The Cooking and Cuisine of Sicily

[NYC Mike]

WoW! What a month I have missed!! Everything looks amazing!

Unfortunatly, my Lemoncello didn't survive the trip, hopefully that will count as the good luck broken glass.

But! We now have a kitchen that we can both stand in at the same time . Pasta alla Norma is one of my favorite dishes, sounds like a good way to break in the new stove.

-Mike

[Pontormo]

Thanks, Franci, for the images and vocabulary. I'll have to check out that web site. I've never seen what you call catalogna here in Washington, D.C., though thanks to people like Heinz, the Swiss farmer I mentioned in my original post, we are starting to see more and more varities. I have a weakness for strong tasting greens whether bitter, tangy or sour.

NYC Mike, glad you're back with us at the end of the month. I only knew about shattered glass at Jewish weddings, not moves. And Mark, I look forward to a report on a meal inspired by one of the two books you endorse should you feel inclined.

[hathor]

Kevin, trust me, I was thinking of you as I went to pull off the first shell!  But, they were fine and slipped off easlily. PM me and I'll give you my shell recipe...I can't imagine why else you would have had a problem. I even experimented with taking them off hot, taking them off cold...Who knows?

I filled them with the sweetened sheep ricotta, 2 varieties: with toasted grated almond, and with grated fresh lemon and dried orange peel.  Unfortunately, I was running late, and in a hurry, so no final pic of the finished product.  I even got a round of applause from my friendly Umbrian neighbors, who are slightly mystified why I am cooking Sicilian, but whatever, a round of applause was a very nice thank you. 

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I dunno what to tell you, except that as we all know there's certain things out there that we are cursed to be unable to make, no matter how simple they are. I've tried three separate cannoli recipes (Batali's, the one in Sweet Sicily, and the one in Italian Holiday Cooking) none of which turned out. Maybe it is the tubes; they were cribbed from some bargain bin at our Italian deli. I seem to be dancing around one of my bad luck streaks after this past weekend, so I'm reluctant to try them again.

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I respect your bad streak. We've all been there! (what the hell kind of fish is rombi?? Looked like it was in the sole family, but it was really awful. See, you're not alone.)

Do any of those recipes call for lard in the dough? Just a thought. Hey, if chaise lounge chairs can be dismembered to be canoli tubes....!

[hathor]

I boiled the two together, chopped and sauteed them with chili peppers and garlic and cooked the perciatelli in the deep purple water that held the greens until they became the shade of unvarnished oak.  Tossed both with a combination of fresh ricotta, ricotta salata and Romano to approximate the preferred sheep's milk ricotta.  Silky, not at all too bitter.  Fine prelude to roasted chicken and sauteed red peppers.

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That sounds really good.... there are tons of bitter greens here....all with different names. Unvarnished oak. Lovely.

[hathor]

What did MarkMorse call it? Surface of the Sun hot? I'm getting crankier and crankier...we get heat lightening, wind, and nothing but more blasting heat. Ok. I'm done ranting. Thank you for listening.

I came across this recipe for "Spaghetti alla Trapanese". Which is basically cooked spaghetti with raw chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and some cheese. Since turning on the stove involves MORE HEAT, and this would be self induced heat, the idea of a salsa crudo (cruda?) seemed very appealing.

So, I came up with this variation for some ricotta ravioli: chopped tomatoes, onions, parsley, little bit of garlic and toasted ricotta.

I love Ling's signature line, "currently in love with..." Well, I'm currently in love with sheep ricotta.

Next I tried throwing tomatoes, olives, capers, onions, garlic, basil, chili peppers and olive oil in the blender and getting a super thick 'gazpacho' sort of sauce and threw that over spaghetti. OK, I didn't exactly throw it.... told you I get cranky in the heat. It was good, sort of a salad sauce on top of sphaghetti. You don't get the rich, developed flavors of a traditional ragu, but in this heat, the fresh flavors worked for me.

[Andrew Fenton]

(what the hell kind of fish is rombi?? Looked like it was in the sole family, but it was really awful. See, you're not alone.)

Rombo? Turbot, I think.

The spaghetti alla Trapanese sounds like a good bet for the heat. I'm a huge fan of the variant pesto alla Trapanese, with almonds, but no cheese.

[Adam Balic]

Yes, I thought that also, but Turbot is one of the greatest fish in the world, so I'm not so sure.

[Pontormo]

I came across this recipe for "Spaghetti alla Trapanese". Which is basically cooked spaghetti with raw chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and some cheese. Since turning on the stove involves MORE HEAT, and this would be self induced heat, the idea of a salsa crudo (cruda?) seemed very appealing.

So, I came up with this variation for some ricotta ravioli: chopped tomatoes, onions, parsley, little bit of garlic and toasted ricotta.

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Looks good, Hathor.

If you do see particularly stunning or hideous greens that you know we don't get here, please do report. I'm thinking more along the lines of large bins full as opposed to those precious little bundles of herbs, grasses and leaves sold for salads.

Second, if the subject of your Sicilian cooking comes up among Umbrianese again, it would be fascinating to learn more from their chauvinistic sense of your peculiarity. What are they saying? There is a whole branch of psychology to be tapped here: the Mentality of Regionalism. In the Greek world, Sicilian diets were thought exotic and strange, an attitude that apparently persists in your wilting hills.

Finally, there are LOTS of Sicilian dishes that respect the power of intense sun such as rice salad.

(Well, almost finally. Your blog is fun. Sledgehammers and repairing old stone buildings seem to be central to summer in Italy.)

Edited July 26, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[NYC Mike]

I love to eat takeout on a Friday night as much as the next person but after two weeks of it I am ready for some home cookin.

I'll appologize for the pic quality, left my camera on the front seat for one day and the shutter melted closed. . Welcome to "hotlanta".

Made Pasta alla Norma and I think Miss. Norma was a genius! Used the Molto Italiano to the letter. Next time I think I will peel the eggplant after frying but other than that it was amazing!

Resting, out of the oven.

Plated with ricotta salata. Elie, I'd love to hear how you make your own cheese!

For dessert we had an olive oil cake. It may not look like much but its the best 5 ingredient simple cake I've had. Not sure its Sicilian though...

-Mike

[FoodMan]

Mike, yours is one of the best Norma recipes we've seen in this thread. I did not check out the Molto Italiano recipe, but it seems like he uses a different procedure to make it, no? is it baked?

For my fresh ricotta cheese recipe, click here. For an even creamier version (to use in desserts for example) substitute one cup of heavy cream for one cup of milk. I much prefer this buttermilk version over the ones that use vinegar or lemon juice. Both of those leave a trace of their distinctive tastes. The buttermilk version tastes of pure sweet milky goodness, not even a trace of buttermilk taste.

[hathor]

(what the hell kind of fish is rombi?? Looked like it was in the sole family, but it was really awful. See, you're not alone.)

Rombo? Turbot, I think.

The spaghetti alla Trapanese sounds like a good bet for the heat. I'm a huge fan of the variant pesto alla Trapanese, with almonds, but no cheese.

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The fishmonger's sign said 'rombi'. It was flat, with all of its face on one side, like a sole or flounder. But...it had little sharp bumps on its topside, dark, muddy green skin and it WOULD NOT give up its skin. Normally, it's pretty easy to peel a sole or flounder, this skin was ATTACHED. Also, its organs weren't in the right place...they were all in the head. Seriously. All the icky guts were up in the head, so much so, that I just chopped its head off. The cooked flesh was firm, dense and somewhat 'oily' tasting. And it left a really nasty smell on my hands...more than normal. What ever...no more rombi for me.

[NYC Mike]

Mike, yours is one of the best Norma recipes we've seen in this thread. I did not check out the Molto Italiano recipe, but it seems like he uses a different procedure to make it, no? is it baked?

Yes it is baked, layered like lasagna with breadcrumb topping. We made two, lunch is in the oven as I type!

Thanks for the ricotta recipe we will be trying it soon!

-Mike

[Franci]

(what the hell kind of fish is rombi?? Looked like it was in the sole family, but it was really awful. See, you're not alone.)

Rombo? Turbot, I think.

Maybe this could be helpful

From mareinitaly.it

This is Rombo chiodato

This is Rombo liscio less pricey than chiodato

Not all flat fishes are skinned the same way, dove soles for ex. need to be skinned before filetting, it's just make easier to pull the skin.

Edited July 27, 2006 by Franci (log)

[Adam Balic]

OK, the top fish is Turbot, the bottom is Brill. Both very good fish, but the former is excellet.

[FoodMan]

As far as I could tell the bottom is good old American Gulf Coast flounder. Very good eating fish...and fun to fish as well.

[Adam Balic]

Different fish, the flounder is Paralichthys albigutta, brill is Scophtalmus rhombus.

[FoodMan]

Last night's dinner was an absolutly delicious Sfincione Di San Vito from Clifford Wright's "Cucina Paradiso". This is one of those recipes that I was not sure how good it was going to end up being or how well it will be recieved. I was honestly worried about the whole can of tomato paste in the filling. Boy was I wrong. This beauty is one of the best stuffed pies/pizzas I've ever made. The filling is also pretty simple and does not use as many ingredients as many Sfincione recipes online, just pork shoulder, pork sausage, tomato paste, onions, Sopressata, red wine and cheese.

The pie before adding the top part

Ready to bake (I actually formed and filled the pie the night before and placed it in the fridge, so all we had to do yesterday is bake)

Finished pie (It was topped with some more of the sauce and toasted breadcrumbs 3/4 of the way in the oven)

Sliced and ready

It was recieved very well and each of us enjoyed two large pieces...a little more than we should've perhaps, but the crunchy well rested dough and savory slighlty tangy filling are too hard to resist. Definitly another keeper recipe from Mr. Wright.

[Andrew Fenton]

Sweet lord in heaven, that looks fantastic. I am drooling on my keyboard right now.

[mrbigjas]

Sweet lord in heaven, that looks fantastic.  I am drooling on my keyboard right now.

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yeah, what he said.

i had a sicilian-inspired meal last night, making the fritatta salad from mario's simple italian food and some zucchini rollatini. and a little plate of some sicilian pepperoni and olives.

and well, i don't know know how true to life Mario's recipe is, because he says it's 'inspired by' sicilian dishes, but i can tell you that it tastes great.

[hathor]

Andrew, I'm drooling along with you. That pie looks really, really, really good!!

Don't know what to say about the fish, guys. I think it was the top rombo, as it was a murky green color. Just one of those things. I'll have to do a little more research and then try again.

Lunch today was an oxtail couscous. I braised some oxtail the other morning, with lots of wine and spices, then today I served it alongside a couscous with raisins, and garnished everything with coarse chopped toasted almonds, parsley and orange peel. Served along with a cherry tomato and basil salad it was pretty tasty. And better yet, didn't make the kitchen too hot.

[Kevin72]

Holy crap, Elie!

Good stuff, too, Judith! Love the split between the couscous and the ragu.

Guess I'm only going to fit one or maybe two more meals in this month. Where the hell did the time go?

[Andrew Fenton]

Guess I'm only going to fit one or maybe two more meals in this month.  Where the hell did the time go?

Good question... I'll be sad to say goodbye to Sicily Month.

Judith, that couscous looks great. I've been surprised that so few people (including me) have been making couscous this month; I assumed that folks would gravitate to that, especially in the heat.

Elie, for you here's Odysseus' description of the original Sicilian cheesemaker, Polyphemus:

"His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold. They were kept in separate flocks; first there were the hoggets, then the oldest of the younger lambs and lastly the very young ones all kept apart from one another; as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked, were swimming with whey. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see the owner himself, in the hope that he might give me a present. When, however, we saw him my poor men found him ill to deal with.

"We lit a fire, offered some of the cheeses in sacrifice, ate others of them, and then sat waiting till the Cyclops should come in with his sheep. When he came, he brought in with him a huge load of dry firewood to light the fire for his supper, and this he flung with such a noise on to the floor of his cave that we hid ourselves for fear at the far end of the cavern. Meanwhile he drove all the ewes inside, as well as the she-goats that he was going to milk, leaving the males, both rams and he-goats, outside in the yards. Then he rolled a huge stone to the mouth of the cave - so huge that two and twenty strong four-wheeled wagons would not be enough to draw it from its place against the doorway. When he had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers, but the other half he poured into bowls that he might drink it for his supper. When he had got through with all his work, he lit the fire, and then caught sight of us, whereon he said..."

And you all know the rest of the story, including the other, less savory aspects of Cyclopean cuisine... Probably we can stay away from those!

Edited July 28, 2006 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[hathor]

And you all know the rest of the story, including the other, less savory aspects of Cyclopean cuisine...  Probably we can stay away from those!

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Do I need to go into therapy? All I could think of was..is this the first known recipe for carpaccio? I think I need help.

[Andrew Fenton]

All I could think of was..is this the first known recipe for carpaccio?

HA!

Don't know whether you need therapy, but I do need to wipe ice tea off my desk & monitor now...

Edited July 28, 2006 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[Pontormo]

GA (?) Mike : I never realized that Mario Batali was concerned about cutting calories until I saw your eggplant roasted vs. fried. If I am correct in guessing the fifth ingredient in your cake was orange (olive oil, flour, sugar & eggs), it seems to be in the spirit of Sicily especially given the Middle Eastern associations of such a cake.

Hathor: I haven't made a braise since the very beginning of the month. Yours seems very rustic and far more tempting than my chicken.

Elie : Yes, this has to be one of the most tempting dishes this month. (The decorative strips look very Union Jack.) I was hoping someone would make sfincione and am grateful for the comments on the tomato paste. In Sicily, some of these I would think incorporate homemade estratto (or 'stratto) as described by Mary Taylor Simeti. Given what I have started to learn about Puglia's dishes, Italian-American lasagna is beginning to make a lot more sense to me.

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Last night I finally got around to making my first caponata, relying primarily on Mario Batali's recipe, though adding extra Valrhona cocoa, some celery and a few plump Green olives that came from Bari where we are supposed to be headed next Tuesday. I'll wait until it's room temperature again, but I don't think it's my favorite thing to do with eggplant. I did enjoy tasting it while it was cooking; even a little currant I picked off of the stovetop before cleaning was filled with spicy, complex flavor. (HELP! There's too much! Creative uses (already have ruined clothing) or "sides"?)

For lunch, I prepared a simple rice salad with the last of the golden cherry tomatoes, tuna, capers, red onion, garlic and chopped fresh herbs, dressed with lemon & olive oil while the rice was still hot. The touch of cayenne Tasca Lanza calls for contributed quite a lot and made it more interesting than tuna, red onion & cannellini salad or panzanella as much as I enjoy both in the summer.

I'll have to be on the lookout (using both eyes) this evening for cheese made with sheep's milk when grocery shopping or maybe I will buy extra whole milk to try Eli's recipe for ricotta since the wonderful local ricotta at the farmer's market costs around $6 these days.

Since I have swordfish and lots of sultanas, nuts & currants left, I am going to drag my feet. I will definitely return to this thread when there's more incentive to pop skins off of blanched almonds, grind them and fill cookies with pistachio paste. Still haven't finished watching La Terra Trema either; once you get used to the polemics, it becomes too, too heart-breaking to bear.