Stevarino

I guess I missed the Puglia Party

I love the combination of unagi & avocaco. When they warm up the unagi & brush it with that glaze, and toasted sesame seeds, I could eat that for life & never tire of it. I had it in NYC on a trip, with a Japanese beer, by the name, "White Ale", it had a picture of a white owl on the label. I believe it was infused with ginger. That was a most memorable food experience. I went back the following year, and they were out of the white ale. I was so disappointed, I didn't enjoy my time nearly as much. I have never had anything that I found offensive, though Ive never tried sushi with red pepper & cream cheese.

Stuffing Mussels & Cuttlefish They made these awesome stuffed black mussels (mitili) and cuttlefish (seppie) in pretty much the same fashion. by preparing a stuffing out of the pane di Altamura, Canestrato Pugliese cheese, garlic, and eggs. Here's another shot of the bread, sliced. As you can see, it is pretty dense. The crust is removed, and the bread is soaked in water, then squeezed out, and mixed with chopped garlic, grated pecorino, and egg. The apprentices wash the mussels by handfuls, rubbing them against one another to remove the fibrous hair that allows them to hold on to one another in the agitated sea environment. Here's a close up shot of the mussel. The meat is much plumper, alot juicier, and the flavor is very intense. They shuck these mussels like oysters, and as you can see from the thread, they get used in lots of applications. Chef Giacomo demontrates how the mussel is split, leaving the shell hinged, and stuffed with the filling. He also demonstrates how to work with the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish are blanched ahead of time, which I din't see... take note that they are split down the body, and cleaned out... and the eye, or more like a beak, is pushed out. After they are stuffed, they get lined up in a pan or casserole, and covered in a light tomato sauce, grated canetrato Pugliese pecorino, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, then baked. here's a shot of the cuttlefish transfered to a serving plate for the buffet table. and another shot of how it can be served in a restaurant, staying true to its regional roots.

I can't imagine ricotta forte being sold or catching on in the US. Too many perceived health code problems it would be skirting. But as Hathor said, you get it or you don't. I loved it; it made my jaw hurt it was so pungent! My wife hated it. ETA: That pasta has an insanely long name, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Or is it the sagne you've posted before? ← We had it on a pizza that was especially prepared because I was very interested in it, when I saw a jar on the shelf at the METRO market, and the guys got some for us to try. It was used very sparingly. You're right though, Kevin. Probably not a very big demand for any importer to bring it in to the US. But I'm really glad that Hathor reminded me about Ricotta Forte, and that it is a DOP cheese to the region.

MarkBauman wrote: "I have one general question about the availability of such typical foods. Are these dishes that one would only find as cucina casalinga in a family's home, or in a cooking school, or would you generally find in, say, family-run osterie? On a trip a few years back to Toscana, we looked for some typical dishes I had read about, studied, etc. and we were often told "You have to go to someone's house for that". Not sure if we just didn't find the right local-enough places, or because Toscana is in general a bit more upscale and elegantly touristy than Puglia. I am planning during our stay in Puglia to try to find as many really local-type places and skip the higher-end ristorante as much as possible. Am also looking for possibly during another trip (either to Puglia or elsewhere) for a cooking school for very enthusiastic, experienced, but non-professional home cooks like myself who want to go beyond the average cooking-class experience. Would you know if this school takes non-professionals? I can get by in basic Italian." Mark, I don't know if I have the right answer, but I have my own opinion, and moved this over to the Puglia thread, because I would really like to hear what others may have experienced in Puglia, and also in the Tuscany region. Also, in our orientation on day1, Chef Giacomo pointed to "Food & Wine Tours" as one of Puglia's focal points to draw tourism to their region. The restaurants that we ate in definitely wanted us to experience their food culture. I have heard that Tuscany gets hit with alot of tourists, and they're not all there for the food, or, they may also be looking to tour the Olive Garden's Tuscan Culinary Institute. As far as the cooking school question, I don't know, but I posted the link to Cuochi Barese, and I will also see if I can find a link to ICE Bari. In Nancy Harmon Jenkin's book, "Flavors of Puglia", she mentions a cooking school in Bari that she attended. I'll post that when I get home tonight.

What fun!!! Great pictures! That stuff in the jar is called "Ricotta Forte", I want to experience that stuff again, but its not available from my supplier. Does anyone know a source in the US? They have such an incredible natural resource there. I'm gonna look Castro up on a map...

Hathor, We did not do fried fish, but we did have a plate of fried fish at one of the restaurants that we dined at. I had pictures of them, but lost them to a computer problem, and didn't have back up, like a complete idiot! The fish were small whole fish, head, tail, fins & all, of different shapes & sizes. I'd like to hear about your experience in Puglia as well, like the stuffed anchovies, especially. Please share! I need someone else to drive the Puglia bus for a mile or two. And anyone else that has experiences as well, for that matter. I am new to this board, so perhaps this has already been covered on another thread?

Polpettini con cicoria Our Chefs showed us how to take some of the classic dishes, and present them as a single serving, as with this dish of tiny meatballs, cooked with wild chickory. These thumb nail size meatballs are made of pork & veal, bound with eggs, bread crumbs, and canetrato pugliese cheese. They are rolled, and then fried in olive oil. Wild chickory, which I'm pretty sure is like red dandelion greens, are first boiled... (you can make them out at the bottom of the pan , here, behind the cup holding the herbs.) and then layered with the meatballs in a cassoulet, along with peeled tomatoes and canetrato Pugliese cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and baked. Chef Giacomo layers a tin, that he adds beaten egg to, and bakes a second time to form a timbale. nCapriata is a Pugliese "Classic", combining a dish of wild chickory, or other bitter greens, with fava bean puree and crusty bread. So, he is taking the fava bean puree, and using it as the under lay of the timbale. Heres the results. Notice that they dress just about everything with the extra virgin olive oil!

Thanks Mark, I'm very happy that I have reached so many people with this information. I would love to go again sometime. Be sure to take alot of pictures of the food when you go! Stay tuned for more dishes. I haven't finished day one yet, and there are four more Chefs to go.

Pontormo, Associazione Cuochi Barese This is the link to the Maestros of Cucina Pugliese.

It gives me a great feeling to know that I can help in exposing some of these things. Once you see it, it is really quite simple. Glad to hear about the broccoli rabe. Quite honestly, when Chef Giacomo was showing us the table, that consisted of the rabe, along with wild chicory, the puntarelle, and the lampasciune, I questioned how all these "bitter" foods would turn out. I always assumed that broccoli rabe was related to broccoli. Now, I'm reading from Nancy Harmon Jenkins,"Flavors of Puglia" that it is turnip tops? She says to remove the tough outer leaves and the thick stems. She adds the pasta to the boiling rabe mush sooner, but I like the texture and flavor when it is cooked longer, as Chef Pasquale executed it. I questioned the tiella as well, having read about it, without actually making it. I could not believe how simple it was, everything was cooked, and the flavor was awesome.

Seafood Spaghetti start the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Place the pan over a medium flame, add extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic. Add chopped baby cuttlefish, or you can substitute calamari if you cant find it. Add some of the juice from the mussels for moisture. (the mussels are added later in the cooking process) Chef Giacomo explains about controlling the pan temperature while cooking with extra virgin olive oil. Use a medium flame. "We don't want to get it too hot, or let it get too low". If the contents get too hot, add some liquid to cool down the temperature. Or, as in this case, just add the next ingredient, shrimp. The seafood is added in the order of how long it takes to cook. Chef Pasquale seasons the seafood with ground black pepper & chopped parsley. Quite generously. Now he adds the shucked mussels and their juice. Chef Pasquale retrieves the pasta from the boiling water.... and adds it to the seafood. Chef Pasquale adds more chopped parsley... then tosses it in the pan to create the sauce, using the excess starches from the pasta. He transfers the pasta to a serving vessels, and dresses the finished dish with more extra virgin olive oil.

Docsconz, I prefer "old school" fundamentals in cooking, and I find the look of petrified sea monster decor very charming! When I was very young, I lived in Thailand, and the marketplace was loaded with stinky dried fish. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to eat that! That opinion has changed. I was in NYC a few weeks back, and we went to Korea Town on 32nd St. They always bring out these little dishes of kimchee & such. One of the dishes contained cuttlefish, previously dried, cut into fine strips, and dressed with something sweet, and spicy. Of all the things I tasted on the table that night, I remember this one. As with the jamon, the flavor is intensified by drying, and if in the right hands, I'm sure is very instrumental in creating some incredible, and unforgettable, dishes. I can't speak from experience, because I've never been to Spain, but I would love to know how they work with these products as well. Awesome post, I work with saffron occasionally, and it can definitely be overpowering. I need to go there to learn how it is suppose to taste in the proper context. Thanks for sharing.

I made the promise at our closing ceremonies, and it was covered by the Puglia media; of course, I've got that on video too. This was a very big thing over there! Even the Mayor of Molfetta was in attendance. Come to think of it, we were met by the Mayor in just about every town we visited! This event was represented by the US, Taiwan, and Brasil.

Shaya, you're very welcome. I was very blessed with this incredible opportunity, and I publicly promised to spread the word about Puglia when I got back to the States. It took me some time to stummble onto an appreciative forum, such as this one, but eGullet absolutely ROCKS! To answer your question, no, I didn't pick up a knife on the trip. I stood over the Chefs with a video camera all day. These recordings will always be there for recall when needed. I know they use semolina for the the pasta. The pasta that I presented in the photos were still piable when I felt it, so its just semi dry. It is very delicious. They actually sell it that way now, as well, to save cooking time. (Sign of the times?) Its hard to imagine making them by hand! Well, unless you have the whole family in on it! Now, that's fun!

Cavatelle with mussels & cannelini beans Meet Chef Pasquale Antifore. He is responsible for cooking many of the dishes I am presenting to you in this "Day1" cooking session. First, lightly fry whole garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil. Keep the heat under control so you don't loose the delicate flavor of the oil. Remove the cloves before.... adding the cherry tomatoes. Simmer the tomatoes in the oil, then add... some of the juice of shucked mussels... followed by the mussel meats. Next, add the beans, precooked with bay leaves, tomatoes, and olive oil. I am not sure if the beans were salted, but if so, add salt after the beans have softened. Continue to simmer the base for the pasta, while the pasta is cooking. Add the cavatelli to the pan... and toss the pasta into the beans & mussels, to form a nice saucy consistency. Notice the similarity in the size of the pasta to the bean. Hard to distinguish one from the other. I believe this is the point in the pasta selection.

Hathor, "Okay" in the sense that you are knowingly fusing a cheese that is not traditionally known to be served on fresh tomatoes, and sprinkled with dried oregano; the fact that you created the dish, using ingredients that you had, using "what if", and it was successful, then good for you! Let's just say for the fun of it, The Olive Garden Restaurant chain put the context of your creation on their menu, and called it "Tuscan Chicken Tallegio with roasted tomatoes, served over angel hair pasta with Alfredo cream sauce." That would not be "Okay."

Calzone Pugliese This is the traditional calzone in Puglia, basically, a pie stuffed with onions, tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovy, and parsley. The ingredients cooked in extra virgin olive oil, and bound with bread crumbs. Cheese can also be added; Canestrato Pugliese, cacio cavallo, scamorza... The onions are more like a young leek. They use the same dough as for the foccacia. Lay down some extra virgin olive oil in the pan, and stretch out a base of dough. Put the filling on top. Lay a second piece of dough on top, and pull the bottom piece up, and crimp the two together. Chef Pasquale uses a fork to dock the calzone, and also to crimp the edges. Dress the top of the calzone with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, before it goes in the oven. Bake it, let it cool, and enjoy!

I found you! Great Pics! I'll have to spend some time here!

No Hathor, they just boil it in salted water, add the pasta, and strain it. I took notice of the size of the flower head, and it seemed to be more developed than what I'm used to seeing. What they do is trim off the big leaves, which, I guess hold alot of bitterness. The yield is much less, but I had success doing it this way. Another trick I've tried with rapi is soaking it in salted wated BEFORE cooking it, which also seemed to do the trick in drawing out bitterness. That way, you don't lose all that love down the drain.

Lampascione Peel the outer skin of the lampascione with a paring knife. Score the root end twice forming a cross on the bottom. Boil the Lampascione in water, drain, and place in fresh water to soak for 4 or 5 hours to remove the bitterness. The lampascione can then be sauteed in olive oil, and seasoned with salt & pepper, and used to accompany various preparations. Here, the lampascione are cooked with "knife chopped" pork sausage. This is an example of Puglia's history of very poor people. They had to work with what was available.

Hathor, the fact that you know what comes from where, makes it okay, as long as it works. What's not okay is for someone that hasn't done their home work to do it with wreckless disregard for cucina regionale. Sometimes a substitution is in order because an ingredient is not available locally, but at least be respectful of the food and its history before you go fusing. The Chefs in Puglia were quite serious about this subject, and it is apparent that a majority of "Italian" restaurants on a global scale are guilty of not trying to do the right thing in educating diners that Italy is not just one country when it comes to food.

Foccacia! Chefs Giacomo & Pasquale prepare the Foccacia. The dough is made with AP flour, potato boiling water, yeast & olive oil. After the dough rises, punch it down, and work it with your finger tips into the corners of a well oiled pan. Next, stud the dough with garlic cloves and sliced onion. Cut ripe cherry tomatoes (plum tomatoes were used here) in half, and squeeze out the juice onto the dough, and press the tomato into the dough. Sprinkle coarse sea salt crystals over the surface of the foccacia. The Foccacia is ready for the oven after additional proofing in a warm place. Load up on the olive oil, don't be shy. Heres what it looks like when it comes out of the oven. Yum. Simply cut into squares and serve on platters.

Orecchiette con Broccoli Rape! I got the iMovie figured out, which is really good, so here goes. Prep the rapi by removing the large outer leaves, chop up a little bit, and add to boiling salted water. Cook for about ten minutes. Then add the orecchiete, and continue to cook for an additional, well 5 minutes, if you are working with dry, but fresh pasta! Longer for the stuff that comes fully dry. Strain the pasta. Then add it to a pan of garlic & anchovy cooked in extra virgin olive oil as shown here. Continue to cook the pasta, adding some pasta water, and toss the pasta as it forms a nice sauce Then transfer to a serving plate. So simple, so good!!!

Red mullet, aka mugine. I'm not sure of the Italian name. Puglia's one of my favorite Italian regional cuisines. Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos and experiences and please, keep 'em coming. Any good restaurants you went to? ← Thank you Kevin! And heres a photo of the dish created with it. The filets were marinated in citrus juice, fresh flowering rosemary, fresh ground pepper, atop a potato puree, served cold. I will provide you with more details on this soon. I remember alot, but its beginning to fade. This why its so important to share this with all of you. You asked about Restaurants, and we ate out every night. This one "Trattoria Tipica di Miana" really stood out. I'm gonna say its in Trani. If you recognize this cathedral on the wharf, please correct me if I'm in the wrong town. It is the cathedral that is named for the boy that died on the door steps? Please help out if you know what I'm mummbling about! Theres an old fort from FedericoII right next door. I desperately need to review my notes on this stuff.