A fun, immersive cooking class in Lecce, Puglia

Collaborating in a cooking program throughout my travels is some thing I generally appreciate to do. It’s a great way to study about the regional tradition and delicacies, and to decide on up a new recipe or two. During my take a look at to Lecce (map), a historic metropolis in southern Puglia, I had the option to be a part of a cooking class at the Awaiting Table, the most founded cooking school in Lecce (founded in 2003). The college delivers week-very long classes, as effectively as working day lessons, which I opted for as I was only in Lecce for a handful of days. I understood I was in for a treat but it turned out to be a person of the most exciting, educative and immersive factors to do in Lecce!

There have been 4 of us at the daytime cooking training course that day. We achieved Silvestro, the founder of the Awaiting Desk, at Lecce’s most important sq., following to the city’s legendary amphitheatre.

Silvestro welcomed us and gave us a limited introduction to Puglian food items and wines before having us to the fish market. At the market place, he advised us about the various varieties of fish and their origins, and the ideal means to cook dinner them. For our lunch training course, he chosen some fish and squid, which we would later understand to put together and cook dinner.

From the fish industry, Silvestro led us across the historic metropolis centre, with its beautiful Baroque façades, to the vegetable market. The contemporary rocket leaves, artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms were being a mouthwatering sight! We gleefully filled our baskets – I was not the only vegetable lover in the group – and continued on our way to Silvestro’s cooking school in the city centre.

Situated in a historic developing, the Awaiting Desk university, is equally cosy and vibrant. Stuffed to the brim with cooking books, pots and pans and all types of kitchen area utensils, it certain was a cheery sight!

Generating pasta

We donned our aprons and bought all set for our very first lesson: pasta! Silvestro explained the different kinds of flour employed, and that barley flour is normally utilized in Puglia. As we kneaded the dough, Silvestro gave us the choice of distinct pastas we could make. We voted for cappalletti (a pasta shape reminiscent of Mexican sombreros).

It was a enjoyable workout, applying a glass to slice out styles from the flattened dough, then folding them prior to utilising a bottle to build the ‘sombreros’.

Getting ready seafood and vegetables

Upcoming up, Silvestro released the diverse sorts of seafood and greens we ended up heading to eat. He then gave us a masterclass in how to get ready artichokes and squid. Gosh, I had no thought how lots of methods were being involved in cleansing and preparing these! Cleansing the squid was especially difficult. It certain produced me take pleasure in the operate carried out by fishmongers just about every working day to produce them ready-to-cook dinner.

A crash course in Puglia wines

Silvestro invited us into the eating area when we were being performed. He proceeded to notify us about wines in Puglia – just one thing I discovered is that, contrary to preferred belief, Primitivo is not the most commonplace grape range in Puglia the most widely-grown grape variety in Puglia is Negroamaro. We then enjoyed a wine-tasting of three different rosés. Puglia is well-known for its crimson wines so it’s no ponder that the most well-liked chilled wines are rosé and not white (however Puglia also makes, among other individuals, a gorgeous white range called Verdeca).

Cooking our lunch

Just after the wine-tasting, we were being invited, just one by a single, again into the kitchen area to prepare dinner the dishes. I volunteered for the pasta dish: cappalletti, cherry tomatoes and squid.

When everybody had cooked their dishes, lunch was served. It seemed totally mouthwatering! My favourites ended up the grilled fish, which was clean and super tasty, and the artichokes and sautéed wild rocket. So delicious!

Read through about the best places to pay a visit to in Puglia

I seemed close to and absolutely everyone experienced seems of joy and wonder on their faces ‘wonder’ due to the fact we could not fairly believe that that we’d just organized and cooked all the things on the table!

The Awaiting Desk cooking study course confident is a single of the ideal issues to do in Lecce! Impressed by what I figured out at this Lecce cooking course, I handed on the classes to my little ones at property just a week later on. We expended an afternoon building pasta and experienced a fantastic time!

In addition to cooking lessons in Lecce, the Awaiting table also organises 7 days-extensive cooking courses (some with yoga and cycling) at a nearby castle. For far more facts, check out out the Awaiting Desk courses.

Note: I was invited by the Awaiting Table to participate in this course. As always, all views stated previously mentioned are mine.