Reliving the Wedding Feast: Antipasti

• Smooth and creamy move: Draw certain attention to yourself in a meeting by dumping a full yogurt drink directly in your lap while someone else is talking. Bonus for new black pants. [Sara: Check. Check.]
• A good round-up on yoga gear.

While down in Puglia, Sante and I decided we wanted to experience our wedding lunch at the same restaurant as last year’s reception. Sante had been missing fresh seafood that is abundant in Puglia, and I just wanted to experience last year’s meal with less stress.

When we go to Puglia we are often wowed by how far our euro goes. This aperitivo below, complete with fresh mozzarella nodini and local olives and our lovely fruity drink, only set us back 3.50 each.

We had our wedding reception in Italy at the Hotel del Golfo, just outside Manfredonia. It, along with its sister hotel, Panorama del Golfo, are renowned for their restaurants which serve fresh seafood. That evening when we went there, the Manfredonia soccer team (Series C1) was just leaving.

We decided to go a bit lighter than the wedding feast and ordered just an antipasti(appetizers) and un primo(first course, pasta). Of course, the antipasto was the mixed house antipasto which was really several plates brought out in succession. Also, Sante had gone to school with one of the waiters and so he brought us extra portions of everything.

At our wedding reception, Sante and I were seated alone at a 2-person table and the waiters would bring us the same size platters that they were bringing to tables with 6 or 8 people sitting at them. We had way too much food andI regretted that so much of it went to waste. Sante tried to eat as much as he could, but with aperitivo (pre-dinner drink and snacks), antipasti(what I’m about to show), three first courses of pasta, mixed seafood on the grill for the second, a large cheese plate, a fruit plate, and THEN cake, it was really hard to pace yourself.

And our reception was what is considered a small lunch, even though it lasted from 1pm-7/8pm, just the eating. Especially in the south of Italy, the bigger the better! Many times they will have a large steak for the second course after huge amounts of food, and it can happen that they are left entirely untouched, which is a shame. We went a little smaller on purpose.

Back to the antipasti that night!

Fried sardines – not my favorite (I actually really like the fresh ones in just a bit of lemon juice and oil) because you have to pick out the bones and that’s a lot of work for such a small bounty!

Polipo alla brace – Grilled octopus

Insalata di mare – boiled octopus and pickled vegetables

Vongole – Mini clams – these came piping hot in a wonderful butter and herb sauce – I ate them like Popcorn clams

Another view of the grilled octopus – look at those tentacles! Really the best dish – the charbroiled flavor is not to be missed with octopus. It totally changes the whole texture, and I look forward to grilled octopus every time.

Breaded cozze (mussels) – so many breadcrumbs and butter, so good! Your arteries will not thank you for this. But your tongue will.

Coming next….I primi! The pasta!