Food Lover's Odyssey

April 21, 2013

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake from Puglia ~ And a Giveaway

Although I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen with our Italian mammas, many of whom we'll meet on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia, I was lucky enough to also spend some time in the kitchen with a few handsome Italian men, one of whom is Donato of the olive oil company Agricola Taurino.

During the course of the food lover's tour, Taurino's olive grove will be the site of our picnic and their extra virgin olive oil and pates will garnish salads, grilled vegetables and slices of bread for our picnic feast. We'll join Donato and Valentino for a guided olive oil tasting and fun & informative tour of the "farm" and olive oil mill. After our visit to Taurino, you'll know how to taste and slurp olive oil like the experts and understand the qualities they look for in distinguishing a good extra virgin olive oil. You'll also get great tips on storing and cooking with olive oil and taste lots of dishes prepared with Taurino's olive oil as it is the official olive oil on our tour.

Picnic under the Olive Trees at Agricola Taurino

Donato and his Parents, Maria & Pino of Agricola Taurino

Agricola Taurino is a family-run business. Founded by Donato's parents, Pino and Maria, Donato and his sister now run the "farm," as they call it. Pino and Maria are still an active and visible part of the business and pop in to meet guests daily. Donato takes great care in his guests' happiness, making sure we're full and happy when we leave. Donato and his sister take the same care in every detail of olive oil production, from the manner in which they water the olive trees down to the packaging and shipping of the oil and other products. The care they take in its production ends with an extra virgin olive oil of the finest quality.

Along with two types of extra virgin olive oil, the mildly flavored silver-labeled Polaris and the robustly flavored gold-labeled Sirius, Taurino makes pâtes with their olives and other of the many flavorful vegetables of Puglia; artichokes from Brindisi, local bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. During my recent visit to Puglia, I have to admit I've went through jars and jars of the artichoke and bell pepper pâtes, slathering copious amounts on slices on Pugliese bread.

DISCOUNT ON OLIVE OIL FOR FOOD LOVER'S ODYSSEY READERS:

You can buy Taurino extra virgin olive oil and have it shipped directly to you! Via Taurino's website, purchase Taurino's extra virgin olive oil and olive oil products directly from them AND Donato is extending a discount to you, readers of Food Lover's Odyssey. Order any of their products from their online shop, here, use the code "FOOD LOVERS OLIVE OIL"and receive a 5% discount on all of Taurino's products, including their adopt an olive tree program.

THE OLIVE OIL GIVEAWAY:

Taurino is giving away two bottles of their extra virgin olive oil to one lucky reader of this blog.

To win the two bottles of Azienda Agricola Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one bottle of the delicate Polaris and one bottle of the more robust Sirius, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me how you like to use olive oil when cooking and what you'd like to see Donato cook the next time I visit him in the kitchen.

Second chance to enter: "Like" the Food Lover's Odyssey Facebook page; come back here and leave a comment telling me you've done so for a second entry in this giveaway. (If you've already "liked" my Facebook page prior to this giveaway, you can leave a second comment here letting me know as your other entry.)

A third chance to enter: "Like Azienda Agricola Taurino on Facebook and come back here and leave a comment telling me you've done so.

Leave your comments by Friday, April 26 at Midnight Pacific Time, when the giveaway closes. I'll pick a winner randomly using www.random.org and announce the winner in a post the next day.

NOTE: The contest is open to anyone worldwide!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Dee S. Her comment #27 was randomly chosen and she is the winner of the 2 bottles of Taurino Olive Oil. Donato will be shipping you your prize shortly!

Lemon & Taurino Olive Oil Cake:

We cooked and ate many savory dishes using Taurino's olive oil. On my last visit, I made a sweet dish with their mild (Polaris) extra virgin olive oil, this lemon & olive oil cake. Many people use melted butter when making cakes, but I believe that olive oil gives you a moister cake. This lemon cake I made with Donato is light but decadently dense and moist with a vibrant lemon flavor and the olive oil is a subtle secondary flavor. The cake is just sweet enough and so tasty it is that it doesn't need an elaborate garnish. I've simply dusted it with some powder sugar.

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake
(makes one 9 ½-inch cake)

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups (225 g) “00” flour or cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Zest of 4 organic lemons
3 eggs
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
Scant 1 cup (250 g) whole-milk plain yogurt
2/3 cup (150 ml) Agricola Taurino Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Polaris brand)

About ¼ cup powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the cake
Strawberries or raspberries to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9 1/2 cake pan with olive oil, then dust it with flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Add the zest to the granulated sugar and rub together to infuse the sugar with the zest’s lemon flavor. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed the sugar and eggs until the mixture has lightened in color and doubled in size, 2-3 minutes. On low speed, whisk in the lemon juice and yogurt. Add the olive oil, pouring slowly so that flows in a stream. Mix in until it is combined. On the lowest speed, stir in the flour mixture only until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40-50 minutes. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out with a few moist crumbs.)

Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes. Remove from the cake pan and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with strawberries and/or raspberries. Buon Appetito!

Join me in Puglia in 2013! Along with all the great cooking and eating we'll do on this Food Lover's Tour, we'll also meet Donato, Valentino and Pino, learn how to professionally taste olive oil, sample Taurino's delicious products and picnic in their olive grove!

For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tour in Puglia 2013!

Food Lover's Culinary Tour Picnic at Agricola Taurino

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April 11, 2013

French Pastry Making Classes in Provence

I'm so excited to finally be able to let you know about what I've been working on these past few months. This Summer and Fall (when I'm not in Puglia), I'll be cooking in Provence. And, I'm inviting you to come and cook with me! Yes, I'll be offering daily cooking classes and food tours in Aix-en-Provence (a new website and specific details of those to follow in the next week). I couldn't wait a week, not even another day, to tell you about this very sweet part. Those of you who've cooked with me and/or have been following this blog for a while know how intense my sweet tooth & joy of baking is. It was in the sweet kitchen that my love for food emerged. All things created with sugar, flour, butter, eggs & chocolate are my soul mates, but I have a special fondness for French pastries. So, let's start the Cooking in Provence announcement with dessert first!

This September please join me for a sugar-coated 6-day French Pastry Making Class in Provence. From a private kitchen in the center of Aix-en-Provence, you'll learn the basics of French pastry making. You'll create classic French pastries like the tart au citron, eclair, religeuse, mille feuille, l'Opera, St. Honore, some Viennoiserie and much more. This is a hands-on course where you'll learn by doing, and tasting. The class size is limited to 10 people, so each of you will receive plenty of one-on-one learning time. Each day will have a specific theme around a fundamental "building block" of French pastry. From there, we'll compose some of the classic French desserts and a few creative ones, too.

Along with the pastry making classes, I've included several fun excursions in the sun-drenched south of France. On our first day togehter, your welcome to Aix-en-Provence includes a guided walking tour, wine & cheese tasting and dinner. After a few days together in the kitchen, we'll spend an evening together at the seaside town of Cassis. There we'll enjoy a guided tour and Pastis tasting before feasting on seafood. We'll also have two guided visits to pastry shops and a guided walk through a Provencal market. During the tour, you'll have free time to shop, soak up some culture and even some sun.

This pastry-making vacation is designed to increase your love of baking French pastries and for the south of France. It's for all levels of bakers and all types of travelers ~ girls' or guys' getaways, couples' vacations, solo travelers, mother-daughter bonding time, and family vacations. There's even space available for those non-cooking pals in your traveling group.

If you'd like to join me, details are listed below and on this page. All you need to do is send me an email at chefkathyayer {at} yahoo {dot} com. I'll send you the booking form and you'll be on your way to a fabulous food-lover's vacation and making pastries in Provence.

Market in Aix-en-Provence

What's included in the tour:

NINE 3 1/2-hour French pastry classes ~ All are hands-on in a small group setting
Welcome to Aix guided stroll through the city ending with a wine and cheese tasting
Welcome dinner Sunday night in Aix-en-Provence
Two Guided visits to patisseries with tastings
Guided visit to a Provencal market
Afternoon guided tour of Cassis, Pastis tasting and seafood dinner following the tour
All lunches and three dinners, wine included with the meals
Transportation to and from Aix-en-Provence for all the tour excursions
Cook in Provence Pastry recipe book
Cook in Provence apron and welcome gift bag, which includes my "Food Lover's Guide to Provence"

*Airfare, accomodations, transportation to and from Aix-en-Provence before and after the tour, meals not specified above, and travel insurance are not included.

NOTE: Although accomodations are not included, I can help you find and make lodging arrangements in and around Aix-en-Provence.

Dates and Details ~

Dates: September 8 through 13, 2013

Price: $1,850 per person

Maximum Class Size: 10 people

Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of $600 per person is required to confirm enrollment.

Final Payment: Final payment is due by July 1, 2013

Payment Options: You can pay by credit card, bank transfer or check through PayPal

Non-cooking participants: Travel partners of those joining the pastry classes, who don't want to attend the pastry-making classes but would like to join us for the lunches, dinner and all other excursions, are welcome. The non-cooking price is $750.

Details: For more information and a detailed itinerary, see the page ~ Pastry-Making Vacation in Provence

How to book ~

Ready to taste the sweet life in Provence? Email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo.com. I'll send you the booking form. You will need to pay the deposit and fill out the booking form to book and secure your space.

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April 02, 2013

Easter Food and Traditions in Puglia

Italy does many things well, and one of them is knowing how to stretch out a holiday. For example, Easter, a one-day holiday in the U.S. is at least four days of feasting here. They began Friday evening in Lecce, where I'm staying. Family, friends and visitors met and mingled in the piazze. Groups gathered and flowed out of the city's wine bars, caffes and eateries chatting, laughing and enjoying each other's company until late in the night.Chocolate eggs wrapped in an assortment of pastel colors brightened every shop windows. The partying doesn't end until Tuesday morning. Easter Monday, known as Pasquetta (little Easter) is the final day of feasting before everyone has to go back to work.

I've spent most of the four-day holiday with my friend Ylenia eating many of the traditional holiday dishes of the region, and yes, the chocolate eggs, too, and learned a little about some of the other Easter traditions of Salento. I like that many of the Easter holiday food "musts" are sweets. Of course lamb, usually with potatoes, is the usual main dish of the day, but it wouldn't be considered Easter without the special bread speckled with cubes of pancetta; it's made similarly to the Neapolitan Casatiello. In the sweet category, Almond paste lambs are a must. Two types of cookies are also part of the dessert table. One, known only in Pugliese dialect as cudduri, is shaped into various forms (hens, women, baskets or hearts) and then baked with a boiled egg attached to the "pouch." The other are called pittedde (also dialect) and are little baskets filled with jam. Rounding out the sweet table are the chocolate eggs. They were traditionally given to the children and filled with a little surprise, but now they are elaborately designed and wrapped and gifts for those special to you, of any age.

Il Pane di Pasqua

Easter Lamb made with Almond Paste

I Cudduri - Biscotti cooked with a hard-boiled egg

Pittedde - Pugliese dialect for these star or basket shaped cookies filled with jam

Is your mouth watering yet? If not, below I'm giving you a glimpse of the rest of our Saturday feast. Once again I was speechless about the spread of food Luigina and Tommaso greeted us with as they welcomed us to their home for a pre-Easter feast. After we were completely sated with course after course of one scrumptious dish after another, Tommasso pulled out bottles of his home made digestivi. I lost count after the fourth.

Our hosts Luigina and Tommaso

The Meal included three types of bread cooked in their wood burning oven. Tommaso manned the oven, entertaining the children and letting them help. Inside, Luigina started us with fried pittule and chicory in pastella. Our first course was a traditional dish, La tria with wild broccoli. The pasta, which you could say was like a wide-cut fettuccine, was made two ways, boiled and fried. The fried pasta goes on top of the dish to give a nice contrast of textures. Our second course included meatballs which we sopped up (known as fare la scarpetta in Italian) with the Easter bread.

Tommaso's collection of digestivi

On Easter Sunday, I spent the morning at the seaside town of Gallipoli. The sun came out in full force, only emphasizing the pastel blue of the sky and the deep turquoise of the Ionian Sea that surrounds Gallipoli's historic center. Most of the people dressed in their best church-going dresses and suits and strolled the streets after mass. Streamers of balloons in primary colors hung above us. People offered us glasses of sparkling wine and tastes of the cuduri, a cookie baked with a hard boiled egg nestled on top.

We witnessed a village tradition, "the burning of the witch." I have to say I'm not too comfortable with this tradition. I have red hair, am left handed, have a sixth sense that is always right (if only I'd listen to it more) and know this would have been my fate had I lived during the time of Savonarola. In Gallipoli and small villages in Puglia, starting on Ash Wednesday they hang dolls that look like witches. These witches represent our sins. Via our repentance during the 40 days of Lent (Although St. Joseph's Day and eating zeppole don't sound like much repentance to me), the witch gathers all our sins and they consume her. After mass on Easter, she is burned. The burning symbolizes a washing away of our sins and a rebirth.

Gallipoli on the Ionian Coast of Puglia

The Lenten Witch in Gallipoli

Easter Monday, rolls around and it's still a holiday and another day focused around food. Known as Pasquetta (little Easter), friends and family gather for a picnic, either seaside or in the countryside. After a food-focused weekend like this and then a serene picnic under the olive groves, how can you not fall in love with Puglia, minus the witch burning, I guess?!!

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For a food lover's culinary tour, we'll cook with Italian mammas, with chefs, and with families like Luigina's. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region, its traditions - both food & cultural, and making delicioius dishes like those above!

For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

Other Posts on Puglia and its Food You Might Like:

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Gorgeous Italian Men of Puglia on the Food Lover's Culinary Tour

Pizza Makers for a Night in Puglia - Food Lover's Culinary Tour

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Salento

Wedding in Puglia

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

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March 26, 2013

Herb Bread Wreath - Cooking with Maria Grazia in Puglia

"When making bread, the dough needs to be cared for just as you'd care for your baby in your womb. It needs love and care in order to come out well. You need to listen to the dough. It will tell you when it's ready and has risen enough. The scent, the little "bollincini" wholes, the size and the dough's softness are the ways in which the bread tells you it has risen enough." This and other cooking philosophies I learned, along with recipes for a perfect Salentine lunch, I learned during my afternoon with Maria Grazia in Puglia.

I met Maria Grazia at her family's home, an exclusive masseria. She and her husband, Pugliese natives, had originally purchased it solely to entertain their friends from Milan and Northern Italy, where they live for much of the year. Their original plans were to have five guest rooms, but they ended up adding a few more and welcome a select group of guests along with friends. Maria personally greets every guest, friend or first-time visitor, and creates mouth-watering breads, marmalades, desserts and savory dishes for all those that visit. More than a restored ancient country house, their home seems like a movie set, where the story of a dream vacation in Southern Italy takes place.

The stark white of the masseria's walls, beams, pergolas, tables and curtains create such a contrast against the sage green of the olive trees and the big blue Salento sky that every color seems that much more intense. Maria Grazia added her personal touch to every room. Just as she has given a little of herself in each room, she adds much of herself into every dish that flows from her kitchen.

Although her "real job" was the law, she worked as a lawyer and law professor, she has always spent many hours daily in the kitchen. When we first met, food was the first topic of conversation as she immediately showed me her hands, stained from fruits and olives. Proof of the numbers of hours she spends working with the ingredients her native land Salento offers. In her kitchen, surrounded the a mix of the aromatic herbs she has on a wood block, and an almost rainbow array of seasonal vegetables just purchased at the market, we spent the afternoon cooking some of Maria Grazia's favorite dishes.

"Amore, passione e generosita' (love, passion and generosity), all are necessary when cooking and you can never be tired in the kitchen." This philosophy and her love for the herbs, vegetables and grano duro flour are at the base of all the dishes Maria Grazia creates. Breads are her specialty, but she adds herbs to everything she cooks, even desserts. She presents them in the most creative and elegant ways, like the mounds of ricotta she topped with her homemade peperoncino jam and then wrapped in raffia.

Bread was the first food on the day's menu. With the durham wheat flour, Maria made the bread wreath for which I've given you the recipe below, an herb focaccia, and also pasta: orecchiette which she used to make one of the quintessential dishes of Puglia, orecchiette con le cima di rape.

Along with those dishes, she shared her recipe for a beautiful and tasty vegetable cake, she called tortino di verdure, and also a most delicious stuffed calimari dish. The grand finale was a decadent dessert, a ricotta torte with a layer of orange marmellata in the center of the creamy ricotta. Like almost everything else that comes from the masseria's kitchen, Maria Grazia made the orange marmellata herself.

Maria Grazia knows her way around bread dough solely by feel, she explained to me her bread-making process and philosophy. She made to swift slits at the top of the bread dough before leaving it to rise. "Here in Italy, the cross I make on the top of the dough serves two purposes. The first is to bless the bread and the second helps let me know when the dough is ready." The dough is ready when the cross has spread and opened up.

With the well-cared for dough, we made the wreath bread that had a nice crunchy and herb-flavored crust and a pillow-soft center that was light as air. With her permission, I've given you Maria Grazia's recipe bread recipe below.

Herb Wreath Bread
(makes one 11-inch wreath)

8 ounces (250 ml) warm water (90°F - 100°F), plus more if needed
½ ounce fresh yeast
3 cups (380 g) “00” flour
1 cup (130 g) Durham wheat or semolina flour
1 tablespoon salt, plus more for garnish
About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed and for forming the wreath

2-3 tablespoons poppy seeds
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2-3 tablespoons chopped rosemary
4 bay leaves, optional

Break the yeast into smaller pieces and dissolve in the warm water. Mix together both types of flour and the salt. Make a well with the flour mixture. In the center of the well, pour about 1/3 of the yeast/water mixture and combine some of the flour into the center of the well to mix with the liquid. Continue adding the water mixture into the well and mixing with flour from the sides of the well (the water should not run out of the sides) until the mixture is the right consistency. The consistency should be a very soft and slightly wet dough, but one that does not stick to your hands. (You may need to add more water depending on the flour and the amount of humidity.)

Once the dough is the right consistency, begin kneading by holding one end with one hand and stretching the other end out with the palm of your other hand. Once you’ve stretched the dough out, roll it back in towards you and the hand anchoring the other end of the dough. Turn the dough 95 degrees and repeat this motion. Continue kneading the dough until it is smooth and more elastic, about 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball. With a sharp knife, score the top of the ball of dough with a cross. Cover with a towel, and as Maria Grazia does, a warm blanket and let rise until it is at least 2 times the size and has small balls of air inside, about 2 hours.

When the dough has risen enough, place it back on the working board and knead out the air. Separate the dough into 3 pieces and roll each piece out into a rope about 1 ½-inches in diameter and equal sizes in length. Spread the poppy seeds out the length of the rope of dough. Wet your hands with a little olive oil and roll one rope in the poppy seeds turning it until the rope of dough is well covered with poppy seeds. Repeat this with the second and third ropes of dough, using sesame seeds to cover one rope and the chopped rosemary for the other.

Take the three ropes of dough, line up and attach them at one end. Form the three ropes of dough into one braid and bring around to form a wreath. Attach both ends. If you're using the bay leaves, place each in the space where the braids come together. Place the wreath on the baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Let rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it has doubled in size again. Bake the wreath at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, until the wreath has a nice hard crust and when you tap it, it sounds hollow. Buon Appetito!

Join me in Puglia where we'll dine with bellisimme views like these!

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be making bread like this and cooking with both Italian mamme and professional chefs. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region and making delicioius dishes like those above!

For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

Other Posts on Puglia and its Food You Might Like:

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Gorgeous Italian Men of Puglia on the Food Lover's Culinary Tour

Pizza Makers for a Night in Puglia - Food Lover's Culinary Tour

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Salento

Wedding in Puglia

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

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March 23, 2013

An Aperitivo to Whet Your Appetite for Puglia

“Benvenuti in Italia!” That’s what Ylenia said to me, not when she picked me up at the airport. No, she said this as I smirked down at my so-called small plate of “nibbles” and gave her a look that we both recognized as “so much for the diet!“ Sfizirie are what the snacks are called here in Lecce. Also known as sfizzi and stuzzichini these nibbles/finger food/snacks/appetizers are meant to wash down your aperitivo. Even they come in abundance here. Yes, I’m back in Italy, Puglia to be more specific, to kick off the first of what I hope to be many food and wine lovers’ culinary tours in Italy. In just 2 days, we’ll be COOKING IN PUGLIA!

We’ll be cooking with Italian mammas and chefs, exploring the food and culture of the Salento area, doing a lot of dining al fresco, amidst fig & olive groves, vineyards, and even poolside. Of course, Ylenia & I have left a little time for everyone to dip our toes into the cobalt blue sea, too. Want to join us? You can! Join us virtually as I’ll be back daily during the tour with highlights from each day’s food and other adventures. You might think of these posts as an aperitivo of sorts, as I'm certain each will whet your desire to actually join us next year. We’re already talking about more Cook in Puglia tours for 2013.

A great welcome to Italy and way to kick any party off is with aperitivi. This "happy hour" is one of my favorite things to enjoy during an Italian vacation, especially a summer one. Every city in Italy does it a little differently, but basically you buy a drink and along with the price of the drink, you get a nice plateful of food (see above) or have access to a buffet of finger foods. During the hot and humid days of an Italian summer, when a full meal of primi, secondo, contorno & dolce are just too much, one can make a meal off a few cocktails/aperitivi. (And for those traveling on a very tight, let’s say backpackers’ budget, might I suggest this instead of going to the supermarket for dinner.)

What could be better than aperitivo hour? How about two a day? Yes, ours started right after Noon. After church bells chime throughout the city, an aria plays from the main piazza, Sant' Oronzo serving notice to all that it's time for an aperitivo...and then lunch, if you still have room. Right before dinner, aperitivo hour begins again. Our Cocktail San Pellegrino, which very much resembles a Venetian Spritz, is a mix of the bitter Aperol and frizzante San Pellegrino water.

The beach at San Cataldo

After lunch aperitivi, we set up office at the beach in San Cataldo to finalize tour details and reconfirm all our reservations. Next we met with Mamma Anna, one of our Italian mammas in the kitchen, for a gelato and review of each day's menu. One thing is certain; the menu alone is enough to have you on the next plane to this delicious part of Italy!

See you tomorrow with more from Puglia....

Gelato with Ylenia and Mamma Anna - one of our Italian Mamme in Cucina

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme and professional chefs. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region. There are four tour dates available from which to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Salento

Wedding in Puglia

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir