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Sweet and sour peppers: summer is back in Puglia! 0

Posted on December 05, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

It’s unbelievable! We are in December and we are still enjoying a fantastic mild weather in Puglia. Even at the market we can still find summer vegetables, which are not imported but produced by the local farmers.

Today I and Marika decided to take advantage of this fantastic weather and prepared one of our favorite summer dishes: the sweet and sour peppers (peperoni in agrodolce).

This recipe testifies the Arabic influence in the Pugliese cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:

4 servings

4 bell peppers (a combination of red, yellow and green) seeded and cut into strips

1 tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar

1 tbsp (15 ml) wine vinegar

1 tbsp (15 ml) capers

1 tbsp (15 ml) black olives, pitted

1 tbsp (15 ml) bread crumbs

parsley

salt, to taste

PREPARATION:

Place the olive oil and sugar in a pan over medium-low heat and cook gently for one or two minutes.

Add the pepper strips, cover the pan and simmer until the peppers are softened, but still firm, about 20 minutes.
Add vinegar, capers, olives and keep cooking another 10 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and add bread crumbs and parsley.

Allow to cool before serving.

For more information about our Mediterranean cooking classes in Puglia please contact us at info.stile@gmail.com or subscribe to the Cooking School newsletter

Tags: cooking schools Puglia food markets Italy Italy Cooking classes mediterranean cuisine Puglia cooking classes Puglia cuisine vegetables
Category Recipes, Vegetables & Legumes, cuisine

Typical Cardoncello mushrooms from Puglia! 0

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

The cardoncello mushroom is something you should not miss in Puglia if you love mushrooms! The cardoncello is a typical mushroom from Southern Italy. However, it is in the Puglia and Basilicata area that you find the best!

The most important thing about this mushroom is that it has such an elegant taste, that it does not cover but enhances the other ingredients it is cooked with.

We also like the fact the cardoncello mushroom does not change its texture once cooked.

I and Marika prepare the cardoncello in many different ways: raw, grilled, breaded (fantastic!), with pasta or baked with fish (delicious!) and meat.
Today I and Marika tried a very simple recipe: baked cardoncello mushrooms with potatotes.

INGREDIENTS:

4 servings

4 potatoes

10 ½ oz (300 grams) cardoncelli mushrooms

Chopped parsley

3 ½ oz (100 grams) grated Parmigiano cheese

4 cherry tomatoes, in small cubes

1 ¾ oz (50 grams) breadcrumbs

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

pinch of sea salt

PREPARATION:

Peel and slice the potatoes. Cut the mushrooms in small pieces.
In a little bowl add half of the parsley, the tomatoes, half of the Parmigiano cheese, 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, sea salt and some water. Stir everything together.
In a baking pan pour a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and place a first layer of potatoes. Add on top the mushrooms. Then add the parsley with the tomatoes and parmigiano cheese.
Cover everything with another layer of potatoes.
Sprinkle on top with the remaining parsley, parmigiano, breadcrumbs, a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and black pepper.
Place the potatoes and mushrooms in the preheated oven and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 30 minutes.

For more information about our Mediterranean cooking classes in Puglia Italy please contact us at info.stile@gmail.com or subscribe to the Cooking School newsletter

Tags: food markets Italy Italian cuisine Puglia cooking classes Puglia cuisine vegetables
Category Italy Cooking classes, Mediterranean Healthy food, Vegetables & Legumes, cuisine

What’s special at the fruit market in Puglia in September! 2

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

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.

If you have a chance to go to a market in September, don’t miss the delicious and sweet prickly pears.

They grow on a cactus plant. They are green when they are not ripe. Then they turn red, orange or yellow. Our favorite are the red!

In Puglia they ripe in September and so when you go to the countryside you see these beautiful cactus plants with the red and orange fruit.

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

If you store them in a cool environment they last for about three months. In Puglia we usually serve them as a special fruit at Christmas time.

For more information about Puglia cuisine, our cooking classes and wine tours in Puglia Italy please write at info.stile@gmail.com

Tags: food markets Italy fruit Puglia prickly pears Puglia cuisine
Category Food markets, Puglia, cuisine

Puglia food festivals: the bread sagra! 6

Posted on August 01, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

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.

Every town organizes a different festival: from the fig, bread, pasta, meatball, eggaplant, fish, to the watermelon and icecream! The sagra celebrates what’s in season and each town’s main traditional production.

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

Tags: bread Italy focaccia food markets Italy Italian sweets Italy fairs Puglia events
Category Food markets, Puglia, things to do in Puglia, traditions, travel tips

Back from our memorable cookery tour! 0

Posted on May 09, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

(Savory Strawberries)
I and Marika are back from our cooking and wine tour.
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?

Tags: cooking schools Italy cooking tours Italy fish market Italy food markets Italy Gallipoli Giovinazzo Italy Cooking classes Locorotondo Puglia food Saint celebration
Category Food markets, Italy Cooking classes, Puglia, things to do in Puglia, traditions

How to cook a perfect “Stile Mediterraneo” meal: tip #1 0

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

Buying ingredient at the farmer market!

The quality of the ingredients you use to prepare a dish is what makes the real difference in your plate and most of all …in your mouth!!
Buying your ingredients at the market is a really good investment, which will definetely result in a more tasteful dish, certainly appreciated by your beloved ones and friends.
A very fresh ingredient has lots of taste, which means that you don’t have to add any sauce or dressing to give flavor to your dish.
Also a very fresh ingredient does not need to be cooked for too long and in this way you preserve all the good properties and vitamines it may contain.
Moreover, a very important feature is that at the market you usually find local products produced by the local farmers. Every season you find different vegetables and fruit and every season you can prepare different seasonal recipes. Creativity and variety is one of the beauties of cooking!
This is why Puglia cuisine is very simple but SO delicious at the same time. The region is a big producer of all vegetables you can think of (artichokes, eggplants, zucchini), tomatoes, fish, durum wheat, legumes. In Puglia, all ingredients are cooked in a very simple way…but the result is always terrific.

When you are at the market, it is very important to know how to choose the ingredients for your recipe: how do you know the artichokes are fresh? how do you choose the eggplants so that they are not bitter or with seeds? which onion do you use? how do you choose among the many tomato races? or talking about fish, how do you recognize the fish is fresh?

Finally, not everybody has the time to go to the market every day. Then, how do you store your ingredients? or how can you have “fresh” ingredients out of the season, without importing them?
In Puglia, for example, we produce lots of tomatoes in the summer. To have fresh tomatoes in the winter (without making them dry), we prepare the so called Pendola tomatoes in the summer.
Also, in Puglia we produce lots of vegetables in the summer, such as eggplants, zucchini and bell peppers. We preserve them in extra virgin olive oil..so that when the winter comes we still have the local vegetables bought at the local market.

Tags: farmer market Italy food markets Italy ingredients Italy cooking Puglia Puglia cooking classes
Category Cooking tip, Favorites, Food markets, Mediterranean Healthy food