Le Virtu's Joe Cicala recaps trip to Abruzzo

Joe Cicala, chef at South Philly's Le Virtu, recapped his truffle-hunting trip to Abruzzo for the website Food Republic.

Catch his dispatches, such as:

South to Salerno is where I got my first taste of the Italian cooking art working for my mentor, Pietro Rispoli. Dinner's at his new spot, Ristorante Aladino. He's sends out a ton of stuff, all wonderful and familiar, but blows my mind with a new dish: Risotto with Fiano grapes, sausage, black walnuts and parmigiano. Perfect combination of fat, bitter, sweet and tart notes. I'm lucky to have studied in this guy's kitchen.

It's here.