Appuntamento con la Daunia

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Mangiamo!, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

Tags

Amarosa, Dalla terra alla tavola, Italian food, Monti Dauni, Peppe Zullo, Pugliese Traditions, Southern Italy, Villa Jamele

On October 17th, I attended the 27th edition of Appuntmento con la Daunia, hosted by my amico Peppe Zullo. Every year I receive an invitation, but this was the first time I was actually in Italia in October. La Daunia is the modern day Provincia di Foggia, named after the people who lived there under King Daunus.

Held at Villa Jamele in Orsara di Puglia, the event featured local food and wine, focusing on the biodiversity of the area. It was attended by journalists, food writers, and those involved in the local enogastronomic industry. There were various site tours, then a round table discussion with 6 speakers from the enogastronomic industry and the Director of tourism for the Regione Puglia. There was discussion and sharing of information and research for growth, development and sustainability concerning local food and culture.

New research was presented from the University of Foggia further confirming that the soil in the Monti Dauni area is rich in the antioxidant Selenium. This is likely why there are a higher than usual number of centenarians in the area. Nature, nutrients and culture…ingredients of the Daunia.

The event concluded with a meal made entirely with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Dalla terra alla tavola-from the earth to the table-you won’t get any fresher than this!

‘Ostriche di montagna’ which means ‘mountain oysters’. They are actually fried borragine/borage leaves, served with lampascione con pecorino (fried wild onion on pecorino) and crostino di salsiccia e fico (sausage and fig crostino)Parmigiana di borragine, similar to parmigiana di melanzane, but layered with borage leaves instead of eggplant.

Pancotto e patate con verdure e pomodorini (cooked bread and potatoes with wild greens and tomatoes). Pancotto e patate is Cucina Povera at its best-my favourite comfort food.

Troccoli con zucca, cicerchi e cime di rapa (Handmade Troccoli with squash, local chick peas and rapini)

Maiale con zucchine e uva fragole e patate fritte (Pork with zucchine and sweet grapes topped with fried potatoesSemifreddo di zucca, torta con crema e biscottini di grano arso (pumpkin semifreddo with pomegranate seeds, cream cake and tiny biscotti made with grano arso, a burnt wheat flour

To drink, we had Peppe’s Amarosa vino rosato / Amorosa rosé. It is made from the Nero di Troia grape, which according to legend was brought by Diomedes who settled in the Daunia area after the Trojan War. Read more in Vini di Puglia.

Peppe Zullo was recently voted one of the 10 best local restaurants in Italia and the best in Puglia by the online gastronomic guide TasteAtlas! Here is a link to an article in Italian in Rec24 and in Corriere.it. Tantissimi auguri Peppe!!!!

Ciao, Cristina

Villa Jamele

21 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Italia, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Puglia

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Dalla terra alla tavola, Orsara di Puglia, Peppe Zullo, Southern Italy, Villa Jamele

Villa Jamele (ya·MEH·leh) was mentioned in my post Peppe Zullo~Il Cuoco Contadino. Peppe’s 180,000 m² azienda agricola (agricultural estate) includes this second location acquired in 2004. Villa Jamele is a few km down the road from Orsara di Puglia, towards Troia. The property takes its name from the historic 1700’s villa of Hector Jamele, which has been reconstructed and is now home to an international cooking school and 5 guest rooms on the upper floor.

Sala Guadalajara is a large circular reception hall. There is also a glass reception room, Sala Veracruz. The photo below was taken from the roof terrace of Villa Jamele.

Dalla terra alla tavola is the philosophy at Villa Jamele. This translates to ‘Field to table’. Food does not get any fresher. In addition to producing wine and olive oil, Peppe Zullo grows most of his own vegetables here at Villa Jamele, including pomodori which are canned on site in August.

Il Bosco dei Sapori Perduti is a biodiverse orchard which includes over 50 varieties of fruit trees and herbs. Peppe uses local, traditional products in his cooking, including wild greens and herbs such as boragine (borage), marasciuolo –a type of wild rucola found in Puglia, fiori di zucca, and wild asparagus. Behind Sala Guadalajara, past a reconstructed stone archway is a large vineyard where grapes for Peppe’s vini, Ursaria and Aliuva are grown. Read more about them in this post.Also on the grounds is a pond and various animals, including ducks, geese, a donkey and one muddy but very photogenic maiale nero and his famiglia.

The Villa Jamele site is a tranquil oasis of green, dotted with ancient olive trees. My favourite area of Villa Jamele is the campo dei girasoli-a field of sunflowers blooming every July.

La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina at Villa Jamele is open from September to November and February to April. Classes can be organized for 8-16 participants. To book an event, suite, destination wedding , or make a reservation at Ristorante Peppe Zullo, call or email 39 0881 964763 info@peppezullo.it

Villa Jamele, Piano della Corte, Orsara di Puglia (FG) http://www.peppezullo.it

I hope you have enjoyed my favourite ‘scatti‘ of Villa Jamele! Ciao, Cristina

Peppe Zullo~Il Cuoco-Contadino

28 Sunday May 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia, Vino

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Italian food, Orsara di Puglia, Peppe Zullo, Pugliese Traditions, Southern Italy, Tuccanese, Wines of Puglia

My amico Peppe Zullo is known as ‘Il Cuoco-Contadino’. At the age of 24, Peppe left Orsara di Puglia to work in Boston and Puerto Vallarta Mexico, where he opened a restaurant. He moved back to Orsara and opened his ristorante in 1992 on his family land in the Piano Paradiso area. Piano Paradiso is an idyllic setting facing Orsara di Puglia, with spectacular views. Peppe greets visitors with the appropriate salutation ‘Benvenuti in Paradiso’.

Peppe Zullo nel vigneto. Photo Nicola Tramonte

The Piano Paradiso site also includes a reception hall, Nuova Sala Paradiso and the award winning cantina. Peppe’s wine cellar La Cantina del Paradiso, designed by Nicola Tramonte was featured in the exhibit ‘Le Cattedrali del Vino’ at the Biennale di Venezia Archittetura in 2010. It is built into the side of a hill, with a vineyard on top! As Peppe likes to say, it’s the only cantina where you have to climb up stairs! This is the best place in town on a hot day! The cantina is built to resemble a subterranean small town with narrow streets and rooms. It also features colourful, whimsical original artwork by Leon Marino, an artist from Troia.

L’angelo contadino by Leon Marino

La Cantina is full of vino! Peppe Zullo produces about 25,000 bottles per year. His 2 wines are Aliuva and Ursaria. Aliuva is 80% Tuccanese 20% Uva di Troia (Nero di Troia) and Merlot. Ursaria is 80% Tuccanese, 20% Uva di Troia and Cabernet, and is aged for 5 years in wood barrels. Peppe’s vino is served in his restaurant and event facilities and sold on site and at Peppe Zullo Point in Foggia. Read more in part 3 of my Vini di Puglia series- Il Tuccanese.

At the top of the hill, looking out over the vigna, are the Suites del Paradiso, 5 rental suites with a view of the rooftops of Orsara. Above the suites, at the top of the estate is a wheat field growing an ancient Pugliese strain called Senatore Cappelli. We call it ‘Strambell’ in Orsarese. Pale Eoliche, wind turbines belonging to Montaguto can be seen behind the field. Also on site are Peppe’s home, offices, several places for outdoor receptions or enjoying the scenery and a fenced in area with fruit trees, sheep and horses.

Peppe’s 180,000 m² azienda agricola (agricultural estate) also includes a second location acquired in 2004. Villa Jamele is a few km down the road towards Troia. The reconstructed 1700’s villa is home to an international cooking school, with rooms on the upper floor. Villa Jamele is featured in the next post.

Dalla terra alla tavola or Cibo a km 0 is the philosophy here. This translates to ‘Field to table’ or the ‘100 mile diet’. Food does not get any fresher. In addition to producing wine and olive oil, Peppe grows most of his own vegetables at Villa Jamele, including pomodori which are canned on site in August. Il Bosco dei Sapori Perduti is a biodiverse orchard which includes over 50 varieties of fruit trees and herbs. Peppe uses local, traditional products including wild greens and herbs such as boragine (borage), marasciuolo (a type of wild rucola found in Puglia), fiori di zucca, wild asparagus, Greek mint and Cacioricotta, a DOP goat cheese made only in Orsara. He makes bread and pasta with zucca and grano arso and also produces his own cheeses. One of Peppe favourite antipasti are ‘ostriche di montagne’ or ‘mountain oysters’. These are lightly battered and fried foglie di Boragine – borage leaves. My favourite antipasto is fiori di zucca al forno ripieni di caciocavallo!

Orecchiette di grano arso al sugo, Ristorante Peppe Zullo Orsara di Puglia

Peppe is an ambassador for cucina povera and the gastronomic traditions of Puglia. In the last few years, he has made frequent television appearances on RAI’s Uno Mattina and Geo & Geo. Check them ou on his Youtube channel. Appuntamento con la Daunia, a 2 day event celebrating local cuisine and products is held at Villa Jamele every year, the second week in October. I receive an invitation every year but have not been able to attend…yet.

Peppe was the chef representing Puglia for the month of May at Expo 2015 in Milano. They served a lot of orecchiette di grano arso! That same year, along with another Pugliese chef, he catered an Indian wedding for 1,000 guests in Borgo Egnazio, near Ostuni. In 2016 he catered the 80^th birthday party for Lino Banfi-who plays the adorable Nonno on RAI’s ‘Un Medico in Famiglia’.

Peppe Zullo & Lino Banfi

Ristorante Peppe Zullo is open daily for pranzo, the mid-day meal. They are not open in the evening. Afterwards, visit the cantina, vigneto or take a short passeggiata to Orsara. La Scuola di Cucina at Villa Jamele is open from September to November and February to April. Classes are 5 hours per day 6 days a week and can be organized for 8-16 participants. To make a reservation at Ristorante Peppe Zullo, book a suite, cooking class or destination wedding, call or email 39 0881 964763 info@peppezullo.it

Via Piano Paradiso, Orsara di Puglia FG www.peppezullo.it

Peppe is on Facebook, Instagram(@peppezullo), Twitter(@peppezullo2), and Youtube

Stay tuned for posts on Villa Jamele and La Cantina del Paradiso. Ciao, Cristina

Vini di Puglia Part 3~Il Tuccanese

25 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Feste, Italia, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia, Vino

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Festa del Vino Orsara di Puglia, Leonardo Guidacci, Peppe Zullo, Pugliese Traditions, Traditional Festivals in Puglia, Tuccanese, Wines of Puglia

Tuccanese (too∙can∙NEH∙seh) is a rare grapevine grown almost exclusively in and around Orsara di Puglia, Provincia di Foggia. It was previously thought to be a clone of Sicilian Perricone brought to Orsara by a Sicilian noble family or that it was a clone of Piedirosso. A 2008 Italian DNA study found a close genetic relationship between Sangiovese, the well-known ‘Chianti’ grape and 10 other grapes including Tuccanese. Sangiovese has many ‘strains’ but the grapes and resulting wine are very different. The name Tuccanese is probably a corruption of ‘Toscanese’ or ‘Tuscanese’ meaning ‘from Toscana’. Tuccanese may have been brought from Toscana by the Majorca-Strozzi family from Firenze, who held a duchy near Avellino in the 1600’s. Small pockets of Tuccanese grapes grown for private family use are also found in Campania, in Calitri, Montecalvo Irpino and Bagnoli Irpino, the farthest being 80 km from Orsara.

Vigneto Tuccanese. Photo Leonardo Guidacci

Tuccanese was in danger of extinction but attention to local viniculture in the last 20 years has resurrected it. Now Tuccanese is an example of Artigianato vitivinicolo-artisan winemaking. The vines do well at Orsara’s 650m altitude and the high calcium and clay content of the soil. Tuccanese grapes are very resistant to environmental conditions, immune to illnesses, and mature late- in the first 2 weeks of October. Wines made with Tuccanese are a dark ruby red, dry, tannic and full bodied with a high alcohol content. They have notes of berry, plum, licorice and pepper. Tuccanese is definitely ‘un vitigno locale’, as it is really known only in and around Orsara, where several families grow it for their own table wine. Really good table wine. My Bisnonno grew Tuccanese on his land at La Cupa, although the vines are no longer there. Now the land has 81 beautiful olive trees.

Vigneto, La Cupa 1994

Tuccanese has not yet been discovered by the world, but there are 2 commercial producers, both in Orsara di Puglia. One is my amico, il cuoco-contadino Peppe Zullo and the other is my neighbour, architect Leonardo Guidacci! You won’t find these bottles at your local liquor store!

Peppe Zullo nel vigneto. Photo Nicola Tramonte

Peppe Zullo produces 20-25,000 bottles per year. His 2 wines are Ursaria and Aliuva. Aliuva is 80% Tuccanese 20% Uva di Troia (Nero di Troia) and Merlot. Ursaria is 80% Tuccanese, 20% Uva di Troia and Cabernet, and is aged for 5 years in wood barrels. Peppe’s vino is used in his restaurant and event facilities and the rest sold on site. Peppe’s wine cellar La Cantina del Paradiso, designed by Nicola Tramonte was featured in the architectural exhibit ‘Le Cattedrali del Vino’ at the Biennale di Venezia in 2010. It is built into the side of a hill, with a vineyard on top! As he likes to say it’s the only cantina where you have to climb up stairs! Stay tuned for a post about the cantina.

Leonardo Guidacci has been making wine since 1997. His cantina called ‘Il Tuccanese’ after the grape, produces 5,000 bottles per year. Leonardo’s 2 wines are Magliano and Sannoro. Magliano is 100% Tuccanese. It is named after the Contrada (district) of Magliano, where the grapes are grown. Sannoro is 80% Tuccanese 20% Aglianico. His showroom/tasting room/architectural office is in Piazza Municipio, around the corner from my house. You can go for wine tasting and also discuss plans for home renovation!

‘Architettura e Vino’, Leonardo Guidacci’s showroom and studio in Piazza Municipio.

Orsara di Puglia hosts the 29th annual Festa del Vino tonight-the last Saturday in June. Salute!

This is the third in a series of 3 Vini di Puglia posts. Click on these links to read Vini di Puglia Part 1 and Vini di Puglia Part 2~Aglianico-Zibbibo. The second post includes a glossary of Italian wine terms. Salute, Cristina.

Grano Arso

12 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Culture, Mangiamo!, Puglia

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

Cucina povera, Farina di grano arso, Foggia, Italian food, Monte Dauni, Pasta nera, Peppe Zullo, Pugliese Traditions, Southern Italy

farinagranoarsoorecchiette Grano arso literally means burnt wheat. Flour made with it is ‘farina di grano arso’ and has a history going back many centuries as part of the gastronomic tradition of ‘cucina povera’ in Northern Puglia. Farina di grano arso was traditionally made from the bits of wheat left in the field after the harvest. The stubble, called stoppie (STOHP•pyeh) or la ristoccia (rees•TOCH•chya) that was left in the fields was burned, then plowed back into the soil. This was done as a quick and cheap way of clearing the fields. It was also thought to aerate and fertilize the soil and kill weeds and pests.

Bruciatura della ristoccia 1990

In the short span of time between the burning and the plowing, poor farm workers (contadini) gathered burnt bits of wheat that were still usable and ground them by hand into farina di grano arso. It was mixed with white flour, making pasta and bread more affordable, or traded to buy other foods. ‘Pane nero’ (PAN•eh NEH•roh) or ‘pasta nera’ were considered the lowest quality of food and became a symbol of poverty-‘la miseria’ (mees•EH•ryah). ‘Pasta Nera’, an award-winning documentary that is not about grano arso, uses the title to accentuate the poverty in Southern Italia during and after the war.

We know that food is more than just nutrition. The traditions and customs around food and its preparation are an integral part of a culture and teach us about the history of people and places at points in time. Cucina povera (coo•CHEE•nah poh•VEH•rah)and cibo dei poveri (CHEE•boh dei poh•VEH•ree) literally translate to poor cooking and food of the poor, but what is meant is ‘peasant cooking’. Farina di grano arso is important in a historical and cultural context as it really symbolizes the resilience and instinct to survive of our contadini ancestors.

Grano arso was nowhere to be found for many years, but today many Pugliese chefs, including mio amico, il ‘cuoco contadino’ Peppe Zullo use farina di grano arso. It is used to make fresh traditional Pugliese pasta- orecchiette, cavatelli, fusilli, and sometimes bread and focacce. Peppe is representing Puglia for the month of May in the Italian Pavilion at Expo2015 Milano. The theme is ‘Nutrire il Pianeta; Energia per la Vita’/ ‘Feeding the Planet; Energy for Life’. Appropriately, his feature dish for this event is cavatelli di grano arso e punti di asparagi verde.

Peppe Zullo’s ‘Cavatelli di grano arso con punti di asparagi verde’ for Expo 2015

Bruciatura della ristoccia (broo∙chya•TOO•rah DEL•la rees•TOCH•chya), the burning of the stubble in the fields is now illegal due to carcinogenic concerns, destruction of soil nutrients, pollution and risk of forest fire. Today farina di grano arso is not completely burnt, it is commercially toasted. The flavor, colour, texture and smell of pasta or bread made with farina di grano arso are really intense and unique. The flour is slightly grainy and the colour is grey like ashes- grigio cenere (gree•GEE•oh cheh•NEH•reh). Pasta can range from grey to brown in colour depending on the percentage of farina grano arso used. The smoked, nutty flavor reminds me a bit of toasted hazelnuts and the smell can be compared to lightly charred brick oven pizza crust. Most of the gluten is burnt off, so farina di grano arso can’t be used alone. It absorbs more water than other flours and will become a sticky mess that doesn’t hold together. Mixing 10% to maximum 25% with other flours that contain gluten produces the best results. Many people find pasta di grano arso easier to digest.

Not everyone is embracing the return of grano arso to the kitchen. It disappeared because it is ‘un ricordo della miseria’-a reminder of poverty and there was vergogna (ver•GOH•nyah) or shame associated with having to eat pasta nera. This is something that most Italians who lived through the war don’t want to be reminded of. When I made the bread to photograph for this post, I brought it to my parents’ house for dinner. Papà made a sour face and said ‘Solo che vedo questo pane mi viene la paura!’ (Just looking at this bread puts fear in me!) He was kidding…sort of…I think? Well he did eat 2 pieces anyways!

Making orecchiette di grano arso with my Mamma

Farina di grano arso is available in Foggia and Andria. Pietro Zito in Andria sells 1 kg bags online for 6 €, as well as pasta di grano arso. Even if it was possible to send to North America though, the cost would be astronomic. Can you imagine Poste Italiane sending a bag of flour in the mail? You could try toasting durum wheat semola yourself on a baking tray in the oven, but it will probably result in a visit from i pompieri (pohm∙•pee•EH•ree) -the fire department- when the smoke detector goes off. I have a better idea- take a trip to Puglia and try pasta di grano arso in its natural environment! Buon Appetito!

Orecchiette di grano arso al sugo, Ristorante Peppe Zullo Orsara di Puglia

Fiori di Zucca

12 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Mangiamo!, Recipes

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Fiori di zucca, Fritelle di zucca, Italian cooking, Pastella, Peppe Zullo, Traditional recipes

È davvero finita l’estate! Summer is really over. I just picked the last fiori di zucca in my garden and I’ll have to wait a long time to taste them again. Fiori di zucca are a real delicacy and one of my favourite foods. They are ‘i fiori maschili della zucchina’ the male flowers of the zucchina plant. The flowers growing off of long, thin stems are male. The ones growing off the end of a future zucchina are female (femminile). The female flowers are edible too, but if you pick them there will be no crop of zucchine! If you pick too many of the male flowers, you will also have no zucchine!

Fiori di zucca maschile e femminile-male flowers grow off of long thin stems and female flowers grow off the end of future zucchine.

To clarify, zucca is Italiano for squash or pumpkin. ‘Zucchina’ (given a sex change and called zucchini in North America) means little squash. The flowers of all 3 can be called fiori di zucca, but it is usually the flowers of zucchine (zucchina is singular and zucchine is plural) that are used in cooking. Squash and pumpkin flowers can also be used, but they can have a bittery taste.

Fiori di zucca are extremely delicate and will only last a few days after picking. They are even too delicate to freeze. In Italia it isn’t hard to find fiori di zucca in season. I recently bought a ‘bouquet’ of them at a market in Foggia for 1 Euro. Sometimes you can even buy small zucchine with the flowers still attached. I’ve only seen fiori di zucca for sale once in North America, several years ago at a farmer’s market in Seattle. I won’t even mention how much they cost! So, if you want to eat fiori di zucca you really need to grow your own-or find a friend who grows them and doesn’t know how good they taste!

Fiori di zucca have a beautiful, delicate taste. I like to cook them a few different ways, but my favourite is in a simple ‘pastella’. I whisk cold fizzy mineral water (acqua frizzante) with flour or semolino (durum wheat semolina) a drop of olive oil and pepper until it is not too thick or thin-like the consistency of pancake batter. If it is too thin, it won’t stick, but if it’s too thick, the fiori can be damaged. Gently clean fiori and remove the sepals-those green leaves at the base near the stem. Some people remove the stamens inside, but I usually leave them. Dip them in pastella (batter) and fry in hot oil. I usually use grapeseed oil. When they are done, place on a plate with‘carta assorbente’ (paper towel) and add salt. The bubbles in the mineral water make this pastella light and crispy. The batter doesn’t overpower delicate taste of the fiori like a heavy egg and flour batter would.

Fiori can also be stuffed with ricotta before frying (remember the ricotta fatta in casa post) or ‘farciti con mozzarella e prosciutto’-stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto. Gnam, gnam, gnam (English translation…yum, yum, yum).

Lately I have also been making my fiori di zucca into frittelle (little fritters). This is a good way to stretch out your fiori and use broken and torn ones or include some larger pumpkin flowers. Measurements are not too important here. I mix some 00 flour and baking powder, then mix in 1 peeled, grated zucchina until it is coated with flour. Add some fresh torn basil leaves if you have them and some freshly grated parmigiano or asiago and 1 large or 2 small eggs. Once this is all mixed, add enough water to give it the consistency of pancake batter. You will need more water than you think!

Gently dip the intact fiori in batter and fry in hot oil. When they are finished, chop up the broken ones and add to the rest of the batter. Drop about 1 tablespoon of batter at a time into the oil to make ‘frittelle. Place on paper towel and add salt. They are delicious hot or cold. For those of you who absolutely, positively can’t manage without measurements….here is a link to a recipe that is fairly similar.

My friend Peppe Zullo in Orsara di Puglia, il ‘cuoco contadino’ www.peppezullo.it picks hundreds of fiori a day in his orto (vegetable garden) when they are in season. His ristorante serves ‘fiori di zucca al forno, ripiene con caciocavallo’ (baked and stuffed with caciocavallo). Gnam, gnam, gnam!!!