Rechercher...
Meet with Chef Simon Andrews, A Nepita restaurant
At the bend of a small street in the Imperial City, a few steps from the Law Courts, nestles a discreet pearl which has made its reputation by word of mouth, A Nepita.
Although he has kept a hint of a British accent, chef Simon Andrews nevertheless feels Corsican at heart and has made the Island his adopted home.
Originally from a small town in south-west London, at the age of twenty, the young man with a passion for cooking decided to leave university do his apprenticeship in a two-starred London restaurant, Chez Nico, before joining the kitchens of Penny Hill Park, a 5-star hotel located in his native village of Camberley.
After treating and serving the All Blacks during the 1998 Rugby World Cup, he decided to discover the subtleties of French cuisine and arrived in Béziers at the Michelin-starred restaurant Château de Lignan where he eventually stayed for eight months as second in command before joining the kitchens of three-starred chef Jean-Pierre Bruneau in Brussels.
The lack of sunshine and his passion for scuba diving led him to leave for a while at the Lido in Propriano in 2003. After falling in love with Corsica, he decided to settle there and found a job at the Palm Beach on the Sanguinaires road in Ajaccio. It was there that he met a beautiful woman called Roberta who would become his wife and the mother of his daughters. After seven years at a steady pace, he left the establishment just before receiving the star and decided with Roberta to open their own restaurant.
This is how A Nepita, named after the wild marjoram in the Corsican mountains, was born in 2009 in a small street, in the heart of the city. Despite the unattractive location, the couple took up the challenge and the restaurant quickly became a success, with customers being seduced by the finesse and quality of the dishes artfully concocted by Simon and Roberta's friendly welcome.
Regulars flock to Nepita to enjoy a modern gastronomic cuisine with delicate flavours, featuring the finest island products, extra fresh, ingredients worked to the minute, a cuisine based mainly on seafood and seasonal vegetables, as well as beautiful land/sea combinations.
Simon Andrews delivers an author's cuisine that resembles him. Creative, fair, greedy, with perfect cooking which goes back to the essence of the taste. The menu consists of 4 starters, 4 main courses, 4 desserts and changes daily according to the market, the catch of the day and the chef's inspiration, with the exception of his signature dish: the tasty grilled octopus, mashed potatoes, Vuletta and veal juice.
With about twenty seats inside and ten outside, needless to say that it is better to book the experience for a nice moment of pleasure, distilled by a chef who is passionate about taste and beautiful products.
©anepita
The Chefs’ go to places
Fish: fishermen Eric and Philippe Costa in Ajaccio
Vegetables and fruits in permaculture: Sébastien Bonardi in Tavera
Vegetables : Léo Méssineo - Le Jardin de Léo in Ajaccio
Organic veal : Paul Bianchi breeder in Villanova
Cheese and charcuterie : Mireille and Jean-André Mamelli in Sarrola Carcopino
Aromatic plants: Florence Weis, wild plant hunter in Ajaccio
THE MENUS
Average price à la carte : 60 €.
A Nepita
4 rue San Lazaro, 20000 Ajaccio
Tel: 04 95 26 75 68
CAPON FILLET WITH BROCCIU RAVIOLE AND CHARD A LA NEPITA
©CORSE MATIN
Ingredients for 4 persons :
2 capons of about 800 g • For the raviole: 100 g flour • 2 eggs • Salt, pepper • 200 g farm brocciu • 1 small pinch of dried nepita • For the bouillabaisse juice: Capon head and bones • 1 onion • ½ fennel • 1 carrot • 3 star anise • 80 g tomato paste • 200 ml white wine • 0.5 g Ucciani saffron • 2 l water • Olive oil • For the celeriac purée: 200 g celeriac • 100 g milk • 100 g cream • For the chard: 1 bunch of chard • 1 Sisco onion • 1 pinch of dried nepita
Preparation: 1 h / Cooking time: 45 min
For the capons: Scale, empty and lift the fillets and remove the central bones with a pair of tongs. Set aside in a cool place.
For the ravioli: For the ravioli dough: mix the flour, one egg and salt by hand until you obtain a smooth dough. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the brocciu filling: mix the brocciu, one egg, a pinch of nepita, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork. Make the ravioli: roll the ravioli dough as thinly as possible with the help of a pastry machine, place about 50 g of brocciu on the dough and place another sheet of ravioli dough on top. Then use a cookie cutter to cut 6 cm diameter ravioles (1 raviole per person).
For the bouillabaisse sauce: Cut the heads and bones into pieces. Fry the chopped vegetables and the star anise in olive oil in a pan. Brown well and add the tomato paste, white wine, and water. Reduce for 45 minutes, pass through a sieve, and add the saffron. Leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
For the celery purée: Peel the celery and cut it into small pieces 2 cm in diameter. Put it in a saucepan with the cream and milk, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat. Blend with an electric blender to obtain a very smooth purée.
For the chard: Separate the chard ribs and greens with a knife. Cut the chops into squares and the greens into strips. Cook the chops in boiling water for 6 minutes, then the greens for 1 minute. Thinly slice an onion, cook in olive oil over low heat without browning, then add the chard and nepita.
To prepare: Cook the capon fillets on the skin side over a low heat for 8 minutes, then set aside on a plate to keep warm. Cook the ravioli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Place the capon fillet on the chard, arrange the celery purée on the side, then the raviole and the bouillabaisse juice.
Accord mets-vin
DZ - Domaine Zuria
©CORSE MATIN
