A fun, immersive cooking class in Lecce, Puglia

Collaborating in a cooking system for the duration of my travels is anything I normally love to do. It is a good way to master about the area culture and cuisine, and to decide on up a new recipe or two. In the course of my visit to Lecce (map), a historic metropolis in southern Puglia, I had the chance to sign up for a cooking class at the Awaiting Table, the most proven cooking university in Lecce (launched in 2003). The university gives week-extended programs, as perfectly as day classes, which I opted for as I was only in Lecce for a few times. I knew I was in for a handle but it turned out to be one particular of the most pleasurable, educative and immersive matters to do in Lecce!

There were four of us at the daytime cooking program that working day. We met Silvestro, the founder of the Awaiting Table, at Lecce’s primary square, subsequent to the city’s legendary amphitheatre.

Silvestro welcomed us and gave us a short introduction to Puglian foods and wines just before having us to the fish market place. At the sector, he explained to us about the several kinds of fish and their origins, and the very best approaches to prepare dinner them. For our lunch system, he selected some fish and squid, which we would afterwards find out to put together and prepare dinner.

From the fish market, Silvestro led us throughout the historic city centre, with its lovely Baroque façades, to the vegetable current market. The clean rocket leaves, artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms were a mouthwatering sight! We gleefully crammed our baskets – I wasn’t the only vegetable lover in the team – and continued on our way to Silvestro’s cooking college in the metropolis centre.

Situated in a historic setting up, the Awaiting Desk faculty, is both cosy and vibrant. Loaded to the brim with cooking textbooks, pots and pans and all sorts of kitchen utensils, it certain was a cheery sight!

Earning pasta

We donned our aprons and bought prepared for our very first lesson: pasta! Silvestro spelled out the unique kinds of flour used, and that barley flour is generally used in Puglia. As we kneaded the dough, Silvestro gave us the option of unique pastas we could make. We voted for cappalletti (a pasta form reminiscent of Mexican sombreros).

It was a enjoyable training, using a glass to lower out shapes from the flattened dough, then folding them in advance of utilising a bottle to make the ‘sombreros’.

Preparing seafood and veggies

Following up, Silvestro launched the different kinds of seafood and vegetables we were being going to try to eat. He then gave us a masterclass in how to put together artichokes and squid. Gosh, I experienced no thought how a lot of steps had been associated in cleaning and planning these! Cleaning the squid was significantly challenging. It certain designed me recognize the do the job done by fishmongers every single working day to provide them ready-to-prepare dinner.

A crash training course in Puglia wines

Silvestro invited us into the eating room when we have been completed. He proceeded to inform us about wines in Puglia – just one issue I learned is that, contrary to common belief, Primitivo is not the most commonplace grape assortment in Puglia the most commonly-grown grape wide range in Puglia is Negroamaro. We then liked a wine-tasting of three diverse rosés. Puglia is renowned for its red wines so it is no wonder that the most popular chilled wines are rosé and not white (while Puglia also makes, among others, a magnificent white selection named Verdeca).

Cooking our lunch

After the wine-tasting, we ended up invited, a person by one particular, again into the kitchen to prepare dinner the dishes. I volunteered for the pasta dish: cappalletti, cherry tomatoes and squid.

When everyone had cooked their dishes, lunch was served. It appeared unquestionably mouthwatering! My favourites were being the grilled fish, which was contemporary and tremendous tasty, and the artichokes and sautéed wild rocket. So delicious!

Read about the very best destinations to go to in Puglia

I seemed close to and everybody experienced appears of pleasure and speculate on their faces ‘wonder’ mainly because we couldn’t pretty imagine that we’d just prepared and cooked anything on the desk!

The Awaiting Table cooking class guaranteed is a single of the greatest matters to do in Lecce! Encouraged by what I figured out at this Lecce cooking class, I passed on the lessons to my young children at home just a week later. We put in an afternoon generating pasta and experienced a fantastic time!

In addition to cooking lessons in Lecce, the Awaiting table also organises week-extensive cooking courses (some with yoga and cycling) at a nearby castle. For a lot more info, look at out the Awaiting Table programs.

Notice: I was invited by the Awaiting Table to take part in this class. As constantly, all sights stated over are mine.