It was a hot, humid summer’s day in Naples and my family was stuck in a most disorderly and cacophonous traffic jam. 

My father was in the driver’s seat and my mother was in the front passenger seat with the window open and her right hand resting on the door. 

In a scene out of a Hollywood movie, a handsome young man rode up alongside her. 

“Signora, you are a tourist? Si?” he asked her in the most charming Italian accent. 

“Yes,” my mother answered over the roar of his Vespa. 

“Well, you should put your arm inside the car. In Napoli, there are bad men who would pull your arm off to steal your gold bangles!” 

Then he sped off, weaving skillfully through the sunny gridlock. 

(My mother wore a serious gold “stack” several decades before it was fashionable. Most of her gold bangles were from Baghdad, an engagement gift to my mother from Savta Rosa, my father’s mother.)

While I have traveled back to Italy five times since that hot summer trip in the late ’80s, I have never been back to visit the Southern regions. 

When Rachel and I heard that our friend Dana Shrager (on Instagram @danastable) would be teaching a cooking class in Southern Italy, we were so excited. Alas, the dates (Aug. 31 to Sept. 5) don’t match our busy schedules. 

We decided that the next best thing would be to invite Dana to our kitchen for a day of cooking and dining al fresco. 

With Pesach so close, the three of us decided on a menu that is perfect for a casual Passover lunch or as appetizers for a holiday meal. We landed on Dana’s recipe for fried zucchini fritters and our recipe for a fried melanzana (eggplant) salad. 

—Sharon

I fell in love with Italy and all things Italian from my first visit in 1988 — the crumbling ruins and architectural wonders, the palazzos turned art museums, the chic fashion, not to mention the fabulous food. But I truly found my home away from home when I spent a week at Silvestro Silvestori’s Awaiting Table Cooking School in 2019. 

The school is located in Lecce, a small city in the heel of the Italian boot on the southeastern region of Puglia. Sometimes called “Florence of the South,” Lecce is a vibrant university town with magnificent Baroque buildings, intricately carved from yellow sandstone. The narrow cobblestone streets meander in a maze, but after being there a week, I learned my way around and felt like a local. 

When the pandemic hit, I signed up for Silvestro’s weekly Zoom cooking class. In cooking new recipes week by week, our international group experienced the wonder of all the seasonal variations of the local cuisine.  

Silvestro is the consummate host who makes everyone feel at home. (For the past 22 years, he has welcomed students from 59 countries.) He has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything Puglia, especially the food. In his colorful kitchen, we prepare our meals together from locally sourced ingredients, and then we eat our meals together in the dining room. It feels like a weeklong house party in the company of new friends with lively conversation, authentic Italian food and free-flowing local wine. 

In my journey of Southern Italy, I was surprised to discover that Jews had lived in that region for 1,500 years, from the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. until 1541, post Spanish Inquisition and Expulsion. It was exciting to walk in their footsteps, following the clues they had left behind. It was also a delight to connect with the small Jewish communities that exist there today.  

This has been the inspiration to take others on a similar Italian Jewish cooking journey with a spectacular five-day course, where I’ll be co-teaching with Silvestro. I’ll be sharing Jewish Italian recipes that I have collected from local home cooks during my research.

I’m so excited to introduce the class to the Jewish food native to the five regions of southern Italy, which include Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania (Naples) and Lazio (Rome). We’ll shop like the locals. We’ll have wine tasting and olive oil tastings. We’ll visit museums and take field trips to a nearby seaside town and visit an ancient walled city. 

I hope you’ll join me.

—Dana Shrager

Recipe author at danastable.com

Sharon and I had the most relaxing morning cooking in the kitchen with Dana. She brought us lemons from her tree and fragrant herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley and chives) from her garden. It was mesmerizing to watch her roll her large mezzaluna (a half moon-shaped blade) from side to side to painstakingly chop the fresh herbs. 

The Italians have a saying, “fritte son bone anche le scarpe,” which means that even shoes taste good when they’re fried. Italians love frittura, fried food, which is often served as antipasti and as street food. 

Dana’s original zucchini latkes recipe contained Parmesan cheese, but here we omitted the dairy and replaced it with two tablespoons of potato starch. The resulting fritters had a wonderful crispy outside and a warm, velvety, herby center. They were perfect accompanied by dipping sauces that included a warm marinara, a sweet cinnamon-infused homemade applesauce and a tart, earthy, salty amba aioli. 

We enjoyed them with a refreshing, earthy chopped salad of fried eggplant, Italian parsley, Campari tomatoes and green onion. The dressing was a simple drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkle of kosher salt. 

Buon appetito!

—Rachel 

ITALIAN ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

3 medium zucchini
1 large golden potato
½ medium onion
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp potato starch
½ teaspoon baking powder, optional
1 Tbsp mixed herbs (sage, parsley, chives and thyme)
Avocado or vegetable oil for frying 

1. Grate zucchini, potato and onion using the large holes of a box grater and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle salt over the zucchini, potato and onions, then transfer them into a colander and drain for about 15 to 30 minutes. Press to drain out all the excess water. 

2. Preheat a large fry pan on the stove to medium temperature. Place the zucchini, potato and onions to the large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, egg, potato starch, baking powder and fresh herbs and mix to create a batter. 

3. Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and warm over medium heat. Take a large spoonful of batter and spread out into a flat, thin fritter, about 2½ inches in diameter and about ¼ inch thick. 

4. Cook the first side until dark golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Then flip to cook the second side. Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with two layers of paper towel. 

5. Serve warm with marinara sauce, applesauce, amba aioli or sour cream. 

Notes:

Storage: Cool leftover latkes and stack them in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. 

Freezing: Cool completely, flash freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

How to reheat: Heat at 400°F on a cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes until crisp and sizzling. 

Make ahead: Can make these ahead and refrigerate or freeze until just before serving. Then re-heat to serve warm.

For more information on The Jewish Cooking of Southern Italy class, visit https://danastable.com/italy-trip/.