A fun, immersive cooking class in Lecce, Puglia

Collaborating in a cooking program throughout my travels is something I constantly really like to do. It is a wonderful way to study about the neighborhood culture and delicacies, and to choose up a new recipe or two. All through my go to to Lecce (map), a historic city in southern Puglia, I experienced the chance to sign up for a cooking course at the Awaiting Desk, the most established cooking university in Lecce (started in 2003). The faculty provides 7 days-lengthy courses, as nicely as day courses, which I opted for as I was only in Lecce for a several days. I realized I was in for a address but it turned out to be one of the most pleasurable, educative and immersive matters to do in Lecce!

There were being 4 of us at the daytime cooking training course that day. We met Silvestro, the founder of the Awaiting Table, at Lecce’s major sq., next to the city’s iconic amphitheatre.

Silvestro welcomed us and gave us a quick introduction to Puglian meals and wines in advance of taking us to the fish industry. At the current market, he instructed us about the a variety of forms of fish and their origins, and the very best means to prepare dinner them. For our lunch course, he selected some fish and squid, which we would afterwards study to prepare and prepare dinner.

From the fish market place, Silvestro led us throughout the historic metropolis centre, with its gorgeous Baroque façades, to the vegetable sector. The contemporary rocket leaves, artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms ended up a mouthwatering sight! We gleefully loaded our baskets – I wasn’t the only vegetable lover in the group – and continued on our way to Silvestro’s cooking faculty in the city centre.

Positioned in a historic building, the Awaiting Desk faculty, is each cosy and colourful. Loaded to the brim with cooking guides, pots and pans and all kinds of kitchen utensils, it sure was a cheery sight!

Making pasta

We donned our aprons and bought completely ready for our first lesson: pasta! Silvestro described the different sorts of flour used, and that barley flour is commonly made use of in Puglia. As we kneaded the dough, Silvestro gave us the choice of various pastas we could make. We voted for cappalletti (a pasta shape reminiscent of Mexican sombreros).

It was a fun workout, making use of a glass to slice out styles from the flattened dough, then folding them ahead of utilising a bottle to make the ‘sombreros’.

Making ready seafood and veggies

Up coming up, Silvestro released the distinctive forms of seafood and veggies we had been heading to try to eat. He then gave us a masterclass in how to get ready artichokes and squid. Gosh, I had no concept how many actions were concerned in cleaning and getting ready these! Cleansing the squid was significantly difficult. It sure made me value the function accomplished by fishmongers each and every working day to produce them ready-to-prepare dinner.

A crash system in Puglia wines

Silvestro invited us into the dining place when we were being performed. He proceeded to inform us about wines in Puglia – just one issue I learned is that, opposite to well known belief, Primitivo is not the most prevalent grape range in Puglia the most extensively-grown grape variety in Puglia is Negroamaro. We then relished a wine-tasting of 3 distinct rosés. Puglia is well known for its crimson wines so it is no question that the most well known chilled wines are rosé and not white (though Puglia also generates, amongst many others, a gorgeous white wide range termed Verdeca).

Cooking our lunch

Immediately after the wine-tasting, we were being invited, 1 by one, back again into the kitchen to cook the dishes. I volunteered for the pasta dish: cappalletti, cherry tomatoes and squid.

When absolutely everyone had cooked their dishes, lunch was served. It looked completely mouthwatering! My favourites have been the grilled fish, which was new and super tasty, and the artichokes and sautéed wild rocket. So delectable!

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I seemed all-around and anyone had appears to be like of pleasure and wonder on their faces ‘wonder’ since we could not fairly believe that that we’d just well prepared and cooked anything on the table!

The Awaiting Table cooking class guaranteed is one of the greatest factors to do in Lecce! Influenced by what I acquired at this Lecce cooking course, I handed on the classes to my youngsters at dwelling just a week later on. We used an afternoon earning pasta and experienced a terrific time!

In addition to cooking courses in Lecce, the Awaiting desk also organises 7 days-extensive cooking classes (some with yoga and cycling) at a close by castle. For a lot more info, test out the Awaiting Table classes.

Observe: I was invited by the Awaiting Desk to participate in this course. As often, all views mentioned previously mentioned are mine.