GOURMET TRAVELLER 137Youcan swimat Polignanoa Mare,
sip naturalwine atvineyards
outsideLecceandtasteoliveoil
harvestedfrom3000-year-old
trees planted by the Romans.H
ereheis,Giorgiothecheesemaker,cometo
rescuemyburrata.
TomakethePugliesespecialtyyouneeda
pairofstrongbutnimblehandsanda certain
deftnessinyourwrist.I amequippedwith
neither.Giorgiowatchesas I takethemilk,
thickenedwithheatandacidwhey,stretchingit inmyhands
beforepeelingoffa chunktofillwitha spoonfulofstracciatella- thosecreamy,torn-uppiecesofmozzarellathatoozelasciviously
as soonas youpiercethem.Mybig,clumsyfingersfumblewiththe
openingoftheburrata,strugglingtotwistit closed.Thisis when
thecheesemakertakesmyhandsinhisand,likesomekindof
ItalianPatrickSwayzeinGhost, guidesmethrougheach
movement.Stretch,pull,dollop,twist.Hetakesmyburrataand
plonksit intoa bowlofwatertocool. That’s lunch, everybody.
Thissmall,family-rundairy
farmjusta shortdrivefrom
Alberobello,a towninthemiddle
ofPugliafamousforitsconical-
shapedcottages,is fairlyindicative
oftheculinarystylingsofthe
region.Thefarmis runbyjust
a handfulofstaffwhomakethe
cheese– bigfatballsofburrata,the
salty-sweetcaciocavallo– forsaleperiodicallythroughouttheweek.
If you’rehavinga party,callthecheesemakerandgivehimadvance
notice.He’llprepareyourburratathatafternoon,swiftlyandwith
a greatdealmoreskillthanme,sothatit’sreadyforyourtablein
theevening.Youmightserveit witha braceoftomatoesbursting
withflavouranda dishoffavabeans,mashedintoa silkypulp,or
maybea bowlofsaltedchickpeas,sizzleduntilgoldenandcrisp.
Thisis cucinapovera,orpeasantfood.ThePugliesehave
beeneatinglikethisforcenturies,favouringsimplevegetable
andpastadishessupplementedwiththeoccasionalbitof
local seafood or meat. It’s honest, hearty food that, courtesy
oftourisminterestoverlappingwiththeboominfarm-to-table
cooking,hasmadePugliasucha populartraveldestination.
Italyhasbeena holidayhotspotforas longas therehavebeen
peopletakingvacations.WhatPugliaoffers,courtesyofitsspread
oftownsdottedacrosstheheelofthecountry’sboot,is a little
tasteofeverythingthatmakesanItaliantripsosweet.Youcan
swimat Polignanoa Marebeach,sipnaturalwineat vineyards
outsideLecceandtasteoliveoilharvestedfrom3000-year-oldtrees
plantedbytheRomans.Sure,youcouldbookyournextholiday
toTuscany,butjustthinkofthecrowds.AndAmalfi?Youmight
as wellsetfiretoa pileofmoneyrightnow.Pugliahassun,sand
andsusumaniello,a varietyofgrapethatmakesfora very
drinkablerosé.Whatmoredoyouneed?
“YougotodifferentregionsinItalyandtheyspecialise
inonethingoranother,”saysMax,ourguideonmyLuxury
Escapestouroftheregion.“Here,theyhaveeverything.” Hemeans
it:Pugliaproducesaround 80 percentofEurope’spastaand
40 percentofItaly’soliveoil.“Italiansthinktheyhavethebest
foodintheworld,andallItalianswhenthey’reonholidaygoto
thesouthofItaly.SoyoucouldarguethatthesouthofItalyhas
thebestfoodinItalyand,therefore,thebestfoodintheworld.”M
y LuxuryEscapestourstartsinLecce,a city
famousforitsintricatebaroquearchitectureand
a deliciousmorningcoffeeritualinvolvinganicy
shotofespressostickywithalmondsyrup.The
lightinLecceis creamyandfresh,bouncingoffthelimestone
likea ping-pongball.A fewbeadsofsweatformonmyforehead
asMaxandI hustlethroughLecce’scobblestonedstreets
afterGianna,Lecce’schicestchef.Destination:themarket.
Giannaleansherheadforward,inspectingthemorning’s
produce.There’sanabundanceofseasonalfruitandvegetables:
thefirstartichokesoftheyear,waxypersimmonsandquinces.
“Ah,”shesays,grinning,pointingat a bushelofredfruitstrung
upfromtherafters.These,sheexplains,arewintertomatoes,a
Puglia-specific variety witha firmskin,meaningtheycanstayripe
fora wholeyearwhenhungjustso.
Shegrabsa handful,alongwith
somebasilandgarlic,andwe’re
offagaininthedirectionofher
kitchen.We’regoingtomakepasta.
Thesauceis simplesheexplains,
splashingsomeoliveoilintoa heavy
pan.Ingothewedgesofgarlicand
thewintertomatoes,slicedinhalf.
“That’sit,”shesays,turningtheheataslowaspossible.She
counselsmetoignorethepavloviantemptationtostirand
lettheheatandfatworktheirmagiconthetomatoes.Asthey
begintosighopeninthepan,Giannastartsmeasuringout
flourandwater,thetwoingredientsneededtomakepasta.
There’sa soothing,sensualrhythmtoworkingpastadough,
notdissimilartothepull-and-twistinvolvedinpreparingburrata.
Youpinch,kneadandroll,rinsingandrepeatinguntilyouhave
a firm,yellowdough.Tomakeorecchiette,a curved,dish-like
pastashapefromPuglianamedafteritssimilarityinappearance
to an ear, you take a small cube of dough, press down with the➤