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Polignano sensory food tour
Private workshops
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About me
Polignano sensory food tour
Private workshops
Contacts
Subscribe to my newsletter

Recipes

21 Jun 2023

Sweet rice cake

in Baking . Desserts . Gluten free . vegetarian

21 Jun 202321 Jun 2023

Stuffed Ligurian vegetables

in Antipasti . Baking . summer . vegetarian

21 Jun 2023

Herring tart

in Baking . Fish

21 Jun 202321 Jun 2023

Ligurian farinata

in Baking . Gluten free . Pizza & co . Vegan . vegetarian

19 May 202304 Jul 2023

Baked Sicilian Cannoli

in Baking . Desserts . Finger food . vegetarian

16 May 2023

Orecchiette with tomato confit and yogurt

in Pasta . spring . summer . vegetarian

11 May 2023

Quick marinated radishes

in Antipasti . salad . spring . Vegan . vegetarian

11 May 202311 May 2023

Panzanella with knäckebröd

in Antipasti . salad . spring . Vegan . vegetarian

30 Apr 2023

Agnolotti del plin with potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes

in Pasta . spring . vegetarian

23 Apr 202324 Apr 2023

Rice pie with snap peas and asparagus

in Gluten free . spring . vegetarian

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spaghettiabc

Palermo: nestled between the mountains and the sea

Palermo: nestled between the mountains and the sea, protected by a powerful saint who smells of roses and rests deep beneath the earth.
48 hours, from Saturday to Sunday, to fall in love with the city, completely.

Saturday
Start at the church and monastery of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria: vibrant baroque marble, silent cloistered corridors, and a breathtaking city view from the rooftop. Treat yourself to a cannolo or frutta martorana, made following the nuns’ ancient recipes.
Continue to the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio and be captivated by the golden Byzantine mosaics and the Arabic-style tower.
Next door, the peony-pink domes of San Cataldo rise against the blue sky.
In Piazza Pretoria, the elegant 16th-century fountain tells a controversial past.
Immerse yourself in the Ballarò market, with the sounds, scents of grilled meat, and fried street food, savoring the city’s most authentic spirit.
End the day at the Palermo Cathedral, a journey through time blending Arab-Norman, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical art.

Sunday
Wake up early to visit the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia on Monte Pellegrino. A mystical place, venerated since Phoenician times as the home of Tanit, the goddess of fertility, offering a stunning view of the city.
On your way back, stop at Piazza Marina, where the flea market will surprise you with ceramics, vintage @sellerioeditore books, and hidden treasures.
From Santa Maria della Catena, with its Gothic-Catalan arches, enjoy a unique view of the port.
Finish with a stroll through the Botanical Garden: monumental ficus trees, the scent of pomelos, a bamboo grove, and a collection of Sicily’s main grape varieties.

Palermo is a creative city, alive with artisans and workshops: check out the network @alabpalermo to look for independent designers.
A glass of wine? @dalbaronevino
Dinner? @buattapalermo where traditional dishes meet local producers and Slow Food Presidia.

No more dining tips. Traveling is about awakening your instincts: follow the scents, the atmosphere, the light. Let Palermo’s energy resonate within you.
Or ask for help to my friend @thecheekychef

How lucky am I to have two colleagues to talk to a

How lucky am I to have two colleagues to talk to about food and, above all, business?
A 3-day retreat in Genoa with Enrica Monzani @asmallkitcheningenoa and Giulia Scarpaleggia @julskitchen. The menu?
Agreements with publishers and promotion strategies, with chifferi and cappuccino for breakfast.
Editorial calendars for social media, newsletters and focaccia from Genova.
Flow of a cooking class, reflections on the logistics of a venue, with baci di dama, Averosa and marron glacés.
Relationships with tour operators and new markets to implement, with chestnut gnocchi with pesto, marjoram and pine nut corzetti and borage ravioli with sugo di tocco for lunch.
Invoicing, tax regimes, payment methods. These need to be digested with a Savona chinotto sorbet!
Food and wine tours, what, how and thematic declinations? Street food: farinata, panissa and frisceù.
SEO optimization and positioning on Google, with prescinseua, Cabannina cow’s cheese with a bloomy rind and Brigasca sheep’s toma.
Italian identity in the kitchen, washed down with Bianchetta Genovese Doc del Golfo di Tigullio Metodo Classico, Vermentino Albarola and Bosco Cinque Terre Doc from heroic viticulture.
Of course, recipes, recipes and recipes (and how do you do it?)
The magic of Genoa, Camogli and Sestri Levante - which Enrica Monzani, our perfect host, told us about, accompanying us to her favorite places, organizing every little detail of this retreat - did the rest.
Spoiler: we also wrote down the guidelines for a joint project that will see the light in 2026. We can’t wait to tell you more!
Oh, and if you want all the addresses of where we’ve been, book a food tour with Enrica!

Filtered or unfiltered? Green or black olives? How

Filtered or unfiltered? Green or black olives? How the choices we make first in the field and then at the mill are reflected in the final flavor of our EVO oil. And on its quality.
This month’s newsletter is all about EVO oil, in a conversation with @agricola_depalo and @orodirufolo
I’ll leave the link in the stories or you can read it on my substack #spaghettiabc

We explore the Murgia, foraging for wild bitter he

We explore the Murgia, foraging for wild bitter herbs rooted deep in the earth.
The scent of wild fennel, marjoram, spiny thistles, and quince blends with the breeze.
We light the wood to set our terracotta pots on the fire.
The flame becomes a true ingredient, embracing the herbs and transforming them. Hints of smoke, charred wood, and damp ferula mushrooms.
Memories of a long day of foraging and cooking over an open fire in the pseudo-steppe of the Murgia.

#murgia #foraging #fire #puglia #weareinpuglia

4 days with my colleagues from Assoguide, up and d

4 days with my colleagues from Assoguide, up and down the Murgia, with trekking shoes and backpacks. Woods and cellars, oil mills and historical centers, talking about geology, anthropology, wild herbs and history. Happy to be part of this family!

#assoguide #murgia #altamura #gravina

@caseificiostelladicecca @frantoio_raguso @panificiodigesu @molinoartigianaledibenedetto @collidellamurgia @alvearedafavola @ce.del.buono

📚 A special announcement! I’ve just finished

📚 A special announcement! I’ve just finished the draft of my eighth book, a journey into the food and wine culture of my beloved Puglia. And, for the first time, it’s written entirely in English!
This book was created with you in mind, my international readers and guests, who have asked for my insights and stories about authentic Puglian cuisine.

Now, while the book is still in draft form, I’d love to hear from you: is there any aspect of Apulian cuisine you’re particularly curious about? A dish or ingredient you’d love to explore in depth? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 💌
Grazie, Flavia

#newbook #puglia #italiancuisine #writer

A day in Laterza whose ravine, in the lower layers

A day in Laterza whose ravine, in the lower layers, dates back 180 million years. I can’t even imagine it.
On board a ‘74 Fiat Campagnola jeep up and down, between the countryside and the town, in centuries-old olive groves overlooking the canyon, medieval churches carved into the rock and saffron flowers.
Laterza is the city of ancient ovens and fragrant semolina bread, of majolica and creativity.
Thanks to my two exceptional guides @morena.tamborrino (who is one of the most talented illustrator I know) and Liliana @explovery_terradellegravine for having opened the doors of their favorite places to me.

#laterza #puglia #canyon #italia

The wheat and the dead. In November, my grandmothe

The wheat and the dead.
In November, my grandmother used to keep a small oil lamp in the kitchen.
The first thing she did upon waking was to light the wick; just as blowing it out was the last thing she did before going to bed.
I remember this little flame floating in a bowl filled with water and oil, perched on the kitchen shelf. A flame shining to honor the departed and lighting up the darkness of days that were beginning to shorten.
November is the month of memories in Puglia, the month of the dead.

A tradition still alive in the Foggia and Bari areas is the preparation of “grano dei morti”, known as “ciceccuòtte” in Foggia dialect and “colva” in the inland Bari dialect (an Italianized form of the Greek word “koliva”, meaning “cooked wheat”). This sweet is also enjoyed after funerals in the Orthodox world.

The ingredients carry deep symbolic meaning: wheat symbolizes rebirth, chocolate represents the earth that receives the departed, pomegranate recalls blood, and the walnut, with its shape, represents bones.
A few simple ingredients for a humble, ancient-flavored dessert, also thanks to the “vincotto” (a type of grape must reduction used in Puglian desserts) that’s poured over the ”colva”.
To be savored in silence.

#puglia #italiancuisine #pomegranate

Olives, broccoli rabe and persimmons. The October

Olives, broccoli rabe and persimmons.
The October newsletter just came out, with 4 new recipes from my latest market to table cooking classes: fried olives, fava bean puree, orecchiette with turnip tops and persimmon tiramisu.
I’ll leave the link in the stories

#puglia #polignanoamare #farmersmarket #vegetarian #italiancuisine

Spaghetti with onions, pecorino cheese and aromati

Spaghetti with onions, pecorino cheese and aromatic herbs.
Today on the terrace it was wonderful in the sun, so I treated myself with plate of spaghetti. Here the recipe.

Ingredients for 2:
1 large onion
200 g of spaghetti
2 bay leaves
30 g of grated pecorino cheese
fresh thyme
fresh sage
freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil.

Clean the onion and cut it into thin slices. Cook it over a very low heat in a pan with a tablespoon of oil and the bay leaves, until it becomes shiny and transparent (see video in the next frame). In the meantime, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, then drain it al dente, keeping a ladle of cooking water.
Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the onions and sauté them with a little cooking water, until they become creamy. With the heat off, add the grated pecorino, with a few drops of cooking water and stir until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper, fresh thyme and chopped sage leaves.
Enjoy with molto amore ❤️

#spaghetti #polignano #puglia #italiancuisine #vegetarian

When is the best time to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oi

When is the best time to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)?
During the food and wine tours I continue to lead even in the heart of October (yes, October is the new September), I always take the time to emphasize to my guests the importance of choosing a good quality EVOO.

So naturally, many of them, as soon as the tour ends, want to buy some to bring back home and relive that same flavor they fell in love with here in Puglia, whether they’re from the U.S., Australia, or elsewhere.
What I usually advise is to buy a small amount, to finish in a couple of months. Why? Because we’re in October, and the olive oil currently available on the market is from last year’s harvest. And we know that EVOO has a shelf life of no more than 18 months from the time of pressing.

The best time to stock up on fresh olive oil is December to January, when the new harvest’s oil from the 2024 season will start hitting international markets. Fresh, intense, and full of the vibrant aromas of freshly pressed olives.
Enjoy! And happy 2024 olive harvest season!

Polignano’s sensory food tour goes to Australia!

Polignano’s sensory food tour goes to Australia!
A few days ago I had the pleasure of being broadcasted on the show “Journey to Europe,” on channel 9 of Australia’s national television.
Hosted by David Whitehill who interviewed me, with a great sensitivity and curiosity about Apulian food and wine culture.
We went to a few places of the heart, including the city market (here are the stalls of Silvio and Antonella, Rita and her grandson, and the other Antonella), the Pellegrini family’s pastry shop (with Vito who taught us how to work with shortcrust pastry), and the Francavilla family’s delicatessen (a gourmet paradise).
This is a small excerpt from the episode, shot by the talented Roger Price.
Enjoy with molto amore

@davidwhitehill_travel @rogerprice_dp @pasticceriaminerva @la_salumeria_gourmet

Shifting towards autumn, my kitchen this September

Shifting towards autumn, my kitchen this September has been filled with eggplants, figs and the slightly citrus flavors of purslane.
A food tour in Bari with @julskitchen, a visit to the botanical conservatory @igiardinidipomona tasting more than 100 varieties of figs. 2 new recipes from my last cooking classes and new angles to enjoy seasonality in Puglia.
September newsletter will be released tomorrow 6.30 A.M. (CET): you can read it subscribing in the link in bio.
Enjoy ❤️

#puglia #september #figs #eggplant #recipes #italiancuisine #polignano #purslane

Ode to meloncella. And barattiere, scupatizzo and

Ode to meloncella. And barattiere, scupatizzo and carosello. August newsletter is dedicated to them: the unripe melons you can only taste in Puglia. Don’t call the@ cucumbers!
Read more in the link in bio

#barattiere #meloncella #scupatizzo #carosello #weareinpuglia #puglia

Tnx @makabe_rokurota for the video portrait

La sedia, à segg’, the chair. In summer, in Pu

La sedia, à segg’, the chair.
In summer, in Puglia, the boundaries between outdoor and indoor life disappear.
All thanks to a chair.
It could be that the interiors of houses can be hotter than the outside, and that, especially on days with the maestrale wind, it’s a way to find some relief in the breeze coming from the northwest.
But the truth is that in the villages, we put the chair outside the front door because more things happen on the street. We can talk to our neighbors, watch people passing by and comment on their clothes, outfits, and hairstyles. It’s a way to participate in the social life of the neighborhood and stay updated on everything that’s happening.
And then there are the folding chairs, to slip under your arm or load into the car trunk, to bring to the seafront in the evening just to get some cool air or to improvise picnics in the middle of the street.
You might ask, are there no benches? Sometimes they are not enough, but above all, there’s nothing like the reassuring embrace of a striped fabric chair that wraps around your back and buttocks, inviting you to relax, and that is solely yours.

Photogallery:
1. Polignano. Me, with the chair in front of my house
2. Polignano. Mr. Nicola and his friend
3. Polignano. Amelia and her son’s dogs
4. Bari Seafront, Fiera del Levante. With the chairs, among the cars
5. Old Bari. Chair and bicycle

#chair #puglia #polignanoamare #weareinpuglia

It’s that time of the year… Tomato sauce is d

It’s that time of the year…
Tomato sauce is dripping everywhere in Puglia.

Thanks to @mari_coffeepasticceria for letting me being part of this family ritual: la salsa.

#tomatosauce #tomato #puglia #polignanoamare #salsa

Call it gadget, call it bomboniera. This is my spa

Call it gadget, call it bomboniera.
This is my spaghetti-souvenir for the guests who are attending my cooking classes this summer.
My way to say “GRAZIE” while bringing in your luggage the taste of Puglia (and a spicy seasoning for your spaghetti).
🍝🌶️🍝🌶️🍝

#spaghetti #spaghettiabc #chili #puglia #cookingclass

I had the pleasure to talk about Apulian cuisine o

I had the pleasure to talk about Apulian cuisine on the last episode of @untold.italy podcast.
Ingredients, iconic dishes and my special tips to order at the restaurant in Puglia, even for special diets.

To listen to the episode, search “Untold Italy” on your favorite podcast app.
Enjoy with molto amore ❤️

#puglia #podcast #apuliancuisine #weareinpuglia

Spaghetti alla San Giuannidde and zucchini parmigi

Spaghetti alla San Giuannidde and zucchini parmigiana.
Basil, tomato, key aromas, and the rules of food pairing in Puglia.
The July newsletter – with two new recipes and a touch of sensory science – is out, and you can read it by clicking the link in bio.

#puglia #spaghetti #zucchini #foodpairing

Where I live, capers grow in the sixteenth-century

Where I live, capers grow in the sixteenth-century walls of the town.
Plants that thrive on stones, sunlight, and sea breeze. They choose to settle in the most elusive places: the facades of ancient Saracen watchtowers, the cracks of underpasses, or, in my case, the steep bastions of the Aragonese walls that, resting on the sea rocks, have made Polignano invulnerable.

Their seeds travel in the bellies of lizards and geckos, whose houses are right in the old crumbling walls. They let themselves be carried on the backs of ants, in the beaks of birds, to burst into lilac and white flowers at the end of spring.

This year, I harvested capers from the bastions of Polignano, from the plant in the square by my house, the one that my neighbors Anna and Rosa have always taken care of.
I placed them in a jar with coarse salt, to preserve their flavor longer and to remind me, during the winter, of the summer of 2024.

#capers #capperi #puglia #polignano #apuliancuisine #foraging

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