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Quick and Easy Pugliese Appetizers for your Thanksgiving Dinner

Nov 21 2018

This is the season for hosting!  With so many holidays coming up, it’s no doubt you’re probably going to be hosting at least one dinner party.  And we know it can be stressful because there are so many things to worry about.  Will the turkey roast properly?  Will there be good dinner conversation?  Will your picky aunt Rita like the wine you chose?  AGH!

There are already so many things to juggle, the last thing you need to worry about are the appetizers.  So we’re here to help!  No need to go over the top with complicated canopés or tasteless frozen ready-mades.  We have 3 quick and easy Pugliese appetizer recipes that will keep your guests satisfied and you free to have fun!

Fried Olives

Serves 8

This is the only recipe on our list that requires cooking, but it’s super fast and breezy.  Frying the olives gives them a little more pizzazz than the fresh-out-the-jar version.

Ingredients

2 cups small, sweet black olives with pit

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small red chili pepper, chopped (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil over a medium skillet on medium heat.  Add the garlic cloves and chili peppers and cook for 1 minute.  Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the olives.  Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the olives are blistered and some have popped.  Serve warm.

 

Burrata with Truffle

Serves 8

The easiest of all three recipes, this one just requires few ingredients and a quick assembly.  And yet your guests will be very impressed by the elevated flavors of this creamy favorite.

Ingredients:

1 lb Fresh Burrata

1/2 oz shaved black truffle

olive oil 

Sliced Italian bread for serving

Directions

Chop the burrata.  It will be runny, so keep it in a bowl to retain the soft interior of the cheese.  Mix in the shaved truffle and top the burrata with olive oil.  Serve cold with bread.

 

Bruschetta with Caciocavallo, Capocollo, Fig and Honey

Serves 8

Last but not least, this tasty stack brings a complex balance of flavors in a neat little package.  Savory capicola and sweet honey get a texture boost from velvety caciocavallo and seedy figs.

Ingredients

16 slices Italian bread, 1/4 inch thick

olive oil

1/4 lb capocollo

8 oz caciocavallo cheese

16 figs

1/2 cup honey

Directions

Brush each slice of bread with olive oil and toast until golden brown.  Top each slice with capicola, caciocavallo cheese, and one sliced fig in that order.  To finish, drizzle bruschetta with honey.

Posted by Editor · Categorized: General, Pugliese Recipes · Tagged: bruschetta, burrata, dinner party, easy recipe, olives, Recipes

Simple, wholesome Roasted Pumpkin Soup recipe for the soul

Nov 23 2017

Simple, wholesome Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe for the holidays!
Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe by Valentina Solfrini

Recipe by Valentina Solfrini

Forget the pie, try this Roasted Pumpkin Soup at Thanksgiving with fresh, cold-pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil! After all, it’s soup season.

You’ll need:

  • Fresh pumpkin
  • EVOO
  • Shallots
  • Sage
  • Rosemary
  • Almond milk
  • Your choice of cooked whole grain
  • Crème fraîche for garnish
  • Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
  • Salt & fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

Place pumpkin and shallots on a baking tray and drizzle with fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, minced sage and rosemary and roast until soft.

Once it has cooled down, blend in a blender with a little unsweetened almond milk.

Pour into a large saucepan, simmer until thoroughly heated and serve with your choice of whole grain (whole barley, farro, brown rice or quinoa) for added flavor, texture and nutrition!

Finish it with a drizzle of fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Garnish with crème fraîche and your favorite toasted seeds.

This delicious, savory and flavorful Roasted Pumpkin Soup can be a great first course for Thanksgiving or an easy, healthy, light meal all by itself.

Hope you enjoy this delectable soup and the rest of your Thanksgiving feast.

Posted by digital@especiallypuglia.com · Categorized: General, Pugliese Recipes · Tagged: Recipes, Thanksgiving

Troccoli Pugliesi with cherry tomato sauce and ricotta dura

Mar 14 2017

Pasta 1

Troccoli are a typical type of pasta from Puglia and are made with a wooden instrument called “chitarra” (guitar). The chitarra is a handmade kitchen tool that has iron strings that are spaced equally from one another. The strings are present on both sides but with different thickness. One side is used to make troccoli; the other one is used to make fettuccine. To prepare this type of pasta, you can also use a pasta maker. Troccoli are excellent with fresh basil tomato sauce and ricotta dura.

PASTA DOUGH RECIPE

Serves 4 people

  • 400 g. of semolina flour
  • 4 eggs
  • A pinch of salt
  • Water as needed

METHOD

To prepare for making the pasta, sprinkle some flour over a large wooden cutting board. Then place the semolina flour together on the flat surface, create a cavity in the center, and add the eggs to the center of the cavity. Start to work the pasta by having the flour absorb the eggs; continue to massage the pasta until you have a dough. You need to work the pasta for about 5 minutes until you are able to make smooth dough. Place the pasta ball under a piece of cloth so it does not dry.

Divide the dough into 4-5 small pieces; keep one piece and set the other aside underneath the kitchen cloth. Flatten the pasta with a rolling pin by hand until it reaches a small rectangle with the thickness of ½ cm. Place each rectangle of dough on the guitar and press on with a rolling pin so that the strings cut the dough and fall to make the so called “troccoli”, then place them on a tray, add a little flour to keep them dry and separated, covering them always. Continue this process with the remaining dough.

 

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PREPARATION OF TOMATO SAUCE WITH BASIL

The most important ingredient in tomato sauce with basil is fresh ripe cherry tomatoes. If tomatoes are not in season or if you don’t have time to make fresh tomato sauce, you can always buy a bottle of tomato sauce from our shop page. If you have fresh ripe cherry tomatoes, you will need a traditional stainless steel food mill or strainer to make the tomatoes into a puree.

Serves 4 people Ingredients:

  • 750 ml of tomato sauce OR 1 kg of fresh cherry tomatoes
  • 4/5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • a pinch of salt
  • 10 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Ricotta dura

Next in a large pot, place extra virgin olive oil on low heat and then add a clove of garlic. When the garlic will be slightly golden, pour the tomato sauce (either the one you just made or from a tomato jar), a pinch of salt and half of your basil (about 5 leaves). Now that all the ingredients have been poured into the pan, you just need to cover it with a lid, making sure to leave a little space for the water vapor to escape. In short, do not cover the entire pan with a lid! This will allow the sauce to cook and dry. Turn the sauce occasionally with a wooden spoon and let boil for about 20 minutes.After the time for cooking, we suggest you try it, to realize whether it should be adjusted salt. Now turn off the heat and add the rest of the basil to the sauce.Cook the Troccoli in salted water (don`t add olive oil!), drain and toss with a little ‘of tomato sauce. Place on the plate, drizzle with more sauce and serve with grated “ricotta dura”.

Enjoy!

 

Posted by michele · Categorized: Pugliese Recipes · Tagged: Culinary Adventure, Especially Puglia, FarmStay, Recipes

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