Vacation Eats: A less over-the-top meal

This is a post in my "Vacation Eats" series. I'm posting about various eating and drinking experiences I had on our 2011 Vacation Extravaganza -- Pittsburgh, Boston, Italy, Paris, Pittsburgh. A link to all posts so far is available here. The idea is to lose all the pounds I gained by the time I'm finished with this posting series!

Continuing the vacation meal recaps, here's a dinner "in casa" in Lecce.  Again, the meal was made especially for me -- all meat-free!

Above, to start, brocoli rabe?  Rapini?  Lost in translation.

Followed by peas, fresh mozzarella, olives, and an olive-bread.  Oh, and I ate about 10x what's shown on my plate. 

Dessert was fruit and whipped cream.

I chose pears, kiwi, oranges, strawberries and whipped cream.

Another Easter cake, home-made.  I couldn't eat it b/c it contained almonds.  But I was full enough!

 The Easter lamb cake after several portions were cut out!

The wine we had with dinner.  Different from in Calabria where they drink wine that isn't sold in stores.  Not sure if it's a regional difference, or just different families do different things (like some Calabrians maybe buy bottled wine?  Or some Pugliese drink homemade wine?). 

All in all, another completely amazing meal, probably the healthiest of the trip...

Vacation Eats: Santa Maria de Leuca Restaurant

This is a post in my "Vacation Eats" series. I'm posting about various eating and drinking experiences I had on our 2011 Vacation Extravaganza -- Pittsburgh, Boston, Italy, Paris, Pittsburgh. A link to all posts so far is available here. The idea is to lose all the pounds I gained by the time I'm finished with this posting series!

Another restaurant post where I can't include the name.  We were just north-east along the coast from Santa Maria de Leuca, but it was getting very late in the day, and these beach-side downs are largely deserted anyway this time of year, so we stopped for lunch in what seemed to be a hotel restaurant.  My favorite part was probably the dessert.

First, a few pictures from the drive from Lecce, down to the coast, to Santa Maria de Leuca. 

And then some pictures from Santa Maria de Leuca.  This is where the Ionian and Adriatic seas meet, essentially the tip of the heel of the Italian boot.

And finally, lunch.

Hubby's calamari, which he enjoyed.  I had a salad I think.

My pasta with red sauce.  Good but couldn't compare to what I'd eaten in homes on this trip.

Dessert.  Warm pineapple, topped with vanilla ice cream or gelato, and then a fruit sauce.

After lunch, we went to Gallipoli.  Not the famous WWI Gallipoli, but Italian Gallipoli.  A fun food pic from the parking lot there -- seafood being sold on the street.

Vacation Eats: Italian Coffee

This is a post in my "Vacation Eats" series. I'm posting about various eating and drinking experiences I had on our 2011 Vacation Extravaganza -- Pittsburgh, Boston, Italy, Paris, Pittsburgh. A link to all posts so far is available here. The idea is to lose all the pounds I gained by the time I'm finished with this posting series!

This is under-photographed, but coffee means only one thing in Italy:  espresso.  You can add milk to it, but the base is always espresso.  And you'd best not add milk if it's after 10 a.m.!

Pictured above is a typical Italian bar, with people there in the morning getting coffee.  But note there is also a full wall displaying hard liquor.  We were walking around the area and eventually went back to this bar for coffee (the picture below).  While we were in there, this woman walked in.  Looked to be mid-40s, fairly well dressed, seemed perfectly normal, possibly on her way to work.  She ordered a shot of vodka, pounded it, paid her tab, and left.  Crazy!  We cracked up.  Guess it was going to be a tough day at the office! 

Vacation Eats: Pizza in Lecce

This is a post in my "Vacation Eats" series. I'm posting about various eating and drinking experiences I had on our 2011 Vacation Extravaganza -- Pittsburgh, Boston, Italy, Paris, Pittsburgh. A link to all posts so far is available here. The idea is to lose all the pounds I gained by the time I'm finished with this posting series!

Appalling our neighbor's family, one night in Lecce, hubby was hungry.  For the most part, they seem to usually skip dinner.  But with our expanded stomachs, I was also ready for more food.  I really just wanted a crepe, but I agreed to go with him for pizza.  Our neighbors and their family continued their evening stroll while we ate.  And yeah, I decided to go ahead and get my own pizza -- which I proceeded to eat in full!

Mine (on the right) was called Pugliese -- basically just onions.  Tasty!