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Polignano sensory food tour
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Tag : Winter

01 Dec 202220 Mar 2023

Minestrone – the golden rules

in Gluten free . Vegan . vegetarian

13 Oct 202221 Mar 2023

Roasted cauliflower and beetroot salad

in Antipasti . Autumn . Gluten free . salad . Vegan . vegetarian

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Before the rain. Scents of fig leaves, daisy, whit

Before the rain.
Scents of fig leaves, daisy, white mulberry, capers, loquat and pittosporum.
The sound of the waves and the memories of an underground river.
Seen with the eyes of @silinbln

Nun’s Tits: heavenly sweets. Invented in Altamur

Nun’s Tits: heavenly sweets.
Invented in Altamura at the Santa Chiara convent of enclosure, the “nun’s tits,” or “tette delle monache,” are among the most delicious sweets to taste in Puglia. How can one resist a sponge cake with an incredibly soft texture, filled with pastry cream and Chantilly cream!
But what connects this dessert to the nuns? Above all, the reference to such an intimate and hidden anatomical part, wouldn’t it rather make a nun blush?

I have asked myself this question several times, and the reflections I have made are as follows:
1. Many foods in Italy were invented in monasteries, from Parmigiano (the work of Benedictine monks in the Middle Ages), to beer and liqueurs, to many sweets (e.g., cannoli, also invented by nuns).
2. Italy, a country of saints, each patron of a different city and protector of a body organ. If people turned to Saint Lucia for eye diseases, Saint Agatha was the protector of breast diseases.
3. For grace received, or ex-votos. These are gifts and donations - generally in the form of a painting or silver bas-relief - offered to the saint as a sign of gratitude for a grace received, such as healing from an illness of a specific anatomical part. So we have devotional plates in the shape of eyes, feet, hands, breasts...

And what if the nun’s tit were the most beautiful ex-voto that a pastry nun had made to Saint Agatha?
Whether true or not, eating nun’s tits in Puglia is surely a mystical experience.

Photo credits:
Sant’Agata: Francisco de Zurbarán via Wikipedia
Ex-voto: Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali
Tits by Pasticceria Minerva

In Puglia, cooking is easier, flavours are more co

In Puglia, cooking is easier, flavours are more concentrated and intense.
In Puglia, less is more!
Tomorrow my subscribers will receive the Spaghetti ABC monthly newsletter, with 2 new recipes:
- Warm barley salad with marinated artichokes and cima di rapa
- Baked sponsali leeks with olive and sun-dried tomato pesto.
You can subscribe via the link in bio ⬆️
Enjoy with molto amore ❤️

Soundscapes. Mountains, lakes, rivers, the shore o

Soundscapes.
Mountains, lakes, rivers, the shore of a beach: we are accustomed to conceiving the landscape as something to see, to fill our sight with.
What if we closed our eyes and tried to instead feel a place with our hearing? The viewpoint (belvedere) would become a “beautiful hearing” (belsentire).
Yesterday I walked through Mola di Bari with @cameraasudcoop among squares, alleys of the old town, churches, the harbor, the fish market. In silence, focusing on hearing and what I felt during my journey.
As if the sounds I heard on my walk were a musical piece, with an opening and a closing, with choruses and verses.
Keeping in the background the inevitable noise of cars and engines, I tried to focus on subtle, discreet but still present sounds.
The gurgling water of the fountain, the sound an ice cream cone makes when you bite into it, the squeak of a bicycle chain, balloons filled with helium bumping into each other, a crumpled piece of paper rolling on the asphalt, the creaking of the wood of a kneeler, the leaves of a plant on the balcony moving in the wind, our steps on the shiny stones of the old town, fishing nets sliding through the rough hands of the fishermen on the pier, at sunset in front of the fish market.
Meditations in motion.
Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

#puglia #weareinpuglia #moladibari

Da gennaio sono socia @sommelierpuglia @aismurgia_

Da gennaio sono socia @sommelierpuglia @aismurgia_puglia con cui studio per diventare sommelier.
E da oggi, il mio tour sensoriale di Polignano è in convenzione. Questo significa che se sei socio AIS, riceverai uno sconto del 10%.
Sarà un piacere guidare nell’assaggio le mie colleghe e colleghi, alla scoperta di profumi e aromi, di DOP, DOC e Presidi Slow Food per le strade del mio paese.
Vi aspetto. E se vuoi maggiori info, scrivimi in DM.
🍷

Walking Puglia on the fossil dunes, rough and with

Walking Puglia on the fossil dunes, rough and with a long memory, where lichens grow, along with purple wild orchids (ophrys passionis) and low bushes of thyme (thymus capitatus).
Following the Via Traiana (the Roman road from 3rd century BC), then converging onto the beaten paths of medieval Via Francigena, which from Canterbury, crossing France, reached Puglia, from whose ports pilgrims embarked for the Holy Land.
One foot after the other, disappearing into a “lama” - a small canyon patiently carved by rain in the limestone rock - following the winding path of a fossil river, caressed by the Mediterranean plants (macchia) and the velvety leaves of the “pianta du lom”, whose flowers were used as candle wicks for oil lamps.
Ending in a plain of millennia-old olive trees (those of the Parco delle Dune Costiere date back at least 2800 years), and listening to the scirocco wind among the green and silvery branches.
Trekking time with @coopserapia

#ostuni #puglia #weareinpuglia #trekking

Slow life in Polignano. The grandfather who in the

Slow life in Polignano. The grandfather who in the warm light of a morning at the end of March peels the lampascioni with devotion. The chair is placed outside the door of the house, as we use to do in the old towns of Puglia. The bitter bulbs will be fried by grandmother for lunch, blooming like flowers when in contact with the hot oil

#puglia #polignano #lampascioni #vitalenta @vita________lenta

Vegetables: root to fruit. Today I had for lunch s

Vegetables: root to fruit.
Today I had for lunch some “capa di morto” (literally deadhead) aka kohlrabi (cavolo rapa), from the brassica family.
Its leaves are very good and nutritious, with a taste of spicy cabbage and some bitterness too. I’ve blanched them and sautéed them in a pan with a drizzle of EVO oil and served over a quick polenta.

Yes, polenta! Even if it is naturally associated with Northern Italian cuisine (Lombardia mostly), polenta is very common in Bari old town: we divide it in cubes and we deep fried it. It is our street food.
We eat kohlrabi mostly raw, as a crudités, together with raw fennel, radish or celery.
Raw vegetables are a must in a meal in Puglia: they refresh and reset the palate and help the digestion.

#puglia #cucinapovera #brassica #kale

San Giuseppe (Father’s Day) in Puglia. 1-2. zepp

San Giuseppe (Father’s Day) in Puglia.
1-2. zeppole (deep fried doughnuts with custard cream and black cherries) by one and only Pasticceria Minerva
3. Sagne ncannulate, hand rolled pasta typical from Salento, made as a devotional tribute to Sant Joseph. The shape reminds the wood chips as he was a carpenter. My recipe for @letscreme, filmed by @ewphoto
4. Polignano brass band playing in the wind
5-6. Angela making panzerotti and frittelle by San Giuseppe bonfire
7. San Giuseppe bonfire (falò). In Polignano, on March 19th, every neighborhood does it to welcome Spring
8. Bonfire in the countryside. Volare by Domenico Modugno (he was from Polignano, you know?) performed by Gipsy Kings.

#polignano #puglia #sangiuseppe #weareinpuglia #zeppole #panzerotti #falò

3 Veg bruschettine. With Swiss chards, green peppe

3 Veg bruschettine.
With Swiss chards, green peppers or roasted fennel: tested for you last weekend.
They will be released tomorrow on my March newsletter, 6.30 AM.
If you are not registered, you can do it by clicking in the link in bio

#bruschetta #vegetarian #italianfood #italiancuisine🇮🇹 #polignano

POLIGNANO SENSORY FOOD TOUR A walking masterclass

POLIGNANO SENSORY FOOD TOUR
A walking masterclass about Apulian cuisine in the heart of Polignano. A sensory and tasting experience that will change your way of buying Italian ingredients, using and cooking with them.

Explore Polignano a Mare, a gem of the Adriatic, perched on the cliffs.
Eat like a local, tasting Apulian finest food (PDO, DOC, Slow Food Presidia, Triple A).
From coffee to “caffe speciale”, passing through caciocavallo and mozzarella, traditional breads, and EVO oils from the best local olive mills, artisanal cold cuts, focaccias, preserves, and wines from native grape varieties – the sensory food tour is a roaming masterclass on Apulian cuisine.
Give me your hand and let me guide you!
From March to October, every Wednesday and Thursday.
Info and reservations in the link in bio.

#polignano #puglia #foodtour #slowfood

@gas_bar_n1 @la_salumeria_gourmet @numeriprimi.srl @leoteca_ @caffeserafini

Miskiglio roads. Two days in Calvera, in the heart

Miskiglio roads.
Two days in Calvera, in the heart of Pollino Natural Park, Basilicata, talking about the future of Miskiglio, an ancient flour from “cucina povera” made with local grains and legumes. Originally used to make raschiatelli fresh pasta, a Slow Food Presidium.
I co-hosted with @antonella_intothefood a workshop to co-create, together with the citizens of Calvera, Fardella, Chiaromonte and Teana, new dishes with the Miskiglio flour.
1. Rosina and her miskiglio falafel
2-3. cooking and prototyping with miskiglio
4. Antonella, Mariangela, me and Rosetta
5. Hugging Pop Palestine by @popcuisine.it and @fidaa.abuhamdiya before the presentation. Go get it!
6. Crusko peppers, crispy chips very addictive made with red horn pepper, typical from this area
7. Raschiatelli pasta
8. Orecchiette served with radish, a pairing very popular here, to help the digestion.
9. Calvera old town
10. If Wes Anderson filmed in Calvera. Bar Luce realness is served.
Thanks to @neturalcoop @peppone_calabrese for inviting me taking part in this joyful festival. See you this summer!

#calvera #miskiglio #basilicata #pollino #slowfood

Food should not be used as a weapon against people

Food should not be used as a weapon against people.
Every day, we vote with our fork.
How can we decolonize the food system?
How can we make it less violent and predatory?
How can we abolish the slavery system that denies the rights of those who work the land?
How can we protect the ecosystem, promote biodiversity and do business in a sustainable way?
A very dense @parabereforum in Rome, between chefs, activists, farmers, entrepreneurs, from 40 countries around the world.
I am back home with new ideas, new questions, challenges, inspirations and new allies. Charged with the creative energy that is generated when women support other women.

#parabereforum

The sporchia. Local markets and white unicorns. Ye

The sporchia. Local markets and white unicorns.
Yesterday, while I was leading @fiagulliksson and @carliratcliff on a personalized food tour, we stopped at the Polignano market. To understand Apulian cuisine it is necessary to know the raw materials, when they are freshly harvested, still covered with soil, over the stalls.
While talking about lampascioni, chicory and artichokes, at a certain point I saw them. Turgid, purple velvet, very elegant.
Sporchie, an almost forgotten ingredient, a humble spontaneous herb that grows in early spring in Puglia, together with broad beans and peas. Sporchie (also called orobanca) are spontaneous herbs, parasites of broad bean and pea plants. Not being equipped with chlorophyll, it draws nourishment from the roots of the broad bean plant, and even destroys it.
Therefore the Apulian farmers, to save the harvest, first learned to eradicate them and then eat them.
They are very bitter, so they should be soaked for several hours in water, then blanched and served with oil, salt and pepper. I ate one in soup with tomatoes and beaten eggs.
Finding them at the market was a thrill, really like seeing a unicorn. Shopping at the market is a way to stay in touch with nature, the earth, the producers and learn to use products that otherwise risk oblivion.

.

#puglia #favabean #broadbean #sporchia #polignano

My neighbor Anna did the laundry. Our little squar

My neighbor Anna did the laundry. Our little square smells of sun, soap and sea breeze.

#polignano #puglia #laundry

LATE WINTER RICE SALAD (insalata di riso invernale

LATE WINTER RICE SALAD (insalata di riso invernale).

In a February that’s not so much of a February - where days of chilly mistral alternate with sunny mornings, where lunch on the terrace with a straw hat is a thing - shopping at the market can be a surprise.
Because, along with the winter cime di rapa, you find the first green fava beans, with their flowers, small cyan-colored orchids with black speckles.
So, I get inspired by this so-called seasonality, mixing the colors of the vegetables in a warm and light rice salad, where everything - except for the rice - is made in Puglia or made in Polignano.

Ingredients for 2
180 g of cooked rice
6 artichoke hearts in EVO oil, sliced
6 radishes
4 pods of fresh fava beans
1 purple Polignano carrot
1 teaspoon of honey
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Sesame seeds

Wash the vegetables.
Slice the radishes and marinate them for 30 minutes with honey, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
Peel the carrot and cut it into strips with a peeler.
Shell the fava beans from the pod.
Compose the salad in a bowl, mixing all the other ingredients with the rice, dressing with the radish marinade and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

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#puglia #apuliancuisine #italiancuisine #plantbased #polignano #insalatadiriso #fava

@pittitaste and its colors are featured in my next

@pittitaste and its colors are featured in my next newsletter, which from now on will be on @substack.
I will tell you about the colors of the food of the most important fair dedicated to quality artisanal agri-food production.

For me it was also an opportunity to finally hug friends and colleagues, exchange ideas, and give birth to projects.
The newsletter arrives in your emails on Tuesday at 6.30 am, Rome time zone. If you are not registered, you can do it by clicking the link in bio

@vanigliacooking @julskitchen @latartemaison @ladolcepeonia @martina_liverani @violabuitoni @angelasantoros @micaelasantoros @cardella.laura.c

The map is not the territory. This is one of the p

The map is not the territory. This is one of the phrases that stuck with me while studying for my MBA in cultural tourism in 2002.
A map is an indispensable guide for exploring the area but, at the same time, it is an exemplification. It does not grasp its complexity, its three-dimensionality, its interweaving relationships.
I left Sweden a month and a half ago with a map of Puglia in my hands. But now that I live and explore my region, I am discovering many things that were not on the map.
And, by discovering them, parts of me that were hidden are emerging.
In this period full of reflections, meetings, explorations, changes, one thing is certain: I want to share beauty.
Like this 18th century masseria (Apulian farmhouse), hidden among the rows of vineyards, where you can see the sea between the branches of the centuries-old olive trees.
And where the material culture of 300 years of history - made of majolica, wrought iron, limestone - was stratified, between Napoleonic wars and peasant struggles.
Where the walls tell stories and the pots have long memories.

.

#puglia #masseria #italy #masseriapuglia

Artichokes are like flowers: to make them blossom

Artichokes are like flowers: to make them blossom in your kitchen, you must treat them kindly.
And a task to perform with great care is their cleaning. Here’s how:

- Remove the tough outer leaves until you reach the tender and clear ones.
- Cut off the top of the artichoke, removing the leaf tips.
- Clean the base of the artichoke heart, removing any remaining spines.
- Trim the stem and remove the outer tougher parts.
- Cut it and remove the inner choke (beard).
- If you want to prevent the artichoke from oxidizing (and turning black), immerse it in acidulated water with lemon juice or vinegar.

How did I prepare the ones in the video? Blanched for 4 minutes and then baked in the oven with a crumble of taralli, garlic, parsley and EVO oil. Served with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

.

#artichokes #carciofi #puglia #italiancuisine

Cooking Puglia: the sensory food quiz. Yesterday I

Cooking Puglia: the sensory food quiz.
Yesterday I conducted a teambuilding with 70 colleagues, from Italy and abroad, inviting them to explore Apulian cuisine with all the senses.
Special ingredients of the game: Apulian food excellence, the desire to play with flavors and the pleasure of working as a team, while having fun.
With hands, taste, smell, sight.

I conceived each quiz question as a masterclass in pills, telling my guests about cooking techniques, preparations, ingredients, sensory pairings and the history of Apulian cuisine.
And we ended on a high note with the organic&fair catering by Bigood, with their pugliesissimo “aperitivo rinforzato”.

Special thanks to the team I had the pleasure of working with, Daniela and Patrizia from Systemar (double thanks to Patrizia Abbatantuono who took some of these photos), and Stefania and Nico from Bigood.
Coming back to work in my city is a pleasure and an honor!

#puglia #teambuilding #quiz #bari

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