A real taste of Puglia on TV chef Gennaro Contaldo’s food tour in southern Italy
COOKING and me go together like typing and an infinite number of monkeys.
Give me enough tries and you might get something recognisable.
So chef Gennaro Contaldo has his work cut out on my visit to Puglia, designed to find the traveller’s inner chef.
If anywhere is going to inspire me to learn to cook, it is this spot in southern Italy.
I check into the Tenuta Monacelle hotel among stunning mountains ramped with dark green olive trees sloping into the Adriatic.
But there is barely time to enjoy the views before Gennaro gets my group cooking — teaching us a mouth-watering pasta dish using his special ingredient, Bertolli with Butter.
Something immediately apparent from the 67-year-old chef — one of BBC’s Two Greedy Italians — is his zest for life.
As he gives us the first of many cooking lessons, he is always smiling and his enthusiasm rubs off on those around him.
He’s one helluva chef, too.
My first day in Puglia is spent in its capital, Bari.
The tiny streets are filled with women crafting a handmade pasta called orecchiette, which translates as small ears.
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I try making some myself but they come out looking like pancakes.
The technique for this local speciality — which is much harder than it looks — is passed down through the generations from mums to young daughters.
Giving up, I head off to the nearby coastal town of Polignano a Mare, which is well worth a guided tour and a shopping spree.
But it is most famous for the stunning Grotta Palazzese cave restaurant.
With a glass of white wine and incredible food, you can listen to birds chirp and waves crash against the rocks as the sun goes down.
I can't cook but I do know my cheeses
It may be a bit expensive but it is well worth the visit.
It’s always packed so you’ll have to book before you fly out.
The next morning we head to Ostuni, a market town high up in the mountains great for fresh food and local produce.
Rows and rows of stalls are filled with fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and olive oil — and I spend a small fortune.
I have admitted my cooking skills leave a lot to be desired but I DO know my cheeses.
And one little restaurant here has the best mozzarella I’ve ever tasted.
Called Osteria del Tempo Perso, it’s off the beaten track on the edge of the hills.
After lunch we head back into the hills to the small town of Alberobello, famous for its incredible trulli houses — mortarless limestone homes with domed or conical roofs.
After a spot of wine and food sampling at one of the many shops on the high street, we come to Il Poeta Contadino restaurant.
And with one last demonstration from Gennaro, it is here my Italian adventure comes to an end.
Sadly, I still can’t cook that well. Gennaro is good . . . but he’s not a miracle worker.
GO: Puglia
DANIEL’S trip and lesson was organised with Bertolli with Butter. Citalia offers a seven-night trip to Puglia, staying at 4H Tenuta Monacelle, on a B&B basis, from £569pp. Offer includes one free night and easyJet flights from Gatwick departing October 9. Citalia can organise excursions in-resort via ground partner Saistours (01293 765 066 or see citalia.com).