Aperi-lunch :)

Everybody in Puglia loves having an ‘aperitivo’. Traditionally it is a glass of something bubbly, usually prosecco, or a non-alcoholic cocktail. Yesterday I served perfectly chilled rosato wine from the Salento region of Puglia….made from handpicked ‘negroamaro’ grapes, it has a delicate pale pink colour and appears to be filled with light …it is divine! Aperitivo can be a simple pre-lunch drink with a few olives and taralli or it can be ‘rinforzato’, reinforced….sometimes to the point of becoming an aperilunch. Yesterday in my house it became just that 🙂

I served hand-made pecorino cheese from Basilicato, Strolghino salami, semi-dried tomatoes (I dried the tomatoes in my garden back in August), little creamy cheesy cucumber bites and other bits and pieces.

The central dish was ‘canasta’ lettuce which has a lovely colour ranging from green to deep purple and makes a perfect backdrop for whatever you want to put on top. I sliced an avocado quite thinly and squeezed lots of lemon juice over it to prevent it from discolouring, I also put sliced cucumber and radishes (I put some parsley pesto over the radishes) and quail eggs. As you’ll notice from the photo I got fed up shelling the quail eggs and put half of them on the plate intact….they’re so beautifully speckled and pretty! I halved the other ones and put some mayonnaise and crushed pink peppercorns on top. Then a drizzle of oil over everything salt and freshly ground black pepper and some more crushed pink peppercorns on the avocado.