7 Days
in Puglia

Special Introduction to Vincenzo's customer.

Let us begin with an introduction to my company called GUSTOLOGIA which literally means THE STUDY OF TASTE. It is a mouthful to pronounce, but we always say we want it that way, with the tongue planted firmly in the cheek! I like to describe gustologia as an enthusiasm and a curiosity to search out the best tastes for maximum enjoyment. We also strive to understand why we experience what we do during the act of eating and drinking. And by offering delicious items on our gustologia website as well as tailor made gifts and events, we strive to offer a unique experience to our customer. As well, small group travel such as our trip to Puglia assist in creating gustologists worldwide!

Everything about Puglia is connected to the sea and to the sun, and it is predominantly agricultural with a mineral rich soil. There are many types of grains, fruits, olives, and almonds grown here. Puglia produces an astounding amount of Europe’s pasta, and more olive oil than all of Italy’s regions combined.

Here is an authentic Pugliese recipe given to us from Masserie di Sant’Eramo:

Ingredients (4 servings)

500g Orecchiette Pasta “Masserie di Sant’Eramo”

“Masserie di Sant’Eramo” Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 -2 bunches of Rapini (turnip tops)

3 garlic cloves, whole

8 anchovy fillets

1 to 2 dried or fresh hot peppers, broken up or chopped (this ingredient can be omitted for no spiciness, or heat)

Black pepper to taste

Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Wash and cut rapini in small pieces of about an inch, discarding the hollow end of the stem and the bigger, thicker leafs. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the Orecchiette and cook until al dente.

Use this time to heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan.

Sauté the garlic clove in extra virgin olive oil, along with the anchovy fillets and the hot red peppers.

Two to three minutes before the Orecchiette are ready, add rapini to water stirring often. Once cooked, drain the orecchiette and turnip tops and add them to the sauté and mix over a high heat for few minutes.

Toss to combine everything. Add pepper to taste.

Serve immediately, sprinkle over a tablespoon of grated and grilled bread, if desired.

Tips:

• Make sure you cook the garlic at low heat to avoid burning it.

• Drain heavily, as water left in the pasta might dilute the taste of the dish.

• You can blend part of the cooked rapini together with a bit of cooking water to get a creamier texture.

• You can drizzle a little high-quality olive oil over the dish right when you serve, too.

• You can replace Rapini with Broccoli.

Contact us at info@gustologia for more details and itinerary.

Browse our website: https://www.gustologia.ca/