This first thing you need to know about this is that I have relatives in Lecce. My cousin Melina, who is my age, and her family. Before now I had only met them once, very briefly in 2009 when Janet and I did our cycling trip around the heel of Italy.
When you have relatives in Italy you get looked after, particularly when you are the long lost cousin from Australia. Their hospitality as been wonderful. Melina and her family have welcomed me with open arms into their family as though I had always been there.
Talk about the original super woman. Melina is a consulting gynaecologist, her husband Antonio is a doctor in emergency medicine and intensive care at the Lecce public hospital and they have two teenage daughters, one of whom has a significant disability. On top of all that she is a great cook.
So what did we eat?
Day 1. Italian sausages served with potato salad made with whole tiny boiled spuds dressed with olive oil, finely chopped parsley, garlic and salt; and a green salad.
Day 2. Home made beef soup with baby pasta followed by slow cooked beef pizzaiola, beef cooked with tomatoes, capers, garlic and dried oregano until the meat falls apart; and a green salad.
Day 3. Hand made local pasta served with a tomato sugo or sauce in which meatballs and chunks of beef had been imparting their flavour by slowly cooking all morning, and of course the meatballs themselves.
All the meals ended with fresh fruit and Italian Christmas sweets left over from the festive season. Today we finished off with a beautiful aged grappa. Perfetto.
Three days for three beautiful lunches of fantastic home cooking. Who needs restaurants?
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