Grandma's stuffed eggplant and fresh pasta from Puglia

I was barely taller than the kitchen table when, as a child, I delighted in watching, a curious spectator, as my mother and aunt busily worked at the stove, preparing traditional local dishes for lunch or dinner. Gradually, that routine of simple, loving gestures and the careful selection of genuine ingredients, which turned into familiar flavors on the plate, became the fundamental ingredients of my own cooking today. I'm a gourmet at heart, and I love cooking for my family, friends, and, in the spirit of hospitality, I also enjoy dedicating time to travelers who, on their journey through Italy, not only explore Puglia and Lecce—its Baroque art, ancient architecture, historic palaces, and the sea—but also wish to savor a bit of our Apulian culinary tradition. For them, I love to prepare sagne 'ncannulate, legumes and meat cooked in a clay pot, homemade pasta with local herbs, savory vegetable pies, and almond pastries.