Cooking with Chef Angelo and We Say Goodbye to La Planeta

Two years ago when we curated this tour, we had a cooking class with Chef Angelo Pumilia and knew that our students would love the experience of having him teach a few simple dishes.  Not only is he a gifted chef, he's also a gifted teacher. that combination doesn't always happen, and sometimes chefs aren't capable of teaching, even though they may be an exceptional chef.
Since we were a large group, he was doing a demonstration of a few typical Sicilian dishes for us to try as an aperitivo.  Small stuffed fish, panelle or chick pea fritters, and a type of stuffed dough with potatoes, caramelized onion and herbs. 

Chef Angelo believes in cooking like mama cooked; although his dishes are masterpieces of Sicilian cuisine, he still believes in bringing out the extraordinary from simple ingredients, as our meals have been amazing. 

Local small fish stuffed with bread crumbs, pine nuts and raisins with lemon and orange zest and juice

Potatoes and seasonings for the stuffed bread

Chick pea fritters

potato, anchovy and caramelized onion bread

Another type of stuffed bread for first course or aperitivo

Our aperitivo was served with wines from the Planeta estate.  Tomorrow we are on our way to Ragusa in search of the elusive Ragusano cheese from cows milk, rather than sheeps milk.  Ciao for now.

If It's Monday it Must be Wine Tasting

Staying at La Planeta, all you can see is vineyards and olive groves to the Mediterranean.  Today we took a ride to Ulmo, one of the 5 wine estates that are owned by the Planeta family.  We headed Northeast and just outside the town of Sambucca, we turned off onto a gravel road to the winery.
We were met by Chiara and Ginestra, and taken on a tour of the winemaking facility.

As we walked between the vines and the olive grove, we could see the vines beginning to bud.

The wines that are made here are primarily whites with a few reds.  The fermentation in this area is only for chardonnay which grows well here.

French oak

After a tour of the wine making facility we headed back to the cantina to do a wine tasting.

Fascinated by the trunks of the olive trees

Remains of the day

We tasted wines from each region where Planeta has vines; each totally different since the soil is so different in each area.

After tasting the wines, we went outside to a beautiful courtyard, and had an apperitivo and tasted the olive oils from the estate.  

carrot bruschetta

egg, potato and onion frittata

caramelized onion pizza

Anchovy bruschetta

olives

a little foccacia

Sheeps milk ricotta bruschetta

Sundried tomato bruschetta

OK, so after this, I'm full!  But there is more food---after all this is Italy!

We have come to feel like royalty here, being served some amazing food.  This is my favorite so far. 

They call this a timballo, it is filled with pasta, sauce and cheese, encased in eggplant---buonissimo!

Fortunately, after this, we had a salad and some fruit

After our amazing tour and lunch we were able to buy and ship some wine and olive oil back to the states to remember this spectacular day.  We were going back to La Forestiere for a cooking demo after this.  

Grazie Ulmo, and La Planeta for such a wonderful day!  Ciao for now!