center of the wooden pastry board, in the center of the hole we put a little oil, to make the dough soft and not to make it stick to the hands, finally we slowly pour boiling water helping with a spoon. 

Once the dough has taken shape we can continue by kneading with our hands, vigorously, until we obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough, which will be left to rest under a damp cloth for half an hour. 

With the help of an aluminum pasta cutter, we divide the dough into smaller parts in order to be able to start bringing the gnocchi to life. How to prepare them is much easier to watch than to explain, in fact thanks to Bice and Lucia's example I immediately managed to “hollow out” my gnocchi, each of them had a different shape, but that's the beauty of homemade things. 

Cut small pieces of dough and form them into long cylinders, rolling them with your hands, and then cut them into pieces of the size you like best. The shape is achieved by crushing them and dragging them lightly on the work surface with your index finger. This way they will be slightly hollowed out and can best accommodate the sauce. 

Once all the dough was finished Grandma Bice invited us to her living room to see some photos and under the excuse of getting some rest.

Bice's living room represents her, shining, neat, elegant but simple, full of memories. 

So each photo was followed by a tale, vacations with her children, a photo of her as a secretary, her grandchildren, but one in particular we focused on, the one with the love of her life, Nando, at their wedding. Bice tells us that all the people in the photo were not invited to the wedding, but rather were “ curious people” from the village who wanted to attend Bice's wedding to the “gentleman from the North.”

We spent the whole time of the ragù cooking in the living room, Lucia humoring Bice's stories and adding details, both of them had dreamy happy eyes, and me with them. 

At 1 p.m. exactly, the ragù was ready, the pot of water was boiling and our gnocchi were ready to be cooked; in the meantime Bice's son Giuseppe and her granddaughter Beatrice also arrived. 

Bice looks at the stove satisfied, despite the fact that she has been making this recipe for at least 70 years each time the outcome is a doubt, obviously not for us, the gnocchi were incredibly soft, tasty and between toasts with Gratsi's red wine and a bite, they were finished.

After another cup of coffee, I said goodbye to Grandma Bice, grateful to have shared with us her life, her home, her passion for work and family, and for having cooked for us another traditional Italian deliciousness. 

See you next time!