Sicilian artichokes

Catherine de Medici introduced artichokes to France when she wed Henri II.

Sicilian immigrants planted California's first artichoke farm near Half Moon Bay in the late 1800s and Marilyn Monroe was crowned California's first artichoke queen in 1948.

A theory suggests that artichokes actually originated in Sicily and were introduced to the rest of Europe around the 12th century. In fact, records show artichokes being grown in Sicily as early as 287 BC, and were a favourite of the Romans in Sicily. They were "re-introduced" again to Sicily by the Moors in the 9th Century. Since then, they always been a staple in Sicilian cuisine: The delicacy and sweetness of Sicilian artichokes contain hidden flavours and fragrances just waiting to explode.

Sicilian artichokes not only are delicious but a good source of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), niacin, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, phosphorus, calcium and fibre. The substance cynarin is thought to benefit digestion, while the juice of the leaves is used in skin cosmetics.

An artichoke liqueur, part of the Campari group, bears the name Cynar and is made with artichokes from Sicily. Its distinctive flavour is enriched from an infusion of 13 herbs and plants, making it a completely natural drink.

As Capers, Sausages, Ricotta, Cous Cous, Oranges, Pistacchi and other Sicilian delicacies feature their own personal sagre (festivals) around Sicily, even the humble carciofo has a sagra of his own, taking place in Cerda every 25 April, only 58 km from Palermo.

The artichoke is celebrated every year with a festival that mixes art exhibits and other artichoke-themed entertainment with live traditional bands and parades through the town.

When:

Apr 2009 (annual)

Where:

Cerda

Opening Hours:

Parades and bands start at 9am
Tasting starts at 12pm

Contact Details

Name:

Information

Phone:

+39 091 899 10 03

As you approach downtown Cerda, the enormous statue of an artichoke will remind you of what will be the "king dish" on the menu (the photo, above, is of the "Big Artichoke" sculpture in the main piazza of Cerda).

But whether you will want to visit Cerda or not, if you are on your way to Sicily don't forget to sample some Sicilian carciofi at the restaurant.

These are a must try :

Carciofi Ammuttunati - or ripieni (artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs, raising, parmigian and herbs)

Carciofi alla Villanella -

Carciofi in pastella (deep fried artichokes)

If this tantalises your taste buds, try this recipe.

For those wanting to purchase authentic Cerda artichokes direct from the source, go here.

And here is a nice article in praise of Sicilian Artichokes.

Long live the lentils..and Salvatore!

Known all over the world as Italy’s first natural marine reserve, it is called the ‘black pearl’ or ‘solitaire’ of the Tyrrhenian sea : Ustica, is a special island that brings back eternal memories of my childhood. Ustica is an island that has never changed from that sleepy, beautifully preserved feeling, a timeless island not only because of its old geological age, but because of its people...

Signor Salvatore born in Ustica 75 years ago personifies for me the ancient, long-lasting - eternal feel of this tiny volcanic island.

I coincidentally ran into his stone-built house on my last trip to the island as I was looking for some Lenticchie di Ustica (Ustica's lentils) to buy. I found Salvatore still sitting under the ancient olive tree where I had left him some years ago. He was still weaving baskets of reed and cane with his gnarled hands. His wide-brimmed straw hat (which he wears while trotting along on his donkey, transporting vegetables) was on the ground beside him.

I walked across the road to the wall where Salvatore's baskets hold the produce they sell to summer visitors: eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, onions, capers, fava beans and the famous, delicious ustica lentils.

The crickets seemed to perform their never ending chirping tribute to a beautiful mid-summer sunset and I, once again fall in love with the colour of Ustica : pristine white and pastels of the stuccoed houses, black of the volcanic rock walls dividing the fields, red and purple bougainvillea and red, white, pink hibiscus bursting in flashes of colour, here and there. White-flowered caper vines grow from crevices in the the black rock walls and crawl along the cliffs which drop to the aquamarine sea.

As Salvatore keeps weaving his baskets, I ask him about the secret of his long life. A life of hard work in the fields, cultivating the land with his bare hands under the strong Sicilian sun.

"It must be the lentils" he smiled. "I always eat a plate of our lenticchie for dinner"

Cultivated on the lava rich soil of Ustica, local lentils are seeded in January and picked in the first half of June.
The little plants are left in the field to dry, then they are uprooted and collected in bunches in the stables in order to be struck.

Salvatore and his family still harvest the lentils in the traditional way : dividing the straw from the lentils trampling on the little plants with big stones dragged by donkeys and then throwing them in the air.

Ustica lentils Lentils are considered legumes with high nutritional value and contain about 25% of proteins, 53% of carbohydrates and 2% of vegetable oils. They are also rich in phosphor, iron and vitamins of the B group. According to a nutritional point of view, 100 grams of lentils are equal to 215 grams of meat. Lentils - just like all the other legumes - are characterised by a high quantity of proteins, a good quantity of carbohydrates and a low quantity of fats.

Ustica lentils are also rich in vitamins, mineral salts and fibres, in particular phosphor and potassium. Lentils are a food suited for the prevention of arteriosclerosis because the low quantity of fats contained in them are of the unsaturated type.
The richness in fibres make lentils very useful for the proper functioning of the bowel system and they are also useful in lowering cholesterol. Lentils are considered - thanks to the good quantity of proteins they contain - a highly nutritional food, especially when consumed together with cereals (such as rice, pasta and bread), are very digestible and have no cholesterol. They also contain "isoflavones", substances which clean the organism, as well as iron, calcium and vitamin B.

This is Salvatore's long-lived lentils soup recipe :

(about 6 servings)

1 pound (450 g) Ustica lentils
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Minced parsley
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and seeded
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the lentils in a pot with enough water to cover them to a depth of 3-4 fingers, and simmer them covered over a low flame for about 2 hours; keep more hot water handy should the lentils absorb all the cooking water. When they're close to being done, add the remaining ingredients. Cook for another half hour and serve.

The gutter in the guts...

The French may talk the most about sex and baking, but the Sicilians have the best renditions....

The bread called "coppiette" is made to resemble a couple involved in, shall we say, carnal knowledge. This is an apparent reference (we believe) to the ancient custom of a couple having sex in the wheat field in order to ensure its fertility.

There's a particular shaped pastry called "prucitanu", that seems to resemble a woman's genitals, which is often given by the wife to her husband at Christmas (the pastry that is). Conversely, she might give him the cream-filled phallus/biscuit called "viscotta di san martinu", named after the patron saint of the cuckolded husband.

The best tale relates to the "xuccarati", a hard circular pastry with a hole in the middle that well endowed grooms use to calm fearful brides. You put seven on your, ahem...penis and remove one for each night you're together. Other hot dishes draw inspirations from erogenous body part including the pistacchio-flavoured pastries, called "fedde" - they linguisitcally refer to, and physically resemble, buttocks!
The most common of these erotic mouthfuls is the "minni di virgini", or Virgin's breasts, a custard filled pastry shaped like a woman's breast and topped with an aroused cherry nipple. Also sold-sans niple-as genovesi. The story behind this delicious pastry, however is less than appetizing.: the pastry commemorated the martrydom of St. Agatha, who had her breasts cut off by Roman pagans for refusing to renounce Christ. This story, however, is thought to be simply a Christianiztion of of an ancient Egyptian rite in which priests carried about a golden breast-supposedly of Osiris-and poured milk libations for the devout.

Whether it is a phallus-shaped bisquit, sweet buttocks or a couple of breasts, we do not ask questions but simply enjoy the taste!

The following is based on the recipe created by the Monastery of the Virgins of Palermo, as described by writer June di Schino in her article, "The Waning of Sexually Allusive Monastic Confectionery in Southern Italy" in the book, "Disappearing Foods". Makes eight. Best enjoyed warm.

Minni di Virgini (Virgin's breasts)

Three cups of basic pastry dough.

½ cup Basic Pastry cream,

Candied pumpkin (succatta) or filling of your choice

Powdered Sugar and candied cherries cut in half.

Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Divide the dough into seven pieces and roll them into rectangles about 6x 4 x 1/4. Place two tablespoons of the filling made up of pastry cream on one half of the rectangle and sprinkled with chopped candied pumpkin and/or chocolate. Fold the other half over it. Seal it well and then cut out a circular shape about three inches round with a glass of pastry cutter. Put the halved candied cherry in the middle and bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Pasta Sfoglia Ripiena (Stuffed puff pastry)

Ingredients:

2 pre-rolled puff pastry sheets
1 Kg ground seasoned Italian sausage
olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 cup ground Provola (or gouda cheese)
1 cup ragout sauce (your own recipe)
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the to degrees Celsius.
Golden the onion in olive oil and stir fry with the sausage, adjusting with salt and pepper.
Add ragout sauce, let the mix thicken, cool down and set aside.
Unroll the lower layer of pastry out on a baking tray (usually pastry comes interleaved with plastic, which I leave on as baking sheet.)*
Spread ground sausage mixture on pastry to form a flat rectangle, then sprinkle the ground provola cheese on top, leaving some room for the folding edges of pastry.
Unroll the upper layer of pastry and place on top of the ground sausage mixture.
Trim and seal edges carefully.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Let it cool and cut in large squared portions. Best served warm

* Beware that puff pastry needs to be kept refrigerated and unrolled chilled. By doing so, you will prevent excessive softening of the texture.

Recipe: Crema di ricotta al caffé (Ricotta & coffee cream)

Sicily is famous for its sweetened ricotta desserts, like the wonderful and elaborate cannoli or the cassata.

Crema di ricotta al caffé is one of the easiest desserts to make : This delicious combination of ricotta and coffee takes just minutes in the food processor. It may be made a day ahead. (In fact, it tastes even better once the flavours have mellowed.)

Ingredients : (serves 6-8)

1/4 cup very strong espresso

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

1 pound high-quality whole-milk ricotta

1/3 cup sugar

unsweetened chocolate powder and coffee beans for decorations.

In a food processor or blender combine the ricotta, coffee or espresso, vanilla and sugar.

Process for 2 minutes until the mix appears smooth.When done, spoon the ricotta mousse into 6-8 small glass goblets or dessert bowls, cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.

Before serving the cream, sprinkle with some chocolate powder and decorate each bowl with 1 or 2 coffee beans.

Recipe : Cuccía

Cuccia is a traditional dessert, served only on Santa Lucia's day (December 13th) in Sicilian households.
All the mothers in every Sicilian neighborhood make cuccia, each in her own unique way. Some are sweeter, some have chocolate, some have citron, some had both. The mothers would prepare bowls of their cuccia for their neighbours and the children are asked to distribute the food.
Who can resist the fresh warm tastes of whole wheat kernels with honey and ricotta? At least, I could not. When my mother was preparing cuccia the night before St Lucia's day, I used to sneak in the kitchen in the middle of the night and eat a large part of the dessert even before it was ready.

As the legend goes, Lucia was a young Sicilian girl from Syracuse who vowed to live as a virgin in devotion to Christ. Her mother, however, arranged a marriage for her to a pagan suitor. To dissuade her mom by way of a miracle, Lucy prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha that her mother's hemorrhage would stop. When the miracle happened, her mother agreed to leave aside the topic of marriage. Lucy's suitor, however, had other ideas, and denounced Lucy as a Christian to the pagan authorities. The authorities went to arrest her, planning on forcing her into prostitution -- but they were unable to budge her, even after tying her to a team of oxen.


She was then tortured by having her eyes torn out. They'd planned on torturing her by fire, too, but the fires kept going out. She was then killed by being stabbed in the throat with a dagger.


Because of the above, St. Lucy is the patron of those with eye problems, and is often depicted carrying her eyes (often on a plate), being tied to a team of oxen, with St. Agatha, or before her judges.


Her remains lay in Syracuse for hundreds of years, were transported to Constantinople, and then to Venice where they were venerated at the Church of San Geremia. Her head was sent to Louis XII of France, and placed in the cathedral of Bourges.


Her name, "Lucia," means "Light," and light plays a role in the customs of her Feast Day.


In Sicily, torchlight processions and Sicily mark her day, and bowls of a cooked wheat porridge known as cuccia are eaten because, during a famine, the people of Syracuse invoked St. Lucy, who intervened by sending a ship laden with grain to the starving population.


Recipe :

1 cup (5 ounces) hard wheat kernels (wheat berries)
Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups high-quality whole-milk ricotta (made without gelatin or stabilizers)
Honey to taste
1/2 cup currants or raisins
generous pinch cinnamon (optional)

1. Soak wheat in cold water to cover overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and place in a 3-quart saucepan along with the salt and enough water to cover by 2 to 3 inches. Cook at a slow simmer, partially covered, about 1 hour, or until tender. Kernels will open up slightly.
2. Drain the wheat and combine it with the ricotta. Blend in honey to taste, and the raisins or currants. Turn into a deep serving bowl and dust with cinnamon. Serve warm or at room temperature in small bowls.

Variations
Cuccia with Chocolate: Some Sicilians like warm Cuccia with ricotta, honey, and shaved semi-sweet chocolate to taste. We add, too, 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped candied orange rind.

Jamie Oliver does it again

There is nothing wrong with a visit to Florence, Venice, Rome or Cinque Terre. But soon you may find yourself looking for another Italy; a less touristy one that, though free of Caravaggios, is also welcomingly free of crowds.

A "real" place with "real" people, flavours and, above all, particulary addictive recipes!

Jamie Oliver's discerning eye spotted the delight of Sicily a long time ago and today he shares his discoveries with us! From msnbc.com

Jamie Oliver serves up a Sicilian specialty

For his next lesson in Italian cooking, the British culinary star shares tuna meatballs with tomato sauce. Check out the recipe.

Sicilian Tuna Meatballs

For the tomato sauce
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 14-oz. cans of good-quality plum tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• red wine vinegar
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

For the meatballs
• 14 oz. tuna
• olive oil
• 2 oz. pinenuts
• 1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups stale breadcrumbs
• 2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

First make your sauce. Place a large pan on the heat, add a good glug of olive oil, your onion and garlic, and fry slowly for 10 or so minutes, until soft. Add your oregano, the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, then blend until smooth. Taste, it might need a tiny swig of red wine vinegar or some extra seasoning.
While the tomatoes are simmering, chop the tuna up into 1-inch dice. Pour a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and place on the heat. Add the tuna to the pan with the pinenuts and cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry for a minute or so to cook the tuna on all sides and toast the pinenuts. Remove from the heat and put the mixture into a bowl. Allow to cool down for 5 minutes, then add the oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, lemon zest, and juice to the bowl. Using your hands, really scrunch and mix the flavors into the tuna, then divide the mixture and squeeze it into meatballs slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you dip one of your hands in water while shaping, you’ll get a nice smooth surface on the meatball. If the mixture’s very sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs. Keep the meatballs around the same size and place them on an oiled tray, then put them in the fridge for an hour to let them rest.
Put the pan you fried the tuna in back on the heat with a little olive oil. Add your meatballs to the pan and jiggle them about until they’re golden brown all over. You might want to do them in batches- when they’re done, add them to the tomato sauce, divide between your plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and drizzle with good olive oil. Great served with spaghetti or linguine.

Recipe of the day : Falsomagro

Farsumagru or Falso Magro (literally Fake-Lean) is perhaps the most celebrated Sicilian meat dish.

It translates roughly as nonlenten, because it contains an amazing wealth of ingredients, including meats.

Farsumagru is another typical Sicilian recipe that places its roots around the 1800's, where the French chefs Monsú (from French word Monsieurs) treated their masters with their special "Viande farcie de maigre" - stuffed lean beef roll.

In Sicily, meat has never been verypopular. Perhaps because of the abundance of fish or, on the other hand, for the high prices of bovine meat itself.

In fact, Sicilians were mainly using the cattle for milk and the only available beef came from old or injured bovines whose meat was very hard, chewy and barely edible.

When the Monsú arrived in Sicily and discovered the almost complete lack of quality beef, they needed to come up with something creative to replace their "Viande de false maigre" and decided to embellish the local hard meat by stuffing it with everything "non-lean", such as salami, boiled eggs, ham and cheese.

Just like for "sarde a beccafico" Sicilians imitated the rich and nobles, but being unable to understand French, they soon renamed that fusion French-Sicilian dish as Falso Magro: A truly original "Fake-Lean".

A rectangular slice of veal weighing 1 3/4-2 pounds (7-800 g), with no holes!
1/2 pound (200 g) prosciutto or mortadella
1/2 pound fresh mild sausage, or the soft salami of Chiaramonte Gulfi
4 hard boiled eggs
4 ounces (100 g) cured lard (a strip the length of the slice of meat)
3 ounces (75 g) ground beef
A fresh spring onion
A beaten egg
A clove of garlic
4 ounces (100 g) sharp caciocavallo or provolone, diced
2 1/2 ounces (60 g) grated pecorino col pepe (similar to Romano, but with peppercorns)
A small bunch parsley
1/4 pound (100 g) freshly shelled peas, blanched in salted water
Tomato sauce
A walnut sized chunk of rendered lard
A sprinkle of well aged red wine
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Begin by pounding the meat with the flat of a knife, being careful to keep the slab rectangular in shape, and not puncturing it. Next, lay the slices of prosciutto or mortadella over the meat. Trim the tips off the hard boiled eggs to reveal the yolks, and lay them lengthwise down the middle of the piece of meat.

Trim the rind from the lard if need be, put it around the eggs, then sprinkle the diced cheese and parsley sprigs over everything, along with the garlic, minced, and the spring onion.

To complete the filling combine the ground meat, grated cheese, peas, and, if you want, some fresh sausage. Spread the mixture over the other ingredients in the filling, and roll the meat up around it. Tie the roll with string lengthwise and width wise and down, to produces a "salame."

Put the farsumagru in a large pan and brown it either in the fat from cooking sausages, or a mix of lard and oil. At this point the farsumagru is ready to take its place in a festive ragù. Or, if it is to reign in glory by itself at the table, sprinkle it with red wine and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated. Then add some tomato sauce, diluted in water, and simmer the roll for about an hour, covered. When it comes time to serve it transfer it to a platter and remove the string, but wait till you get to the table to slice it into half-inch slices. The beauty of the thing, if it's done right, is the way the brilliant yellow of the yolk is surrounded by the whites, in which are in turn surrounded by the milky lard, with the green of the peas and parsley in the brilliant white of the cheese.

This is the farsumagru, the undisputed King of Sicilian meat dishes.

Serve it with its sauce, and with a fine red wine, along the lines of a Nero D'Avola.

Recipe of the Month : Sarde a beccafico

Every Sicilian dish has its own story to tell.

In an island that has been at the cross-road of so many different cultures these stories become even more fascinating.

This month we will disclose the culinary secrets and a recipe of the delicious "Sarde a Beccafico" (Stuffed sardines).

Maria Carolina, the wife of Ferdinand I and the sister of Marie Antoinette imported French chefs to the royal court in Palermo in 1805. These chefs became known as Monsú, a corruption of the word monsieur. Gradually the Sicilians, who had served their apprenticeships under the French cooks, took over the kitchens and continued to bear the prestigious title.

Monsú were able to produce magnificent flavours in the kitchen : The quintessential baroque opulence expressing its art in food and in sophisticated presentations.

The Sicilians creatively got rid of the austerity of Norman dishes and filled their specialties with the exoticness of a southern land bathed in sunshine and all the virtues and vices of the east. They used spices, marinated the meats in lemon juice and used breadcrumbs, pinenuts and raisins fillings.

Sarde a Beccafico originally consisted in roasted quail-like small birds, some even believe robins. While the poor people could not afford such an expensive delicacy, their ingenuity made them think of a cheaper alternative using sardines.

The choice of the sardines is not casual, as this fish's tail resembles a bird or even a robin's tail.

Another theory behind the name of this delicacy comes from Salvatore lo Presti, the renowned Catanian folklorist. He writes in Lo Stivale allo Spiedo (The Spitted Boot) that the beccafico is a gluttonous bird that loves ripe figs and is therefore considered a gourmand.

I know you have all been waiting for this...
Here's my grandma's recipe :

ingredients for 6 serves
2 pounds fresh sardines
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup currants, plumped in water
2 tablespoons minced parsley
8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
6 black olives, pitted and slivered
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon sugar
2 dozen bay leaves

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Scale, gut and clean sardines. Split open to remove backbone, but do not cut in half.
In a heavy skillet, over low flame, brown breadcrumbs in 2 tablespoons oil. When golden, take off heat and stir in pine nuts, currants, parsley, anchovy, olives, orange and lemon zest. Moisten with 1 - 2 tablespoons additional oil if mixture is dry.
Place a spoonful of mixture in the centre of each opened sardine. Do not close sardines. Roll up starting with edge opposite the tail. When rolled, place side by side in baking dish with tail sticking up. Place a bay leaf between each fish.
Mix together, lemon and orange juice.
When ready to bake, sprinkle with sugar and then with the citrus juices.
Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 10 - 15 minutes.
This dish is excellent when served either hot or cold.

Recipe of the month : Pasta alla Norma

This pasta was named to honour the opera "Norma" written by the Sicilian composer, Vincenzo Bellini.

There are two stories to explain this name : The first is that a Sicilian chef was so excited by Bellini’s Norma that as soon as he got back to his kitchen he concocted this sauce where the sliced eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta salata (typical cheese for the region) blend with the spaghetti. The second (and more likely) is that some of Bellini’s compatriots, delighted by the beauty of his opera, started using the new superlative una vera Norma (A real Norma), which was used to praise the merits of a product or a deed.

Whatever the story is, you will love this simple yet delicious Sicilian classic , that requires no special knowledge in the kitchen :

Ingredients (serves 4)
450–500 grams of pasta, it can be either spaghetti or maccheroni (possibly Barilla or De Cecco brand)

3 eggplants

1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic

tomato sauce (your own recipe, or see below)

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped

200 grams of crumbled ricotta salata (salted ricotta) which is what makes this recipe authentic, ricotta salata should be available in the best Italian groceries.

Cut the eggplants into fine slices (or dices) after cutting off the stems Spread the slices in layers on a cutting board and cover each layer with salt. Place the board at an angle in the dish rack to allow the liquid to run directly into the sink. Cover the eggplants with a weight (for instance a pot filled with water) and leave standing for two hours. Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce. Fry an onion and two cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a large can of tomatoes (preferably imported from Italy) or 700 grams of diced fresh tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for approximately 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has thickened, pass it through a grinder (or a blender if you’re not Italian). Pour the sauce back into the pan and reduce for another 5 minutes. After the required time, rinse and dry the eggplant slices. Cover them lightly in flour to prevent the vegetable from soaking up oil. Boil the water for your pasta and warm up the tomato sauce if necessary. Meanwhile fry the eggplant slices in hot olive oil (about 400°F/205°C) a few at a time, about two minutes on each side. Wipe off the excess oil from the slices and keep them warm.When the pasta is ready (al dente!), place it in a large serving bowl. First add the cheese; mix well before adding the tomato sauce, the basil and the eggplant. Mix and serve right away. Buon appetito!

recipe of the month : Involtini di pescespada

My Grandma Providenza's only job was that of raising her three, extremely spoiled, children and she used to spend entire days in the kitchen. I can still recall the delicious aromas, when she was organising her usual Sunday gathering, right after mass.

When she passed away a few years ago , I inherited her recipe book. The recipe I'm going to post today is one of my favourites: Involtini di pesce spada. (swordfish rolls)

I also remember when I was a child, anytime she was preparing this particular recipe and I happened to be "helping out" in the kitchen, I used to ask her to sing a particular song for me: "Lu Pisci Spada" (the swordfish) by Domenico Modugno. It is a famous song in sicilian dialect, which recounted a fishing expedition from the eyes of both the fishermen and two amorous swordfish.

Sicilian cuisine, especially the "Baroque" one, can be very complex at times, because of this it is always best to have somebody with you to show you all the "magic".
For those who would like to master this old traditional Sicilian recipe, Mamma Lucia from Ristorante Cin Cin in Palermo knows all the culinary secrets about it.

Swordfish rolls (involtini di pesce spada)

Ingredients (serves 4)
12 slices of swordfish (600-700g)
Extra virgin olive oil
Breadcrumbs
100g grated mature cheese (pecorino if possible)
20g pine kernels
20g raisins
Lemon juice
Parsley
1/2 a small chilli pepper chopped
Salt and pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
12 bay leaves
4 skewer sticks

Procedure

The filling: finely chop the onion and garlic and gently fry in olive oil until soft. Add salt and pepper, the pine kernels, the raisins, the finely chopped parsley, the cheese and the chilli pepper and mix well until it is fairly solid (though not too dry).

The sword fish: using a tenderiser, flatten the swordfish fillets and then add a spoonful of the filling and roll up. Once ready roll in olive oil and bread crumbs and place 3 rolls onto each skewer, divided by a slice of onion and a bay leaf.

Sicilianised foodies

OK, I admit. I am a bit obsessive when it comes to food.

Being devoted foodies, Dean and myself had done almost 50 gourmet trips over the last four years, travelling together in search of the ever illusive meal par excellence. We have eaten pad thai and curries on the streets of Bangkok, sipped High Tea in London, explored the back roads of Tuscany, feasted on roast duck in Beijing, dim sum in Hong Kong, rump-steak in Argentina and so so. We were and still are extremely privileged to be exposed to such a wide range of food and cuisine from around the globe.
But despite this, nothing beats Sicilian food, and especially the street-food.
I will never forget the horrified expression on Dean's face, when we were still dating in Australia and I said I craved street-food. This was of course, before his first visit to Sicily. Forget greasy burgers from a dodgy stall – in Sicily shoppers can eat like kings as they buy their weekly groceries. Once Dean had experienced the unique flavours of such a complex culinary culture. Since then, he had developed a compulsive obsession toward Sicilian food, and in particular toward "his majesty" - as he calls it - the Arancina. He is also slowly turning into a real Sicilian, calling my mamma in typical Sicilian fashion, right after stepping out of the plane to ask her for his favourite sauce. And once home, he eats it like there is no tomorrow.
The list of other Sicilianised individuals is long, like our longtime friend, high-flying merchant banker Phil, who is now addicted to sicilian caponata and begs us to ship the "goodies" to Australia.

If you are a street-food fanatic, then Palermo is for you.
Even food professional Jamie Oliver was stunned at the quality of the food served in Sicily's street markets. Marinated artichoke, fresh salads with olives and ripe tomatoes and fillets of fried fish are just some of the tasty dishes on offer, and I am sure these delicacies would sicilianise even the most exigent, fussy palate.
A perfect example of typical Palermitan street food and another Dean's favourite is "Pane e Panelle": golden, fried fritters made from ground chickpea flour, water, and parsley.
Surprisingly, I have seen these chickpea fritters in the menu of some of the most elegant Italian restaurants in Sydney. Pane e panelle is a street food and traditionally is eaten standing up and not in a plate with fork and knife. If only Palermitans saw this…
Here's an old recipe from my grandmother, for those who might try and experiment in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Ingredients (make about 30 fritters):

2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) chickpea flour
3 cups water
3 tablespoons finely fresh parsley or oregano (optional)
4 to 6 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fine ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
vegetable oil

Method:
Dissolve the chickpea flour in three cups of cold water and add the salt and the baking powder. Cook and stir it for about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Divide the mixture with a spatula, stack the panelle next to each other and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Heat the vegetable oil to 375F in a flat pan. Fry the panelle until golden. Drain them on paper towel and serve them warm.
A true Palermitano will eat Panelle in a sandwich, with a dash of lemon juice.