The Sicilian Cuisine Blog

Exquisite fava beans mash: the Sicilian "maccu"

2012-03-02T12:08:00.000+01:00

Do you know what is the so-called "MACCO DI FAVE"? In Sicilian the word macco becomes maccu and is used to name an exquisite dish we prepare with dried and peeled fava beans. It is a mix between a thick soup and a puree, because when you cook fava beans they mash up and become an homogeneous soup. You can also have it with pasta, as one of our 'minestra'.

Here comes the recipe for 4 people:

250 gr dried peeled fava beans

3 ts tomato sauce
a small bunch of wild fennel (like 20% of the one in the pic)
3 ts extra virgin oil of olive
hot chili pepper (a little piece or half of it)
salt

Preparation:

First of all, wash the fennel under running water. In a pot on a medium heat put some water (about 1 litre) with the fava beans. As soon as the water starts to boil add salt, fennel cut in small pieces and half of a little chili pepper and reduce the heat at the minimum.

Let the beans cook slowly, stirring from time to time so that they don't get stuck at the bottom. To obtain the mash they have to cook about one hour all together, but it also depends on how water you put. If it's too much wait until the majority of it is absorbed by the fava beans.
After the first 25 or 30 minutes, add the spoons of tomato sauce and olive oil. Finally, serve hot with grilled slices of rustic bread spread with a clove of garlic.
It's simple, it's healthy and delicious, everyone loves it and is also perfect for vegeterians. Can we ask for more? :-))

The period of Carnival: costumes and sweets galore!

2012-02-21T17:24:00.010+01:00

Do you know what the Italian Carnival is? The Carnival in Italy is the period of festivity dedicated to the children and it always comes before the Lent, the forty days of Penitence that lead to Easter. In Sicily the most famous Carnival festivities are in Acireale (near Catania, the pic above), in Sciacca (near Agrigento), and in Termini Imerese (near Palermo). Normally people, above all kids, wear particular costumes, so it's quite common in these days to see walking little Supermen, cowboys, Robin Hoods or princesses along the street with their parents. So cute!
At the table the Carnival is the period in which you really can get fat and enjoy food, infact traditional sweets are usually fried and we call it with a general word: "frittelle". Frittelle means something sweet and fried.

To be more specific though, we have lots of stuff that we prepare: the most renowned in the whole of Italy are definetely the 'CHIACCHIERE', that means 'chats'. This crunchy sweets are called so because you eat one after the other while chatting.

By the way, I have to warn you that even if they are made all over the country in every region of Italy have a different name (cenci, galani) and shapes (rectangular, little knots), which is interesting but sometimes a bit confusing. In Sicily we call it chiacchiere and especially if homemade, they are delicious, because we add some parfumed liquoer, Marsala is usually the best and make them really special!

Here comes the recipe:

200 gr flour - 2 eggs - 20 gr caster sugar - 20 gr soft butter - 2 spoons of Marsala - a pinch of salt - oil of olive for frying.

In a bowl mix the flour with all the other ingredients: salt and sugar, butter and Marsala, then the 2 eggs previously beaten. Make the dough little by little, until it becomes elastic and homogeneous. Give it the shape of a ball, wrap it up with a kitchen cloth and leave it aside for about 30 minutes. Then, using the rolling pin, roll it out, but not too thick, about 1/2 cm. Now, you can cut it and make all the shapes that you want.

In a frying pan put some olive oil, when is hot enough fry the chiacchiere until they become gold-ish. Finally sprinkle icing sugar on top and serve still warm. You will chat a lot! Ahah... just exquisite!

The stuffed rustic bread in Sicily is called "pane cunzato"

2012-02-20T18:09:00.006+01:00

Do you know what "pane cunzato" is? And how can we make it? Pane cunzato in Sicilian dialect means literally stuffed bread. When we talk about this preparation which is easy and delicious, we have to find out which are the secrets to make a great pane cunzato.

The first is obviously the bread: we use the long-shaped rustic one that in Sicily is called "filone". It is perfect because is soft inside but crispy outside. The second secret is obviously the oil. It must be rigourously extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with some salt and black pepper. If you have fresh rustic bread and a really good olive oil your pane cunzatu will be absolutely amazing. But it's not just that!

We also add, traditionally, three more ingredients: anchovies that give a strong taste, some slices of tomato that give softness and freshness in the mouth and an abundant sprinkle of oregano, which makes the different! So, if you are hungry and fancy some genuine Mediterranean taste, don't have to wonder what to prepare anymore. You know the answer! :-)

Enjoy!

"Four Seasons": the brand new restaurant in Lascari

2012-02-06T16:00:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I spent a lovely day in Lascari, a small village near the more famous Cefalù, where there is a new born restaurant called "Four Seasons" that opened last december. Nice colors on the walls, attention to details and a warm and pleasant atmosphere make the customers at ease, but obviously what people will appreciate the most, are the superb and innovative dishes prepared by the young and talented Chef Giuseppe Di Cristina.

"Tortino di cavolfiore e patate" (mini-pie with cauliflower and potatoes), "Ravioli alla crema di formaggio" (ravioli with cheese sauce) and an amazing fillet with fresh porcini served on a slice of rustic bread, just to name a few, but I would like to spend two more words on a delicious first dish created by the Chef himself some years ago: "Risotto with green apple and scamorza", which is a local smoked tasty cheese. Just perfect!

The desserts were fresh made as well and really enjoyable. (Here on the left the fabulous semifreddo with pistaches and dark melted chocolate on top!)

Another thing that I liked was the menù. Infact being called 'Four Seasons' the place has not only a menù with things that may be found all year around but also a second menù according to the current season, created to use the fresh products of the four seasons. And prices are reasonable too!

What else can I say then? It's new, it's good, if you pass by, just go there, you will have a great time!

Four Seasons - Ristorante Pizzeria
Via Alcide De Gasperi 15/b,
Lascari (PA)
Italy

CheeseArt in Ragusa, for those who love cheese!

2012-01-28T18:25:00.003+01:00

Do you know what "CheeseArt" is? CheeseArt is a great event located in Ragusa and organised by the Association Corfilac. It will celebrate the opening of two important places devoted to cheeses. The first is the Cacioteca Regionale Siciliana and the second is a lab called Accademia della terra, where is possible to taste products and have guided tours.

Now, I believe the world is divided in 2 species: people who love cheeses and people who hate them. I still get a bit disappointed when I come across a person that says: "I don't like cheeses." I always wonder: "How is that possible? I love them!!!"

I know I know, it seems very appropriate quoting the famous latin sentence: "de gustibus non disputandum est!" It means that there is no point in discussing about people's taste because everyone has its own.

Let's not discuss then, let's just go to Ragusa for this amazing event and if you are too far to go, have some nice cheese and enjoy it! ;-)

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-06T14:45:00.002+01:00

Here we go! A year has passed since I started this online experience that has given me a lot of satisfacions. Thanks for the many mails, requests and nice comments I received in these months, I really appreciated them!

It is my first blog and having reached almost 55,000 readers after 12 months is absolutely an amazing result, I am so proud as I did all by myself and without any help... so thank you very much!

Today is the festivity of the Epiphany so, just like the 3 wisemen, I would like to bring you three little presents wishing a very Happy New Year to spend with the Sicilian Cuisine blog:

1) Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are - Brillat Savarin

2) Laughter is brightest where food is best - Irish Proverb

3) We should look for someone to eat and drink with, before looking for something to eat and drink! - Epicurus

Think and enjoy! :)))

Merry Christmas from the Sicilian Cuisine Blog

2011-12-24T23:35:00.003+01:00

It's almost midnight and Baby Jesus is about to come to this world once again. I would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the people that, just once, or more often, read or came upon my blog. I hope this Christmas may bring you serenity and a real peace for your hearts.

The most significant symbol of this festivity is the Crib, the representation of the Nativity, so for you passionate just like me about food what best Crib than a wonderful biscuits and chocolate Nativity? It is made by a Sicilian Training Catering school (S.a.m.e).

E N J O Y... and Many many Season's Greetings for you and your families! :)

Delicious fried cardoons, aka "cardi in pastella"

2011-12-20T14:17:00.000+01:00

Do you know what cardoons are? And how we eat them? Here we have some vegetables that are not easy to find in other part of the world and I guess that cardoons are just an example. They are long-shaped vegetables characterised by a little bitterness, reason why kids don't usually like them, but by contrast adults really do.

We normally boil them and prepare them in 2 versions: a dietetic one if it's a normal day of the week, which means only seasoned with olive oil, salt and lemon juice that reduce the bitterness, or in the fried version, usually as starter for one of the winter festivities.

In this case we make what we call "pastella", a batter made of flour, water, salt, lemon juice and baking soda. Quantities as usual are difficult to define, normally an expert eye knows when it's enough :)

Preparation:

1. Wash the cardoons under running water, removing some external leaves and the superior part of the bunch.
2. Boil them in salted water where you can add the half of a lemon.
3. Check them after 25 minutes or so with a fork, if it goes inside the cardoons and they are tender means they are ready, so you can drain and put them in a bowl to cool off.
4. In another recipient or bowl mix carefully flour with water, trying not to make any lumps. You can choose to have a more liquid batter or a ticker one, I prefer the second option.
5. Add salt and some baking soda and squeeze some lemon juice on the baking soda. It will look like it's frying. As soon as the chemical reaction is finished mix all together and there you have your batter ready!
6. Put some olive oil on a frying pan on a high heat and in the meantime cut the cardoons in medium or small pieces (as you prefer).

7. When the oil is hot, deepen one piece after the other in the batter and fry them all on both sides until they become golden brown.

8. Finally leave them few minutes on some kitchen paper to absorb the exceeding oil and serve them hot on a nice plate with some toothpicks on. In this way they easily become Sicilian finger food! It is also possible to add some more salt and lemon juice on top of them to reduce again the bitterness and, besides, lemon is great on fried food in general because it tents to eliminate the grease. Believe me, you will find them just amazing!

Santa Lucia & the tradition: let's find out what when & why

2011-12-13T15:52:00.014+01:00

Do you know why on December the 13th which is the day of the Sicilian Virgin and Saint Lucy here in Sicily we eat some stuff called: "cuccìa", "panelle" and above all "arancine"? Let's make it clear once and for all :)

The story has got ancient roots: in the XVIIth century the city of Palermo and probably all the areas around were suffering from a terrible famine; people were starving and had nothing to eat, so they started to pray Saint Lucy who was originally from the Sicilian town of Siracusa. On the day of her festivity in 1646 (during the period of famine) a huge ship arrived in the harbour of Palermo and it was full of wheat.

People were so hungry that use the grain just as it was, boiled and eaten it with the few things they had like oil of olive and vegetables. Little by little the tradition of cooking the wheat in grains spread on that day and people started to make also a sweeter version which in Sicily has always to be with ricotta cream. The name of this dish is "cuccìa" (the pic above is the sweet cuccìa), probably coming from the word "cocciu", which literally means grain. So this day is the only day of the year in which pasta and bread are banned from Sicilian tables to remind us the story of this miracle.

Now, having banned all the food made of wheat people had to eat other stuff apart from the cuccìa, so they started to eat potato pies, panelle which are chickpea fritters (the pic above), also in their sweet version filled with little custard and caster sugar on top (see the pic here on the right).

But the food that the majority of Palermo citizens relate to this day are the unique "arancine", scrumptious fried rice balls filled with different ingredients: ham & mozzarella cheese or minced

meat ragout (the classic ones) but today you also find them with spinach, salmon and sometimes chicken as well. Hence, although it started like a day of penitence today by contrast it is popularly known as "the day of arancine", in which the "average palermitano" stuffs himself with 5 or 6 (and sometimes 8,9,10!!!) rice balls, and probably, if you ask him/her why there is no bread or pasta he/she doesn't even know how to answer.

I am a huge fan of traditions, but I think it's important to know their stories and where they actually come from, so if you wanna try an arancina, or a sweet panella or some cuccìa on this very special day for us, feel free to do so, but at least you know why!

Oregano and lemon zest, two things I cannot live without!

2011-11-15T12:53:00.000+01:00

Give me some pizza and I will put a ton of oregano on it. Ask me to make a sweet pie with ricotta cheese (our traditional cassata) and I will grate some lemon zest inside. If I prepare some healthy steamed cabbage as side-dish and a beef steak I will sprinkle both of them with some oregano and if I cook a plate of pasta alla carbonara or pasta with smoked salmon... here we go again I must have some lemon zest.

I could go on and on and on but I think I made myself quite clear. There isn't another ingredient in the kitchen that I love to taste more than these two when I eat. They both have such a Mediterranean delicate but fabulous smell and are able to turn a good dish into a superb one because of their parfume! Isn't it amazing?

Another reason why I love them it's... I guess that for me they are just home! I like trying different cuisines and new ingredients but when I have something with oregano or lemon zest... that's just where I belong to.

Yesterday by the way, I was watching a tv show about cookery where there was a Sicilian chef. He was preparing some chicken legs cooked in beer with rosemary and garlic, and.... guess what did it put on top of it? Lemon zest! So it's good to know I am not the only one crazy about it :)

Sicilian November tradition: "frutta di Martorana & pupi di zucchero"

2011-11-01T12:00:00.007+01:00

In Sicily and in particular in Palermo there are two important festivities that come on the beginning of November. On the very 1st of the month we celebrate All Saints' day, which is a religious day dedicated to the Saints, so it's important if we want to ask them help or pray for intercession. The 2nd of November is All Souls' day and is dedicated to the loved ones that we lost and it's a completely different thing.

When we were kids, the 2nd of November was an important awaited day, because parents used to tell children that during the night a deceased relative of the family came on that special day of the year to visit them and bring gifts plus many delicious sweets for the little ones. It was called "u cesto di morti", which means the basket brought by the deads! The children had to be very careful, if the deads arrived while they were still awake, they would tickle their feet. Another sweet gift that they used to bring were the famous precious "pupi di zuccaro", beautiful dolls made only of sugar (pic on the right).

But the most renowned sweets that we make for this occasion is the famous "Frutta di Martorana", which means marzipan made with almond flour and shaped in any kind of fruits and vegetables (pic above). The name comes from the Nuns of the Monastery of Martorana, nearby the same Church, who were the ones that used to prepare these fruits on the 1st of November. These fruits are also called "Pasta reale", which means royal pastry, because was often appreciated by many kings during the centuries and is exactly the same that we use on Easter day for representing the Lamb.

Nowadays, it has become more and more difficult to keep this tradition alive, due to the Hallowen influence on our culture. We want to keep this recurrence alive in our own way, thinking that all Souls' Day is not only a commemoration of the deads, but also a real celebration of their lives. They are not with us anymore in body, but we believe they keep staying close and although is sad, we want our children to remember them with a smile, not with fear. Nothing to be afraid of, because without death there wouldn’t be any life and viceversa.

Filled bell peppers: gorgeous Mediterranean taste

2011-10-20T16:52:00.007+02:00

Do you know how to make some bell peppers filled with cheese and olives? This is a typical Sicilian side-dish and it has definetely got a great Mediterranean taste. There are several fillings for these vegetables, but I like to do a simple one, not long, nor difficult.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
2 bell peppers
80 gr. green pitted olives
150 gr. Sicilian primo sale cheese
4-5 ts breadcrumb
3 ts tomato sauce
e.v. olive oil
oregano
salt

1. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the inside and the seeds and wash them under running water.
2. Switch the oven on at a temperature of about 180° C.
3. In a bowl or a large dish put the breadcrumb and mix it with the olive oil, the tomato sauce, a pinch of salt and the olives cut in halves or even better in slices. Sprinkle with abundant oregano.
4. Now cut the cheese in cubes.
5. In an oven dish, put a drizzle of oil at the bottom and with a spoon start filling the pepperoni one at a time, first with the breadcrumb mix and then topping with the cubes of primo sale cheese (or any other tasty cheese you like).
6) Place them in the oven dish and let them cook for about 30 minutes or so. Better if you check after 20 minutes and see how the cooking is going, the cheese must melt and the bell peppers have to be quite soft.

Serve them when they are getting warm, it will be the perfect moment because you can appreciate the different flavours of the dish without burning your mouth. This is a typical Mediterranean recipe, also perfectly suitable for vegeterians and I really hope you can enjoy it!

What do Sicilians eat for breakfast?

2011-10-05T08:00:00.001+02:00

Do you know what Sicilians usually eat for breakfast? When I decided to create a food blog I loved the idea of posting not only mere recipes, but also stories, origins and any other information that can be interesting about our way of eating and our habits. So that is what this article is about: our breakfast!

As Sicily is a part of Italy (can't stand those who say the opposite only because it's an island!), Sicilian breakfast at home is like the Italian one: strong black coffee, with or without milk, with few biscuits or some sliced bread with butter and jam, possibly homemade. But if you do have breakfast out things change. It's still true we can't live without the black espresso from the bar or the lovely cappuccino, we also love fresh orange juice (squeesed in that moment!) and we usually have some delicacies with those things.
The most traditional ones in Palermo and its province are: treccine (twist shaped), millefoglie, ciambelle and brioche; (up above the picture of a ciambella and a treccina).
(You'll also find the international croissants and similar stuff such as Danish pastries with cream and apple, ecc... like in the rest of the world I suppose.)

The dough of this four things are similar one another, the first two treccine and millefoglie (here on the left a millefoglie) are baked and have sugar on top, they only have different shapes, plus the millefoglie has got raisins as well. Ciambelle (pic on top) are fried and very similar to donuts, at least in their shape, but are bigger, softer and with caster sugar. Needless to say they are the best and all the kids love them!
I remember when I was a child and I had to go to the doctor for blood exams with my empty stomach, after that horrible experience (as a kid) only a big soft rounded ciambella could make me smile again!!! :-)))

Finally there are the briosce or brioche, the word comes from the French. Careful when you use this word in other parts of Italy because in the north (like in Milan) they call briosce a normal croissant, while we don't because as I've just explained for us are to different things!

Our brioches are plain baked buns (oval or rounded like here on the right) and we eat them in many different ways: you can have an empty brioche with your cappucino in the morning, then a briosce with ham and tomato for lunch, and even a brioche with ice cream for dinner or during the afternoon! This is how Sicilians love to eat their ice cream in Summer!!! They are suitable for every need :)))
Talking about the hot season I have to add that there are many Sicilians who prefer to have a lemon granita (I think the correct translation should be shovel or ice shaved) with the brioche instead of the hot cappuccino in the Summer mornings, but this is up to everyone's taste and habit. I like my cappuccino even in the middle of July!

So now you can understand a little bit more about our first meal, and when you come to Sicily you will definetely know what to ask for breakfast!

Pasta with squash, our summer & fall "minestra"

2011-09-30T22:22:00.006+02:00

Do you know how to cook "pasta con la zucchina a minestra"? I already told you about pasta a minestra in general, now we are preparing a specific minestra with squash. This is a great summer and autumn dish.

I know I know, everyone thinks that in summer you only have to eat cold or refreshing food, but Sicilian tradition do not agree with that. Infact in Summer we also prepare some types of pasta made with broth, like a soup, and this is exactly one of them. You may not have it too liquid (like it is in the pic above, but that depends only on your personal taste!) Even better is having it in this season, when the first rains arrive.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
1 half of a squash (if very long)
1 small onion
400 gr. broken spaghetti (Ital. spaghetti spezzati)
4-5 ts of tomato sauce
80 gr. matured caciocavallo cheese in small pieces
salt (or a bio stock-cube if preferred)
olive oil
a small piece of dried red pepper

1. You peel the squash (pic on the left), cut it in half and then in thin slices. 2. On a medium heat put a large pan with half the water. 3. As soon as the water boils put salt (or a bio stock-cube if preferred), onion and the squash in pieces. 4. After about 12-14 minutes put the pasta and the tomato sauce. For this dish we use the "spaghetti spezzati" type of pasta, which are simply broken spaghetti.
5. When the pasta is almost cooked (usually after 10-12 minutes) put the little pieces of caciocavallo cheese inside the soup, so that they have the time to melt a bit (matured caciocavallo is very hard).This local cheese is very salty and tasty, so is the perfect contrast with the delicate taste of the squash.

If you want to try this lovely pasta don't hesitate: it's simple, healthy and tasty. Perfect for vegeterians or even health food nut people :) Enjoy!

Fresh homemade tomato sauce: it's worth doing it!

2011-09-22T21:24:00.008+02:00

Do you know how to make a fresh delicious homemade tomato sauce? Have you ever tried?

The making of tomato sauce (in Italian salsa di pomodoro) definetely reminds me of my childhood summers spent in our country-house along with my family and my maternal grandparents.

My mum and my grandma sometimes were doing the "salsa" (literally means sauce and when we say the word alone it only means tomato sauce). I used to watch the process, not the entire one though, as it was very long and after a while I inevitably got bored; so I was coming and going from the kitchen from time to time.

Last week after so many years I decided to prepare once again some fresh tomato sauce. Contrary to what I used to think when I was 10, it didn't seem to me neither long nor boring. That's good!

It took me just an afternoon (cooking time included) and the result was great! I was so proud :-)

Ingredients:
1 kg ripen tomatoes
1 onion
1 full teaspoon of salt
1/2 spoon of caster sugar
black pepper
olive oil
fresh basil
cinnamon in powder
nutmeg
1. Wash the tomatoes under running water, then roughly cut them and put them in a sauce pan together with the sliced onion. Let cook the two together for about 30 minutes on a very low heat with a lit.
2. After that it's time to mash them up. To help you speed up the process you can first blend the mix; this will facilitate the squeezeing phase.
3. To squeeze them put them in a strainer. I have an electric tomato strainer (or squeezer... I am not sure how you exactly call it) so it's very easy (See the pic here on the left). When you have finished the squeezing phase, the liquid that you have gathered in the sauce pan is very watery and needs to be reduced to the proper thickness of the tomato sauce, so it has to cook again on a very low heat for at least two hours and half or until it is not watery anymore.

4. As soon as the liquid is becoming more and more "sauce" than water add all the ingredients to make it tasty: salt, sugar, a pinch of black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and some fresh leaves of basil. Taste it and adjust with salt and sugar if needed.

In the end add also a drizzle of extravergin olive oil... and that's pretty much it, your fresh homemade tomato sauce is ready!!!
You can use it on your pasta, bruschettas, pizza or wherever you like. You will be proud too! ;-)

Enjoy!

"Anelletti al forno", our scrumptious baked Sicilian pasta

2011-08-16T12:44:00.003+02:00

Do you know what "anelletti al forno" are? Here in Sicily we have a typical shape of pasta that is called "Sicilian anelletti" which means little rings. We normally use them when we want to prepare our traditional baked pasta!
You may find this little timballo of pasta in bars and diners in Palermo that goes with the most classic Sicilian ragout made of minced meat, tomato sauce, onions and pieces of vegetables like carrots and peas.

As this recipe is usually very rich we normally eat it in winter, while for summer we have a different version, considered absolutely "lighter" :-)
It is made of tomato sauce, fried eggplants or aubergines and Sicilian primosale cheese.

My family and I love this version of baked anelletti a lot more than the one with meat and we also add another ingredient: thin slices of Napoli salami, while other people prefer to add ham.

This preparation takes a while (about 3 hours plus baking time), but the result is a scrumptious mouthwatering baked pasta that we normally have for the most important summer festivity: August the 15th, which is called Ferragosto (mid August term) but it is also a Catholic festivity that celebrates the Assumption of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.
Baked pasta is something you do in layers, so read and follow the recipe carefully.

Ingredients and preparation for about 6 people:
600 gr. anelletti
2 aubergines or eggplants
200 gr. Napoli salami
250 gr. Sicilian primosale cheese
100 gr. Grated Sicilian caciocavallo cheese
1 bottle tomato sauce (about 750 ml)
breadcrumb
olive oil

1. First turn on the heat and put on a big pot for cooking the pasta. In the meantime 2. cut the eggplants in slices, not too thin, place them on a colander with salt on and leave them aside for about 15 minutes. It will make them release the bitterness and taste sweeter. After the time has passed just wash them under running water and they are ready to be fried in olive oil.

3. By the time you have finished frying, water in the pot will be boiling, so cook the anelletti as normal pasta, putting some salt in the water. They need about 20 minutes of cooking. 4. Stir the anelletti from time to time and prepare the tomato sauce in an appropriate sauce pan. 5. Cut the primosale cheese in slices or thin pieces and also the salami (you can either leave it in slices or cut it into pieces as well).

6. When the pasta is cooked (but careful not to overcooked it because it has to go in the oven as well!), drain it and add the tomato sauce plus the grated caciocavallo cheese.

Now it's time to start building the layers:
7. Take a large oven dish or tray with high rims and cover the space with some olive oil first, and breadcrumbs after, then put half the amount of anelletti mixed with tomato sauce and grated caciocavallo cheese on the bottom of the tin, then cover with a layer of fried eggplants, then primosale cheese and finally the third one with salami, just as shown in the picture below.

8. Put the rest of anelletti on top and finally cover with some more spoons of tomato sauce to avoid the pasta becoming too dry in the oven, then a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of breadcrumbs again to make the crust in the oven.
9. Bake for about 35 minutes or a little more, until it is golden and crusty.

10. Serve hot! On the right the final picture of how the whole thing should look before the baking phase. This is one of the best first dishes of all times... enjoy it!!!

Have a rest with a "Sicilian granita"

2011-08-11T16:37:00.005+02:00

Hi everyone, do you know what the "granita di pistacchi" is? Granita is something very typical from Sicily and is basically what you probably call a shaved ice or similar. Nice, cool, refreshing, perfect when the sun is hot and you want to have a rest.

In the southern part of Sicily the granita is particularly good and they prepare it with so many different flavors: pistaches, figs, coffee, watermelon, mint, ecc... besides the most classic one that is made with lemon.

Thanks to the picture that my two friends Laura e Carlo sent me while they were visiting the town of Ragusa. If you are in that part of Sicily, or near Siracusa as well, don't forget to try one of this excellent granite!!!

Everyone is on holiday right now so I want to wish Happy Ferragosto (ferragosto is our Summer festivity: August 15th) and enjoy your Summer vacation wherever you are!

Gelo di mellone: our summer watermelon pudding

2011-07-30T12:55:00.003+02:00

Do you know what the "gelo di mellone" is? It's the name of a very traditional summer pudding that is made in Palermo and its province. Mellone in Italian is a generic word to mean melon, but this dessert is actually made only with watermelon and has a delicate and delicious fresh taste.

We like to eat it plain, just as a pudding but we also use it as filling in the pie, to have a more important dessert! You find it in all the patisseries of the Sicilian capital in summertime and you can also see the single-portions (mini-pies) as well as the big pie.

Ingredients & preparation for 8-10 people:
1 lt fresh watermelon juice
100 gr. starch
200 gr. sugar
50 gr. chocolate chips
a glass of jasmine water
*pistaches and cookies to serve (but not essential)

Before starting to prepare the "gelo" you need a couple of jasmine flowers. Wash them and leave them in water for 24 hours.
Now you are ready to start:
1. Cut the watermelon and put the pieces in a blunder, having removed the green hard part. Blund until it becomes all liquid.
2. To strain the juice and remove the solid little parts we usually use a kitchen tool similar to the one we use to press the tomatoes for the sauce, it's also similar to a colander, but bigger, like the one in the pic below. When you have finished to strain the juice you can measure how much of that you've got. Usually a big quarter of a watermelon should be around 1 liter.

3. In a sauce pan mix the starch and the sugar, then, when you have obtained the proper amount of juice pour it little by little, stirring constantly with a spoon or a whip. When the ingredients are all melted together place the sauce pan under a low heat.
4. Add the jasmine water and gently keep stirring until the liquid starts to boil and become as consistent as a pudding. As soon as it is quite solid (few minutes) turn off the heat and place it in little bowls for single portions or in a large mold or tin instead.

5. Let it cool down and after at least 40-45 minutes if it is not warm anymore put the chocolate chips on top and if you like also some pistaches as the one shown in the big picture above.
6. Place in the fridge at least two hours before serving it. Then, to finish up the decoration in the best possible way just stick two wonderful cookies or other kind of biscuits to accompany the pudding and you will enjoy it so much that you are definetely going to make it again and again and again! Happy Summer :-)))

Let's talk about "CAPONATA!"

2011-07-16T11:42:00.012+02:00

Do you know what "caponata" is? With this word we generally refer to the caponata made of eggplants or aubergines but it's actually a generic word to indicate a specific Sicilian sweet&sour sauce with which we like to cook and season some kind of vegetables, but not only.

In ancient times people used to have it with fish and white meat as well, but today we make the traditonal one with eggplants and some other versions with artichokes, carrots and even apples. Delicious!!!

What probably happened in the past was that rich and noble people used to have it with fish and meat, but the majority of the population coudn't afford it, so they just substituted the expensive food with a cheaper one, and the fried eggplant/aubergine was the perfect ingredient for the soft consistency and not too decide taste.

To talk a little bit more about the introduction of the caponata sauce in Sicily we have to go back to the Middle Age, during the Saracen domination. Infact they were the ones to introduce it in our island.
Its secret is the perfect balance between the sweet (sugar or honey) and the sour (vinegar).
Then capers, olives, onion, celery and tomato sauce were added in the following centuries on a drizzle of olive oil.

It was a dish that became very popular among Sicilian sailors on ships, because it was easier for them to eat the rusk on board with a more scented sauce.

For us it's a side dish or sometimes even a starter and definetely needs some fresh rustic bread to be appreciated at the most.

Recipe & preparation of the Caponata sauce:
1 onion
200 gr green olives
50 gr salted capers
50 gr celery ribs
1 cup of tomato sauce
1/3 cup of sugar
2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
salt
olive oil

1. In a small sauce pan put some water and blanch the celery already cut in pieces. 2. In a frying pan put some olive oil on a low heat and add the thinly chopped onion. 3. Let it sauteè a bit, then put some tomato sauce, celery, capers and olives. 4. Now for the sweet and sour sauce pour some vinegar first, then sugar and salt, one after the other.

It's always hard to define quantities precisely when you have a family recipe. As the flavor of the caponata has to be very balanced it's important to taste the sweet&sour sauce while cooking and adding sugar or salt or vinegar if needed.

If you want to do it with eggplants/aubergines we usually use 2 big rounded ones (the Tunisin type), we first put them under salt and fry them (read the exact process here). Different is for artichokes and carrots which are actually blanched or boiled and then seasoned with the sauce on a medium heat.

I really hope you can enjoy this sparkling scrumptious dish as much as we do. I am sure you will lick the plate clean and coudn't wait to try another version of this wonderful dish of our historical food tradition. A bit of caponata cheers your life up and everyone loves it, veggies and not veggies.

Sicilian cheeses: la vastedda del Belice

2011-06-28T15:00:00.002+02:00

Do you know what is the so-called "vastedda del Belice"? It's a local exquisite cheese coming from the area of Belice, in the province of Agrigento.

The vastedda, which is the only "pasta filata cheese" (or stretched cheese) is made from sheep and has an ivory color. In the past it was produced only in Summer (from May to October) but now you find it all year round. The experts used to produce it in summer to try to recuperate the pecorino cheeses that had come out with some defects. Infact the name itself in Sicilian dialect vasta or vastedda means wrong, gone bad.

Basically these pecorini were stretched at high temperature, creating a new kind of oval-shaped cheese that was perfect to be eaten fresh in few days and it was extremely tasty too! Farmers started to eat it with bread and tomatoes at their lunch break in the fields. Nowadays this local cheese is a POD and is produced in the provinces of Agrigento, Palermo and Trapani.

From the Sicilian food "Pasta alla Norma" to "La Norma" opera

2011-06-26T15:28:00.001+02:00

I couldn't tell you about Pasta alla Norma without posting Casta Diva, the most famous aria of Vincenzo Bellini's masterpiece, La Norma, here sung by Maria Callas.

I hope you can appreciate it as much as I did, because I think that music is just as sublime as food. Enjoy!

"Pasta alla Norma", what's the story of this incredible dish?

2011-06-25T11:58:00.008+02:00

Do you know how to make pasta alla Norma? And what is the story of this Sicilian dish? The pasta alla Norma is originally from Catania, the second bigger city in Sicily and is dedicated, just as the name suggests, at the famous opera lirica LA NORMA composed in 1831 by Vincenzo Bellini, a musician from Catania.

I have actually heard two different stories about this dish: the first one says that the name of the dish was given by a playwright Nino Martoglio, also from Catania. He was comparing the goodness of the pasta with the opera lirica and exclaimed: This is a Norma! (meaning as goos as the Norma...)

Second story is that while writing this masterpiece Vincenzo Bellini used to go to a restaurant and ordered always this dish of pasta, so the owner finally name it after his opera to homage Bellini. Besides, it is said that at those times the dish had a very special presentation: it was like a mountain-shaped plate of pasta with eggplants/aubergine at the bottom, all cut in pieces or slices and then on top the tomato sauce with grated salted ricotta covering everything. It was a very creative representation of the Mount Etna with its land, lava and snow.

Making the Norma is very easy if you have the right ingredients. For 6 people you will need:

600 gr maccheroni or spaghetti

500 ml tomato sauce

olive oil

grated salted ricotta

basil

salt
aromas (cinnamon, nutmeg)

2 eggplants or aubergines

Preparation:

In Sicily we have two varieties of eggplants or aubergines: the oval ones and the rounded ones. These last ones (the pic on the right) are the best and the most used in the kitchen because of their sweeter delicate taste. We call them "tunisine" which means Tunisian, allegedly because they used to come from there.
1. When we use eggplants/aubergine we cut them in slices or dices, depending on the dish we are gonna make and then we place them on a colander with abundant salt and leave it aside for about 15 minutes. My mother taught me since I was a kid that this is good for giving eggplants/aubergines a sweeter taste and letting release the bitter they contain. After that you just have to wash them under running water and they are ready to be cooked.

2. Second step is frying. In a pan put some olive oil and start frying your eggplants until they become slightly brown on both sides (not black!). For this dish you can either do slices or cubes, it doesn't really matter!

3. Prepare pasta as you normally do, boiling it in salted water. While pasta is cooking put some tomato sauce in a sauce pan with some fresh basil and adjust with salt, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to make it more parfumed.

4. As soon as pasta is drained cover it with the tomato sauce and the eggplants/aubergines and grate on top the salted ricotta or instead, if you don't have it, some parmisan cheese. It will still be delicious and you will just ask for more.

*In some families they also like to add some mozzarella cheese in cubes before serving the pasta. They mix all the ingredients together in the pan and then serve with the mozzarella still thready. It is just an addition to the original recipe, but I swear they are both unforgettable and suitable for vegeterians. Enjoy!

Thanks to my friend Giuseppe for sending me the picture of his lovely pasta alla Norma!

Mint-flavored potato salads, a delicious summer side dish

2011-06-17T16:32:00.010+02:00

Do you know how to prepare a lovely fresh side dish with mint-flavored potatoes that taste like Summer? Easy. Just keep on reading :)

Sorry for not posting anything in the past weeks but all of a sudden my digital camera decided to die, so I had (and still have) several problems in making pictures.

The dish I am talking about today is inevitably tied to summer memories back in my childhood and especially to my Grandma: nonna Nuccia, so I wanted to render homage to her with this picture.

In july and august we used to live all together in a big country house and we all prepared something for dinner or helped mum and grandma in cooking. The mint-flavored potato salads was a typical dish she liked to prepare and eat as well. Very easy and tasty, perfect for a light summer meal.

Recipe for 6 people:

1 kg potatoes

a small bunch of fresh mint

2-3 cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil

vinegar

salt

black pepper

First wash the potatoes under running water then boil them in salted water inside a large casserole.

In the meantime prepare a kind of marinate in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, black pepper as you like, some vinegar, the fresh mint thinly chopped and the garlic cut in thick slices (you don't have to eat it but at least would perfume the dish together with the mint and will make a difference!)

Try the potatoes with a fork, when they are cooked (careful not to overcook them!) drain and let them cool about half an hour, then remove the skin and cut them in pieces, placing them in the bowl with the marinate and mixing well with the oil and the other ingredients together. They have to stay in the fridge at least a couple of hours before being served because they must have time to season and become tasty at their best. Then your palate will enjoy this lovely combination of freshness and goodness!

I like this side dish not only because of my memories but also because is perfect when you are desperate and don't know what to cook. Everyone usually love potatoes and if you want to prepare them in a light Mediterrenean style.... this is definetely the perfect way. You will make all the people happy as it perfect also for vegeterians!

Sicilian Wine Pairings with Sicilian Cuisine, 2nd part

2011-05-30T09:52:00.001+02:00

As I promised some days ago here it is the second part of the pairing between Sicilian wines and Sicilian recipes. The article is written by Jacqueline, sommerlier and wine lover. Here you may find her blog.

"It wouldn’t be a proper discussion of Sicilian wine without Nero d’Avola, and one of my favorite Sicilian red wines is the Corvo Rosso, a blend of Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Pignatello.

Nero d’Avola, quite possibly the most important red grape in all of Sicily, originated in the southeastern part of Sicily as it prefers hot and dry climates, but it is now widely planted throughout the island. The grape produces wines with characteristics of dark fruit, berries, and plum, and hints of spice and pepper, and a smooth texture. Pignatello, also known as Perricone, is a red grape grown in Sicily and Sardinia, and is used mainly for blending with Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese.

Corvo Rosso is a very dependable red wine with both red and dark fruit characteristics and a bit of peppery spice to add another dimension to the flavor. The wine is smooth yet a bit on the rustic side, and is best for enjoying with a casual Sicilian dish. The Sfincione (traditional pizza of Palermo) featured in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog is a delicious “pizza” consisting of a soft dough and topped with tomato and onion and caciocavallo cheese, and often enjoyed as street fare. Such a casual dish should be paired with the unpretentious yet equally delicious Corvo Rosso.

One of the most unique and fascinating Sicilian wines I’ve tasted is the Scilio Phiale Etna Rosso. Phiale is a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, also known as Nerello Mantellato. Nerello Cappuccio grows in the volcanic soil near Mount Etna, and is known for producing wines with notes of red and dark fruit and a pleasant spiciness. Phiale is a dark and complex wine, with characteristics of the ashy soil where its grapes are grown, as well as very dark fruit, spice, wood, and a slight bitterness. The texture is full and dense with a very long finish.

I believe this wine would be an excellent choice with the Brociolone, a wonderful recipe posted on the Sicilian Cuisine Blog which is a sort of pinwheel of pounded beef, and stuffed with salami and caciocavallo cheese, and cooked with red wine. This hearty Sicilian dish calls for a substantial wine, and the Scilio Phiale Etna Rosso would make for an ideal pairing."

"Cassata al forno", the most tempting Sicilian baked pie with the famous sweet ricotta cream filling

2011-05-28T09:59:00.008+02:00

Do you know what the "Cassata al forno" is? The Cassata is a lovely baked pie filled with a delicious cream made of ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. You can either prepare a big one or if you prefer some mini-pies just like the ones in the picture below on the right.

Before carrying on with the recipe it's important to make some preliminary remarks. The Cassata is the most traditional dessert made in Sicily together with the famous cannoli.

Thanks to a very renowned line of the movie "The Godfather"... "leave the gun, take the cannoli", almost every person in the planet has an idea of what cannoli look like.

But what about the Cassata? We have two different kinds of Cassata that we call: the classic one, the Sicilian Cassata (cassata siciliana) and the baked cassata (cassata al forno).

While the first is famous for its cover of icing and colored candied fruits and it is made of green marzipan on the sides (just like shown in the pic on the left) the second one, which is the most ancient, has got exactly the same filling but it's simpler because it is just a baked pie. (See the main pic on top or the one below on the right).
Nowadays you can find both all year long, but remain traditional of big important festivities like Christmas and Easter.

The origins of this dessert with ricotta cream go probably back to the Arabic domination (IX- XI centuries), but the version with marzipan and candied fruits was created more recently in the middle of XIXth century from a patisserie chef named Gulì.

About the etimology of the word cassata is still uncertain. Some people think that comes from the Arabic qas'at, that was the rounded bowl or basin where the cassata was prepared, that gives it that particular shape, some others think comes from the latin caseus, that is cheese, probably in reference to the ricotta cheese that fill the pie.

To prepare about 10 mini-pies or just one big baked pie instead, you will need:

For the dough
500 gr flour - 200 gr lard - 100 gr caster sugar - 2 eggs + 2 yolks - half glass of Marsala wine - a pinch of salt

1. Let soften the lard out of the fridge, then mix it with the sugar until the result is smooth and soft.
2. On a surface put the flour and making a well put inside the mix of lard plus eggs, some of the Marsala and the pinch of salt. 3. Mix well all the ingredients until you have a soft dough. In case is a bit hard, add the other Marsala, then make a ball and place in the fridge for about an hour.

For the ricotta cream
500 gr sheep fresh ricotta cheese - 300 gr sugar - 80 gr dark chocolate chips - 60 gr zuccata (which is a candied kind of big zucchini or cougettes) - cinnamon in powder - icing sugar - (In addition lemon zest if liked).

1. Sift the ricotta cheese in a sieve and mix it with the sugar. 2. Stir until it turns very soft and creamy, then add some dark chocolate chopped in small pieces (or chocolate chips if you have) and cinnamon to parfume the cream. 3. If you like it, cut the piece of zuccata in tiny cubes and mix them to the cream. Its taste is very delicate.
4. Now prepare the pie as usual, dividing the dough in two parts, one a bit bigger for the bottom part. 5. Roll out the first half of the dough on the special cassata tin, giving a rounded shape, fill with the ricotta cream and cover with the second half of pastry, that has to be flat.
6. Careful in sealing the sides of the pastry well, so that the cream inside won't come out with the heat of the oven.
7. Bake for about 45-50 minutes at a temperature of 180° C. It obviously has to be brown.
8. When is ready and has cooled down a bit, sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon powder if you like. Usually here in the patisserie you find a checked or a rhombus decoration done with sugar and cinnamon.

If you have some left-over place it in the fridge, it will be still perfect for the following 2 or 3 days (especially if your ricotta cheese was really fresh!) and you will be able to enjoy it for more than just one day!

Sicilian Wine Pairings with Sicilian Cuisine, 1st part

2011-05-24T18:22:00.002+02:00

Hi everyone, do you know what kind of Sicilian wine would match some of the recipes of the Sicilian Cuisine? Keep reading and you will find out. My blog recently reached 30,000 visitors in about four months and I think there is no better way to thank my readers than posting a great guest article written by a wine lover and expert. Check her blog out here. Thank you very much Jacqueline!

Here she is in her own words:

"I recently came upon the Sicilian Cuisine Blog and instantly loved the recipes posted. Being Sicilian-American and a sommelier who loves to cook traditional Sicilian dishes, I thought this would be a great opportunity to spotlight some fascinating and dependable Sicilian wines, paired with recipes posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog.

Crisp white wines are a great way to start, and a favorite Sicilian white wine is the Corvo Bianco. Corvo, a very reliable producer in Sicily, uses Inzolia, Catarratto, and Grecanico grapes to produce their very enjoyable white wine.

Inzolia, also known as Ansonica, is a white grape grown in the western part of Sicily; it has characteristics of citrus fruit and nuttiness and floral aromas, and contributes a crisp acidity. Catarratto is a white grape widely planted in Sicily mainly near the western coast, known for contributing robust aromas and flavors reminiscent of citrus and orchard fruits. Grecanico is the smoothest and most elegant of the three, adding to the blend its notes of apple, and soft texture.

The Corvo Bianco is a pale straw colored wine with bright characteristics of white flowers and notes of lemon, apricot, and green apple. The wine leaves the palate feeling clean.

When pairing, this wine would accommodate lighter fish and vegetable dishes. When browsing through the recipes posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog, I felt this wine would mirror the flavors of the lemon flavored artichokes as the wine pairs very well with vegetables and the lemon flavors in the artichoke dish would be reflected in the citrus characteristics in the wine.

When thinking of Sicilian wines, Rose is probably the last style of wine to come to mind. However, last year I was introduced to a lovely Rose from a well-respected producer in Sicily. The Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Rose, produced by the Tasca family at the Regaleali estate in the hills of central Sicily, is made of Nerello Mascalese.

Nerello Mascalese is an important red grape grown at high altitudes in Sicily, and displays characteristics of red fruits and berries with a slight smokiness and is relatively tannic. The Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Rose is a salmon-pink wine, full of red fruit aromas and flavors including strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, with just a hint of smoke that reflects the volcanic soil present where the grapes are grown. The wine is soft and subtle with a modest finish, and is best paired with light pasta and seafood dishes. I would be interested in trying this wine with the mussel soup posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog which consists of fresh mussels, red pepper, plum tomato, and other ingredients. I believe the freshness and light fruitiness would compliment the mussels and tomato nicely, and the slight sweetness of the wine would provide a very good contrast to the red pepper.

-----

Thanks again to Jacqueline! A second part of this excellent pairing will come soon. Stay tuned and in the meantime... enjoy a glass of wine, obviously a Sicilian one!!!

White and red bruschettas, the typical Sicilian starter

2011-05-20T06:45:00.003+02:00

Do you know how to prepare some traditional starter called bruschetta? It's very easy, but to make a perfect bruschetta you must have the perfect bread, the one we call rustic and has to be cut in slices and toasted until it gets a bit crispy.

There are three ways of preparing this mouthwatering starter: the most traditional version is the red one, which means with fresh tomatoes cut in cubes and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, oregano and salt put on slices of bread.

We also do it in the simplest way which I personally love, that we call the white version or the plain one. You have to toast the bread, spread some garlic on the bread, then add some olive oil, salt and oregano and here it is... I would actually call it the Mediterranean way to do the famous garlic bread.

Other than that if we have more time and desire to prepare a full plate of different bruschettas we can satisfy our whims by preparing a third type: anchovies, local cheese (normally primo sale or provola) and a spoon of tomato sauce.

Just cut the cheese in thin slices and place them on top of the bread, then add a spoon of tomato sauce and an anchovy. Place them in the oven until cheese is melted and bread has become quite crispy. If you prepare this mix of bruschettas for your guests I am sure they will go crazy and lick their fingers. Enjoy!

Lemon-flavored artichokes: nice, easy and tasty

2011-05-14T08:13:00.001+02:00

Do you know how to cook artichokes with a delicate lemon flavor? A couple of weeks ago I made this delicious side-dish that is perfect for dinner to accompany a frittata or a pie.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
4 artichokes - 2 lemons (both juice & zest) - olive oil - salt - water

You have to clean the artichokes as usual: take an artichoke at a time and remove the external and rough leaves using a sharp knife. Continue until you have only thinner and softer leaves. Cut also the stem. In a sink full of cold water squeeze the juice of half a lemon and leave there the lemon as well. When you have finished with the knife leave the artichokes to soak about half an hour.

Cut the artichokes very thinly. Put a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of oil, salt and a glass of water and cook there the artichokes stirring them from time to time to avoid sticking on the pan. Grate some lemon zest too.

Once they are cooked squeeze the juice of at least half a lemon and let cook all together 10-15 more minutes. You may serve them hot or warm... enjoy!

Red onion and caciocavallo, the Mediterranean pie for vegetarians

2011-05-10T09:38:00.000+02:00

Do you know how to prepare a red onion pie with caciocavallo cheese? Some years ago a lady taught me some very fast but tasty recipes to do when you are tired or you don't have ideas about what to cook. She was a working mother and had three kids, so she always had problems of time. One of the recipe is definetely this lovely scrumptious pie for those who love the delicate taste of red onion, and is perfect for vegetarians as well!

Since I learnt how to make it I have prepared it so many times and everyone in my family loves it. You need to use some shortcrust pastry as a base, so you can either make it yourself as I do, or buy it ready in supermarkets as she was suggesting.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
- shortcrust pastry - 4-5 red onions

- 80 gr matured caciocavallo cheese

- oregano
- olive oil

- salt
- 2 ts fresh creamy cheese (like Philadelphia or Robiola)

1. First of all, peel the onions carefully and cut them in thin slices.

2. On a medium heat put a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and sear or sautè the onion for about 15-20 minutes adjusting with salt. It has to become completely cooked but not brown in color.

3. Once it is ready, let it cool down a bit, then add abundant oregano, the 2 tablespoons of a plain creamy cheese of your choice (that is good to give a more creamy filling).

4. Cut the matured caciocavallo in little cubes and add them as well to the onion mix.

5. Now preheat the oven at 180° C.
6. Roll out the pastry (or open the pack if you have bought it) and give it a rounded shape.
7. Place the mix inside the pastry and fold half of it on the other half, giving the shape of half-moon, being careful that the up and down parts of the pastry are well closed together.
8. Cook in the oven until it becomes golden brown (about 20-25 minutes) and serve hot with a glass of red wine.

You will definetely enjoy the contrast between the sweetness delicacy of red onion and the strong taste of the caciocavallo melt together in one delicious pie!

Liver, a natural way to defeat weakness and exhaustion

2011-05-07T18:45:00.001+02:00

Have you ever tried fried cow liver cooked in the "Palermo style"? Well this is it,..... my granny used to say liver was one of the best home remedy against usual problems related to the spring season: weakness, tiredness and exhaustion. It also contains lots of iron so is also good for those people that may have an iron deficiency.

I know that the taste of liver is not definetely like a hot chocolate, it is strong and wild and many people can't stand it, but if you like it you definetely have to cook it in our Mediterreanean way, it will be nice and tasty. You will only need: 2 pieces of liver - olive oil - 2 cloves of garlic - breadcrumbs - vinegar - salt - dried mint.

1. Very easy to prepare this dish, just coat the liver in breadcrums. 2. Put some olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat, as soon as it is hot, fry the two slices of liver on both sides.

3. Once they are ready add to the remaining oil, on a lower heat, two cloves of garlic in pieces, some dried mint to scent the mix and a drizzle of vinegar. This mix will be the sauce for your liver and your palate will be tickled by a mix of delicate and strong sensations.

For the "liver lovers"... is a must!!!

Sicilian meals: at what time we eat?

2011-05-04T14:58:00.000+02:00

Which is the time Sicilians eat? For instance, English people eat quite early, by contrast Spaniards eat very late. We are in the middle.

We have lunches that can vary from 13.30 until 15.00 (which is 3 p.m.), and dinners normally are from 8 p.m. to 9.30 more or less.
In my family at 13.30 and 8 p.m. we just sit on the table and start eating, but in another families they just start cooking at that time, so it depends on everyone's habits basically.

This is on an average normal day obviously, you may also find never-ending meals if there is a celebration or a special occasion like a festivity.

Mamma Carmela's special Sicilian pesto sauce - The video of April

2011-04-30T17:03:00.006+02:00

This recipe is really unique. It is called Sicilian pesto sauce but it's not the famous pesto trapanese (even if ingredients are very similar) and it is obviously not the renowned pesto genovese with basil. It is a pesto sauce created by Mamma Carmela, a lady who used to have a lovely little Trattoria in Palermo. Her husband and her run that place for more than 40 years. There they met actors, singers and thousands of tourists who went to taste her typical dishes.

Her Trattoria was renowned for the Sicilian dishes and the familiar way of cooking them, infact going there was like having lunch at home. Last year unfortunately after a gas explosion this restaurant was destroyed and Mamma Carmela with her family decided not to continue the activity with a new one, being already in advanced age.

Exclusively for the Sicilian Cuisine Blog her daughter Patrizia gave me the recipe of her famous special pesto and we also did a short video. This is the way I want to remember the lovely evenings spent at their trattoria. Thank you so much!

Ingredients & preparation for 4-6 people: 6-7 big tomatoes - 2 cloves of garlic - fresh mint - fresh basil - 50 gr almonds - half of a dried red pepper - salt - sunflower oil or olive oil (about a glass). She used to put sunflower oil because "it was a bit lighter" - she said.

1. Wash the tomatoes, the basil and the mint.
2. Put all the ingredients together in the blunder, just like shown in the video here on the right.

Now: if you want to eat it with pasta, just prepare it as usual, drain it and place it in a bowl, mixing the pesto with the pasta well, and serving straight away.

If you want to use it for bruschettas, toast your sliced bread (better if the rustic type) and put the pesto on top of the toasted slices. It will be a scrumptious starter for your guests with such a strong character!

*Warning: This pesto is really strong, so careful because it is going to be hot and tasty! Just try and see for yourselves!

Thanks to Patrizia Laria for the video editing.

Fennel and orange salad, the ideal mix after a big meal

2011-04-28T12:31:00.004+02:00

Do you know how to prepare fennel and orange salad? In my family we love to prepare this dish for big occasions, not only because it's light and tasty but also because in this way you don't have to think of preparing another course for fruits.

Besides, fennel is widely known for its healthy properties: is very digestive, make increase energy and help to eliminate the excess of liquid in the body.
Orange is sweet and juicy and this salad is always the perfect solution to finish a three or four courses meal or in general a big lunch, just before landing on the sweet sugary world of desserts.

For 6-8 people you will need:
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 3 oranges (better if the sweeter quality)
- olive oil
- salt
- olives at will

1. Cut the fennels in quarters, removing the hardest part on top and bottom. Soak them in water for about 15 minutes, then with a sharp knife cut them quite thinly.

2. Peel the oranges removing also the white pulp and the seeds, then cut them in small pieces.

3. Place both in a large bowl and dress the salad with olive oil and salt and add some green olives if you like. Better if you don't keep it in the fridge more than 2-3 hours. Serve fresh at the end of your meal and enjoy!!!

Marsala cream pudding with strawberries, a spring version of Tiramisù

2011-04-26T09:00:00.004+02:00

Do you know how to prepare a Marsala cream pudding? I sometimes like to post recipes that are not necessary of the strict regional tradition (we obviously eat Italian dishes too!!!) but sometimes I do like to experiment introducing a Sicilian ingredient or product in a popular recipe.

This is the case of this kind of "Spring Tiramisù" as I like to call it, because has strawberries (and strawberry juice) instead of coffee and above all it has a delicious cream made of mascarpone cheese plus the unmistakable flavor of Sicilian Marsala wine.

Ingredients & preparation for 8 people:
- a classic sponge cake cut in four thin layers**
- fresh strawberries (3 small baskets)
- 3 eggs
- 10 ts of sugar
- 500 gr. mascarpone cheese
- 4-5 ts of Marsala wine (more if you like a stronger taste)
- cocoa powder

For the cream:
1. In a large bowl mix the eggs with the sugar until they become homogeneous.

2. Add the mascarpone and the Marsala wine and mix well the ingredients together until the cream become light and fluffy, then place it in the fridge.

For the dessert:
1. Gently wash the strawberries. Remove the leaves on top and select the ones that are riper and squashier.
2. Blend these last ones with a 1/4 cup of water to make it less dense. You will use this juice with a kitchen brush to moisten the sponge.

3. Cut the rest of the strawberries into pieces, but leave aside 2 or 3 strawberries for the final decoration.

4. As soon as you finish with the strawberries, take a bowl or a deep plate with high rims and start making the tiramisù.

5. First put a thin layer of cream mix, then the first layer of sponge cake, then moisten with some strawberry juice, using a kitchen brush (because it cannot be too much), then 2-3 spoons full of cream to cover all the sponge surface and finally the pieces of fresh strawberries. Keep doing the same thing for the second layer and the third one.

6. Cover with the last layer of sponge, moistening again with the strawberry juice and finish all the cream. It has to be all covered in cream in the end. Sprinkle abundant cocoa on top and decorate as you like with 2 or 3 strawberries. Put in the fridge for at least one hour and serve cold.

It is not a local dessert but it definetely has a lovely Sicilian flavor. I am sure you will go crazy for it!!!

**Sponge cake is very similar to our "Pan di Spagna" the basic recipe we use for many cakes and desserts in Sicily, the only difference is that we make it with starch instead of normal flour.

Marzipan sheep, the symbol of Easter in Sicily

2011-04-23T19:14:00.010+02:00

Do you know what "Pecorelle di pasta reale" are? We call it sheep of marzipan, which is made of almond flour, and in our Christian culture they are the symbol of Easter in Sicily. In some parts of our island they fill the marzipan with a kind of preserve of nuts, especially pistaches, or citron marmelade, but you won't find it in Palermo, where we use plain marzipan.

Sheep, in particular lambs, represent the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that during the Holy Week suffers and dies for Mankind and then, after 3 days, rises again on Easter sunday.

We want to remember His sacrifice even at the table, with this little jewels of marzipan, made in proper molds or shapes of chalk, which are the result of faith and tradition.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

"Pasta ch' i sardi" one of the most famous Sicilian dish in the world

2011-04-22T11:12:00.002+02:00

Do you know how to prepare the famous Sicilian pasta with sardines? First of all let's specify that in Sicily we learn that the period for fishing and eating sardines is during the months that have a "R letter". (In italian are February, March, April, September, October, November, December).

Said that you should know that the main ingredients of this dish are: sardines and wild fennel. As I always write about very traditional dishes it's very common to find different versions of the same dish, depending on which province of Sicily you are from, but also on the individual family tradition.

On the whole, I would say that there are two main recipes for this pasta: the red one and the white one. What does it mean? It means the version with the tomato paste and the version with saffron instead.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:

- 400 gr. bucatini (long and thick shaped pasta like in the pic above)

- 250 gr. fresh sardines

- 400 gr. wild fennel

- 5 anchovy fillets

- 30 gr. sultanas

- 30 gr. pine nuts

- olive oil

- a small onion thinly chopped

- salt

- 6 ts of breadcrumbs

- 20 gr. saffron powder (for the white/yellow version)

- tomato puree or concentrated tomato extract (for the red version)

1. Wash sardines well under running water. Then wash also fennel and boil it in a large pot with salted water. Once it is cooked, drain it but do not eliminate the water. On a cutting board chop the fennel thinly and leave it aside.

2. In a sauce pan put a drizzle of olive oil on a medium heat, add the chopped onion and let it brown for a couple of minutes.
Add the anchovy fillets cutting it in small pieces using a wooden scoop or spatula just like in the pic on the right. They have to melt and become a paste.

3. Then put sultanas and pine nuts mixing all together.

4. Take half the quantity of the sardines, (leaving out the ones that are not broken that will be used after) and mix them in the sauce in small pieces too.

5. At this point add the saffron if you are doing the white/yellow version, or add some tomato puree if you prefer the red one (pic on the left). It's important to melt the concentrated tomato that has to become again a sort of paste. You can put a bit of fennel water to help melt the tomato puree.

6. Finally put the chopped fennel in the pan, together with a dipper full of the water in which has cooked. Mix well and place on top of the fennel the remaining sardines that should all be in one-pieces.

7. Let cook the sauce with a lit for about 10-15 minutes on a low heat. (Picture below)

8. In the meantime cook the pasta (bucatini or ziti) in the remaining fennel water as usual and drain it. If the water is not enough for all the pasta add some more water but remember to check the pasta on salt before draining it.

9. While pasta is cooking, in a small frying pan on a medium heat prepare the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and stir the two ingredients until they become homogeneous and kind of dark brown in color (but not burnt).

10. Now you can either place it on a serving dish covering it with all the condiment and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top and eat it as it is or doing the same process but placing it on a oven tray and bake it for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 200° C.

Serve hot and enjoy the great Sicilian taste!

Colourful bell peppers in sweet and sour sauce

2011-04-20T12:08:00.004+02:00

Do you know how to prepare peppers in sweet and sour sauce? As you already may know, the sweet and sour sauce is very common in Sicily. Its origin goes back to Middle Age, when the Saracens brought it into the Sicilian cuisine, and it stayed here ever since.

Ingredients & preparation for about 4 people:

- 1 green pepper

- 1 red pepper

- 1 yellow peppers
- 1 small onion

- olive oil

- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

- 1/3 cup sugar

- salt

1. Wash the peppers under running water. With a sharp knife cut them in half and remove all the seeds and the core, then cut in strips like the ones in the picture above. Clean and chop the onion thinly.

2. Put a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and the onion. Leave it cook for about 5 min.
3. Add the peppers' strips and let them cook until become slightly golden, turning them every 5 minutes.
4. Once cooked, pour the vinegar and add the sugar. Stir well using a fork or a spoon, finally add some salt.
5. Leave the peppers into the sauce for 5 more minutes so that they become tasty enough, then remove from heat and place on a serving dish. This side dish can be eaten either warm or hot. Enjoy!

Brociolone or falsomagro: the Sicilian meat roll for important occasions

2011-04-14T11:03:00.004+02:00

Do you know how to cook the traditional Sicilian brociolone? This is an extraordinary dish that Sicilians prepare for important events or festivities because it takes a bit of time, but it's very delicious. We also called it in Sicilian "falsu magru", literally meaning "false slim" (ital. falsomagro).

In ancient times probably meat was not particularly nice and tender so the Chefs of Nobles, the famous Monsù, created new fillings to stuff the meat. Every Sicilian family puts a different stuffing inside, because nowadays everyone has its own version. My favourite, which is one of the most traditional, is the one with omelette, caciocavallo, breadbrumbs and salame. It is not only very tasty but it is beautiful to see as well!

To prepare this dish you will need:

- a big slice of beaten beef (about 800 gr & it must have the thickness of half of a cm)

- 150 gr of thin sliced salami

- 60 gr grated caciocavallo cheese

- 100 gr provola or fresh caciocavallo cheese in small cubes

- 3 eggs

- 5-6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

- 1 large onion

- 3/4 of a glass of red wine

- 1 glass of water
- olive oil

- salt & pepper

Preparation:
1. Cut the onion in half and chop it. On a low heat put a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and half of the onion and the spoons of breadcrumbs. Adjust with salt and pepper.
2. Remove from heat, let the mix cool down and add the cheeses (both grated and in cubes).
3. With the 3 eggs make an omelette, but careful because it has to be very thin and a bit smaller than the size of the beef, otherwise it will come out of the meat.
4. Take the beef and oil it inside, than put the ingredients in the order that you prefer, for example: the thin slices of salami, then the omelette and finally the mix of breadcrumbs. You have to cover all the space making three different layers of stuffing.
5. Roll it out very carefully and make sure that the filling do not fall from the sides, then using a kitchen string tie the roll very well and firmly.

6. Now it's time to brown the meat roll in the appropriate pan. Again put some oil, the other half chopped onion, salt & pepper on a minimum heat. Put the roll inside the pan and let it cooked well, turning it every 4-5 minutes.
7. When the beef has become finally brown add just less than a full glass of red wine and let it evaporate completely. Then add a full glass of water and cover the pan with the lit.
8. Let it cooked for another half an hour, checking every 10 minutes and turning the meat so that it can cook on every side. After 30 minutes ckeck the cooking point sticking a fork inside the roll, if it comes out easily means that the beef is also cooked on the inside, otherwise leave it for another 10 minutes and check again later.
9. As soon as it is cooked remove it from the pan and once it has cooled down cut the roll in slices, thick not more than 1 cm.
10. Place it on an oval serving dish or a tray and put the sauce that has remained in the pan, on top of the slices. If the sauce is too dense or concentrated add a little bit of hot water and mix with the fork. Then cover the roll slices with this delicious sauce and serve hot!

This dish is perfect on Easter day, which is so close now. You will definetely enjoy it!

"Pasta a minestra" and "Pasta asciutta": what are they?

2011-04-11T12:59:00.002+02:00

Do you know what is pasta a minestra? And what about pasta asciutta? As you know, in Sicily, just like in the whole of Italy, we eat pasta every day and for us is a great deal.

We normally distinguish in these two main differences: pasta a minestra and pasta asciutta.
Pasta a minestra means soup or potage with also small pasta cooked in it, the specific one that we use for soups. In any case it is something that has a more liquid aspect rather than the usual plates of spaghetti or penne. In the picture on the left there is a plate of pasta a minestra with green cabbage, and we also have the version with pasta asciutta.

By contrast, pasta asciutta is the very famous one, like spaghetti alla carbonara for example, or penne, linguine, anelletti or any other kind of pasta that we cook with a condiment that is not liquid!!! Here on the right a plate of pasta asciutta with broccoli, but we also have the version with pasta a minestra.
Besides, we have soup with pasta all year around, not only in winter but also in summer with the fresh vegetables that the seasons offer.

I know it may sounds strange for those who are not used to eat pasta everyday or have it with soup as well, but that's the way it is here!!!

Cauliflower pie, another way to eat cauliflower!

2011-04-08T11:33:00.005+02:00

Do you know how to cook a tasty cauliflower pie? In Sicilian cuisine we use a lot this vegetable. We like to put it especially on pasta, we even have three different kinds, but in my family we also prepare it in a very simple way for dinner.

Ingredients and preparation: 1 cauliflower (medium size) - 2 eggs - breadcrumbs - 100 gr. grated caciocavallo cheese - salt - black pepper - 60 gr. salami (the original recipe is without but sometimes we add it)

1. Cut the cauliflower in pieces removing the hardest part and soak it in water with half a teaspoon of baking soda that will help cleaning it well and eliminating possible bugs. After 10 or 15 minutes wash it under running water and put the pieces in a colander.

2. In the meantime put a casserole with water on a medium heat, when it starts boiling add salt and toss the cauliflower in the pot. As soon as the vegetable is cooked (must be soft) drain it and let it cool for some minute.

3. Preheat the oven at 180° C.
4. Take a large bowl and put almost all the ingredients together: cauliflower, eggs, cheese, salami if liked (cut in pieces) and some black pepper. 5.When the mixture looks creamy and well mixed, place it on a pie dish or a baking tray for the oven.
6. You can either spread it quite thin or thicker if you prefer. Sprinkle on top some breadcrumbs with small knobs of butter to make the top a bit crispy.
7. When the oven has reached the right temperature cook the pie for about 20 minutes, until it becomes kind of golden brown.
8. Place it on a serving dish and enjoy when it's still hot! Very nice if you accompany it with a tomato salads dish.

It's really good and if you leave out the salami (which is optional) you have a great dish for vegeterians too. So enjoy!

Turkey breast in Sicilian orange sauce, a taste of mildness

2011-04-02T15:30:00.002+02:00

Do you know how to cook turkey breast in orange sauce? I don't think this recipe has its origins in Sicily actually, because you may find it in other parts of Italy as well, but that's the beauty of our cuisine. Not everything is exclusive, we prepare this dish and we do like it a lot! It has such a delicate taste, it's delicious and very easy to prepare too.

For 4 people you only need:
- 4 turkey breasts
- some 00 flour
- some butter (about 150 gr.)
- 1 orange
- salt

This second dish is ready in 15 minutes.
1. Take one turkey breast at a time and dust it with flour on both sides without exaggerating with it. Do it also for the other slices of turkeys.
2. On a high heat put a frying pan and about 20-30 gr of butter.
3. As soon as the butter is melt place a slice of breast turkey in the pan and let it cooked on both sides until gets golden brown.
4. Fry in the same way the remaining turkey without forgetting to put some butter in the pan before.
5. When your turkey breasts are all cooked lower the heat and put in the pan about 50 gr. of butter, a big pinch of salt, the juice of an orange and some pulp of the same orange. Gently whisk with a fork all the ingredients making a sauce.
6. Place the turkey on a serving dish and pour the sauce on top. Serve hot and you will have the perfect second course for a pleasant dinner among friends. Enjoy!

Genovesi from Erice, the perfect marriage between pastry and cream

2011-03-28T17:40:00.001+02:00

Do you know what a genovese is in Sicily? It is a pastry filled either with ricotta cream or a very delicate milky cream. The most famous genovesi, at least in the western part of Sicily, are the ones made in the medieval village of Erice, in the province of Trapani. They are delicious, soft and tasty, especially if eaten warm. Here there is the recipe of the genovesi made by the famous Patisserie of Maria Grammatico in Erice.

Ingredients and preparation:
Pastry

250 g hard wheat flour

250 g flour 00
200 g sugar
200 g butter or margarine cut in pieces
4 yolks
Some table spoons of cold water

icing sugar to sprinkle on top

Cream

2 yolks
150 g sugar
40 g starch (wheat or corn)
½ lt milk
grated lemon zest

Pastry preparation:

1. Mix both the two flours with the sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add the pieces of butter, then the yolks one after another, stirring slowly with a professional spatula. 3. Add the water until the pastry is soft and elastic. 4. Form a ball without kneading too much otherwise it will get hard. 5. Wrap the pastry in plastic and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 6. Roll it out giving them an oval shape, like shown in the picture.

Cream preparation and baking

1. Preheat the oven at 200° degrees.

2. In a bowl beat the yolks with the sugar using a whisk.

3. In a sauce pan on a low heat melt carefully the starch in a half glass of milk, then add the remaining milk and mix well.

4. Pour the mix of yolks and sugar into the milk slowly. Keep stirring for 10-15 minutes, until it becomes solid and smooth. Add the grated lemon zest.

5. Once ready put the cream in a bowl and let it cool down.

6. Once is cold take a couple of spoons of cream and fill the oval shaped pastries, one after another (about 2 cm in diameter). Then stick together the two parts giving the shape of half moon, like in the picture.

7. Once they are all filled, place them on an oven tray and bake them for 8-10 minutes (200° C) at the most. You should have about 15 genovesi.

8. Finally, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve while still warm. Enjoy!

And the award goes to...

2011-03-23T17:00:00.002+01:00

Yesterday morning I woke up and found a nice comment on my post. This normally makes me happy, but when I followed the link I was even happier and very touched by the fact that someone, the Addicted Baker blog, had chosen me together with other 14 excellent blogs because she liked and appreciated my recipe for the Saint Joseph' Sfinci.

I want to thank The Addicted baker from the bottom of my heart, because it means that passion does have recognition sometimes!!! I wanna pass this award to some other blogs that I like:

1. My home cooking (where I learnt to cook my very first apple pie and there are amazing recipes)
2. Cooksister (I love her way of writing especially the lattest post)
3. Italian foodies (lovely Italian recipes and not only Italian)
4. Oh my sugar high (Absolutely gorgeous sweets and desserts)
5. Jim's pancakes (I love his pancakes and the shapes as well)
6. Kara's party ideas (just the idea of organising parties makes me smile, very nice blog)
7. The decorated cookie (how a normal cookie can become art)
8. Extra icing (the cakes I'm dreaming of make)
9. Gluten free goddess (another interesting way of eating)
10. Traveler's lunch box (I like its recipes)
11. All things sicilian and more (very nice blog that talks also about my land)
12. Food and thoughts (I agree with eating and thinking what to eat)
13. Simple recipes (nothing is better than a simple recipe!)
14. Dashi Dashi (I like how they care about japanese cuisine)
15. The Addicted Baker (a lovely person who gave me the award and a lovely blog that is teaching me a lot)

Thank you so much, I hope it makes you smile and happy too!

"Sarde a beccafico", the unique Sicilian sardine rolls

2011-03-21T17:30:00.004+01:00

Do you know what "sarde a beccafico" are? And why they have got this strange name? This is a typical Sicilian dish made of fresh sardines filled with our traditional ingredients: breadcrumbs, olive oil, pine nuts and raisins. Beccafico (which is a little bird similar to a warbler or quail, literally means beak figs). These were little birds called so because they liked to beak figs. In ancient times Sicilian Nobles used to hunt and eat them. They said that their meat was nice and tender so they were eating them with all the guts.

The poor people having more sardines than birds started to cook them adding some lemon and orange juice to the filling, to mitigate the strong smell and taste of the fish.

Ingredients and preparation for 4 people:
500 gr fresh sardines

200 gr breadcrumbs
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
50 gr raisins
50 gr pine nuts
Juice and zest of one lemon (or if preferred half lemon and half orange)
20-22 bay leaves

Clean the sardines and remove the backbone. In a pan on a low heat, brown the breadcrumbs with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and remove from heat as soon as it gets golden. Add raisins, pine nuts, lemon zest. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, then start filling the sardines, each at a time.

Once you had put the mix roll it up very carefully, because they are extremely delicate and easy to break.Put a leaf of bay to separate each roll and if you prefer stick a small wooden stick on each roll.

Mix the sugar with the lemon juice (or lemon and orange juices) and sprinkle on the fish to moisten and perfume the dish before baking it.

Now bake in a preheated oven (180°C) for about 10-15 minutes. It is a perfect starter or a great side-dish, hot or cold it doesn't matter, you are going to love and enjoy it!!!!

Saint Joseph's Day and the traditional "Sfinci" - The video of March

2011-03-19T10:31:00.007+01:00

Do you know what Sicilians eat on Saint Joseph's Day, the 19th of March? The traditional dessert that we prepare is called "Sfinci di San Giuseppe" and they are soft fried puffs with ricotta cream. According to history were the Arabs that introduced the sfinci here, they were initially covered in honey and afterwards replaced with ricotta cream. The name probably comes from isfang which means soft fritters.

A special thanks to the Pasticceria Amato, (via Favara 14/16), just in front of the Massimo Theatre in Palermo and in particular to Antonio Amato and Mr. Pino Amato that showed us how they still prepare these memorable sweets for the festivity.
Have a look at the recipe and the video. I am sure you'll enjoy!!!

For the dough: 250 gr flour 00 - 1/2 lt water - 62 gr lard - 3,5 gr salt - 7-8 eggs (medium size/60 gr. each) - ricotta cream - candied oranges and cherries - vegetable oil or lard to fry
For the ricotta cream: 500 gr sheep fresh ricotta cheese - 300 gr sugar - 80 gr dark chocolate

1. Sift the flour and add the salt
2. Put the water and the lard together in a sauce pan on a medium heat and let them glue together. Just before boiling remove from gas and mix gently with the flour stirring the whole mix with a wooden spoon. The mix has to be extremely smooth.
3. Transfer now the mix in a blender and add one egg after another until stiffness is very creamy and soft.
4. Put some vegetable oil or lard in a deep pan and wait until very hot. Then, take a spoon of dough and dip them in the oil. Fry until they puff and become golden brown. Remove from oil and try to drain them on some paper.
5. After few minutes with a spatula or a knife and spread some ricotta cheese on top.
6. Decorate the sfince with a thin slice od candied orange and a cherry.
For the ricotta cream:
The sheep ricotta cheese must be very fresh and not too liquid. Mix the ricotta with the sugar. Stir until it turns very creamy, then add some dark chocolate chopped in small pieces.

The traditional pizza from Palermo is called "Sfincione"

2011-03-15T18:20:00.010+01:00

Do you know what "sfincione" is? This is the traditional name for our Sicilian pizza. Probably the name derives from the latin spongia, which means sponge, or from the Arab sfang, meaning a sweet soft fritter.

It's a traditional recipe made of a very soft dough done with simple and genuine ingredients like: tomato sauce, onions, anchovies, the typical caciocavallo cheese and breadcrumbs. Some people also add sliced artichokes. The secret of the making of sfincione is first the softness of the dough, and second the perfect proportion among the all ingredients, better if they are done one layer after another.

When you walk along the streets of Palermo is very common to see a small vehicle (similar to a pick-up but on three wheels) that sells portions of sfincione with a recording voice sent out through a megaphone that says how good is this kind of pizza. And indeed it is delicious!

For tradition we eat sfincione especially on two Festivities' Eve: the night of the 7th of December, before the Immaculate Conception Day and on Christmas' Eve, the 24th of December, but you can find it in bakeries every day of the year. If you pass by you may not forget to enjoy it!

Recipe for the dough: 500 gr flour 00 - 500 gr hard wheat flour - 1 ts sugar - 1tbs salt - 25 gr brewer's yeast - 1/2 lt warm water - 1/2 glass of olive oil or 100 gr lard -

Recipe for the condiment: 500 gr tomato sauce - 4 chopped onions slightly stewed - 50 gr anchovies - 350 gr caciocavallo cheese cubes - oregano - breadcrumbs - olive oil

1. Sift the two flours and put them in a bowl together.
2. Add salt and sugar.
3. In a smaller bowl put the yeast and add some warm water until it dissolves.
4. Little by little add the yeast with the water to the flour mix and start stirring all the ingredients together forming a dough.
5. Remove it from the bowl and transfer it on a kitchen surface (a bit floured), adding the remaining water and the olive oil (or the lard) and kneading for about 15 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it the shape of a ball.
6. Now the dough has to rise under a blanket in a warm place for about 2 hours. It has to double its volume.
7. Preheat the oven at 180° or 200° degrees; (It really depends on the oven).
8. Remember to stew and chop onions thinly, chop anchovies in small pieces and the cheese in cubes as well. Then, prepare some tomato sauce.
9. In a pan put some breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and toast it until golden brown.
10. After the 2 hours stretch out the dough and press into a large oiled baking tray. (It's even better if you can let it rise in the tray for another half an hour.)
11. Cover the dough with the tomato sauce, the onions, the anchovies.12. Put the tray in the oven for about 15 minutes.
13. Remove from oven and add the caciocavallo cut in small cubes, then cover all in breadcrumbs.
14. Put back inside the oven for some more minutes, about 10 minutes, again it depends on the oven and on how thick is the dough. Check after 5, just to be sure. 15. Bake the pizza until the bottom of the crust is golden brown when you lift it up to look.
16. Finally drizzle some more olive oil on top, sprinkle with oregano, cut in squares and serve hot!

Sicilian food: origins, history, curiosities

2011-03-04T08:51:00.000+01:00

Do you want to know something more about Sicilian food and its history? Today I would like to tell you something about the origins of our cuisine, or at least how was divided in the past centuries. One of the most famous teller of these stories in Palermo is a journalist and expert Gaetano Basile. He normally distinguishes three different types of cuisine that we used to have here: the first one was called the cuisine of the Monsù, and it was prepared for the Nobles.

Monsù is the Sicilian term for the French Monsieur and infact meant the cuisine prepared by important chefs for the rich and noble people, just like the writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa describes in his famous masterpiece: "Il Gattopardo" - English version: The Leopard. (picture above taken from the homonymous movie).

A second type, which is the most common, is the popular cuisine, basically made of dishes that the poor and simple people, who were the majority of Sicilians, used to cook daily.

They were trying to imitate the Monsù Cuisine by simply revisiting some rich plates and often changing the main ingredient. If the Nobles had meat or fish they had egg-plant/aubergine or cheese instead. That is why this cuisine is considered the most unique and creative. An example is the famous Caciocavallo all'Argentiera, of which I have already talked you about.

The third type is the renowned Sicilian street food. Even today you can find stands along the streets that sell the famous "pane ca'meusa" (spleen sandwich) or the "panelle & crocchè" (chickpea fritters and potato croquettes) or the "stigghiole" (grilled lambs' guts, here on the right pic).

So there is a lot to taste in Sicily when it comes to food. I hope you enjoy!

Mezze penne with broad beans and ricotta cheese

2011-03-01T15:37:00.010+01:00

Do you know how to cook a plate of pasta with fresh broad beans (or fava beans) and ricotta cheese? Here in Sicily we love mixing vegetables with cheese. For 4 people you will need: 400 gr pasta (penne or mezze penne) - 1onion - 150 gr. broad beans - olive oil - salt - ricotta cheese - grated cheese

First of all, you need to shell the broad beans. In a sauce pan on a medium heat put a drizzle of olive oil, then chop and sautè the onion with the oil. Add a big pinch of salt and the broad beans. After about 6-7 minutes add some warm water (2 cups). Cover with the lit and let cook for other 20 minutes on a low heat. When the fava beans are cooked remove them from the heater and put on a larger pan for cooking the pasta, on a high heat.

As soon as the water boils add salt and put the penne (or mezzepenne) in the boiling water. Cook them until "al dente" (or 2 minutes more if preferred), just following the instructions written on the packet. Then drain and transfer them on serving plates mixing also the broad beans.

Once the plate is ready put some fresh ricotta cheese on top. Many people love to add some grated cheese as well, such as caciocavallo or parmesan. The taste of this kind of pasta is very good and delicate and is healthy too. Enjoy!

Sausage in tomato sauce: a Sicilian way to taste sausage

2011-02-24T18:52:00.004+01:00

Do you know how to cook Sicilian sausage in tomato sauce? It's very easy and it will take you about 40 minutes at the most. You will only need: 1 kg Sicilian sausage - tomato sauce - olive oil

In Sicily sausage is called "sasizza" and butchers prepare it binding the sausages all together with some kitchen string making one big long sausage.

First of all what we normally do is to roll it up using some thin wooden sticks (just like shown in the picture here). After that you have to cook it either in the oven or in a pan. Cooking time is similar.

If you choose the oven put it at 180°c for about 15-20 minutes, while in the frying pan add a little bit of water. At half cooking time stick a fork on the meat all around the sausages. This is a very important step because it helps eliminate the fat inside.

In the meantime, put on a medium heat, a sauce-pan with tomato sauce. Adjust with salt, sugar and spices if needed. Don't overdo with the spices as this kind of sausage is already very tasty.

When the sausage is cooked and the tomato sauce is about to bubble, you can transfer the sausage in the sauce pan, lower the heat and let cook with a lit for about 10 more minutes. Finally add some olive oil and serve hot.

This dish is very common in Sicily, especially if you cooked sausages the day before and you have some left over that want to re-use. We also have it as a delicious tasty sauce for our pasta at lunch time. You only need to cut the sausage in smaller pieces. These are absolutely the best ways to enjoy this great dish!

Anchovy & orange Salad - The Video of February

2011-02-22T11:24:00.002+01:00

Dear readers, today I want to show you how to prepare a delicious unique salad with very few ingredients typical of our territory: oranges, anchovies and red onions (or green onions).
Have a look at the video and do not hesitate to try this lovely dish. Enjoy!

Thanks to Patrizia Laria for the video editing.

Cauliflower with black olives cooked in red wine

2011-02-18T12:31:00.006+01:00

Do you know how to cook cauliflower in red wine? This side dish smells really good and it is so easy to prepare. For 4 people you will need: half of a big cauliflower - 50 gr black olives - 3 glasses red wine - olive oil - salt - a clove of garlic

Cut the cauliflower into pieces and wash it under running water. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic. When the garlic becomes lightly golden put the cauliflower inside the pan, reduce the heat on minimum and cover with a lit.

After 10 minutes pour the first glass of red wine and the salt and let it cook again with the lit. Do the same after 10-15 minutes with the two other glasses of wine, mixing with a fork and preventing cauliflower from sticking to the pan. Then add the black olives and cover once again with the lit.

Cooking time all together must be at least one hour, depending on how you prefer the cauliflower, if very soft or crispier. For the last 5 minutes sautè the cauliflower on a higher heat and transfer rapidly on a plate. Serve still hot. It will be the most wine-scented dish you have ever tried. Perfect with fish, meat or even a nice tasty cheese. Enjoy!

Afternoon snack with homemade bread and pistaches cream

2011-02-16T08:40:00.005+01:00

Everyone knows what is the famous Piedmont nuts cream called Nutella, but do you know what the pistaches cream is? The word Nutella is a brand but it is such a part of Italians' everyday life that we started to use this name to call other similar things.

In Sicily for example there is a cream made with the pistaches from Bronte, near Catania, so in colloquial ways we referr to it as the pistaches Nutella.

The pistaches cream is green and delicious, you can eat it on some fresh bread or if you prefer make a pie and fill it with this cream.

The pistache from Bronte also called the "Green gold" is a variety named from the Latin Pistacia vera and is a Denomination of Protected Origin (P.D.O.) They are used for salty dishes as well as for desserts, ice cream included.

If you ever come to Sicily I suggest you buy some of this lovely green gold in the typical shops that sell Sicilian specialties. You will definetely enjoy it!

"Rosticceria Siciliana", Sicilian rotisserie: every moment is the right moment

2011-02-11T09:27:00.000+01:00

Do you know what exactly the so-called "Sicilian rosticceria" is? The word rosticceria means rotisserie and in Sicily is a very big deal. We are crazy about it!!! :)))

So "my dear fellow-visitors and readers lend me your ears... and eyes..."

Every moment is the right moment to eat a "pezzo di rosticceria". We say "pezzi" that is "pieces". For example: a calzone is a piece of rotisserie, as well as the rollò, ecc... this is how we call them when we mean the whole of them.

Everyone likes it and there is NO specific moment during the day (or night!) to have a calzone, a pizzetta or an arancina. The keyword is ALWAYS. For instance, workers that start very early in the morning may eat some of these pieces at 9 or 10 o'clock as a rich breakfast, to gather more energy, as well as kids at school during break time, more or less at 11 o'clock.

The Sicilian rotisserie (except from the famous arancine made of rice), is all made with the same dough, which is the dough we also use for our "brioche" (soft Sicilian buns usually rounded) and for the sweet rotisserie as well, usually eaten for breakfast.

The most common pieces are: the calzone (fried or baked and filled with mozzarella cheese & ham), the pizzetta (a small pizza but thicker), the rollò (with a German wurstel), the ravazzata (rounded and baked, filled with meat), the rizzuola (the same of the ravazzata but fried), and the arancina (fried rice balls filled with meat or cheese & ham, here in the picture on the right).

Obviously there are some more types depending on the bars. You may also find the crostino (a fried rectangle filled with bechamel sauce & ham) or different versions of the baked ravazzata filled with bechamel sauce and spinach or mushrooms.

Then we also have the "mignon rotisserie" (in the picture above), which is basically the same thing but the pieces are smaller, the word mignon infact is French and means small, miniature. We could say that they are a kind of traditional Sicilian finger food, perfect for a cocktail or a buffet with friends.

Soon I will post the recipe of this soft lovely dough used for the brioche and the rotisserie. In the meantime enjoy the rest! ;)

Sicilian filled artichokes cooked in tomato sauce

2011-02-08T16:16:00.006+01:00

Do you know how to cook artichokes in tomato sauce with the typical Sicilian filling? In Sicily we cook artichokes in several ways. This recipe is one of the most traditional. You can follow it here step by step.

You will need: 5 artichokes - 8 tbs breadcrumbs - raisins and pine nuts - 1 egg - tomato sauce - olive oil - half lemon

1. Take an artichoke at a time and remove the external and rough leaves using a sharp knife. Continue until you have only thinner and softer leaves. Cut also the stem. In a sink full of cold water squeeze the juice of half a lemon and leave there the lemon as well. When you have finished with the knife leave the artichokes to soak about half an hour.

2. While artichokes are in water, in a bowl or plate, prepare the filling with breadcrumbs, rainsins and pine nuts. Add a drizzle of olive oil and mix all together.

3. Take out the artichokes from water, then start filling them with the mix using a spoon.

4. When they are all filled with the mix, whisk an egg in the same plate and pour it on top of every artichoke just
like shown in the picture.

5. It is now time to put a frying pan on a high heat. After few minutes turn the artichokes upside down for one minute to cook the egg, until becomes, as we say, like "a cork of bottle".

6. Now in a pan on a medium heat prepare the tomato sauce, adding as usual some salt, sugar, cinnamon and olive oil. When the tomato sauce is hot, lower the heat and put the artichokes inside the pan.
Let them cook there for about half an hour with a lit, checking every now and then with a fork, until they are soft and well cooked.

8. When ready, transfer them on a plate and serve them with some slices of rustic bread. It will be a lovely side dish for your dinner. Enjoy!

"Happy birthmonth" to the Sicilian Cuisine blog

2011-02-06T22:17:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I went out for dinner with two friends of mine. I wanted to talk to them as I have just lost my job, so the occasion was a bit sad. Fortunately we laughed a lot and had a lovely dinner in a Trattoria with some typical dishes like the caponata, done in the apples version, which was one of my favourite things. The homemade pasta was also very nice, especially the walnut cream on top.

Then the dessert arrived. It was the very famous "torta Setteveli", which means seven layers cake. Created in Palermo by the Maestro pastry Chef Cappello has now become very popular during birthdays and parties. So, because today my "baby" is one month old, I thought it would be nice to celebrate it with this post, hoping that the future will be professionally brighter thanks also to this blog.

"Frittata con le patate": the Spanish omelette that looks like a cake

2011-02-05T12:24:00.005+01:00

Do you know how Sicilians make the Spanish omelette with potatoes?
We learnt the recipe of the "frittata con le patate" obviously from the Spaniards, during their domination in Sicily that lasted 3 centuries (1412-1713).

They call it "tortilla de papas" and is made with eggs and potatoes and looks like a cake because is yellow, thick and soft.

It's very easy to prepare. You always have to add one more egg to the number of people that will eat it. For example: for 4 people use 5 eggs. You will also need: 1 large potato - olive oil - salt - 3 tbs grated caciocavallo cheese (or another tasty cheese like pecorino).

Peel, wash and cut a large potato in thin slices. Put a frying pan on a high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When the oil is hot sautè the pieces of potato for about 15-20 minutes, but lower the heat a bit and turn them every five minute. They have to become golden brown and very crispy. In the meantime whisk the eggs all together in a bowl, add salt and the spoons of caciocavallo.

When you see in the pan that the potatoes are crispy and brown on both sides, pour the mix of eggs into the pan and let cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes. When it is almost cooked at the bottom (and there is no liquid on the surface of the omelette) put a plate on top of the frying pan and turn it upside down to let cook the other side.

If you are afraid of breaking the frittata, there is an easier method. Switch on the oven and just grill for some minutes the omelette only on top, until it reaches a nice golden colour. Cut in slices and serve on plates with some nice tomato salads or some rockets as side dish.

You can have it hot or cold, it will be tasty anyway, it never happens that there is a left over, but if it does it will be delicious even in a sandwich the day after, ...so enjoy!

Caserecce with broccoli and red pepper

2011-02-03T12:38:00.007+01:00

Separate broccoli into stem and florets and wash them under running water, then chop them in small pieces. In a pan under a medium heat boil the broccoli in salted water until become very soft. In the meantime in a sauce pan do the "soffritto": some extra virgin oil of olive and a clove of garlic, then sautè the boiled broccoli there, adding a piece of hot pepper.

Cook the caserecce (or the spaghetti if preferred) in the water of the broccoli until "al dente", then drain them and put in serving plates with the broccoli sauce. Add some grated parmesan and voilà... this delicious pasta is ready. Enjoy!

In Palermo Marsala wine and Art nouveau have only one name: FLORIO!

2011-01-30T15:19:00.003+01:00

There is nothing better than sipping a fine Florio Marsala wine with a nice dessert or at the end of a rich lunch. The Vecchioflorio, the old dry one, is a wine of very ancient tradition, made from two qualities of grapes: grillo and catarratto, that grow in the province of Trapani. It is aged for 2 years in ancient oak casks to become one of the best incomparable wine of all times for sweets and desserts.

The Florio family is undoubtedly considered the most industrious and enlightened family of entrepreneurs in Palermo's modern times. Originally from Calabria, they arrived in Sicily at the end of the XVIIIth century starting the production of wine, the famous Marsala that took the name from the area in which the wine cellars were located: Le Cantine Florio.

Vincenzo Florio started the production in 1833 becoming the biggest competitor of the English companies that had started to produce and sell the Marsala wine some years before in the same region: Woodhouse, Ingham-Whitaker, Hopps.

Florio had their fingers in many pies: not only wine, but also tuna-fisheries, shipping company, a spinning mill, foundries and ceramics factory, and last but not least they created a car race across Sicily that still boasts their name: Targa Florio.

But this is not the end of the story. Infact, they were so important that made build many mansions for their family: from Villa Igiea to the precious Villino Florio (in the picture). This villa was commissioned by the head of the family Vincenzo Florio, an art lover, to the famous architect Ernesto Basile who started the construction between 1900 and 1902.

The building is situated near corso Olivuzza and is an exceptional testimony of the Art Nouveau style and architecture. It has a garden, a pond and is surrounded by trees. Besides at the entrance there is a wrought iron gate. It is still considered one of the best jewel of architecture and originality of the Palermitan "Stile Liberty" (the name we call the Art Nouveau in Italy.)

After an arson in 1962 it had several restorations both in the building and in the decorations.

So now it's easier to understand why the Florios became symbols of a wealthy Sicily, centre of culture; modern, proactive and extremely civilised, and it is definetely for these reasons that their legend was so well consolidated during centuries and it remains strong until today.