There are love stories that never end, just like the one between Carmelo and Maria. There’s also the love affair with Cilento, with the kitchen, and with the restaurant, now run by their daughter Adele. These are loves that last over the years and across places, always regenerating and giving life to something new. Cilento is a perfect example: a land able not only to maintain and preserve the oldest traditions, but also to renew them. This is clearly demonstrated by dishes such as spaghetti alla Carmelo, which are not part of Cilento’s typical cuisine, but are quickly becoming so. Fortunately, customs and habits change; they change over time and thus become part of history.
Carmelo’s, always a must in Palinuro
We’re not exaggerating when we say that Carmelo’s is a real point of reference for eating in Palinuro, on the Campania coast south of Naples. It was before, when he had a pizzeria. It was even more so when he opened his restaurant from nothing, with his great love Maria. And it’s still a reference point today, thanks to the life blood Adele has injected into it. Not that they didn’t have any before. On the contrary; Mina, Jovanotti, Fred Bongusto and many other Italian celebrities have passed through here and returned. But Adele, especially in recent years, has given the restaurant a change of direction. First of all, it’s been completely renovated, giving it a more modern style. Second, it has never sacrificed one of the cornerstones of the restaurant: fresh local and high-quality fish and seafood. Finally, it’s kept and enhanced some dishes that have been on the menu for almost 50 years, such as spaghetti alla Carmelo. His children have maintained the same high standards. Leo Luca, a promising young rapper, delights customers in the dining room with his music. His sister, 20-year-old Nelly, studies in Milan, but as soon she returns home, you’ll find her among the tables, or working on the restaurant’s social network presence. In short, we still don’t know precisely in what form, but in some way this love story will continue.
So how did spaghetti alla Carmelo come about?
It was 1978. One day Carmelo went to the port of Marina di Camerota, where the trawlers came in. That morning he decided to take a case of red shrimp caught fresh from the Mediterranean. Unbeknownst to him, this gesture would forever link his name to a dish, destined to remain impressed over the years and to become a emblem of his cuisine. In the beginning, when he arrived in the kitchen, he thought, “What am I gonna to do with all these shrimps?” So he began to chop them, throw in some ingredients here and there, and let his inspiration take over. When he served it to his friends and relatives, it was an immediate success. Their jaws dropped and they opened them just a little further so they could eat and say to Carmelo: “How’s it possible that this is the first time you make this dish. This spaghetti is amazing!” From that day on, spaghetti alla Carmelo has always been present on the menu, along with other seafood classics of Cilento cuisine, such as the alici ’mbuttunate (anchovies).
Recipe for spaghetti alla Carmelo for 4 people
Ingredients
1 pack of dried spaghetti, 3 lbs shrimps, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 Tropea onion, 1 chili pepper, olive oil, seed oil, salt
Method
Finely chop the chili, onion and garlic. Then chop the shrimps. Put plenty of olive oil and seed oil in a saucepan to cover the amount of shrimp you’re going to add. When the oil is hot, fry the garlic, onion and chili previously chopped. Then add the chopped shrimp, being careful to crush and mix lightly with a fork. Cook for a few minutes, until the shrimps become white and season with salt. Cook the spaghetti al dente and season with the shrimp sauce.