Cuisine of Ostuni and Puglia

 

Cuisine

The local cuisine takes its products from its nearby sea and its countryside.

The seafood cuisine is very rich and varied, made of simple and typical products of the Adriatic sea such as sea-urchins, clams, mussels, octopus, anchovies, sardines, mullet and cod.

From the countryside, besides the vineyards and olive groves, other local pruduce includes tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, fennel, artichockes peppers and onions. Also legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and broad beans.

Main dishes from Ostuni and Puglia

Orecchiette with turnip tops

Orecchiette are, typically, the size of a thumb but being hand-made their size and their shape may vary. In the area of Bari there is a more elongated type, called 'strascinate'. The name derives from the fact that when they are made with the tip of the knife, instead of creating a circle, they are lengthened to form a type of orecchiette more oval in shape.

Panzerotti

Panzerotto is a small version of the calzone, which is a pizza folded on itself. It is also made with a softer dough and fried in olive oil instead of baked. The most common fillings are tomato and mozzarella as in this recipe, but you can also use onions and black olives, onions with anchovies and capers, also eggs with cheese or, finally, ricotta cheese.

Mashed broad beans with chicory

This typical dish can be prepared only with dried broad beans. This means that they need to be cooked long enough so that they can be easily mashed with a spoon to make a puree. The chicory used for thsi dish is usually the wild type one. Mashed broad beans and chicory can be serve separated or mixed together.

Chickpeas and cavatelli pasta

Cavatelli are a type of pasta in the shape of small shells made by cutting long strings of dough into small pieces and creating grooves with the tip of the finger. The pasta is quite simple to make and once mixed with the chickpeas is a delicious and healthy dish.

Aubergines 'cu llagghia nculu'

Aubergines have a special place in the cuisine of Puglia and are used to prepare several traditional dishes. This dish is prepared in no time and allows you to fully appreciate them simply cooked in extra virgin olive oil.

Focaccia with onions

In this focaccia recipe onions are stuffed between two layers of dough, which is then perforated on the top with a fork. The result is a kind of pie with a very special flavour that you should try.

Courgettes 'alla sanza'

Courgettes can be cooked in a variety of ways: in a pan, baked, boiled or fried, alone or in combination with other ingredients. You can also eat courgette flowers, which are used in different ways to flavour various dishes, especially egg made pasta.

Friselle with tomatoes

Friselle are small loaves of bread made with whole wheat flour. They are prepared by cutting them in two halfway through the baking process. The result is a very hard piece of bread that needs to be wet with a bit of water before eating it.

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Mediterranean cuisine. Recipes from Puglia

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