Pontormo

Mrbigjas: Sounds more like brutto ma buono than a true lack of success. What kind of prosciutto cotto did you pick up? I've only found one brand here and was not impressed; ended up buying a good domestic ham instead. Henry: Looking forward to your pistachio gelato. Chufi: How inspired!! The tartlets ought to be shared on glossy paper, too. Which Marcella?

Looks incredible, Dean! A couple of suggestions: Everyone loves shrimp, so that's a wonderful way to start. Of course I've a little predisposed to think of Sicilian dishes these days, but I do think it might be fun to serve shrimp in a way that would be different for your guests such as a kind of croquette (too Southern US?) that is flavored with cumin, fresh mint, onion, garlic and lemon, then skewered and grilled....or another shrimp dish, a bit more hearty, that is prepared with tomatoes, capers, pine nuts and golden raisins. If you do this, I'd keep the tomatoes out of the fregula and clams to avoid redundancy. It is difficult to imagine summer without pesto, but IMHO it has become too much of an all-purpose sauce in this country even though I agree that the assertiveness and richness of shrimp can withstand the power of basil, garlic and olive oil. You asked about salads. Sicily again: shaved fennel, orange slices, mint, red onion and black cured olives. I associate this with seafood, especially, and think it would make a great transition from your three courses of fish, served right before (or after, traditionally, I suppose) the rich tenderloin. (Are you planning to grill the beef? Everything else seems so summery, it might be good to retain that seasonal quality with a light, herby preparation.) I like the idea of saving the roasted figs until dessert, though they do go perfectly with ham and I am not so sure they complement your chocolate crema. This sounds like a wonderful tradition.

Hathor: I trust your tastebuds. Interesting. Thanks for answering my question about regionalism above, a post that coincided with reading a passage in Heat in which a Tuscan butcher throws a fit over finding a bottle of balsamic vinegar--foreign stuff--on his table. Those tapering red peppers are gorgeous and I am looking forward to more pictures of the beautiful things those Sicilians bring your way.

Laurna ed Enrico: Wow! Henry established his Italian credentials in his food blog, but I guess I never fully appreciated how much a love of pastry, cream, chocolate, cake and goo betrayed Ling's past life as a Sicilian nun! Great job, you two! Yes, the arancini are indeed gorgeous. Were the cannoli shells acceptable? Still waiting for the shot of the ice cream. * * * Shaya: Yum! It's funny. The son of a friend of mine used to go nuts over capers when he was three or four. Well, a bowl of cold cereal, skim milk and a sliced white peach awaits. Sigh.

: Aux armes, citoyens Les verres sous les bras! Marchons, marchons... To arms, citizens/With glasses close at hand[loose trans.]/March on, march on...

"The serenades of the south The sweet, warm exhausting Sicilian nights-- The whole time I'd been away the memory of those nights... had filled my days with longing and nostalgia. Agramonte: 18,000 souls, 4,300 of them illiterate, 1,700 of them partially or fully unemployed. Twenty-four churches... This is the Cefalu palace And this is the family coat of arms, Practically the only thing my father had not yet sold." --Ennino de Concini, opening monologue of Divorce, Italian Style (1961) as narrated by the dishy Marcello Mastroianni while his character waits for his roast beef and two potatoes on a train traveling back to his home. Brilliant, wicked fun and full of social commentary and culinary references. (One of the annoying characteristics of the wife is she goes on and on and on about the things they eat.) Accompanied by: Pasta alla Paolina or Friars' Pasta (Wright's translation) in honor of the Franciscans of San Francesco di Paolo in Palermo. Absolutely divine and highly recommended. I omitted the pinches of cloves and cinnamon and used this as a way to step outside the Cult of Roasted Cauliflower. Since I bought purple cauliflower, I sauteed minced red onion to match, colored further with a little tomato paste before chopped stalks and florets are added with pine nuts and golden raisins. Covered and stewed just in the olive oil used for the onions, seasoned at the end with (lots, in my case) minced anchovies added just before the ziti. Stunningly colorful and flavorful. As a contorno, green beans were cooked in ways suggested by several recipes consulted, especially this for fagiolini alla menta whose methods really are effective. I used a frying pan so the water was shallow and drizzled olive oil on top so the beans were just a little slick by the time they were done. I am normally not a big fan of string beans as a side dish for meatloaf or roast chicken, et al, but find that in the summer, especially when I buy them at the farmers market, they are indeed wonderful in salads. After these guys sat around for a while, just before I ate, I followed the instructions of Mimmetta Lo Monte for her anchovy-rich green beans and tossed them in toasted bread crumbs. The contrasting texture, the oily crunch with each bite complemented both the beans and the softened cauliflower. Really happy with this, too. Dessert was not quite dessert but almost Sicilian: figs wrapped in Iowan prosciutto. Thank you, really, Kevin and Hathor for putting your heads together on this project. These threads are pushing me to cook new things. Ling, you seem to be celebrating the fact that you get to cook with a little more freedom than anticipated. What a feast! You know, I thought you were being cute about the lifeguard, but then discovered that actually is the name of a dish served at Babbo. Father and son all in one meal: a VERY Italian thing to do. Shaya, it's good to see you back and making braciole ...you, too, Adam. Wild cardoons? This late in the year? Please say more. And Divina, a belated wish that your back is not too much of a pain. Keep your trip to Puglia in mind next month. I hope you'll be able to share something from your trip to Sicily last winter. Finally, the question posed in my new signature line is in fact a link to a very old thread where Adam is called The Balic. Still haven't read my way through all 13 pages of it, but thought you might be amused.

Then, there's Naples....

From what I understand, Balducci's scrapped those plans. The chain is expanding, but largely in the Northeast and going for wealthy communities in places like Connecticut. It seems to be suffering from a crisis of identity, but going more in the direction of the rather colorless Sutton Place Gourmet than what seems more promising to me: the OLD Balducci's with stellar produce and things Italian.

Regarding your question about Sardegna and Sicily, comparing the cuisines of the two islands, I suspect you answer your question about differences & "influences" in the first sentence I have quoted here. Most invaders come with the intentions of colonizing, but not all develop major settlements. While Andrew the Syracusophile should jump in to speak about the ancient world, Sicily is associated with figures such as Aeschylus, Achimedes and Plato. Equally important is the fact that Palermo became the site of three successive COURTS in the Middle Ages, first early in the ninth century, when Arabs established an emirate less than a hundred years after the Umayyads fled the Middle East and in Cordoba (c. 756-1031), built a cosmopolitian court whose wealth and longevity surpassed all others in Western Europe until Paris became Paris. I don't know how much the Muslim court of Sicily resembled the caliphate in Spain, but in Spain, the rich indigenous cultures of Jews & Christians intermingled with the new Islamic traditions if always with the understanding of who ruled. A kind of medieval multiculturalism was definitely an essential aspect of the later Norman court, especially given the evidence left by Roger II. The Western ruler was equally enamored of the thriving Arab workshops in Sicily as he was of Byzantine art. Cf. his coronation robe (c. 1134) which I am linking since it is somewhat related to the preoccupations of eGullet; the ferocious tigers standing regally and dominant over docile camels are about to devour their prey. The gold embroidered border is inscribed in Kufic, not Latin, wishing the ruler changeless, unending pleasures both day and night. When the Hohenstaufen eventually became the rulers in Southern Italy, most notably under Frederick II (d. 1250), the inclusiveness of previous courts continued, especially fruitful in the development of new, more empirical forms of natural observation that were founded, in part, on the interest that Arab scientists had in classical Greek texts. These powerful, wealthy and worldy courts must have fostered an equally elaborate, lavish tradition of intermingling cuisines that Sardegna lacked when it was simply a territory of successive and sometimes unknown entities. The so-called foreigners became natives and developed an indigenous Sicilian cuisine. In Sardegna, signs of culinary dissemination come later, tied to Genoa (the use of Sardinian cheese, for example, in pesto) and the French (stuffing animals inside animals in Napoleon's circles), both decidedly foreign presences on the smaller island. * * * Regarding the state of current scholarship, isn't the first known record of dried pasta in Italian cuisine attributed to Sicily in the 12th century? As for artichokes, Wright says the Arabs brought them. Somewhere else I think I read that Ancient Rome probably knew only cardoons, not artichokes. * * * Thanks, Hathor! Soup looks great, Andrew! Always good to have more books to read, Pedie! I can throw around exclamation marks as much as you, Henry! ETA: Elie, wow! You seem to be making just about everything in Wright that appeals to me, too. I've just finished the last of the leftovers and will tackle the purple cauliflower tonight.

I'm not sure if the abbreviation TP = Takoma Park. Elsewhere at eGullet the plight of the tasteless apricot and strawberry have been discussed. General Foods, perhaps. I think this year's growing season is running a little behind and maybe we're all impatient. Since some farmers bring hydroponic produce to the market, they are obviously as driven by the need to make a profit as supermarkets are and are taking advantage of shoppers who don't know any better and buy tomatoes year round rather than waiting for nature to take its course. By the end of the month, the field tomatoes should be bountiful. Of the few small ones I bought the first week they were available, one was not ready, two were fine, but not the best. White peaches: all but one were ready to eat, ripe and juicy; one needed 8 hours to soften on the sill. Smell the air around the piles of fruit. Yes, this week the yellow peaches will probably be more fragrant, the next week...? We've had bizarre weather and I don't know how that will affect what we can buy. Certainly the pellet-like peaches from CA at WF would serve David well were another Goliath to come along. Safeway had a few soft nectarines, but the flesh was kind of mushy and taste insipid. There is just no comparison between the apples at the market in the fall and winter and the ones in the store---so, so much better! Same with peaches, usually, with the exception of GA ones every once and a while. Can't remember the last time I bought anything other than grape or plum tomatoes in a supermarket and both pale in comparison to the sweet pear, ripe Romas, Purple Cherokees, Striped Germans..... And the kinds of greens, the tender lettuces, globe zucchini, lavendar eggplants, pink beets... * * * And B, thanks for showing your basket of goods! Kale (my favorite kind: called black cabbage or cavolo nero in Italy) really cooks down--maybe you could combine it with the beet greens.

There are lots and lots of golden raisins and currants in The Cooking and Cuisine of Sicily: *Mixed into stuffings for thin cuts of beef, veal, grouper or swordfish, rolled and sauteed, braised in sauce or skewered & grilled *Filling the bare bodkins of sardines; leaves of escarole & artichoke *Tossed with pistachios, pine nuts and herbs in pasta, seafood or vegetable dishes (see reference to caponata earlier in thread) that include ingredients such as cauliflower, swordfish, eggplant and anchovies.

Enrico, calma, calma! I didn't know. * * * Are there any threads devoted to the amazing names of Italian dishes? Sicily's seem to be particularly rich in both historical/cultural information and playful vulgarities, usually at the expense of the Church or body parts. Kevin's food blog last year includes one that I'll omit below, inviting you to look for the link at the beginning of this thread and see for yourself. Clifford Wright often comments on the names for the following among others: Sciatre e Matre: Eggplant sandwich resembling buttocks; the expression also means "Way?!" Cugghiune dell' Ortolano: stuffed baby eggplant, apparently evocative of the farmhand's testicles Olio Santo: Cardamom flavored EVOO; holy oil Riso con gli Angeli: Rice with angels; actually squid, mussels & shrimp Pasta a Vento Barba di San Benedetto: Dessert pasta named after Saint Benedict's beard Spaghetti al Mataroccu: Silly Spaghetti Lingue di Passero: Sparrow tongues; name for tagliatelle Nidi di scuma: Another dessert pasta called nests of foam upon the waves of the sea Spaghetti alla Sala Murisca Taratata: Commemorating medieval battle between Emir Ibn al-Hawwas & Norman Count Roger I; others are called "alla Saracena" or share names with North African countries, e.g. Chachichouka, a vegetarian dish of vegetables and eggs.

Andrew--I've already promised to come up to Philly after Sandy Smith's very tempting food blog. Plus there are a lot of Italian foodies in your town. One day... Ling: Forgive me for being the unhired caterer with all the unsolicited advice. It's YOUR dinner and they're your new friends. However, here's another suggestion: scrap the arancini (size of clementines). Panelle (the chickpea fritters) together with the capanata.* I've looked at the recipe again. They are deep-fried and crisp and warm, so it would be a great contrast to the room temp capanata (please make it at least a day ahead; as in virtually anything with eggplant, best that way) In Palermo, says Wright, the fritters are used as sandwich stuffers, squeezed with lemon. I say, use THEM as the bread and make little round sandwiches with capanata filling. Without the arancini, pasta or rice wouldn't be redundant. You'd have more alternatives such as Elie's really good suggestion with baked cauliflower pasta...even better if you can get the green or purple type (given next suggestion). I kind of like Elie's pistachio pesto with the fresh herbs. I am addicted to pistachios. But there are lots of different ways tomatoes are stuffed. And there's a fabulous dish called the Priests' Mistresses' Potatoes that I intend to make a little later when tomato season is in full swing. (Good with eggplant rolls, but your capanata should not be missed.) Order of these two is up to you, though pasta's usually first. THEN your fennel and orange salad. Nice refresher, especially if you do a heavy pasta. THEN your incredibly decadent dessert. (You know, there's a sweet version of arancine with ricotta and chocolate. And the Sicilians do love their gelato.) *Sandwiches sound like one dish vs. two? Serve a green contorno next to them such as sweet & sour zucchini with golden raisins. Scrap the escarole idea since I recall making Hazan's escarole pie in which the anchovies REALLY made the dish; the recipe isn't vegetarian and might be blah without the fish. OR just a few arancini the size of jumbo gum balls with drinks first.

I look forward to the pictures and admire your dedication, Bavila. I seem to recall that when looking up the web site for one of the local farms (Heinz? New Morning?) that there are CSA's available in the DC area. Does anyone know? Participate? I like the idea of supporting a farm; PBS has shown a moving documentary about one farm in CA and the CSA that helped a farmer by investing even more seriously, helping him buy an adjacent farm up for sale, building a barn, and so forth. As intriguing as mystery-food is, I much prefer the whole experience of going to the market, selecting what I WANT to eat, people-watching, etc.

Kevin, I am pretty sure given Ling's original post and the appearance of the same couple in Henry's food blog that the guests are strict vegetarians. I know quite a few people who call themselves vegetarians who do eat fish since they claim it "doesn't have a face," but for many of them, the qualification stems from Catholic upbringing or the idea that fish aren't quite as fleshy as land-animals. ETA: I intend to make the dish you recommend since I did find sardines at WF before. They're not always here, but I enjoyed a different region's pasta with sardines. This one sounds even fishier which is fine by me.

Along the same line, cauliflower fritters ARE Sicilian. Whatever the vegetable is called (thanks fortedei since Adam's sources say what what mine do), it seems to be quite popular in Sicily. The reason I mentioned the stuffed escarole, though, is that I thought that color was not yet represented in the vegetarian menu. Does anyone have a good suggestion for protein--besides Elie's pistachio-almond pesto that caught our eye? I seem to remember chickpea fritters that didn't sound appealing. I know some American vegetarians add chickpeas to caponata, but it does not seem traditional. * * * Kevin: If you're going to bring leftovers to work this summer, might I suggest a bottle of this in your bottom drawer?

Alexis Lee, welcome to eGullet! We are honored that you chose the Italian forum for your very first post. And what passion! I look forward to more. * * * Ling: I didn't know about four, sorry; the knowledge may come in handy some day. Well, then, I say, consider a bowl of Sicilian olives as a fifth dish and you'll be fine. Check online sources linked here, including Kevin's linked blog from last year, google...though didn't Elie just make some arancini? Fillings often include meat sauce, peas, etc., not just cheese. Glad your guests aren't vegan!!!!

You don't mention where your candidates are debating. If your state is known for anything culinary--potatoes, blueberries, corn, wine--I'd try to incorporate some pertinent foods into the menu. Depending on the party of your candidate, you might make finger food out of the mascot of the rival candidate to bite (filled with something red and spurty?) or throw at the television screen.

Dinner Primo: Spaghetti alla siciliana Secondo: Involtini alla paesana Contorno: Coste di biete all'agrodolce Dolce: Fig with ricotta, drizzled with warm honey The involtini are prepared with thin slices of beef round, pounded and filled with bread crumbs; mozzarella; softened currants; pine nuts; onion and prosciutto, both finely chopped. Once rolled, they're dipped in beaten egg and coated in more bread crumbs. Wright skewers them with bay leaves and grills them which would have been wonderful, no doubt. However, I soaked bay leaves in water, dried them, and then hoped they scented the olive oil in which I pan fried the meat. Different from other Italian-American types of bracciole familiar to me. I can see peasants with skewers of tight little beef rolls, maybe, but not with this kind of filling. Since I had blanched some bright yellow stalks left over from last week's chard, I sauteed them with minced onions, adding white wine vinegar and sugar at the end along with pine nuts. Ling: Sounds good! Question: since your guests are vegetarians, how are you planning to stuff the arancini? If there's no protein, you might consider something like stuffed zucchini with a pistachio pesto, maybe a little couscous to go with the capanata unless you're serving bread. A stuffed escarole, fennel croquettes or fennel and orange salad with black cured olives are other ideas. It just seems as if one thing is missing, although I am sure whatever kind of cassata you make it will be substantive enough for dinner.

Italian site, but we can all make out names in bold type and DOP associated with Ragusano & one pecorino. Actually, it was caciocavallo that I had in mind when asked. (I use RS all the time.) It seems like the kind of thing you'd find hanging up in some of the older Italian-American stores. I am also curious about Hathor's situation in a small town in Umbria. How much does Sicily matter there? (The group trip to Sicily sounds lovely. )

Let me add that while quite a few years have passed since I lived in St. Louis, I was amazed at how inexpensive food was at a street market I used to attend. It was of humble origin, smack on the border of Wash U and close to the railroad tracks. Smoky BBQ shack up front with sweet potato pie. Clientele largely African-American or newly arrived (Eastern Europe, Russia, Ethiopia...) and a little bit older, but a fair number of the young and borderline hip came down, too. A major reason for shopping there was that it cost less than the supermarkets. Ripeness and variety was a bonus. No one cared about organic, heirloom, free range... Since stalls carried bananas and citrus fruit, I don't know how much was local and how much was just supermarket stuff without a roof overhead. No one cared about that either, though I am fairly certain I bought a lot of local food there. Produce cost less than it does in midwestern college towns and a whole lot less than it costs in ones that feature organic produce and cater to D.C. types. I think I mentioned elsewhere that I spoke to a farmer down at Eastern Market (here in D.C.) who had just started traveling to here from his farm in Maryland. He charges a lot more than he does in Baltimore where the Cost of Living is lower and shoppers expect their grocery bills to correspond. Business was good enough for him to keep returning.

Indeed! First, even with kid(s?) ensconced somewhere in the land of BBQ there's more of you in number alone let alone height. So figure my $17 is your $34 or $50, depending. Second, discount. Third, it was a strategy, a kind of deliberate accident, that I left my bank card home and just carried the bills that I had on hand. A purple cauliflower weighing 2 pounds, 9 ounces after being trimmed. (Discounted.) More than a pound of green beans...almost 1 1/2. NOT organic, but prettier and very fresh. Five very small field tomatoes. Run of the mill. But, hey. Seven white peaches, one down at the bottom of the box with a bit of a bug hole. Mint. Parsley. Basil--freebie; the centerpiece for Chef Demo since Jamie decided to drizzle pesto over the duck galantine. Would have bought a whole lot more if discipline not imposed. Left with dollar to my name.

Not sure it's proof of sanity, Judith, but: From here. And thanks, Kevin, for reply. By now, the fresh ricotta version is comfort food for me and I still have a sizeable container minus a couple of tablespoons. I'll pick up salata next week. How are folk making out on Sicilian cheeses?

Mint?

Klary, doing my best James Brown imitation here, clutching the sides of my cape tightly in fists: PuLEEEZ, pleeeze, pleeze. PM to me too? Thanks. Looks fabulous. Only modest report from two separate meals with a question. 1) Spaghetti alla siciliana Marcella Hazan's version of pasta alla Norma calls for fresh ricotta, pecorino & Parm-Reg. I have been making this for years, if with small cubes of eggplant that puff up the moment they hit the oil and cook in around four minutes. I wait several days after preparing it to eat it and it's worth the wait. I really like the clinging factor. You all are using ricotta salata instead. Was her version a compensation for anticipated lack or just a variation? 2) Polpette di Tacchino from Wright's book. Actually used ground turkey (not breast only) instead of beef for one of several really good croquette recipes that share Middle Eastern seasonings. I was born in the USA, but the cultures that take advantage of ground meats to add lots of interesting things to individually sized portions have even more of my respect. This recipe involved opening the bag of pistachios. Dangerous. The combination of ground amaretto cookie, ground pistachios and pine nuts, cinnamon, S & P, sultanas along with the egg and meat was different and nice. I just wanted to have something like tzatziki and a peach salsa on the side along with a simply thrown together couscous (herbs & red onion). No condiments are suggested. * * * And what do you know--just as I previewed for typos, Hathor beat me to the reference to couscous! Oh my, glorious photograph of salt flats. Wonder how many anchovies and caper berries met their fate there.