Trip to Gran Sasso of Italy in Abruzzo

In september I had a free week on work. I didn't have summer holiday so I immediately organized a trip. I like to tracking and hiking in mountains and of course Gran Sasso natural park which is the nearest to Brindisi, 5 hours by car, always attracted me. Of course, Alpes are amazing and they are the most beautiful mountains in Italy but its too far and you have to take a flight and then to rent a car to reach them.

Gran Sasso of Italy is the highest mountain in the Apennines. It situated in Abruzzo region in central Italy.  The three main summits of the Gran Sasso are Corno Grande , which at 2,912 metres is the highest peak in the Apennines, nearby Corno Piccolo and Pizzo Intermesoli, which is separated from the other two peaks by Val Maone, a deep valley.

 We decided to ascend the Gran Sasso the first day after we arrived because it was sunny day without clouds. Local people said that the weather up near summits is very instable so we used this occasion of good weather. We took the chair-lift from Prati di Tivo, with 10 minutes we arrived at altitude of 2,000 meters at place named Madonnina. 

Breathtaking landscapes around..

From Madonnina the path is going up to the refuge (I shown it with the red arrow). It's not so far, but the path is difficult and with inclination

This is the path, not the most difficult piece, so you can imagine

This is the most difficult piece

Breathtaking view

Almost arrived...

Situated below the peak of the Corno Grande is the Calderone glacier, until 2009 the southernmost known glacier in Europe; deglaciation has significantly reduced the glacier's size. Glaciologists now question whether the glacier will survive past 2020.

We decided to not go up to the pass but go all way down to the Prati di Tivo on foot without taking the chair-lift

Returning in our hotel on the way from Prati di Tivo it was a small lake. Without any wind mountains and forest reflexed in water in amazing way!

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Negroamaro Wine Festival 2015

I already wrote about Negroamaro Wine Festival before. It's big cultural and enogastronomic event, where local producers can exposure their wine, oil, beer and other products. You can taste a lot of things from not only from Puglia Region, but from all Italy, since this event became bigger every year. This year there were about 300.000 people visited Festival during 5 days. About 200 producers presented their products and the festival occupied all historic center of Brindisi. Every evening there were 3 concerts with free entrance and many small bands sounded on the small squares of the center.
If you want you can just walk but you should buy the Ticket to taste delicious food and wine. There are two types of ticket - drinks and foods or only drinks. Also you receive a wine glass with special small bag-pocket to hang on the neck and put the glass inside so you have your hands free to eat)).
This May I participated a photography course with famous Italian photographer Cosmo Laera. Our a final task of the course was really important - we became a official photographers of Negroamaro wine Festival 2015. As we were 12, Cosmo divided us in 4 groups with different tasks - portraits, food, concerts and exhibitors booths. I was assigned to the Food group because of my previous experience on food photography.
He explained me some new technics of street food photography and here you can have a look at the result. Hope you like it and with to visit Negroamaro Wine Festival next year )) So we can meet)

 

Caramellized ham made by one local producer from the North Italy

 Dried meat and salami

Local fresh pasta. The grey color is because it's made from grano arso flour. Traditionally this flour was made from the bits of wheat that were left in the field after the harvest. The landowners would harvest the wheat and then burn off the stubbles that were left in the field, to be plowed under. But in that short period post-burning and pre-plowing, poor farm workers would hurry across the field, gathering the burnt remnants of wheat, which they would then grind into what was basically burnt flour.

Fast forward a few decades (or centuries) and no one is running out to the burnt fields anymore to augment their near-starvation serf diet. So what’s a chef to do? A few flour mills have been producing a newer version of farina grano arso, a type of toasted grano duro (duram wheat) flour that reproduces the nutty, smoky flavor of the original. Without the back breaking, stubble picking of course.

Orecchiette, which means ears, is local traditional whole wheat pasta. Traditionally cooked with cherry tomatoes and fresh cheese caccioricotta

Puddica - local type of focaccia with tomatoes, olives and acciughe

Focaccia with tomatoes and zicchini

 Some vegetable pate

Schiuma di mare - Sea foam, very small fish, that you can eat raw of marinated, fryed...

Tarallini are a type of baked South Italian snack that is similar to a pretzel or a circular biscuit, mostly savory, but can be sweet.

 So cute cheese)

 Calabrian hot spicy meat pate - nduja

 Taste the oil with local whole wheat bred - yummy!

 Sausiges and other meat delicious things

Turchineddi

 Different vegetables you can eat with meat.

There were restorant that made show cooking with enormours pan
Of course for my work I merited some glasses of wine and a plate of tasty spaghetti))

Of course there should be sweets!

Traditional sicilian sweets with sweet ricotta - cannoli

traditional Lecce sweets - pasticciotti

Street band

Traditional Salento dance - Pizzica

Top view of the central square

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Goatling with vegetables - traditional piemontese recipe

At Christmas dinner we prepared a goatling with vegetables. Traditionally in our region people prepare lamb ribs on the grill or in the oven, but, to be honest, never liked the lamb. So when I came across a goatling in a butcher shop, we decided to change the menu.
This isnot complicated recipe, do not be afraid)) you only need a goatling and vegetables

So, you will need:

1kg of goatling (if take more - increase the amount of vegetables) 
100g of butter
celery about 200g
2 carrots
1 large or 2 medium onions 
3-4 cloves of garlic
100 ml - dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste.

If you take more adult goatling leave it few ours in wine with vegetables.
We already had the meat cut into pieces, but if you take one piece, then cut it into medium-sized pieces.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, put the meat and fry on a high heat.

Clean and chop the vegetables in a blender.

Constantly turn the meat until it is became golden.

Put the mix of vegetables into the meat, cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat.

Take the white wine and pour over the meat. 

Simmer on high heat for a few minutes, then add a glass of water and leave to stew on low heat for about an hour, close with the lid. Try the meat - when it's soft, it's ready. You may need a little bit more to cook the meat. See that is not burnt, add water as needed. 10-15 minutes until finish the cooking  put salt and pepper.

Bon Appetite)