Just a couple of nice days. While it would be nice to send you daily adventures from Lecce, there are days when we just kind of go with the flow. Tuesday and Wednesday (so far) have been just those kinds of days.
Rain greeted us again yesterday morning, however, I did get my walk in, spending about an hour in just a light rain. After e-mails, some reading, and a few domestic chores, we ventured out, first to solve the problem of having a variety of home appliances (elettrodomestici) that had plugs (le spine) that did not fit the sockets (le prese) on the wall. During the walk, I had stopped into an appliance “outlet” – truly the word on the window – and all in Italian explained to the fellow the problem. While my Italian did not appear to warm the cockles of his cuore (heart), we did communicate and for one euro I had the key to all our home conveniences. However, upon arriving home, we discovered that Italy must have had, at least, a third electrical option – it did not work. So, Polley and I first headed back to the “outlet” to solve the problem with our “outlet.” With a steam iron neatly tucked under Polley’s ample bosom, more like a small child than an electronic clothes flattener, we returned our adattatore (adaptor) – these Italian electrical terms now being burned into my brain forever – and the sober salesclerk saw the problem in no time and made a quick exchange. Done!
Next to the Supermercato, after cruising the flea market for a black market can opener and other kitchen utensils. I have doubtless remarked before that our landlord, in stocking his kitchen, must have had no sense of what is involved in cooking. All we have is a corkscrew! (Actually not quite true – I discovered only this morning a lemon juicer!) There is no can opener, to spatula, no bowls, no bread knife, or any other serious knife of any sorts. We have a dozen steak knives in a region where steak is hardly seen. Anyway, shopping consisted of a can opener, light bulbs, and a battery. Pretty exciting, but necessary for daily living. After returning our booty to the apartment, we wander to the Piazza for a glass of wine with our favorite little waitress, Paolina (we discovered her full name this time). To our surprise, she had a gift waiting for us. It turns out her boyfriend is a wine distributor, and so she presented us with a bottle of wine from him.
Truly sweet and another confirmation of the importance of human connections. We promised to take she and her boyfriend to dinner soon. That, I am sure, will be another intriguing blog.
The remainder of the day was easy: siesta and a little reading. I finished “White Tiger,” a satirical look at modern India and have taken on “The Reader,” the book that was turned into a film.
Around 8:30 p.m. Polley and I went down to Santa Cruz vineteria. There we met up with 3 delightful girls from America. Two were roommates from California, by way of Texas and Wisconsin; the other was from Atlanta. It was amazing that we had connections with two of them immediately. We exchanged stories about both places and then discovered that the one girl, from Wisconsin, is here for a month and is staying with the woman who runs the cooking school in town (At Table). She took our e-mail address and was confident that she could get us into a class or two at a much reduced rate. More on that later, we hope!
Back home about 10, to try my first Puligese dish – Orchiette with Ricotta Forte. This was a very simple dish to make and was quite tasty. I really loved the orchiette (little ears) pasta as they really held the sauce. The Ricotta Forte was not overpowering and what was most amazing, was how tomatoey the sauce was. Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce are a whole different thing here. Delizioso! I feel that more serious cooking is on the way, especially with a spatula and a colander!
Wednesday morning the sun was shining. Polley and I walked over the train station to get tickets for our trip to the coast, the western side off the Gulf of Taranto. We are taking the train on Thursday to the town of Gallipoli for a little sun and seafood. It is supposed to be charming. More on that on Friday. We wandered through the alleyways as we came back to the square for a glass of wine just watching life on the Piazza.
Home for a lunch of bresaola, arugula and Parmesan. Here is a little photo of the concoction before wrapping it up and eating it
Also, some regular readers have been curious about the Burratta cheese we searched for. I had not provided more about it because we hadn’t tried it. Today was the day! It comes packed in liquid. You open it and are confronted with a white semi-firm mass.
However, when you cut into it, it is a soft consistency that in some ways defies description. It is unlike anything we have had before.
It is mild, but flavorful and the texture is not really like any cheese or any butter. It is really more of the consistency of soft ice cream. The exterior has a membrane that you cut off. It seems to serve only to hold the mass together. Then you simply spread it smoothly on bread. While is has flavor, it never seems to overpower the taste of the bread. Very unique.
Tonight, we are returning to Vineria Santa Cruz for some small plates and live music. The weather has turned pleasant and Friday I will report on our day trip to il mare (the sea.
Lastly, our two gargoyles of the day, from the very center of the facade of Santa Croce, the two griffins
Adieu until our return from the coast
Ed and Polley
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