Here you will find some of our favourite Puglia Kitchen recipes peppered with other dishes from Italy that we cook regularly in our Puglia Kitchen.
Are we purists, hung up on ‘authentic’ recipes? Maybe. Sometimes. While we have yet to embrace Italian American cooking, with its carbonara and cream, mac(aroni) and cheese and chicken Alfredo, we sometimes come close. We don’t do spaghetti and meatballs like they do in the US, but we do serve our more modestly sized polpette meatballs in a sugò with pasta that might sometimes be spaghetti (though it will more likely be orecchiette).
Yet cooking is about change and evolution. Pasta was being eaten long before tomatoes were introduced to Europe. They came to the kingdom of Naples via Spain, as pomi d’oro (golden apples) and in the first Neapolitan cookbooks are suggested as Spanish tomato sauce, ‘Salsa di Pomadoro, alla Spagnuola’. This was when pasta, usually vermicelli, was cooked for as much as two hours, dressed only with some butter and much cheese. Even when this over cooked pasta was first dressed with tomato, it was as a watery broth.
There is a risk of romanticising our attachment to Puglia’s regional cuisine. The image of Puglia as a rural world where peasants lived off the produce they could scrape together is not within our lived experience. We must look to the recipes, access to food and the historical facts of hardships, raiders and invaders and social conditions (such as the lack of water for crop cultivation) to put Puglia’s food history in context.
But we can, with certainty and clarity, speak to the seasonality and full flavour of the ingredients we use to cook with in the Puglia Kitchen. Because that’s not our history. It’s our present.
Behind our Puglia Kitchen recipes
Ours is a story of seasons, of the land and sea. Of the senses, tastes and colours. White villages perched on hilltops, copper-red earth, verdant green olive groves and blue sea extending into the horizon. We are Italy’s top olive oil producer, accounting for almost 40% of Italian olive oil. Puglia is the breadbasket of Italy. Our region is Italy’s second top regional wine producer known for its robust reds. And Puglia gave the world burrata.
Puglia’s tradition of la cucina povera (“peasant food”) serves up simple but inventive dishes using seasonal, locally produced, fresh and flavourful ingredients. Most dishes use only a few elements and very little goes to waste. Humble and frugal, the end result is much more than the sum of its parts.
Trade with bordering regions and countries and recurrent invasions left their culinary influences. As part of the Kingdom of Naples wealthy landowners and nobles stripped out the produce – and profit – from their Puglia estates preferring to live and feast in the more cosmopolitan capital, Naples. Back home the farmers and fishermen, the plain and the poor, learned to make the most of what the land and sea provided. There were no elaborate dishes or extravagant banquets, only the resourceful and frugal use of the region’s raw materials.
Puglians were even referred to as mangiafolia – “leaf eaters” – for their consumption of leafy greens and vegetables, borne of necessity rather than love for the produce. Yet, as old traditions are celebrated these are recipes that have become loved. Not only because they are wrapped in nostalgia and memory: in an age of ultra processed fast foods, these are recognised as healthy and hearty dishes made from delicious, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.
About our Puglia Kitchen recipes
Italy is a country with a hundred cuisines and thousands of recipes. Provincial loyalties account for a huge variety of gastronomic traditions across the country. Taste is a product of geography and climate (and history). Dishes are shaped by the seasonality of produce. Recipes change according to location (and over time). The preparation of a particular dish can vary from region to region, even from town to town, and certainly from family to family.
Our Puglia Kitchen recipes typify our region’s heritage and traditions. It makes sense that what we cook depends on the time of year. We spend hot summer days on the beach rather than labouring for hours over a steamy kitchen stove. Light, easy eating suits our mood and the weather. Long, lazy lunches in the shade with family and friends: fresh pasta with a quick tomato sauce, linguine with vongole. But as Autumn draws in and eventually becomes winter we turn to the warmth of the kitchen for comforting food. Riso, patate and cozze (rice, potatoes and mussels), ceceri e tria (chickpeas and fried pasta), parmigiana di melanzane (aubergine parmigiana bake).
But more importantly we cook with whatever is available from the daily market: local in-season produce. Rather than shop with a recipe in mind, we figure out what to cook from what we can buy.
Index of Puglia Kitchen recipes
We have split our recipes according to starters, pasta dishes, main dishes, sides and desserts. We have also indicated the seasonality of our recipes when relevant.
Remember that cooking them is only part of the story. Food is about community and conviviality. And that’s why big bowls of pasta and sharing plates are often found on the Puglia Kitchen table.
The Puglia Kitchen recipes
- Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Antipasti (starters)
- Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Primi (pasta)
- Cacio e pepe | a taste of Rome
- Ciceri e tria | fried pasta with chickpeas
- Orecchiette con cime di rapa | Orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe
- Pasta e cavolfiore | pasta and cauliflower
- Rigatoni alle zucchine | Rigatoni pasta with courgette
- Spaghetti all’assassina
- Spaghetti frittata
- Spaghetti al Primitivo (spaghetti ‘mbriachi) | drunken spaghetti
- Spaghetti alle vongole | spaghetti with clams
- Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Secondi (mains)
- Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Dolci
- The rest
- Wine Notes for our Puglia Kitchen recipes
Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Antipasti (starters)
Carcofi sott’olio – preserved artichokes
Artichokes—known in Italy as carciofi—are a true staple in the Puglia Kitchen, and the sight of them in markets signals the arrival of spring. Preserved in oil they make a classic antipasto at home and in restaurants.
Fave e cicoria | broad bean purée with seasonal greens
A cornerstone of Puglia’s cucina povera tradition this is comfort food at its best. Perfectly suited to Autumn evenings. This is a dish as likely to be made at home as it is to appear on restaurant menus.
Friggitelli | fried and salted savoury peppers
As a side, starter or main over a bed of a smashed broad bean purée, or on their own to snack on with a glass of crisp chilled white wine or beer at aperitivo time, we often serve up a simple plate of fried friggitelli, sprinkled with sea salt.
Polpette di carne, di pane | meatballs, fried bread dumplings
Made from stale bread, strong grated cheese and herbs, with the addition of ground meat for the meatballs. They will find their way onto your table at homes and restaurants all around Puglia, served straight up, deep fried and crunchy, or in a rich tomato sugo, with or without pasta. Pulupitt’ in dialect.
Zucchine alla poverina | fried courgette
Unlike the entomology, this is a straightforward, seasonal dish that speaks to us of summer, when we have a glut of zucchine and eat outdoors with friends around the table, serving ourselves from big sharing plates.
Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Primi (pasta)
Cacio e pepe | a taste of Rome
From Rome with love. Cacio e pepe is such an easy dish made from few ingredients, that we make it over and over. Leftovers become a frittata for the beach. The sauce is so iconic that there’s plenty other pasta to use it with.
Ciceri e tria | fried pasta with chickpeas
An absolute comfort blanket for late Autumn and winter nights, a classic Salento dish (best tasted in Lecce). Served with deep fried pasta – nutty, crisp and golden brown bringing another level of taste and texture to our Puglia Kitchen table.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa | Orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe
In recipes and on menus you will find cime di rapa translated as turnip tops, the literal translation. Cime = tops (cima, singular), rapa = turnip (rape, plural). In reality it is broccoli rabe (brassica rapa) rather than the green offshoot of a root vegetable. Nevertheless it is classic Puglia on a plate!
Pasta e cavolfiore | pasta and cauliflower
Some dishes are a taste revelation. This is one of them. A recipe from Salento, we have to wait until Autumn/Winter for cauliflower to come in season.
Rigatoni alle zucchine | Rigatoni pasta with courgette
Seasonal summer cooking using courgette grown at home or bought from the morning market.
Spaghetti all’assassina
Killer spaghetti from Bari, Puglia’s regional capital. Various collected recipes including the “official” recipe from the Accademia dell’Assassina, and the story of the dish famous for cooking spaghetti like you’ve never cooked it before!
Spaghetti frittata
Made using leftover spaghetti, sliced and eaten like pizza, this is perfect picnic food for the beach. It’s so good that we usually make extra spaghetti just so we can make a frittata the next day.
Spaghetti al Primitivo (spaghetti ‘mbriachi) | drunken spaghetti
Our Puglia Kitchen version of spaghetti ‘mbriachi. In cooking terms, pasta sautéed in red wine, with onion. In taste terms, delicious al dente spaghetti steeped in your favourite deep bodied red wine with creamy onion crescents.
Spaghetti alle vongole | spaghetti with clams
The key to a perfect spaghetti alle vongole lies in the simplicity of the dish. Not unique to Puglia, but when we go to the sea this is the no. 1 dish by which the nearby restaurants are judged. By price! Too expensive and we will go elsewhere!
Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Secondi (mains)
Melanzane ripiene | stuffed aubergines
Stuffed aubergines (eggplant) are another summer staple cooked at home. Especially popular when entertaining family and friends it’s not unusual to cook 6 plus aubergine at a go, and place them on a platter on our Puglia Kitchen table. When cooled, these are wrapped in foil or parchment and taken to the beach to eat picnic style.
Parmigiana di melanzane | parmigiana
Parmigiana may be one of Italy’s most celebrated dishes, rooted in the south. Regional and provincial variations ensure the fine tuning and widespread a-peal of the recipe, at its core a celebration of aubergine (eggplant), tomato and mozzarella.
Polpo in umido | octopus stew
Octopus is becoming an ever more difficult sea animal to eat. But it’s a representation of Puglia’s identity, history, and connection to the sea. For many fishermen it’s their livelihood. But we have to keep in mind that octopuses are sentient and intelligent.
Risotto
When winter is almost upon us we turn to risotto. Starchy does not mean stodgy. Risotto should be a lighter, looser dish – here’s how we make it so in the Puglia Kitchen.
Puglia Kitchen Recipes | Dolci
Tiramisù
Pick yourself up with the Puglia Kitchen tiramisù recipe, with our very own Puglia twist, some local San Marzano liqueur.
The rest
Fig and rosemary chutney
One of our favourite tings to do with figs, this is a warm chutney that goes perfectly with our summer and winter cheeseboard. Especially good at Christmas time.
Pickled figs
A glut of figs during summer means we are always looking for different ways to use them and to preserve them. Pickled figs are perfect addition to out taglieri ”grandioso”, a big sharing charcuterie plate.
Sugo al pomodoro | tomato sauce
Classic and authentic tomato sauces for pasta. From a quick sugo to preserved tomato sauces for the store cupboard. Including pomodori scattarisciati, Puglia’s famous popping tomatoes.
Sun dried tomatoes
Nothing says summer in a jar like sun dried tomatoes, the essence of a southern Italian summer. Like deep red rubies these are jewels of the Puglia Kitchen whose intensity of colour is matched only by the richness of flavour.
Wine Notes for our Puglia Kitchen recipes
Puglia is a powerhouse of Italian wine, second only to Veneto in production. Our robust reds have deep roots in history—dating back to antiquity. Pliny the Elder chronicled the region’s iconic grape varieties: Malvasia Nera, Negroamaro, and Uva di Troia. The Crusaders toasted at Brindisi’s inns before setting off to the East, while Taranto’s rock-hewn cellars stored vast quantities of wine destined for faraway lands.
As recently as 30 years ago Puglia’s wines were considered appropriate for blending to enrich northern Italian wines. Nowadays our vineyards are celebrated for their distinct character, revealing a heritage of flavours and knowledge with the focus on quality and native varieties capturing the essence of Puglia’s sun-soaked landscape. From the fertile plains of Murgia to the coastal vineyards of Salento, Puglia’s wines reflect a deep-rooted connection to the land.
- Nero di Troia from Daunia and Murgia produces elegant, complex reds, with delicate hints of violet and liquorice.
- Primitivo, flourishing between Gioia del Colle and Manduria, offers intense, full-bodied wines rich with notes of cherry and ripe fruit.
- Negroamaro, ubiquitous in Salento, delivers a rustic and earthy character, often blended with Malvasia Nera or Susumaniello to create softer, more nuanced flavours.
The Puglia Guys are Puglia ambassadors. Brought up on sun, sea and spaghetti assassina, our guides are written from local experience and insight. We live in Puglia full time and provide practical tips on getting around, cultural insights and unique local experiences: from pizzica dancing to wine tastings, cooking classes to road trips.
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