Food Lover's Odyssey

March 19, 2013

Celebrating Saint Joseph's Day in Italy - Devotion, Hospitality and Always Food

All over Italy today, Italians are celebrating St. Joseph's Day. They honor both Joseph, the "earthly" father of Jesus, and also all fathers. In Southern Italy, and especially some villages in Puglia, parades and grand events are being held to honor San Giuseppe. As with all celebrations in Italy, food plays a huge part, and with food in Italy, there are always food rules that must be followed.

First, it is not a festa di San Giuseppe without the very decadent zeppole. Everywhere I looked this morning it seemed that someone was ordering a zeppola or eating one. Pastry shops and even the gelaterie flooded their pastry cases with the ring-shaped doughnut. In Lecce, where I am now, these fried treats are topped off with generous amounts of two kinds of pastry cream - a lemon-infused one and then a "dollop" of chocolate. In Naples, amarena cherries replace the chocolate pastry cream, and in Sicily, they slather their famous ricotta cream over the top of the zeppole.

Find the recipe here: Le Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Another food-focused feast happens in the villages near Otranto in Puglia where hundread of homes still practice the tradition of preparing a feast to show hospitality to others in St. Joseph's honor; this feast is known as Le Tavole di San Giuseppe. There are several renditions of how this feast started. Some say it was transformed from a pagan celebration to celebrate the end of Winter and beginning of Spring. Others say that it started when noble families chose one day to offer banquets to feed the poor. Whatever the origins, families in these villages prepare elaborately decorated tables filled with 13 different dishes (13 symbolizing the number that attended the last supper). At the main table is an "altar" to St. Joseph. There you'll find a statue of St. Joseph, his flower-covered staff, and the large rounds of bread, each having an orange in the center. The other tables are filled with meticulously plated dishes, all of which are typical farmers' or peasant's dishes of Puglia.

The tables set for the Feast of St. Joseph and his staff

On March 18th, the night before St. Joseph's day, these families open their doors to all who want to make this pilgrimage; friends, strangers, foreigners, tourists, and even enemies. At each house, those who enter say a prayer at the altar created for St. Joseph. Families start preparing for this feast weeks in advance, and many homes expect more than 400 visitors during the night. During this eve of St. Joseph, no one eats the 13 dishes. Instead the families usually prepare a pasta dish, called massa for the visitors. One house we visited had used hundreds of kilograms of flour to make the massa for their expected visitors.

On St. Joseph's day, in the afternoon after mass, the priest goes around to each of the houses in his village and blesses the tables. Then the banquet starts and the guests, some of dressed to represent St. Joseph, the holy family, the apostles and other saints, eat the 13 dishes of the feast. They consist of the following:

The bread - shaped in the form of a circle (or taralli as they say in Puglia) with decorations on top that symbolize the holy family (Mary, Joseph & Jesus) and with an orange placed in the middle. There are also the fried fish, stoccafisso (a salted cod stew), boiled lampasconi (wild hyacinth bulbs), chickpeas - which are sometimes served with the massa (pasta), pasta with breadcrumbs, pittule (fried dough), cauliflower fried in pastella, le cime di rape (broccoli rabe), puccedruzzi (Puglia's version of the more popularly known struffoli), carteddate (another sweet fried dough with honey drizzled over the top), and wine.

Some of the dishes from the Feast of St. Joseph: The bread, stoccafisso, fried fish & boiled lampasconi

What a lot of food and what a feast!! And then to add one or two zeppole to the day's eats! One of the families we visited in addition to the pasta, even prepared extra gifts of sweets, little cups of various types of cookies, to give to the pilgrims who would come on the eve of March 18th. Whatever your religious beliefs are, or are not, this is quite a thing to witness. The amount of work and love these families put into every detail and how truly generous and hospitable they are to everyone who comes to their doors is astounding and would bring a tear to the eyes of even the most cynical of people.

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 and making zepppole like those above, and many other traditional Pugliese dishes,too!

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

Read more about the food and beauty of Puglia - Puglia section here on the blog.

Related Posts:

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

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

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

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

Under the Salento Sun - The Masserie of Salento

Crostata di Marmellata from Mamma Giulia

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

Seafood and More with Chef Lino at Ristorante Donna Lisa

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

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March 14, 2013

Gorgeous Italian Men of Puglia on the Food Lovers' Culinary Tour

At first glance this post appears to have absolutely nothing to do with food & wine. I realize about half of you are asking yourselves why you should read this post at all (be patient though). The other half of you are saying, "It's about time the girl has finally come to her senses and realized the real reason one goes to Italy!"

If you take a closer look, you will see that EVERY one of these very gorgeous men of Puglia have something to do with food & wine and the region's culture. Yes, they are physical beauties, but even more beautiful than what's on the outside is their love, passion & generosity for what they do, Puglia & sharing their lives and culture with visitors. If you join us on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia, you'll meet them and get to know them as I have, and some even give baci e abbracci, kisses & hugs!

Let me introduce to you just some of the gorgeous men of this year's Food Lover's Tour in Puglia:

Michael ~ Our local guide and driver for the entire tour

From the very beginning of your trip, you can look forward to seeing Michael (he'll greet you in Brindisi) until the very end. He's part of our two-person team of local guides that will be with us for the entire tour, and he is also our driver. Originally from Naples, Michael's been living in Lecce for the last 20 years and knows the area, the food and the quickest way to get there very well. He speaks English, too. I'd say George Clooney has nothing on him; what do you think?

Gabriel ~ Gelateria Tentazioni

One of the first food images that comes to mind when one says Italy is gelato. We'll not only have a behind-the-scenes gelato-making demonstrationn AND tasting, but at Gelateria Tentazioni (that's temptations in English) Gabriel will hand you taste after taste of the cold creamy sweet. Gelato is not the only temptation in this place.

Antonio ~ Owner and Chef of Gelateria Tentazioni

Antonio will take us on a tour of his kitchen, share some of his favorite recipes and creations with us, and dole out copious tastings. Handsome and generous, he was one of the ladies' favorites.

Lorenzo ~ Schola Sarmenti Winery

We'll take a guided tour of Lorenzo's winery and end in one of the comfy chairs at the wine bar. We'll sit, relax and drink glass after glass of Sarmenti's wines as Lorenzo pours and shares stories of the winery and his family. Lorenzo made us feel so at home that no one wanted to leave. He even gifted each of us with a bottle of Sarmenti's wine, our choice of Negroamaro or Primitivo.

From left to right: Valentino, Nonno Pino and Donato

The men of Azienda Agricola Taurino ~ Our olive oil guides and hosts of our picnic in their olive grove

You can not find more charming men then all of the men of Taurino. We'll meet Valentino on our first night at the masseria where he'll join us right before our welcome dinner and guide us through a tasting of Taurino's quality olive oil. We'll also get a lesson on discerning the quality of olive oil and sample some of Taurino's amazing pates. Valentino will leave samples for our dinner and olive oil gifts for us. Then, we'll meet Valentino again later in the week for a picnic in Taurino's never-ending olive grove. We'll break bread and visit with Valentino, Donato & his father Pino, owners of this family-run olive oil farm. I have several photos of Donato opening bottles of wine as he loves to share wine with the group. You'll find cuddly Nonno Pino in front and behind the camera taking photos of and with all of us. These are gorgeous guys whose passion for their work and Puglia are as big and endless as their olive orchard. I'm still receiving emails from last year's guests about these guys and the picnic being one of the highlights of the tour.

Lucio ~ barista & bartender extrodanaire

During your free time in Lecce or for a break during our walk, we can pop in for a drink with Lucio. Whether he's at Bar 7 di 7 or his own bar making espresso or cocktails, who wouldn't want Lucio as their barista or bartender!

Ronzino ~ Owner & pizzaiolo at Pizzeria La Pagghiara

This is a chance to check two things off your Italy bucket list. First, you'll get to be pizza-makers for a night! Secondly, the handsome Ronzino will be your instructor. And, if you have a hard time massaging the pizza dough into the necessary thin round disk, Ronzino will place his hands on yours and coax you through the lesson. Hint: you might want to feign incompetence here.

Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

"Luca, Luca, LUCA, was what we heard on the way home from our lesson at Chef Capilungo's pastry shop. The ladies of last year's tour LOVED Luca. It's obvious that Luca loves making pastries as much as we love him. His passion and patience radiates from his eyes and smile. He'll guide us through a hands-on pasticciotto-making lesson and might add another pastry to the lesson, too. After our afternoon with him, expect be filled up on Luca's creations and craving more. He gives baci & abbracci (hugs & kisses) as you leave!

Chef Alessandro ~ Masseria Terra dei Padri

I don't know what I loved more about Chef Alessandro, his modern twist on classic Pugliese cuisine and the meticulous way in which he prepared each dish or his classic Southern Italian good looks. In either case, we'll get to sample a little of both, getting another behind-the-scenes invitation into his kitchen to watch him prepare one of his specialties.

Juet ~ Leccese carta pesta

It's not always about food, as there is plenty of culture on this culinary tour. During our guided walking tour of Lecce we'll see a carta pesta demonstration. Juet, son of the shop's owners, will place his hands on yours as he shows you how to make paper!

Antonio ~ Baker & Owner of Panificio La Panetteira

Antonio's love for his city is obvious. He shares all the hidden treasures of his city, Martano, and its surrounding area. We'll get a guided tour of a local monastery and have a liqueur tasting before we visit Antonio's panificio and sample some of his breads. If there's time, we might even get a peek into the city's ancient underground olive mill (frantoio ipogeo).

Andrea ~ Mamma Elvira Enoteca & Gourmet Food Shop

During our tour, we'll have several days of free time in Lecce. If you choose to do some food shopping or want to taste more wine, Mamma Elvira is the place to go. Andrea, the shop's owner who is fluent in English, can easily guide you through the high-quality products he has and his wine list. His smile is just as enchanting as the wine list.

Paolo Cantele ~ Cantele Wines

Another family-run business, where the family's love for Salento and wine is as beautiful as our guide Paolo. Paolo will guide us through the family's winery, and we'll finish with a tasting of his favorite wines and hear him tell us the stories behind each wine.

Along with our adorable Italian Mamme, these are just some of the beautiful locals we'll meet during the Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Tour. Amore, passione & generosita' is what it's all about with them. Don't you want to come along? Who would you most like to meet?

Space is still available for the May and October tours, but after word gets out about these gorgeous men, I don't know how long those spots will remain available!

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

An Aperitivo to Whet Your Appetite or Puglia

Pizza Makers for a Night in Puglia

Crostata Marmellata {Jam Crostata} of Mamma Giulia

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

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March 11, 2013

Fruttone Leccese with Chef Luca - Food Lovers Tour in Puglia

Bienvenuti in Puglia! My dear and faithful readers, I'm back. Not only am I back here on Food Lover's Odyssey (sorry for the absence which I'll explain soon), but I'm also back in Puglia! I'll be in Puflia for the rest of March and part of April sharing delicious dishes from our escapades on the Food Lover's Tour and my cooking adventures with the many awesome Italian mammas and chefs.

Let's start the posts from Puglia with this pastry recipe you've been requesting the most: Fruttone Leccese. This pastry, along with pasticciotto are the two quintessential pastries of the area. You're sure to find them in every pasticceria in Salento. At it's base is a crunchy shortbread crust, which is commonly made using lard. In this recipe, I've substituted the lard for butter, which will make the crust extra crunchy. (Feel free to use lard if the purist in you wants to be very "authentic.") The sweet filling is a combination of pear marmalade and almond paste. And if that wasn't enough to entice you, the final touch is a topping of a sweet and shiny chocolate glaze.

During our cooking class with Chef Luca, we made both pasticciotto and fruttone. Along with the recipe are step-by-step photos, from the class, for assembling the fruttone. The fruttone are quite easy to make or maybe it was Chef Luca's flirtations and his filling us with all his sweets & wine that made them seem so easy. The hardest thing for you will probably be finding the oval molds. I purchased my tin molds here in Puglia, but you can find similar silicone molds here. Join us on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia, and you'll get a set of molds in your gift bag!

Rolling out the pasta frolla with Chef Luca

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Fruttone Leccese
(Makes about 15)

For the Pasta Frolla:
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 grams baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
5 egg yolks

For the filling:
About 1 ½ pounds almond paste (see recipe below)
About 16 ounces pear marmalade

For the almond paste:
8 ounces blanched almonds
8 ounces (1 ¾ cups) powdered sugar

For the chocolate glaze:
½ cup butter
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
5 ounces good quality dark chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

To make the pasta frolla: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together on low speed the flour, baking powder, lard (or butter) and sugar until the mixture is the consistency of peas. Add the eggs yolks and stir together just until the mixture is combined. Divide into two equal mounds and cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

To make the almond paste: Place the almonds and half of the powdered sugar into a food processor. Process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the rest of the sugar and process until combined and the mixture is homogenous. Set aside for assembly of the fruttone.

To assemble the fruttone: (Step-by-step photos on assembling the fruttone are below)
Roll the pasta frolla out into a rope about 2 inches in diameter. (You can do this in 2 or 3 parts if you’d like.) Cut the rope into 2-inch rolls. With the palm of your hand, flatten the dough into a round disk about 1/8-inch thick. Press each disk of dough into a mold of its own. The dough should just reach the top of the mold. If there is excess, you can remove it by running a knife along the edges. Place about 1ounce of pear marmalade at the bottom of the mold. (The quickest and cleanest way to do this is by using a pastry bag and piping the pear marmalade into the molds.) On top of the pear marmalade, add the almond paste just to the top of the mold. Run a knife along the top of the mold to ensure that the almond paste is even and level with the top of the mold. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place each fruttone upside down on a flat surface until they are cool. (This will flatten out the tops of the fruttone for glazing.)

To make the chocolate glaze: Make the glaze right before you want to use it. In a saucepan, heat the butter, milk and corn syrup until the butter melts. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts. Take off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the powdered sugar and pour into a bowl wide enough to dip the fruttone in. Use immediately to glaze the fruttone. The glaze will set in 20-30 minutes.

To glaze the fruttone: Once the fruttone are cool, dip the tops of them into the chocolate glaze and place right side up. Let the glaze set for approximately 20 minutes. Buon Appetito!

Step-by-step photos for assembling the fruttone:

Roll dough into logs & cut ~ Flatten into disks & press into molds ~ fill with pear marmalade

Molds filled with pear marmalade ~ fill with almond paste & bake ~ when cooled top with chocolate glaze

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Pastries in Puglia ~ Along with Fruttone we'll be making these on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia

Join me in Puglia for the Food Lover's Culinary Tour! We'll cook with Chef Luca, other chefs and our fabulous Mammas in the kitchen on the Food Lover's Culinary Tour of Puglia - Plenty of spaces are still available for tours in May and October.

Pasticciotto Leccese

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Crostata di Marmellata ~ Jam Crostata from Mamma Giulia

The Pastries of Lecce with Chef Luca Capilungo

Pizza Makers for a Night in Puglia

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December 20, 2012

Mamma Agata's Herb Fritters {Coccoli} and the Winner is....

Thank you to all who participated in the Mamma Agata cookbook giveaway. Out of all the great comments about your favorite Italian dishes, I randomly chose #29, Janie's comment (her favorite dish is homemade ricotta ravioli with a simple tomato sauce to remind her of lunch with her grandparents). Janie will be receiving an autographed copy of Mamma Agata's Simple and Genuine Cookbook. And today, for everyone that would like a glimpse at the recipes in the cookbook, I'm sharing one of them, Mamma Agata's Coccoli.

These herb fritters were just one of the amazing antipasti that I tasted during my day cooking on the Amalfi Coast, a simple yet oh-so delicious fried treat. Versions of fritters are a classic starter to Italian meals, especially pizza, and as usual, their names change depending on the region. I've heard them called in pastella in Rome, pasta crescuita in Naples, and pittule in Puglia. Who doesn't love fried batter, golden, crunchy and salty outside with the softest pillow-like savory dough inside?

Mamma Agata takes them to another level adding fresh herbs, parmigiano and pancetta to the batter. The herbs give them a pop of freshness, the parmigiano adds extra cheesiness and the pancetta is a subtle addition of the sweet pork fat flavor. They are perfect little starters to any special meal, even your holiday Christmas dinner, for example. The batter (pastella) can also be used as a dipping batter. Dip a mix of seasonal vegetables or shrimp in the batter; fry them and you will look like a god or goddess in the kitchen with this assortment of antipasti.

Mamma Agata adding the pancetta, parmigiano and herbs to the coccoli batter

The recipe and exactly how to make the batter and fry it is beautifully illustrated in Mamma Agata's cookbook. In the book you'll find all her secrets to making the coccoli flavorful and how she gets the pillow-like pefection inside while keeping things crunchy outside. She has also dedicated a full page in her book to share her frying secrets. Below is the recipe and then highlights from her frying instructions.

Frying the coccoli during my day cooking with Mamma Agata

If you'd like to order the book, you can order it directly from Mamma Agata's website. Chiara and Mamma Agata share some fabulous family recipes and classics of Neapolitan cuisine. With those recipes, along with the stories and photos in the book, they will transport you to the family's Ravello terrace and views of the Amalfi coastline. It would make a beautiful gift for yourself or that special Italian food lover in your life.

Mamma Agata's Simple and Genuine Cookbook

The terrace at Mamma Agata's Cooking School

Coccoli di Mamma Agata (Herb Fritters)
(from Mamma Agata’s Simple & Genuine Cookbook, recipe published here with her permission)

Mamma Agata’s Pastella:
2 cups (250 g) “00” flour, or white pastry flour
1 teaspoon (25 g) sugar
3/4 cup (100g) Parmigiano cheese, grated
1 egg
1 cup (200 ml) lukewarm water
1 3/4 tablespoons (25 g) yeast (dry or fresh cake yeast)
2 pinches sea salt
2 teaspoon vinegar

For the Coccoli:
1/2 cup (100g) Parmigiano Regiano cheese, grated
1/2 onion, grated
1 3/4 oz (50 g) pancetta or salami, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped sage

1 quart (1 liter) peanut or grape seed oil for frying (or another oil with a high smoke point)

To make the pastella: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cheese. Add the egg to the bowl and mix together thoroughly. In a separate bowl, dissolve the yeast into the water. Once the yeast is dissolved into the water, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Combine together with your hands until the mixture is the consistency of a thin pancake batter. (NOTE: If the batter is too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water; if the batter is too thin, add a little more flour to thicken it.) There will be lumps in the batter, do not try to whisk them out; or you will overwork the dough and get tough fritters. Cover the bowl and set it aside in a warm, draft-free location for one hour.

After one hour, the batter will have risen. Add the vinegar and salt to the batter and stir. (The batter will deflate when stirred; this is normal.)

To make the Coccoli: In a bowl, mix togehter the cheese, onion, pancetta, and herbs. Add this mixture to the pastella batter and mix together just until the ingredients are combined. (Do not overwork the dough.)

Follow Mamma Agata’s frying instructions: In a frying pan, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Using a tablespoon, gather a tablespoon of batter and place it in the oil, letting the batter slide off of the spoon into the oil. Continue this process until you have around 10 coccoli in the pan (Do not overcrowd the pan or it will reduce the ideal temperature of the oil and the coccoli will absorb too much of the oil and be greasy.) Fry the coccoli on each side for 1-2 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place on paper towels. These are best served hot. Continue frying the remaining batter in batches in the same manner until you fried all the batter. These are best served hot. Buon appettito!

"I Segreti della Frittura" (Secrets of the Fry)

Mamma Agata's secrets and tips for making Coccoli and for frying:

For the pastella batter and coccoli:

The batter will be lumpy - Don't try to dissolve the lumps or you will overwork the dough and get tough fritters.

The water for the yeast must be lukewarm to the touch. If it's too cold or too hot, it will kill the yeast. The batter will not rise and you will not have pillow-like fritters.
Whenever you make batter or dough with yeast, you must add sugar to activate the yeast.
Mamma Agata uses type "00" flour for all of her recipes. She suggests substituting it with white pastry flour if you can't find "00" flour.
Adding vinegar to the batter helps to inhibit the oil from penetrating during the frying process and preventing the coccoli from being greasy.

Mamma Agata's frying tips:

The best frying pans are ugly! She uses a pan that's about 3 to 4 inches deep and 10 inches across. And, she uses this pan and only this pan for frying, letting it get seasoned with each fry, and also uglier with each fry. Her ugly pan lasts at least 3 to 4 years.

Mamma Agata is generous with the quantity of oil and recommends at least 1 liter or quart for her type of pan. She keeps a space of about 1 inch from the oil leve and the top of the pan and never overcrowds the pan when frying. This can cause the oil temperature to drop and the fritters to take too long to cook and to absorb too much oil.

The temperature of the oil is very important. It should be 375 F or 190 C.

Quality of the oil is also important. Seed oils are best for frying because they have a high smoke point and have a neutral flavor that will not change the flavor of what you are frying. Mamma Agata uses peanut oil. She never uses olive oil for frying.

She always uses "clean" oil and never reuses oil from a previous day's or meal's frying.

Related Posts You Might Also Like:

Cook with Me and Italian Mammas in Puglia in 2013

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Nutella Filled Venetian Frittelle

Pasta alla Genovese and Other Neapolitan Pasta Sauces at Citta del Gusto

Neapolitan-Style Mussels (Cozze alla Marinara)

A Drive Along the Amalfi Coast

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December 13, 2012

Cooking with Mamma Agata on the Amalfi Coast and a Cookbook Giveaway

The scent of garlic simmering in olive oil beckons you from the doorway of this hidden Amalfi treasure. The aroma, one Chiara calls the "Chanel of the kitchen" leads you directly to the source of one of the most fundamental fragrances in an Italian kitchen. Mamma Agata and Gennaro give a boisterous buon giorno from behind the stove, and Chiara gives you a hug with one arm and a turn with the other putting you face to face with a plate full of eggplant rolls and a glass of red wine.

Prompted to taste before I could even reply to my greeters, I savored one, or two, of Mamma Agata's involtini di melanzane. Fried and meaty melanzane rolled around provolone & arugula, and another, this time rolled around a soft creamy cheese and sun-dried tomotoes. An appropriate start to a most fabulous day cooking, eating, drinking and lapping up all the flavors that this sensory playground had to offer. I was on the Amalfi Coast and cooking with Mamma Agata at her cooking school in Ravello.

Our amazing view - looking down from the terrace

From the kitchen Chiara led me to the terrace, a lush garden and dining area where a long table dressed in white linen and Amalfi lemons led out to the garden. The garden is a thing of beauty in its own right, greenery & flowers crawl up trelisses that line one side and the other side has a mouth-dropping mezmerizing view of the blue Amalfi sea and its coastline. We spent the afternoon there dining on the terrace, perched high atop the hillside with the family's fruit & vegetable gardens and then the deep blue sea below us. And we ate, and ate, and ate, dish after dish of Mamma Agata's specialties.

The Amalfi Coastline ~ View from our terrace dining table

Chiara Lima, Mamma Agata's daughter, had invited me as their guest for a day at their cooking school. The cooking school is entirely a family affair. Chiara was our hostess/translator/storyteller. Mamma Agata and Chiara's husband Gennaro, also a sommelier, handled the cooking demonstration part of the class. Chiara translated and added many family stories, anecdotes and Mamma's secret tips for each dish. All the fruit and vegetables we used came from the family's garden located on the terraces right below the house. The fruit & vegetable garden is managed by Salvatore, Mamma Agata's husband and Chiara's father. Mamma Agata has been cooking for others since she was 8 years old! Many of her specialties are family recipes handed down to her from her mother and her aunts.

In the kitchen with Chiara and Gennaro

Class starts at 10:30am when guests are greeted with food, of course, upon arrival, a huge slice of Mamma Agata's treasured lemon cake. (I arrived a little later, thus the reason I had the just-made eggplant roll appetizers.) You cook, with Mamma Agata overseeing it all, and recreate a many-course meal of her famous dishes, some of them served and loved by the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Pierce Brosnan, just to name a few. Mamma Agata's knowledge and experience is evident in the way she knows exactly how to coax the most flavor from each ingredient. She has a secret for perfecting every one of her dishes, and throughout the course of the day, she shares each of them with you.

Our meal was one flavorful and perfectly cooked dish after another. Mamma Agata's cooking philosophy is based on simplicity, quality ingredients and love. Each dish used only a few quality ingredients - all the fruits and vegetables came from their garden.

Here's our meal, in photos:

***We also had one of the best eggplant parmigiano dishes I've ever eaten. I gobbled it up before remembering to take a photo.

Mamma Agata's Coccoli {Herb Fritters}

Spaghetti al Contadino {Farmer's Spaghetti} with tomatoes from their garden, olives, capers & arugula leaves

Pappardelle with bell peppers and sausage

The extra sausage & bell peppers served as a secondo

Mamma Agata's pollo al limone (chicken with lemon) - Lemon juice from the garden's lemons added just before serving

Mamma Agata's Lemon Cake adored by Humphrey Bogart

Mamma Agata's home-made limoncello ~ How any meal on the Amalfi Coast should end!

Chiara has created a cookbook of Mamma Agata's recipes - both a great gift for those who can't make it to the cooking class and a special souvenir for those who have enjoyed cooking with her. Each of the dishes we made and more are included in Mamma Agata's cookbook. Along with each recipe, there are step-by-step photo instructions and Mamma Agata's tips. For example, when making her pollo al limone, she advises that you add the lemon juice at the very end of cooking to get the best lemon flavor. Adding it at the beginning causes the lemon juice to have a bitter taste. The instructions and the tips are so clear it's extremely easy to create dishes as delicious as if Mamma Agata had made them for you.

Chiara showing us the well-illustrated instructions in the cookbook

The cookbook is in English and full of all the recipes above, yes even the limoncello! There are so many others; many of Mamma Agata's take on the traditional dishes of the Campania region and some of her own creation. All look delicious, but some of my favorites include: the risotto al limone, stuffed and fried zucchini flowers, gnocchi alla sorrentina, the veal roast, stuffed squid (totani imbottiti), fried pizza, and Mamma Agata's zeppole (doughnuts)! In addition to the easy-to-follow recipes, there are stories about each family member, family photos and stunning photos of their home, the hidden treasure, and the Amalfi Coast.

I definitely recommend both the class and the cookbook; both would make fabulous Christmas gifts for that food-loving Italophile in your life! The book is 29,50 euros plus shipping. You can order it directly from Mamma Agata online here: Mamma Agata Simple and Genuine Cookbook. You can also book a class directly on Mamma Agata's website.

Inside the cookbook - photo instructions for making Mamma's chicken cacciatore

The Cookbook Giveaway: For the holidays, Chiara and Mamma Agata have been so generous as to offer you an autographed copy of Mamma Agata's Simple and Genuine cookbook. All you need to do to win is leave a comment below telling us what your favorite Italian dish (or dessert) is. The contest will end at Midnight P.S.T. on Wednesday, December 19, 2012. I'll randomnly draw a name from the comments using www.random.org and will announce the winner on Thursday, December 20, 2012. Each person may enter the giveaway only once.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

The Amalfi Coastline

UPDATE on Dec 20, 2012: We have a winner and she is Janie (comment #29)!!! Congratulations Janie, an autographed Mamma Agata's Simple & Genuine cookbook is on its way to you!

Thank you all for your commments and letting me know what your favorite Italian dishes are. And yes, I understand how very difficult it was to choose. Every dish each of you chose, ranks among my tops. I was also so touched to see the comment from Lydia, one of our guests on the Food Lover's Tour in Puglia, and that now some of the Pugliese foods she had on the tour are her favorites!

Related Posts You Might Also Enjoy:

Cook with Me and Italian Mammas in Puglia in 2013

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

A Drive along the Amalfi Coast (in photos)

Pasta alla Genovese and Other Classic Neapolitan Pasta Sauces at Citta del Gusto

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples

Neapolitan Style Mussels - Cozze alla Marinara

Journey Through the Pastries of Naples

Dining Around Naples with Napoli Unplugged

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December 04, 2012

Crostata Marmellata {Jam Crostata} from Mamma Giulia

Christmas holiday baking has begun! Maybe it's because I love to bake and some of my first baking memories are of making Christmas cookies with my mom that Christmas is my favorite of all holidays. Besides all the lights, glitter, and shopping (what girl doesn't love those things), it was always a time when dessert for breakfast was ok, even encouraged! My mom kept us from tearing up the house and terrorizing her over our Christmas vacation by having us "help" with cookie baking. She would start every day during the holidays with two biscotti, which she only made around Christmastime, and coffee. Because our kitchen was overflowing with cookies, she let us choose our favorite cookie or two to dip in milk for our breakfasts.

To kick off the season, I thought it best to share with you another sweet that had double duty as both both dessert and breakfast for me, the crostata marmellata. This is recipe comes from Mamma Giulia, one of our amazing "mamme in cucina" in Puglia. Mamma Giulia is like the energizer bunny in the kitchen; she keeps on going and going and going from sun up to far past sundown. Not all she churns out in the masseria's kitchen is sweet, but it's all delicious. This crostata was the first thing she offered me when I first met her. It was also part of our daily breakfast spread during our Food Lover's Tour in Puglia.

Mamma Giulia making the crostata dough

Jam crostata is to Italy as apple pie is to the U.S. It's definitely a home-cooking kind of dessert, and probably every Italian mamma has her own recipe, but you see crostate in various shapes and sizes throughout Italy's pastry shops and biscotterie. It even ended my amazing meal at the fine dining restaurant Cibreo in Florence. Even though you can find a crostate throughout Italy, they can vary in quality. A crunchy, crumbly, buttery crust is what makes this simple and unpretentious dessert so delicious.

A few notes & tips: The key to the crust is the butter, the flour and not too much kneading. As there are basically only two components to the dessert, the pasta frolla and the jam, you want to make sure you also have a good quality jam - one where the fruit (and not only its juices) are used in making it. Butter will give you the crunchy, crumbly and flavorful crust, but it's important to pay attention to its temperature. Ideally you should work with the butter at a temperature from 65 to 70 F, so its important to work quickly and and keep your hands from being in constant contact with the butter. Mamma Giulia uses the delicate double zero flour also used for pasta making. In the U.S. it's sometimes hard to find and can be expensive, so I tested the recipe using only all-purpose flour, only unbleached all-purpose flour and a mix of cake flour and unbleached all-purpose flour. The mix of cake flour and unbleached all-purpose flour came closest to Mamma Giulia's. If you can find it, I would suggest using 300 grams (2 1/2 cups) of double zero flour as it creates the most buttery crust.

Jam Crostate in pastry shops in Italy

Ingredients needed for pasta frolla: flour, sugar, salt, butter & egg yolks

This crostata is just the start to many holiday dessert recipes (both Italian and French) that I'll be sharing with you this month. And I have a little Christmas present for you, too, a thank you all for your support and following of Food Lover's Odyssey! In December I'll have a little Christmas giveaway of some of my favorite things and more. Check back here soon for the month's first giveaway!

Want to give that special Italian food lover something fabulous for Christmas? How about a delicious Food Lover's Journey to Puglia? You can cook with me, Mamma Giulia, other Italian mammas and chefs while discovering and exploring the gorgeous Puglia countryside. For tour details, check out the Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013 page.

****Book by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off of the tour price!****

Crostata Marmellata
(Makes One 9-inch crostata)

Pasta Frolla:

1 ½ cups (200 grams) cake flour
1 cup (100 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cups (175 grams) butter, ideal temperature is 65-70° F
½ cup plus 4 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar, plus more for the top of the crostata
3 egg yolks, mixed so the yolks are broken

2 ½ cups fruit preserves or best-quality jam (The fruit should be used to make the jam, not just the fruit’s juice)

To make the pasta frolla: Stir together the flour, salt and sugar and form the mixture into a well. With a pastry cutter cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of peas. Make another well of the new mixture and add the eggs yolks. Knead the mixture only until it is combined into a homogenous dough. Divide the dough into two balls; with 2/3 of the dough for one ball and the remaining 1/3 for the other. Flatten each into a round disk, and cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

To assemble the crostata: Roll out the bigger disk of dough between two sheets of wax paper until it’s ¼-inch thick. Place into a 9-inch tart mold and refrigerate while you roll out the second disk of dough, also rolling it out in between two sheets of wax paper until it is ¼-inch thick. Using a fluted pastry ring, cut the dough into strips that are ½-inch in thickness. Remove the pastry dough that is in the tart mold from the refrigerator and spread the fruit preserves/jam out evenly on top of the pastry dough.

Starting in the center, place the longest fluted strip of dough on top of the jam, then another across it, forming an X with the two strips. Working out from this center, add two more strips on each side of one of the center strips, spacing the strips about 1 1/2 inches apart. Then add to more strips on each side of the other center strip, again spacking each strip about 1 1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Before placing the tart into the oven, sprinkle to top strips of dough with granulated sugar.

Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is a golden brown. Cool and serve. Buon Appetito!

Other Dessert Recipes You Might Like:

Snowball Cookies and Christmas Baking Memories

Tiramisu Cheesecake

Torta Settevelli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Meyer Lemon Tart with Lightened Lemon Cream Topping

Cassata Siciliana

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Gianduja - Nutella Cheesecake

Pasticciotto from Lecce

"Magical" Chocolate Kahlua Budino

Cantucci - Italian Biscotti from Tuscany

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

Flaky Apple Tart from Gascony {Croustade aux Pommes}

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October 25, 2012

Pizza Makers for a Night in Puglia

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! There are four tour dates throughout 2013 from which you can choose: Food Lovers' Culinary Tour in Puglia 2013

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

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October 09, 2012

Cook with me and Italian Mammas in Puglia in 2013

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

Cooking with Mamma Giulia at the masseria

We'll watch a cooking demonstration at a winery and then dine on these dishes paired with Pugliese wines. Make pasta and traditional meals with Italian mammas. Become Italian pizza makers for an evening at a local pizzeria. Watch an artisan cheese maker at work and then dig into the still-warm freshly-made, creamy ricotta. Picnic in an olive grove surrounded by hundred year-old olive trees. 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 the gorgeous Masseria Provenzani (1 mile from the beach and a 10-minute drive to Lecce)
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 olive oil tasting
Guided walking tours of Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and the Itria Valley
SIX cooking classes (three hands-on and three demonstration)
Cheese making demonstration with tastings
Gelato making demonstration & tasting
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
Two winery visits and tastings
Liqueur tasting
Beach time to enjoy the gorgeous Puglia coastline and lapis-lazuli sea
Cook in Puglia recipe book – including some recipes from the chefs we’ll visit
Cook 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, Ylenia, by our side the entire way (she has been in the tourism business in Salento for over 10 years) 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 and the city of Lecce.

Masseria Provenzani and its pool

On the first day, you'll be welcomed to the masseria by me and Ylenia with a poolside lunch, where you'll receive your "Cook in Puglia" apron and a fabulous gift bag. Then you'll have the afternoon to relax by the pool, strolling the masseria's grounds or even taking a short bike ride to the beach. In the evening we'll get the Puglia party started with a private olive oil tasting, followed by a welcome dinner. The masseria has a large kitchen where mamma Giulia will prepare our daily breakfasts. It's also where four of our cooking classes will be held. We'll give you time to enjoy that beautiful pool and the masseria's grounds and gardens.

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 (This tour date is now SOLD OUT)
May 25 to June 2, 2013
September 16 to September 24, 2013 (This tour date is SOLD OUT)
October 5 to October 13, 2013

Price: $3,500 per person based on double occupancy
Single room supplement: $400

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 Masseria Provenzani
Welcome drink and a poolside lunch upon arrival at the masseria - You’ll meet Ylenia, me and fellow travelers
Afternoon to relax by the pool, in the courtyard or bike to the beach
Pre-dinner private tasting of local olive oils
Welcome dinner with your lovely host, Ylenia - Discuss details of the fabulous week ahead

Day 2:

Breakfast at the masseria
Gelato demonstration and tasting at a local gelateria
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
Winery visit and tour with a cooking demonstration in the winery’s kitchen
Dinner at the winery

Day 3:

Breakfast at the masseria
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 where we’ll make pasticciotto (THE pastry of Lecce) and taste other Leccese pastries
Hands-on cooking class with our Italian mammas in the kitchen
Dinner at the masseria based on our creations

Day 4:

Breakfast at the masseria
Morning at a village in the Grecia Salentina (where inhabitants still speak ancient Greek)
Visit to a monastery where they make liqueurs and a tasting
Visit to a laboratory where the village women make artisanal handicrafts
Lunch in Martano
Hands-on cooking class at the masseria with our Italian mammas
Full four-course dinner at the masseria based on your creations

Day 5:

Breakfast at the masseria
Full day visiting the Itria Valley and the famous Trulli - with walking tours of Alberobello, Ostuni & Locorotondo
Lunch will be some of the traditional foods from the Itria Valley
Dinner at the masseria

Day 6:

Breakfast at the masseria
Visit to a pasta making laboratory – Pugliese pasta-making demonstration
Pugliese Breads and Pasta – Hands-on cooking class with me and our Italian mammas
Lunch poolside – Lunch will include some of the pasta and bread you made
Afternoon to relax at the pool (Optional 45-minute Swedish massage available)
Pre-dinner aperitivi poolside
Dinner at the masseria

Day 7

Breakfast at the masseria
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 – where you will be a pizzaiolo (Italian for pizza maker) for a night

Day 8

Breakfast at the masseria
Dolci di Puglia (Sweets of Puglia) – Morning Pugliese pastry making demonstration at the masseria
Late morning ricotta & primo sale cheese making demonstration and tasting
Picnic lunch in an olive orchard - Lunch will include cheeses from the cheese-making demo, dessert demo and other local delicacies
Guided tour of the olive groves and olive oil mill
Afternoon to relax by the pool
Evening stroll in Lecce
Farewell dinner in Lecce

Day 9

Breakfast at the masseria
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!

Join me and let's cook, eat, drink, discover and enjoy Puglia!!

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September 17, 2012

Food Lovers in Puglia - Day 3: Lecce, Pastry Lessons and Cooking with Italian Mammas

Day three of the food lovers' tour began and ended with much swooning, and it wasn't only for the food but also for the many masters in the kitchen we met - pastry chefs, Italian mammas and chef/restauranteurs. Yes, this is a food & wine lovers' tour, but we also soaked up a little bit of culture during the day. We had a guided walk through the baroque historical center of Lecce and a carta pesta (paper-mache) demonstration.

Pastry Making with Chef Luca Capilungo ~

I think all the ladies, and maybe even Dell, were head-over-hells with our Leccese pastry lesson of pasticiotto and fruttone with the very handsome and charismatic chef Luca Capilungo. He took us into his pastry kitchen where we were again behind the scenes and making the typical pastry of Lecce, pasticciotto. Everyone made a batch, and whenever one of us needed a little help with technique, Luca was quick to take our hands and show us the proper way to work the dough or pipe the lemony pastry cream into the molds.

Chef Luca showing Gloria exactly how to pipe the pastry cream into the pasticciotto

Chef Luca demonstrating how to make fruttone

Luca also gave us a demonstration on making fruttone, another typical pastry of Puglia. It starts out with pasta frolla (short crust pastry) in a mold, just like the pasticcioto. Instead of pastry cream, the pastry is filled with pear marmalata and marzipan, baked and then topped with a chocolate icing. We sampled the finished fruttone and many other of his delicious cookies. He even brought out a sweet wine to dip our quaresimali ("Lenten" biscotti) into. As if the group didn't already adore chef Luca and his pastries, he made many of us happy by posing for a photo with each person in the group. We took the pasticiotti we made with us, and it was dessert after our evening meal.

Gloria and chef Luca

A Tour of Lecce and a Carta Pesta Lesson ~

The girls with our driver Antonio

The group in Piazza del Duomo with Fabiola

Taking a break in between pastries and lunch, we took a giro around Lecce in an antique car - 1935 to be exact. Afterwards we had a guided-walking tour of Lecce where we learned a little about the cities history and its baroque-style facades.

The tour ended with a carta pesta demonstration where the group learned all about how the paper-making technique arrived in Italy, how paper is made, and how the carta pesta figurines of Lecce are crafted. Some of the group also got to make a few sheets of paper themselves.

Nuncia demonstrating how they make carta pesta

Luigi showing the final touches made to the carta pesta before they are painted

Helen making paper

The finished carta pesta figurines

Lunch with Antonella at Locanda Rivoli ~

Lunch was in Lecce at the very delicious Locanda Rivoli where Antonella greeted all of us with a big smile and countless plates of antipasti. Although we were quite satisfied with the never-ending plates of antipasti, we couldn't leave without having a pasta course, or two. We delighted in the traditional dish of ceci & tria (chickpeas and pasta) with a twist. Antonella adds mussels to the dish. Our other pasta was sagne ncannulate (the pasta that I made with Nonna Vata) in a sauce of fresh tomatoes & ricotta forte. The ricotta forte added a nice tang to the sweet tomato sauce. The meal ended with little cookies shaped in the form of wrapped candies and filled with marmalata. And if we weren't already in love with Antonella and her food, she also gave each of us a gift of olive oil and autographed her recipe that we found in the Puglia recipe book each of us had purchased.

Some of the too-many-to-count plates of antipasti included: tiella, friselle, peperonata, ricotta mouse, spinach & ricotta focaccia, focaccia di patate, grilled eggplant, fagioli in tomato sauce, carpaccio of zucchini

Antonella autographing her recipe for sagne ncannulate schiattariciati

Cooking with Mamma Giulia ~

In the kitchen with Mamma Giulia (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Del and Gloria frying up the eggplant for our involtini

After only a few days, everyone realized that food never really stops coming on this tour. We had a short break to rest or sit poolside at the masseria, and then we were back in the kitchen for our first hands-on cooking lesson with mamma Giulia who is a quite a wizard in the kitchen. Now, the menu was supposed to be three plates: Pomordori Schiattariciati for the antipasto, penne with a cream of bell pepper sauce for the primo, and involtini (rolls) of eggplant for the secondo. Instead we learned a favorite phrase of mamma Giulia's, "Non buttiamo niente." (We don't throw anything away.) With leftover ingredients and those that others might think of as scraps, she made three other dishes. Take a look at our meal:

Pomodori Schiattariciati (tomatoes bursted in olive oil) and fried green bell peppers

With the left over tomatoes and bell peppers, Mamma Giulia added olives, olive oil & a little vinegar for another antipasto

With the eggplant skins (what most people would throw out), she fried them and added olive oil & vinegar for yet another antipasti

Cream of bell pepper sauce with penne pasta was a favorite of all

Involtini di Melanzane - eggplant rolls filled with tuna and capers

Our dessert was the pasticciotti from our lesson with Luca

If you'd like to see more photos from this tour, you can view them on the Food Lover's Odyssey Facebook page.

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

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

An Aperitivo to Whet Your Appetite for Puglia

Making Pasticiotto in Puglia

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Tradtional Salentine Dishes at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

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

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

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

Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Sausage & Cheese - Cooking with Mamma Mariantonietta

Olivotto: The Sweet Side of Olives

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Pugliese Pasta Dish: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

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

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

The Dish from Puglia: Friselle with Tomatoes

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

Christmas Desserts in Salento

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September 07, 2012

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

After much anticipation, the day came and the guests of the Food Lovers' Tour in Puglia have arrived! They enjoyed a relaxing travel day at what will be our home for the next 9 days, Masseria Provenzani. We had a poolside lunch and time to lounge by the pool and/or wander around the grounds of the masseria. Their official welcome came as we kicked off the tour with a private oil and pate tasting from Azienda Taurino and a dinner of typical Salentine dishes.

Dinner included traditional Pugliese dishes: Orecchiette, Fava bean puree with chicory, Fagioli with tuna and onions in agrodolce, focaccia Salentina, potato salad with tomato and basil, and grilled eggplant

The first full day of the tour started off with our group going crazy over a behind-the-scenes gelato-making and tasting demonstration at Gelateria Tentazioni in Lecce. Chef Antonio, who has been making gelato for 35 years, opened up his kitchen to us and gave us a look at how they make gelato and sorbetto in Italy. Antonio also shared his recipe for one of his latest gelato creations: a vincotto sorbetto. We sampled chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, vincotto, fior di latte and another creation from Antonio called the Fiesta. Inspired by many popular candy bars in Italy, Antonio made the Fiesta and other gelato bars using gelato flavor combinations similar to the candy bars. The Fiesta is a pairing of chocolate and orange. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of grown ups get so excited. There were squeals, ooohs, aaahhs, and moans of satisfaction with every spoonful of gelato we tasted.

Chef Antonio sharing his gelato creations inspired by popular "candy bars"

Gabriele of Gelateria Tentazioni (temptations) making chocolate gelato

Making Chocolate and hazelnut spumoni at the gelateria

Food Lovers' Tour at Porto Badisco

There was a short pause between gelato and lunch with a photo op stop at Porto Badisco. Those who’ve been following Food Lover’s Odyssey, might remember my story of Porto Badisco and tasting sea urchin. Although we didn’t taste any of the sea urchin fresh from the sea, we were able to see the beach at its bluest under the bright summer sun.

Our table at La Fattoria in Otranto

On this tour, you can bet that the next meal is right around the corner. And it was. Lunch was at La Fattoria, a trattoria that embraces the Zero Kilometro philosophy, the term Italy uses for its movement of eating local and seasonal. Almost all ingredients come from the trattoria's farm and garden, and those that don’t come from no farther than 100 kilometers away. We dined on countless plates of traditional Salentine antipasti that included pittole (fried batter), fried zucchini flowers, bruschetta and tomatoes, freshly-made ricotta, peperonata, carpaccio di zucchine and grilled eggplant and zucchini. The primi (pasta dishes) included more traditional flavors of Salento: cavatelli with zucchini and massa (a Salentine pasta) with cabbage and chickpeas. On the tour with us is Eva, a master gardener, and she and her husband Del brilliantly detected a hint of cinnamon in the massa pasta dish.

Pittole - fried bread was one of our many antipasti

Massa pasta with cabbage and chick peas

To walk off lunch we took a leisurely stroll through Otranto, located on the eastern coast of Salento, entering through the ancient castle walls that were built as a protection against invaders from the east. Our visit included one to Otranto’s cathedral, where everyone stood in awe of the Tree of Life mosaic that covered the church’s entire main floor and the crypt that holds the bones of the 800 martyrs of townspeople who refused to denounce their religion after Otranto fell to the Turks in 1480.

Port at Otranto

Tree of Life mosaic in the Otranto Cathedral

Enjoying the view of the sea at Otranto

The day was far from over. Imagine wine tasting and listening to music under hundred-year old olive trees, under the stars, with the scents from candles wafting through the air and illuminating the olive orchard and then listening to music in the same olive grove. Our amazing first day ended with us doing just that at Masseria Terre dei Padri.

Wine tasting in the olive grove at Masseria Terre dei Padri

Before the piano concert, chef Alessandro invited us for yet another behind-the-scenes look into his kitchen where he showed us the steps involved in creating one of his most popular antipasti, a platter of smoked swordfish, shrimp and a marinated salmon roll.

Smoked swordfish, marinated tuna involtini and shrimp from Gallipoli at Masseria Terra dei Padri

Our group in the kitchen with chef Alessandro

Dinner was also at Masseria Terre dei Padri where chef Alessandro’s dishes were loved and devoured by all. Chef Alessandro started with traditional dishes of the area and reinvented and recreated them to fit the very upscale setting of the four-star masseria. We paired our meal with two of our favorite wines from our earlier tasting, a rosato and Salice Salentino, made by the masseria.

Here are just a few of our favorites from this fantastic meal:

Antipasto plate of capocollo from the Itria Valley, burrata and an eggplant flan

Antipasto plate of Acqua Sale with Seafood

I Maritati (orecchiette and maccheroni) with little meatballs (polpettini)

Tiella alla Barase - A casserole (tiella) of potatoes, rice, tomatoes and mussels

And this was just day one. I'll be back soon with highlights from Day 2!

If you'd like to see more photos of all the fun and food we're having here in Puglia, check them out in the tour's album on the Food Lover's Odyssey Facebook Page.

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!

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Olivotto: The Sweet Side of Olives

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Seafood and More with Chef Lino at Ristorante Donna Lisa

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

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