You Can eat the flowers in Italy

On a recent face book post Lesley Daoust,  who co owns a villa in Puglia that gives travelers and tourists an incredible experience, shared with me the recipe for  Zucchini flowers…..

Yes you cook and eat the flowers!
 
I have been fascinated by the delicacy after seeing the flowers sold in the food market in Sorrento.  The stall owner was very patient trying to explain what to do with them.  Remember, I understand more Italian than I speak so sometimes the person I speak with, answers an entirely different question!   Just adds to the adventure.
 
But here we have a DEATAILED description of how to prepare and cook firore della zucchini.       Next time I will remember to remove the inside of the flower……

As an Italian American I had heard of this but we never had it  at any meals.  Perhaps it was a regional treat or the fact that only half of my immediate family was Italian and the other half had to learn to cook Italian very quickly. 

Italy, Food, Wine, Travel......what is not to like.

Room for only 12 but not the last supper.....

You do not have to be an Italian American to dream of visiting Italy

And you do not have to travel only as a tourist, visiting the BIG THREE, Rome- Venice- Florence.   Love to cook?  Love Italian food?  Then visit PULGIA, one of the secrets of Italy!     Combine this adventure with a unique immersion in Italian food and culture with the Food & Wine Lover’s Journey in Puglia...

Your instructor Kathy Ayer

Personal Chef,  Food & Travel writer, culinary Instructor, Kathy Ayer will be your guide through this wonderful adventure of food, lifestyle, culture and traditions of Puglia.     Ms. Ayer, with the help of Lecce native, Ylenia   Sambati of YLTours, created a special 9-day/8-night   food and wine tour.

Offered on September 1 through 9^th, 2012, Ms Ayer describes the event,  “ You will not only taste the many delicacies of the region, but you'll also cook them! “   This is far more than a ‘cooking class’, the lucky 12 participants will reside at the elegant-rustic Masseria Provenzanni,   http://bit.ly/NO8Ttk    located outside of the Baroque city of Lecce and close to the sea and experience the best that Puglia has  to offer.       

                                                                   

                                                                                               

Your stay is scheduled with cooking lessons, demonstrations, wine and olive oil tastings,   guided tours of many local towns and villages, home cooked meals, visits to the local market, gelato and pastry shops.  There will also be time to enjoy the beach or relax at the pool at the Masseria Provenzanni.    All your arrangements are provide as well as a local guide. 

“Imagine preparing local seasonal dishes at a winery and then dining on these dishes with the local wines.   Making handmade Pugliese pasta and traditional meals with an Italian mamma. Watching fresh cheese being made and digging into the still-warm freshly-made, creamy ricotta. Sampling seafood right out of its shell just minutes after it's been caught. Visiting a pastry shop to learn about the sweet side of Salento, with samples, of course. Walking tours of Baroque Lecce, the fisherman's village of Gallipoli, the seaside resort town of Otranto, the Trulli of the Itria Valley and the "white city" of Ostuni. These are just a few of the highlights of this trip, and there's so much more...” is how Ms Ayer describes this event.

Italian case a corte. Do you know what this is?

In Italy, have you heard of a court house?    Out friend Yle was telling me about a ‘court house’ in Lecce that would be perfect for my next stay,  ……….    

She explained a court house is the typical "case a corte" in Lecce with pietra leccese (lecce stone). 

 

Case a corte, houses with courtyards are typical of the Mediterranean area . They can be found in small villages and towns. They often have a large front door leading onto the courtyard with several houses around the courtyard.

Sometimes, they have a back garden. The main element is the courtyard where in the old days families and neighbors used to meet and socialize, telling stories and passing their traditional culture to the younger generations.

What towns have you visited that have casa a corte?    I have noticed in Naples where there are apartment buildings and little space for gardens, that families and entire neighborhoods use the street as their ‘living room’.   Everyone socializes out in the street with chairs and tables set up in the narrow lanes.  All the balconies are ‘perches’ for conversations across alleys.