Italy Cooking Courses » lifestyle in Lecce

Merry Christmas and delicious holidays from Puglia Italy!

Stile Mediterraneo — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:48:16 +0000

I and Marika wish you and your families a wonderful and …delicious…..Christmas season! We hope you will do lots of cooking and hopefully you will cook some of our recipes.

Please let us know if you do cook any of our Italian recipes for your friends by adding a comment to this post!
And do not forget to send us pictures!

A presto in Puglia and BUON NATALE!

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Best aperitif in Lecce: the famous Rustico

Stile Mediterraneo — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:04:28 +0000

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If you want to look very local in Lecce, you need to have an aperitif, before lunch, in the Sant’Oronzo square, like all the Leccese people!

Every day, at 12:0′clock an opera singer announces it is noon….and so aperitif time for the true Leccese people! we go to the Sant’Oronzo square to meet our friends, enjoy the sun and ….of course our aperitif before lunch.

The typical aperitif in Lecce is based on a “Rustico” and a drink, which is known as “bitter Campari”.

Rustico is a savory pastry made of pasta sfoglia (puff pastry) stuffed with mozzarella, tomato sauce, bechamel, black pepper and nutmeg and then baked in the oven.

It has a round shape with a diameter of 12 cm.

Rustico is something you can only find in Lecce and in the Salento area. In no other parts of Puglia or Italy you will find a Rustico.

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Bitter Campari is an orange, non-alcoholic drink usually served with ice and a slice of orange. It reminds us of the English pims, but there is no mint and cucumber in it. It is also a bit bitter, that’s why it is called the “bitter Campari”.

Any coffee bar in the Sant’Oronzo square would be perfect for a rustico.

All the coffee bars would have the very local newspaper “Il Quotidiano” where you may find only news about events happening in the Lecce area (from politics, to economics, events etc).

Of course the most followed news are:

-Lecce soccer team

-weather in Puglia

-Horoscope!

-Lottery numbers

Memories from one of our best cookery and wine tours

Stile Mediterraneo — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:14:00 +0000

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?