The women of the Tramis family, who run the restaurant Lilith at Masseria Copertini in Vernole, in the Puglian province of Lecce, will be the guest chefs at the Academic Tables this week.
For 13 years, grandmother Carmela and her daughter Miriana have been serving the dishes of Salento tradition at this family-run restaurant, a member of the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance.
Lilith is in the historic Masseria Copertini, a farmhouse about 10 kilometers from Lecce, built in the late 19th century and renovated using traditional methods. The building is perfectly integrated into the surrounding natural environment. Carmela and Miriana’s dishes use fresh, seasonal ingredients, which they grow themselves or source from local food artisans.
The Tramis family will be coming from Puglia to Pollenzo to prepare a series of dishes that capture the rich flavors of the south: potato pitta with onions, fava beans and wild chicory with crunchy bread; tripe and potato stew; pittule (savory fritters); sagne ‘ncannulate (a typical handmade pasta) with tomato passata and Marzotica ricotta shavings; stewed braciolette stuffed with scamorza and savory; and ciceri e tria (chickpeas with fried pasta). For a sweet finish, there will be a pasticciotto cake, made with shortcrust pastry and pastry cream, and a tart with bitter orange marmalade.