Italy Puglia cooking vacations and wine tours

It’s the day when Marika does not have to go to the hospital (for work! of course) so she can make all her delicious Italian recipes and dishes. She usually wakes up early, goes on a bike ride and then in a couple of hours she is able to arrange a 5-course meal for the traditional Italian Sunday meal we have with the whole family.

When we were young our Grandmother used to cook the Sunday meal. Until a few months ago it was our Mother’s turn. Now it’s Marika’s (but I also help!).

Since we were very young, our family has always had meatballs with tomato sauce on Sunday. I and Marika would wake up with the smell of those fantastic meatballs slowly cooking in the tomato sauce. I think the first Italian word I learnt to say was “polpette”.

I and Marika both learned cooking with our Grandmother. However, we all agree that Marika’s dishes taste exactly what our Nonna used to make. I really don’t know how she does! But it must be due to the fact that cooking is more than a passion for her….and passion and love are two ingredients who make the difference.

So today is Sunday….and Marika made these fantastic meatballs with tomato sauce. You may say: everybody in Italy makes meatballs on a Sunday or… everybody knows how to make them. But I can tell you that they are really worth a post on our blog. They were incredibly good. And in fact they were all gone pretty soon. This is our family’s recipe. 

Marika’s Sunday home-made meatballs

INGREDIENTS

1 lb minced beef meat
1 whole egg
3 1/2 oz parmigiano reggiano cheese
3 1/2 oz durum wheat breadcrumbs
milk (as necessary)
1/2 tsp sea salt
good pinch nutmeg
pinch black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
6-7 fresh mint leaves
18 fl oz fresh tomato sauce with onion and basil

Before the preparation, there are a few secrets for this meatball recipe that our Grandmother taught us and we want to share with our readers.

First, at the butcher shop, make sure the piece of meat you choose is minced in front of you. Second, do not use powder breadcrumbs but use good quality stale bread. Third, moisten the bread with milk (not water).  Fourth add fresh herbs (parsley, mint or basil) as they give much more flavor. The last and most important thing, once you make the balls, let them rest (so they absorb all the flavors) for a few hours before cooking them in the tomato sauce. The “resting” part is key.

PREPARATION

Put the minced meat in a bowl. Then add the egg and grated parmigiano cheese and start mixing with your hands.

In another plate, moisten the durum wheat bread with milk. Slowly add the moisten bread to the meat while mixing. Finally, add the chopped parsley, sea salt, black pepper, a good pinch of nutmeg and the mint leaves in small pieces.

The mint leaves add freshness and make the difference!

After you mix all the ingredients together, make some little balls with your hands. Put them on a tray and let them rest for at least one hour.

As always, Marika adds her healthy twist to all our family recipes. Therefore, she does not fry her meatballs before cooking them in the tomato sauce.

On the side prepare a fresh tomato sauce with basil. Slowly add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and cook them for about 40 minute-1 hour at low flame with the lid. Do not forget to stir them if necessary.

As always, enjoy them with your friends and family.

Do you have any traditional food your family makes on Sunday? What is your meatball recipe?

Puglia is certainly one of the best places in Italy where to go to if you like eating super fresh seafood, crustaceans and shellfish.

Because in Puglia, we also think that food should be local and eaten where it is produced, you will eat the best seafood in places, such as Gallipoli, Otranto, Polignano a Mare, Torre a mare, which are beautiful sea side towns.

When you look for best seafood in Puglia, there is something you should definetely not miss and that you can only find in Gallipoli: the famous big red shrimps from Gallipoli (which look more like prawns)!

The best way to prepare them is to bake in sea salt crust, as if it was a sea bass or sea bream.

BIG RED SHRIMPS BAKED IN SEA SALT CRUST

INGREDIENTS

2 servings
1 lb 3 oz big red shrimps from Gallipoli
coarse rock salt (as necessary)

PREPARATION

The beauty of the cuisine of Puglia is that you can prepare very delicious dishes without spending too much time in the kitchen. As always, the key is to use fresh and very high quality ingredients. So basically if you want to save time in the kitchen, you should spend a little extra time looking for the right ingredients.

Today I and Marika want to share this recipe which we guarantee will impress your guests on a dinner party! We love this recipe, first because it is very tasty and second because you can serve it cold, so you can prepare it in advance and enjoy your dinner with your guests!

As always we got inspired by what’s in season now in Puglia and Italy: the fresh green peas!

You also need very small calamari. Please note that it is very important the calamari are fresh and not frozen.

RECIPE

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

- 500 grams fresh green peas (small size)
- very small onion
- 8 small calamari (fresh and small)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (medium fruity)
- 2 slices of artisan durum wheat bread
- 1 tsp sea salt
- pinch black pepper

PREPARATION:

In a pan, soften the onion with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. Clean the green peas and cook them at very low flame and with the lid. Add the sea salt. After 20-30 minutes, remove them from the flame and let them cool down before reducing into a purea with the food processor.

On the side, wash the calamari and cut them in small strips, lengthwise.  Sautée the calamari just for a few minutes at very low flame.

Cut the artisan bread in small strips and bake in the oven for a few minutes, until it gets crunchy. Once it is ready, drizzle with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil on top.

Pour the green peas purea on a plate. Place the calamari strips on top and drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch of black pepper on top. Serve with toasted bread.

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite recipe with fresh geen peas?

One of the most typical fish from the Mediterranean sea is the Dorade.

INGREDIENTS
2 servings
1 lb 3 oz dorade
coarse rock salt (as necessary)

What’s better than inviting all your best friends at your place for the Sunday lunch and having everything ready from the night before?

Having a free Sunday morning gives you the time to relax, choose the best wine to accompany your food, buy colored flowers and choose the perfect table cloth.
I and Marika are so excited: we have 6 friends over tomorrow and we are already done with all the preparation!
We experimented with this fantastic recipe: fresh green peas with lamb and bacon.
We used the fresh green peas we bought at the vegetable market today (you may also try with the frozen peas).
RECIPE

Ingredients
For the green peas:
600 grams fresh green peas
¼ onion

A few drops extra virgin olive oil
For the lamb:
700 grams lamb
Pinch rosemary
2 glasses red wine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
3 eggs
150 grams bacon (lengthwise sliced)
50 grams grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Cut the lamb in small pieces and discard the fat. Dip the lamb in the wine with rosemary and marinate it for about two hours.

When the lamb is marinated, soften the garlic (whole) with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. After 1 minute remove the garlic clove. Drain and add the lamb to the olive oil and stir while cooking it at very low flame. After about 25-30 minutes, switch off the flam and let the lamb cool on the side.

For the green peas, soften the onion with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil in a pan just for a minute. Add the fresh green peas, stir, reduce the flame to the minimum and cover with the lid. After 5 minutes, stir and add some warm water. When the green peas are cooked (about 25 minutes) switch off the flame and let them cool on the side.
Drain the green peas, in case they released some water.
Using a food processor, reduce 2/3 of the green peas to a smooth cream and add 3 whole eggs, the grated parmesan cheese, the lamb (once it is cold), and the remaining green peas.

Moisten an oven paper with water and use it to cover a plum-cake baking pan. Place the bacon slices on the paper (the bacon must be placed on the sides as well) and pour on top the green peas and lamb. Fold the bacon and close the oven paper.

Bake in the oven at 180° for about 50 min. Once cold (better after 12 hours) slice the lamb and peas plum-cake.

Serve with a good Rosè wine! One of our favorite Rosè wines from Puglia is the Metiusco Rosato made from Negroamaro (70%) and Malvasia (30%).

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!

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!

4– 8 servings
- 1000 grams mussels
- 1 carrot
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch red chili
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- leaves of parsley, chopped
- 2 tbs white wine
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 500 grams of hand made tagliatelle

Do you have any other recipe with mussels? Please share it.