Cucina Pugliese

[Stevarino]

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!

[Shaya]

Stevarino, this thread is magnificent. Thanks so much for sharing. I know how timeconsuming it can be!

I would love to attend a course like this one. It would be so much fun and so informative. We almost went to Puglia last year and I was going to do some coooking, but we had to change plans. Funny enough, this morning my little guy decided that tonight we should have orechiette with peas and sausage. I have been mulling over in my head the idea of making my own - especially after seeing Foodman produce something similar on the Basilicata and Calabria thread. Then this afternoon my little guy asked if we could make them by hand...he certainly keeps me on my toes!

So my question is...did you make orechiette while you were there? If so, what flours did you use? When I had them at Lupa in NYC last year (they were incredible) the waitress told me it's the one type of pasta that eludes her, even though she grew up making pasta at home with her parents.

[Stevarino]

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.

[Stevarino]

Stevarino, this thread is magnificent.  Thanks so much for sharing.  I know how timeconsuming it can be!

I would love to attend a course like this one.  It would be so much fun and so informative. We almost went to Puglia last year and I was going to do some coooking, but we had to change plans.  Funny enough, this morning my little guy decided that tonight we should have orechiette with peas and sausage.  I have been mulling over in my head the idea of making my own  - especially after seeing Foodman produce something similar on the Basilicata and Calabria thread.  Then this afternoon my little guy asked if we could make them by hand...he certainly keeps me on my toes!

So my question is...did you make orechiette while you were there?  If so, what flours did you use?  When I had them at Lupa in NYC last year (they were incredible) the waitress told me it's the one type of pasta that eludes her, even though she grew up making pasta at home with her parents.

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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!

[hathor]

Shaya, I'd use a hard wheat, durum flour, no egg. Do you need a recipe? PM me, ok! For you, it would be a very minor challenge, I'm sure!

Fantastic photos Stevarino. I don't know how you made the promise to, but "you done good!"

[Stevarino]

Shaya, I'd use a hard wheat, durum flour, no egg. Do you need a recipe? PM me, ok! For you, it would be a very minor challenge, I'm sure!

Fantastic photos Stevarino.  I don't know how you made the promise to, but "you done good!"

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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.

[Stevarino]

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.

[Risi e Bisi]

Stevarino,

Thank You for that lampascione demo. I guess I will need to grow them to try them. Everybody in the produce world I have talk with, does'nt have a clue what I am talking about.

I too, have always cooked my brocolli rabe twice.

I made orecchiette with rabe on monday, cooking the pasta with the rabe together with great results.

I would have par- cooked the risotto in the the Tiella alla Barese dish as well.

It's amazing how we tend to over engineer the simplest proceedures.

I love the calzone pan, It was added to my shopping list, for my trip to puglia in October.

Thanks again

[Pontormo]

Re the seafood spaghetti: this is the first time I think I've seen a dish in which the "sauce"--or other ingredients--overwhelms the amount of pasta cooked. Looks glorious!

[Stevarino]

Stevarino,

Thank You for that lampascione demo. I guess I will need to grow them to try them. Everybody in the produce world I have talk with, does'nt have a clue what I am talking about.

I too, have always cooked my brocolli rabe twice.

I made orecchiette with rabe on monday, cooking the pasta with the rabe together with great results.

I would have par- cooked the risotto in the the Tiella alla Barese dish as well.

It's amazing how we tend to over engineer the simplest proceedures.

I love the calzone pan, It was added to my shopping list, for my trip to puglia in October.

Thanks again

←

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.

[Stevarino]

Pontormo,

Associazione Cuochi Barese

This is the link to the Maestros of Cucina Pugliese.

[markabauman]

Stevarino-

What a great thread! I will be spending two weeks next year in Puglia hopefully sampling as much of the local food products, dishes, wine, etc. as possible. This is a fantastic introduction and preview. Can't wait to go!

[Stevarino]

Stevarino-

What a great thread! I will be spending two weeks next year in Puglia hopefully sampling as much of the local food products, dishes, wine, etc. as possible. This is a fantastic introduction and preview. Can't wait to go!

←

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.

[Stevarino]

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!

[hathor]

That fava bean dish is brilliant! I love pureed fava beans, but I've gotten 'stuck' on how to serve them. Fell into the same old-same old trap.

Stevarino: did you do any fried fish? I seriously had the best fried fish of my life in Puglia. There was a small town, Castro, with a very small trattoia, where I considered begging to stage just because I had never, ever tasted such a light, crispy fried fish. The stuffed anchovies were a thing of beauty.

[Stevarino]

That fava bean dish is brilliant! I love pureed fava beans, but I've gotten 'stuck' on how to serve them. Fell into the same old-same old trap.

Stevarino: did you do any fried fish? I seriously had the best fried fish of my life in Puglia. There was a small town, Castro, with a very small trattoia, where I considered begging to stage just because I had never, ever tasted such a light, crispy fried fish. The stuffed anchovies were a thing of beauty.

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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?

[hathor]

I can only drive the Puglia bus for a little bit....I really do have to do some work!

But, here is the sign for the temple of fried foods in Castro.

You're not going to find it any guide..that I know of.

The anchovies were fillet, with a bit of some sort of fresh pecorino in the middle and then a crunchy outer coating. I thought I had a picture, but I think that we ate them much too quickly.

This was another standout, knock your socks off dish. Its that pasta..whose name I'm drawing a dead blank on....it's been twisted around a wire or umbrella spine, and the sauce is a simple marinara with the addition of that rock-your-world aged pecorino that comes in a jar. Oh my, my, my. Either you adore it, fondly smell your old socks to bring back the memory, or you gag on move on. It is divine!

I

[Stevarino]

I can only drive the Puglia bus for a little bit....I really do have to do some work!   

But, here is the sign for the temple of fried foods in Castro.

You're not going to find it any guide..that I know of.

The anchovies were fillet, with a bit of some sort of fresh pecorino in the middle and then a crunchy outer coating. I thought I had a picture, but I think that we ate them much too quickly.

This was another standout, knock your socks off dish.  Its that pasta..whose name I'm drawing a dead blank on....it's been twisted around a wire or umbrella spine, and the sauce is a simple marinara with the addition of that rock-your-world aged pecorino that comes in a jar. Oh my, my, my. Either you adore it, fondly smell your old socks to bring back the memory, or you gag on move on. It is divine!

I

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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...

[Kevin72]

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...

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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?

Edited June 1, 2007 by Kevin72 (log)

[Stevarino]

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.

[Stevarino]

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...

←

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?

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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.

[Stevarino]

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.

[Stevarino]

Trippa d'Agnello, the food of the poor

Chef Giacomo explains that the people of Puglia were very poor, and literally, starving to death. The land owner got all the meat, and the farmer would get what was left over. As with so many ingredients, like the lampascione, these poor people figured out how to make them edible. This dish is a masterpiece in my book!

The tripe is washed and scraped until it turns white. Then it is boiled till soft. Then it is cut into squares, and filled with a sliver of garlic, some chopped parsley, and a piece of Canestrato pugliese, then rolled and stuck with a toothpick.

Next, the Chef cooks minced onion, celery, and seeded tomatoes, in extra virgin olive oil. The "involtine" are then placed in the brazier, along with peeled cuts of potatoes, and wetted to cover with the tripe's broth. This is braised further for another hour, or so.

You can see that it is garnished with more canestrato Pugliese pecorino, and chopped parsley.

[Stevarino]

Well, that concludes Day1

The food was fantastic!!! The dishes are not complex, but the flavor is incredible.

[hathor]

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...

←

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?

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Yes! Sagne! I don't know why I can never remember the name. I think that I've seen ricotta forte at Di Paolo's in NYC. Maybe they sell a pastuerized/purified version?