Food Lover's Odyssey: October 2012

I know not all Italian food lovers are the same, but I'm pretty sure there is one thing all of us love: PIZZA. Whether you prefer the soft & chewy crust of a Neapolitan pizza, the thin crunchy crust of a Roman pizza or some of the other styles & forms of Italian pizza, one thing is certain: there's no better place to eat pizza than in Italy. A night at a pizzeria was certainly part of our Puglia culinary tour itinerary, but we had an even better experience than just eating pizza, we were pizzaioli for a night!

Yes, we donned our "Cook in Puglia" aprons and pizza maker's caps, got on the pizza maker's side of the floured work table, caressed dough into thin round disks, topped each pizza according to each person's taste, and ever-so-carefully slid pizza onto peel and into oven. We even got a lesson in working the pizza oven and rotating the pizza so it would cook quickly and evenly. It was definitely a bucket-list experience!

Del took on the pizzaiolo persona as soon as he put on his cap

The pizza-making part wasn't actually on our official itinerary. Oronzino, the pizzaiolo & owner of La Pagghiara in Lecce, suggested that it might be fun if each guest made his or her own pizza. A big, "SI!" came out of my mouth before he finished asking. This is just one example where one of our hosts in Puglia went above and beyond to make us feel so welcome and part of the community; it was one of the many memorable moments of the tour.

Pizza in Lecce is a thin and crunchy-crusted pizza, similar to that of Rome. Oronzino explained how he prepares the dough and then he took each guest on a private pizza-making lesson alongside him at his work bench. Each person worked with him as he guided him/her through the process of coaxing a thick round ball of dough into a flat circular disk. Each person made a pizza, worked the peel and the oven. As pizzas came out of the oven, we tasted the others' in what was to be a taste competition. I don't think we ever determined a winner, though, as we all got lost in enjoying the experience and eating.

As usual with meals on this tour, there wasn't only pizza. We started with yet another onslaught of assorted antipasti. The fried treats - pittule (fried dough), arancini, vegetables in pastella (fried vegetables in batter - think Italian tempura) - made by Oronzino's mamma were some of the best I've had in Salento, and Italy.

Our pizzaioli in action & pizza-making steps in photos:

Oronzino showing Gloria how to work the dough

Topping the pizza

With just one try, Lydia mastered sliding the pizza onto the peel

Working the pizza oven - placing the pizza inside, turning it & removing it when ready

Eva slicing up her double cheese pizza (note: Slicing pizzia is not usually done in Italy - each pizza is for one person - but because we were tasting one another's, we sliced ours up)

Helen's pizza gets a thumbs up from Oronzino

Gloria and Eva proudly displaying their finished pizzas

Looks like Oronzino has declared Helen the pizza-making champ!

Everyone had such a great time making pizza, that we've officially added it to the 2013 itinerary. Want to join us and be a pizzaiolo for a night? You can! Details of this delicious food lover's culinary vacation are available on the page: Food Lover's Culinary Tour in Puglia

La Pagghiara Trattoria Pizzeria
Via Taranto, 64
Lecce
Phone: +39 0832 240659

Food Lovers in Puglia - Day 1 & 2: Gelato, Feasts, Otranto, Olive Groves & More

An Aperitivo to Whet Your Appetite or Puglia

The 2012 Food & Wine Lovers' Culinary Tour in Puglia was a huge success and a ton of fun. After just a few of my posts from this year's tour, so many of you sent requests for information about next year. And I can't wait any longer to tell you about it. Yes, we will be cooking and eating our way through Puglia again in 2013!

We've specially designed a delicious 9-day/8-night food and wine lover's journey in Puglia for 2013. You'll not only taste the many delicacies of the region, you'll cook them, too! We've organized events that give you exclusive access "behind-the-scenes," inside professional kitchens and visits to other spots that you won't find anywhere else. More than a food tour, it's an immersion into the culture, lifestyle and traditions of the people of Puglia. We'll meet and work with many Salentine people and, like those on this year's tour, you'll fall in love with how warm and welcoming they are.

Dining with a view of the sea in Gallipoli

Making Pasticciotti with pastry chef Luca Capilungo

We'll cook together during FIVE hands-on cooking classes, learning to make traditional Salentine dishes, pasta, bread and pastries with local cooks, chefs and mammas as special guests and to guide us. Watch an artisan cheese maker at work and then dig into the still-warm freshly-made, creamy ricotta. Sample seafood right out of its shell minutes after it's been caught. Go into the kitchen of a famous Lecce pastry shop and learn about the sweet side of Salento, with samples, of course. There will be guided walking tours of Baroque Lecce, the fisherman's village of Gallipoli, the seaside resort town of Otranto, the Trulli of the Itria Valley and the "white city" of Ostuni. These are just a few of the highlights of this trip; there's so much more...

The tour and what's included:

9 days/8 nights stay at four-star resort villa
Experience Puglia like a local - We will have a local guide with us the entire trip
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
Local wines included with all lunches and dinners
Private shuttle to and from the Brindisi Airport or train station and to all destinations during the trip
Welcome private wine tasting and several others during your vacation
Guided walking tours of Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and the Itria Valley
SIX cooking classes (five hands-on and one demonstration)
Cheese making demonstration with tastings
Gelato visits & tastings
Guided visit to a Lecce pastry shop with a pasticciotto-making lesson and tastings
You'll be a pizza-maker for a night – making your own pizza at a Lecce pizzeria
Three winery visits and tastings
Beach time to enjoy the gorgeous Puglia coastline and lapis-lazuli sea
Food Lover's in Puglia recipe book – including some recipes from the chefs we’ll visit
Food Lover's Odyssey in Puglia apron and welcome gift bag
Assistance with making your travel arrangements to the Brindisi airport and any pre- and post-tour travel arrangements

Typical dinner at the masseria

Become a pizzaiolo (Italian for pizza maker) for a night

Eggplant Involtini made with our Italian mammas

With our local guide by our side the entire way it will be so much more than a culinary journey. It will be a truly local and memorable experience. We'll be a small group, 12 guests are the maximum number for each tour, so you'll have more personal attention and a more authentic experience.

The Trulli of Alberobello

Baroque church of Santa Croce in Lecce

Where is Puglia? Puglia is the region at the "heel" of Italy's "boot." We'll be staying in Puglia's southernmost province, Salento. It's "kissed" (as the Salentines say) on both sides by the deep blue sea - the Ionian to the west & the Adriatic to the east. Often called the "California of Italy" and referred to as "Tuscany without the crowds," Salento boasts a cuisine based on cucina povera (poor kitchen), vegetables, local olive oil & seafood. The countryside is an endless stretch of olive trees and blue skies. Salento's capital is the baroque beauty of Lecce, and we'll stay in a gorgeous and spacious masseria located just minutes from the sea.

Ready to join us and to cook, eat, drink, discover and enjoy Puglia? There are four tour dates available for 2013:

Tour Dates:

April 27 to May 5, 2013
May 25 to June 2, 2013
October 5 to 13, 2013 - Spaces still available but filling up fast

Price: $3,500 per person based on double occupancy
Single room supplement: $800

Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person is required to confirm enrollment.

Final Payment: The final payment is due no later than 90 days prior to the start of your tour.

For more information: you can read and see many of the tasty things we cooked and the exciting excursions we took on the 2012 tour here: Food Lovers' Tour in Puglia

For even more: to see more photos from the 2012 tour, visit the Facebook page for Food Lover's Odyssey and my section here on Puglia to read more about this food lover's dream region in Italy.

To book your tour ~

Choose your tour date, email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo.com, and I'll send you the booking form that corresponds to your tour. You will need to fill out the booking form and send it back to me via fax or email along with the deposit payment via check or via PayPal.

What guests from the 2012 culinary tour in Puglia said about their trip:

"I felt like a queen for nine days!"

"There is no way we could have had this experience traveling on our own or have found all the lovely people of this region."

"Mamma Giulia and Mamma Anna are stars in the kitchen, loved their old-time cooking style."

"You just want to eat more & more & more; and you do."

"Luca, Luca, Luca! We loved pastry Chef Luca Capilungo!"

"I can't wait to get home and cook a Salentine meal for my friends."

"Every single person we visited welcomed us into their place like we were honored guests."

Picnic in the olive grove

Food Lovers’ Culinary Tour in Puglia
~ 2013 Tour Itinerary ~

Day 1:

Arrival at Brindisi Airport with a private transfer to the villa
Welcome drink and light lunch upon arrival at the villa
Afternoon to relax by the pool
Pre-dinner private tasting of local wines
Welcome dinner with me and your fellow travelers - Discuss details of the fabulous week ahead

Day 2:

Breakfast at the villa
Guided visit to a local farmer’s market with tastings
Walking tour of Otranto and visit to the Otranto Cathedral – with free time in the city to stroll, shop or dip your toes in sea
Lunch at a trattoria in Otranto
Pre-dinner wine tasting with typical local food products
Market-to-table hands-on cooking class based on ingredients purchased at the market

Day 3:

Breakfast at the villa
A day in Lecce with a guided walking tour, carta pesta demonstration and free time to shop or discover more of this baroque beauty on your own.
Lunch at a trattoria in Lecce
Guided visit to a pastry shop in Lecce with tastings
Hands-on cooking class – Classic Salentine dishes
Four-course Dinner based on our creations

Day 4:

Breakfast at the villa
Full day visiting the Itria Valley and the famous Trulli - with walking tours of Alberobello, Ostuni & Locorotondo
Lunch in the Itria Valley of traditional foods from the Itria Valley
Dinner at the Villa

Day 5:

Early breakfast at the villa
Morning Dolci di Italia & Puglia (Italian and Pugliese Desserts) cooking class
Winery visit and tasting
Lunch at the winery
Afternoon drive along the Costa del Sud – from Santa Maria Leuca to Otranto with stops for photo ops
Dinner along the Adriatic Coast

Day 6:

Breakfast at the villa
Pugliese Breads and Pasta – Hands-on cooking class
Lunch will include some of the pasta and bread you made
Afternoon to relax at the pool, the beach or free time in Lecce
Pre-dinner wine tasting
Hands-on cooking class
Four-course dinner based on your creations

Day 7

Breakfast at the villa
Winery visit with tasting
Lunch with an ocean view on the terrace in Gallipoli
Walking tour of the historical town of Gallipoli
Afternoon free in Gallipoli
Pizza dinner in Lecce

Day 8

Breakfast at the villa
Morning cheese making demonstration and tasting
Winery visit and tasting
Picnic lunch will include cheeses from the cheese-making demo and other local delicacies
Afternoon to relax by the pool
Evening stroll in Lecce
Farewell dinner in Lecce

Day 9

Breakfast at the villa
Private transfer to the Brindisi Airport

(Sequence of classes and excursions may vary. Whenever there are local festivals or events happening during a tour, we will try to include them to the itinerary to enhance your travel experience.)

It's going to be a blast!