Nonna Laura Makes a Rustic Potato Pie from Puglia!
37 Video Views·Jan 28, 2026
We are in Zollino, a small town in the Grecia Salentina meeting Laura who prepares a traditional pitta di patate salentina, a rustic potato pie, similar to the Neapolitan gâteau di patate, but richer and more rustic in flavor. In Salento, this dish is made all year round and is often eaten cold, served as an appetiser or shared at family gatherings. We also meet her son Alessandro and daughter-in-law of Cristina, who are both part of La Notte della Taranta, the foundation created by the municipalities of the Grecia Salentina to protect and promote the tradition of pizzica.
Laura lives in Zolino close to Lecce in Puglia.
This region is famous for its vegetables.
And of course we had to check out Lecce's vegetable market to admire what was on offer.
What is often overlooked is the humble potato and there are some great Puglian recipes using it.
One is pitta di patate which is similar to the Neapolitan
gatto di patate but this has a much richer filling.
Before we share Laura's recipe please support
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Laura has already boiled two kilos of whole floury potatoes.
Once they're cool enough to handle she removes the skins and cuts them into chunks.
First she softens three sliced onions in olive oil.
While they cook Laura rices the potato pieces in a food mill.
This keeps the mash light and fluffy.
Laura adds a heaped tablespoon of capers rinsed of their vinegar into the onions.
She gives everything a good stir and adds around 250 grams of halved cherry tomatoes.
Lastly she spoons in a teaspoon of salt and gives everything another stir.
She covers the pan and leaves it to cook for another 10 minutes or so.
Laura seasons the mash with a teaspoon of salt.
She adds 100 grams each of grated pecorino and grano padano cheeses.
She cracks in two eggs.
This is 200 grams of durum wheat flour.
Laura uses her hands to make sure everything is properly mixed together.
She doesn't want to work it too much otherwise it will get gluey.
She checks the onion mixture.
It can continue cooking a while longer to reduce the liquid.
Laura oils a deep-sided baking tray the same kind as for making a lasagna.
She takes handfuls of the potato mash and pats them into the base of the tray to form a layer
of potato. She then spoons the onions over the top creating another generous layer.
Laura scatters around 100 grams of good quality black olives which have been de-stoned.
She pats the rest of the mashed potatoes to form another layer.
Laura uses wet hands so the mash doesn't stick.
She roughs up the surface with a fork to encourage crusty bits.
Laura finishes it off with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
This goes into a 200 degree celsius oven to bake for 30 minutes.
While it cooks, Laura's son Alessandro and his wife Cristina
show us a Poolean folk dance called the pizzica.
They belong to a folk group called La Notte della Taranta.
The pizzica is part of the Tarantella group of dances
and it has its origins in the ritualistic cure for a tarantula spider bite.
The couple were off later that day to do a demonstration in Japan.
The pitta is ready.
The fillings can vary and you can eat it any time,
any temperature. It's a flexible and popular dish.
Buon appetito!
And come back next week when Paolino from San Marino makes strozzapreti.