Cooking classes and vacations in Puglia Italy

In Puglia we don’t define ourserselves as vegetarian people, but we certainly eat lots of vegetables, legumes and dishes which would be perfect for vegetarians.

This may be due to the fact that in Puglia we produce lots of vegetables (in fact we are also known as the garden of Italy); or to the fact that, having a sunny and warm weather for most of the year, we prefer eating simple and fresh dishes, not rich in proteins and fats.

Lots of our dishes do not include any meat at all, but just cheese, eggs and vegetables: from eggplant balls (similar to meat balls, but made with eggplants instead of meat), to eggplant parmigiana, to fava broad beans and chicories.

When we do have meat, we would never have a steak (Puglia is definetely not the region where to go to if you like steaks!). Meat will always be a sort of side dish to all the vegetables we have at any meal: from zucchini, to eggplants and bell peppers prepared in all the possible ways.

One of the most interesting things about the cuisine of Puglia, is that even at the end of a meal we would have a plate of vegetables. If the French end up their meal with a plate of that delicious cheese, in Puglia we finish our meal with a plate of crudité: from cucumbers, to carrots and fennels (when in season). These are all vegetables that facilitate digestion. However, I would say that the main reason why we do that is to spend more time at the table!

If you come to Puglia, you find cucumbers at any market from June to October. They are very sweet and very different from the more bitter cucumbers you may find in other regions.

They are very delicious, dressed with just a bit of fruity extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. They are also very nice when added to a tomato salad.

Puglia is one of the best regions to go to if you love fresh, tasty and delicious tomatoes.
From June to the end of September, at any market or any street corner in Puglia, you see all the local farmers selling their own fresh and organic tromatoes.
You can buy fresh tomatoes by the kilo or, if you plan on making the traditional tomato sauce preserved in jars for the winter (salsa di pomodoro), you can also buy the whole basket. In this case, you will certainly receive a price discount!

If you are an early morning person, you can also go to the countryside and pick the fresh tomatoes yourself or together with the farmer.

How nice is it to eat the fresh tomatoes that you picked yourself a few hours earlier?

This year, also I and Marika experimented with planting tomatoes at our parents’ garden. We had a small production, but it is so nice to make a salad with the fresh and organic tomatoes that we planted ourselves! And we have to say that it is so relaxing!

This is our favorite and very easy tomato salad, perfect on a hot day when you don’t feel like cooking:

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh and red tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tbsp capers
1 pinch sea salt
20 leaves wild rocket (arugola)

PREPARATION
Wash the tomatoes and cut them in halves.

Cut the rocket arugola leaves in small pieces.

Put the tomatoes and rocket leaves in a salad bowl, together with the oregano, capers and sea salt. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Leave to marinate for one hour before serving.
Accompany with a bruschetta toasted bread, with a frisella from Puglia or with rice.
Enjoy!

What is your favorite tomato salad? how do you make it?

If you like this post, you may also read: how to make fresh capers and frisella dry bread with fresh tomatoes from Puglia

June is one of the best months to visit a food market in Puglia. There are so many colours and flavours as all farmers start selling their delicious and sweet summer fruit and vegetables.

Being Puglia and Southern Italy, also known as the “garden of Italy”, we produce all kinds of seasonal fruit and vegetables, which are also distributed to Northen Italy.

A fruit that is really special in Puglia in June is the ”fiorone” (literally, big flowers), which is a type of fig.

Fig season in Puglia is from August to September, where you can find the most delicious and sweet figs.

Fiorone are sort of early figs and you can find them only in June (their production last for about 2 weeks). They are much bigger than figs you find in August.

Even though they are a little bit less sweet than those in August, it is such a joy to be able to eat figs in June.

They can be green or black. The best and sweetest are the black ones. You only find them at the market.

You may also like our post on how to make dry figs with almond.

For more information about our food and wine tours in Puglia Italy please contact us at info.stile@gmail.com or subscribe to our newsletter.

It is obviously spring on our terrace, which is almost becoming as big as a garden. Marika planted even more herbs than last year (in addition to the many flowers, geranium and….the big lemon tree which already has one big lemon!). I think we now have them all.

Just name one and we have it: from bay laurel, sage, rosemary, parsley, LOTS of mint, to thyme and basil. At our parents’ garden we have: capers, chilly peppers, oregano, wild fennel and rucola (rocket).

Our guests who already attended our cooking classes in Puglia know how I and Marika love adding all the different herbs to our dishes…..even to cakes! This is something that we learned from our Nonna/Grandmother, who used to plant so many herbs and knew all the health benefits of each single herb: from treating a flu, a cold, to liver or stomach problems.

Cooking with herbs belongs to the Mediterranean culinary tradition: it is very common in all regions in Southern Italy. The first time I cooked for my friends in Milan (many years ago!) they were really impressed with all the spices and herbs I used: not just onion, celery and parsley; but also lots of oregano, sage, rosemary and wild fennel. All herbs that grow wild in our countryside.

Cooking with herbs is a very healthy way of preparing our food and eating. First of all, by using herbs and spices you add lots of flavors to your dishes, which allows you to reduce the amount of salt. This is something that Marika, as a Cardiologist, loves telling to our cooking students: adding herbs (and cutting salt!) helps lowering blood pressure and heart diseases.

Moreover, many herbs have lots of antioxidants, which are very good for our health but also to better preserve the food we are preparing.

For more information about our cooking classes in Puglia Italy please write at info.stile@gmail.com.

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A few days ago, I attended a very interesting dinner my Harvard Alumni Club organized in Milan. Umberto Veronesi was our dinner guest. He is the founder of the Veronesi Foundation, which carries on very important scientific research in order to fight cancer.

At the dinner he spoke about the scientific advances in genetics and their impact on hereditary diseases and predictive medicine. He told us that doctors and scientists strongly believe certain foods can be very powerful in order to prevent cancer. Still, there is not enough evidence; however, they are doing lots of research to demonstrate the importance of food.

Among the many food products he talked about, he said strawberries may be very powerful against cancer.

We already know about the many health benefits strawberries have. They are rich in phenols (anthocyanins) which make up the red colour and serve as potent antioxidants. Also a research from Harvard Medical School showed that strawberries may offer heart disease protection. 

In addition to that, strawberries are an important source of ellagic acid. Veronesi’s team are studying the ellagic acid’s possible benefits against cancer.

After listening to this speech, I and Marika have been eating strawberries every day, in many different ways: at breakfast with cereals, at lunch and dinner with salad.

Pietro, the farmer from whom we buy all the ingredients for our cooking classes, grows organic and super tasty strawberries.

We like making a salad with a few drops of red wine or the very old balsamic vinegar. This is to enhance the phenols (anthocyanins) benefits. Then we decorate with a few mint leaves or basil.

Good healthy strawberries!

It has been several months now since we started our “What’s special at the market in Puglia” section, where we write about seasonal and special products we find at the market in Puglia.

We have to admit that we were never happier to host our market section than today! This morning we finally found some fresh fava beans at the market and this means that the Spring has finally arrived!

The fava beans are still a bit small and so we have to wait a few days more, before we can make our delicious pasta with fresh fava beans, onions and mint.

However, when the fava beans are so small and tender they are perfect to be eaten raw in a salad, with the fresh pecorino sheep cheese, some Pugliese bread topped with good quality extra virgin olive oil!

It’s a fantastic starter!

What’s your favorite recipe with fresh fava beans?

For more information about our cooking classes and market tours in Puglia contact us at info.stile@gmail.com or subscribe to the Cooking School in Puglia Newsletter.

We can certainly say Puglia is an artichoke lovers’ paradise!

If you come to Puglia at this time of the year you’ll see artichokes everywhere: at the markets and at every street corner the farmers sell their fresh artichokes. All the locals buy to eat them fresh or to preserve in extra virgin olive oil, mint and cloves (delicious!!)…to be eaten in the summer on top of our fantastic bread.

The artichokes have many important nutritional benefits. In addition to being full of fiber and iron, they contribute to lower the blood cholesterol. In fact, by promoting bile secretion in the liver, they help reducing the LDL cholesterol.

In the 1970′s, European scientists discovered that the bitter taste of the artichoke is due to a plant chemical called cynarin, which has the ability to reduce cholesterol.

In Puglia we prepare the artichokes in so many different ways and I and Marika have them at least 6 times per week at this time of the year. One of Marika’s favorite ways to prepare them is with carrots, rice and parmigiano….a sort of risotto but more Mediterranean because we make it with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.

INGREDIENTS
3 artichokes 
1/2 lb rice
2 carrots
1/2 onion
vegetable broth (as necessary)
1/4 glass white wine
3 1/2 oz very good Parmigiano
2 tbsp very good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
black pepper

RECIPE
Clean the artichokes and the carrots and chop them in small pieces. Put them in a non-sticking pan at low flame adding a few tbsp of vegetable broth. Stir and add the onion, cut very fine.
Add the rice and stir very gently and not very frequently. Add the wine and after a few minute other broth, little by little when necessary.
Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
When the rice is cooked “al dente“, add the parmigiano. Serve and add the extra virgin olive oil.

The only issue we have with artichokes is pairing them with the right wine. What wine do you like having with artichokes?

What we really love about the fruit and vegetable markets of Puglia is that only what’s in season is sold. All fruit and vegetable change according to the season, and so the colors are totally different.

To pick the prickly pears you need to wear gloves because of the spines.

We are just back from the first two days at the Mercatino del Gusto organized by Slow Food in Maglie Puglia and we have already so much to tell about this year event, which celebrates the 10th anniversary!

There are a few streets that turn into outdoor restaurants where you can sit down and dine with new friends. There are certain streets that turn into ourdoor movie theatres or stages for jazz concerts!

My and Marika’s highlights for the past two days were the Puglia Slow Food Presidia, among the Slow Food activities we strongly support!

We must admit that our favorite presidium is the Vacca Podolica (Podolica Cow)!
This cow, because very strong and rustic, has always been considered more suitable as pets work, to be used in the land by the farmers. Over the past 20 years, the number of podolica cows has been gradually reducing. This is because they are not very profitable: they produce small quantity of milk and only in certain months. Also the meat is very savory but hard.

However, the meat of the Podolica cow is very special from a nutritional point of view, even though the taste is completely different from what we are used to. This is due to the fact that these animals are fed only with grass and not with cattle feed! Also cheese made of the podolico milk is incredibly rich of flavor and taste!

For more information please write at info.stile@gmail.com

My and Marika’s favorite way to celebrate the Pugliese food and wine is to attend one of the many local sagre (festivals) taking place in the small towns, year round everywhere around Puglia.

The best sagre are of course in July and August.
Last night I and Marika went to the Bread fair held in a sea town, nearby Lecce. It was so much fun!

Everytime we go to a sagra, we must start trying the Almond Cupeta. That’s something we have always done, since we were very young.

Almond cupeta is a Torrone, made only with sugar and toasted almonds!

Then we headed to the bread area. Thousands of people were waiting for the warm “Pittule”: deep fried focaccia bread…..and of course for the “Pizzini bread“: bread made with onion, tomatoes, black pepper and olives.

The best part of a sagra is of course to buy the many different and colorful candies.

It would not be a true festival without candies! Nobody can resist!

For more information on our culinary tours please write at info.stile@gmail.com

One of the things I and Marika love about the summer in Puglia is the chance to enjoy our favorite aperitif, may be on the beach while watching a beautiful sunset!
There are many things that Pugliese people have during the aperitif.
What I and Marika love the most are the sea urchins. Both accompanied by a good glass of Italian Prosecco wine, the Valdobbiadene Doc is one of our favorites.
Aperitif is a very special moment of the day in Puglia. It can take place at around 12…after breakfast, before going to the beach; or at 8pm after a day spent on the beach before getting ready to have dinner. In Puglia we have a sort of Latin culture therefore dinner is never before 10.30pm, even in winter.
Many people say they will never try sea urchins ….never, never in their life! We have seen lots of people who started with just one….and who are now coming back to Puglia just to eat the sea urchins! Of course there are many ways to eat sea urchins: you can have them on top of the linguine, very simply cooked with just some parsley.
However, the most unforgettable way is to have them raw, by the sea while the fisherman opens them for you a few minutes after he cathes them!

Bread is allowed to get all the juice. Fishermen have their special or hidden places where they stop to open sea urchins. Usually you will find them in any village by the sea.

For more info please email at: info.stile@gmail.com

I and Marika are back from our cooking and wine tour in Puglia.
It was a memorable week: we cooked, ate, drank and … laughed a lot! Some guests even complained that the food was TOO GOOD and the wines too delicious!
After sharing so many memorable experiences, it is very sad when our guests (now new friends) go back to their homes…even though they left with the promise to be back in Puglia again (but only after following a strict diet!!).
The best part of a culinary tour is to meet so many interesting people who enjoy traveling and getting to know a place through its food, culture and the local people they meet.
These are just a few highlights of our week.
A good start of the day with one of the best Italian ice creams at the local seller:

Visit of a village which was ready for the Saint Patron celebration:

Lots of poppies and olive trees in the countryside:

We meet our fishermen friends in Gallipoli:

One of the fishermen invited us to his house to show us his collections. This was an experience that all our guests enjoyed a lot, since it was totally unexpected…and since no tourist guide books even mention it!
Collection of big shells caught in the sea and old nets used to fish:

Collection of other ancient instruments used in the house:

Collection of 12 little characters (below the Saint frame). Each character represents an old profession in the village. Starting from the left, we have: the fisherman, the carpenter, the builder, the shoemaker, the taylor etc. Every year, on the Holy Friday, local people wander around the village wearing the colored gouns and hoods.

We think this sort of little unexpected surprises makes our tours unique! Click here for more pictures about sea and beach in Puglia.

What was your favorite unexpected adventure in Italy?

Contact us at: info@stilemediterraneo.it

If there is something you should not miss when you are in Puglia on a gourmet tour is: eating fish! You can say: ohh “but I live by the ocean and I eat fish every day. I want some meat!”
Still, I think you should first try the fish in Gallipoli (by the Ionian sea), or in Otranto (by the Adriatic sea). Then you tell me if you still want some meat!

The Mediterranean sea has much saltier water when you compare it to the ocean, which I strongly believe makes fish more tasty.
However, it’s the whole experience which is unique and really mouth watering! In Puglia, locals won’t buy the fish in a supermarket. They will go direct to the harbor and buy the fish from the fishermen, just returned from their catch.

Can fish be any fresher than this? The typical Mediterranean fish includes: sea bass, sea bream, sword fish, calamari, squid, octopus.

However, my and Marika’s favorites are the red big shrimps from Gallipoli. The best place where to have them is in Gallipoli, in the historical center, just by the shore. They are a bit expensive, but really worth it. The famous recipe is to bake the shrimps in a big salt crust (exactly as if you were preparing the sea bream) and serve them with very fruity extra virgin olive oil. It’s something you will never forget!

Please let us if you ever try these shrimps!

To contact us write at info.stile@gmail.com 

In Puglia, to have fresh tomatoes when it is not the season we prepare the so called Pendola tomatoes. In the summer we pick the tomatoes with the vine. We hang the tomatoes with the vine on a rope and store them in a cool environment. The skin turns hard but the juice stays inside! Then in the winter, we simply roast them: the skin breaks down and the tomatoes release all the juice and the taste of the sun!

Do you have any other way to suggest to preserve vegetables and tomatoes?