Puglia is a large, fertile region that forms the heel of the Italian boot. Unlike nearly all other Italian regions, which are mostly hilly and mountainous, it is relatively flat; in its sprawling Tavoliere Plain, much of Italy's wheat and other grains are grown. Two of Puglia's most important cities, Bari (the regional capital) and Brindisi, were already central ports at the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. While cities along the coast (Bari, Taranto, Foggia, Lecce, and Brindisi) are the most densely populated, the areas most heavily visited by tourists are the dreamlike promontory of the Gargano Peninsula and the city of Alberobello, which is home to thousands of unusual stone houses with conical roofs.

Frittata di Rucola e Due Formaggi

Arugula and Two-Cheese Frittata

The Pugliesi make wonderful frittate with all manner of vegetables; arugula is especially tasty, and mates beautifully with sharp Pecorino cheese thanks to its peppery bite.

• 1/2 pound (3 bunches) tightly packed wild arugula, stems removed
• Extra-virgin olive oil for greasing the pan
• 8 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ pound freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• ½ pound fresh Ricotta

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Drop in the arugula and cook 1 minute, or just until limp; drain and cool under running water, then squeeze dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.

Generously grease an 8-inch square brownie pan with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt, pepper, Pecorino, and Ricotta until almost (but not quite) smooth. Stir in the arugula and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until set and golden. Serve the frittata hot, warm, or at room temperature, over baby greens. Serves 2 as a main course, 6 as an appetizer

Pizza di Patate Pugliese

Tomato-and-Cheese-Topped Potato Pizza

A classic recipe from Puglia, in southern Italy. The pizza can be shaped and topped up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerated in the baking pan until you are ready to bake; return to room temperature before baking. Adapated from RUSTICO.

• ½ pound boiling potatoes, peeled
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the baking pan
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ pound fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/4 -inch cubes, drained in a colander 30 minutes and blotted dry
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Place the potatoes in a 1-quart pot. Add cool water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes over medium heat, then drain, pass through a ricer, and cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 450°F.

Mix the potatoes, flour and ¼ teaspoon of the salt on a counter until a smooth dough forms, adding a little water if needed to help the dough come together; if the dough is sticky, add a little flour. The dough will be soft but not sticky.

Flatten into a disk and roll out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter.

Generously grease a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil and line it with the dough. Drizzle the top of the dough with the olive oil; top with the tomatoes, cut side down. Season with the oregano, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper.

Place the pizza pan on the baking stone in the preheated oven and bake 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven, top with the Mozzarella and Parmigiano, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Serve hot. Serves 2 as a main course, 6 as an appetizer

Penne con Rucola e Pomodorini

Penne with Arugula and Tomatoes

This makes a great one-dish meal on a hot summer night. If you like, add half of a minced garlic clove to the tomato mixture before folding in the pasta.

• 2 bunches arugula, stems removed, washed, dried, and chopped
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 cup freshly grated Ricotta Salata

Toss the arugula, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper in a large serving bowl; set aside for 30 minutes to 2 hours at room temperature.

When you are ready to serve, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add the penne and remaining 2 tablespoons of salt, and cook until al dente; drain.

Add the penne to the bowl with the arugula, stir gently, and sprinkle with the Ricotta Salata. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

Orecchiette with Broccoli Raab

Orecchiette are an ear-shaped pasta prevalent in southern Italy, especially Apulia, and are often paired with greens or vegetables such as broccoli, broccoli raab, and cauliflower; feast-day orecchiette call for robust meat sauces instead.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 salted anchovies, deboned, gutted, rinsed, and chopped, or 4 anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, drained and chopped (optional but delicious)
• 2 dried chili peppers, crumbled, or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 bunches (1 pound) broccoli raab, yellow buds and tough stems removed, chopped
• 1 pound orecchiette
• 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (omit if using anchovies)

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over a medium-low flame. Add the garlic and cook 10 seconds; stir in the anchovies and crush them into the olive oil with the back of a fork.

Fold in the chili and keep warm on the lowest possible flame.

Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add the salt, broccoli raab, and orecchiette. Cook until the orecchiette are al dente, stirring often (different brands of orecchiette cook through faster or slower, so test the orecchiette often). Drain and return to the pot. Pour in the warm garlic oil from the skillet, stir in the Pecorino if you like, and serve immediately. Serves 4

Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

Seafood Risotto

I enjoyed this risotto at Trattoria da Mimmo in Vieste, a seaside town in the Gargano Peninsula. The Gargano is the spur of Italy's boot, a breathtaking area of rugged mountains and pristine coastline.

• 1/2 pound cockles or clams
• 1/2 pound mussels
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 dried chili pepper, crumbled, or 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 cups short-grain Italian rice (Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 6 cups fish broth
• 1/4 pound cleaned squid, bodies cut into rings and tentancles halved
• 1/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley

In a large bowl, soak the cockles and mussels in water to cover with 1 tablespoon of the salt for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly (this is essential to get rid of sand and impurities). Rinse thoroughly. Place the cockles and mussels in a 2-quart pot with 1/2 cup of water and cover with a lid; cook over medium heat until they open, about 8 minutes, shaking the pot every minute or so. Remove from the heat, cool a few minutes, and shell; transfer to a bowl, discarding the shells and any unopened cockles and mussels. Strain the cooking juices in the pot through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into the bowl with the shelled cockles and mussels.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart sauté pan over a medium-high flame (a copper pan is ideal). Add the garlic and chili; cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and making sure that the garlic does not burn. Add the rice and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze with the wine. When the wine has evaporated, after about 2 minutes, add the tomatoes; cook 5 minutes, still stirring.

Meanwhile, heat the broth in a 2-quart saucepan to just below the boiling point. Add 1/2 cup of the heated broth to the rice and cook, stirring, until it is almost fully absorbed. Continue to cook the rice, stirring constantly and adding broth by the 1/2 cup whenever the previous addition has been almost fully absorbed, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cockles and mussels, along with their reserved cooking liquid, then stir in the squid and shrimp; cook until the rice is al dente, about 3 more minutes, adding broth as needed (you may not need all of the broth; adding too much broth will result in a soupy rice rather than a risotto, because the rice may not have the time to absorb all of the broth before it cooks through). Season the risotto with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, stir in the butter and parsley, and serve hot. Serves 6 to 8