The Cooking and Cuisine of Sicily

[Kevin72]

Shaya, I think that ironically the commonly available semolina flour works much better in breads than it does in pasta: I use the same for both, just out of the bulk bin at our local gourmet store. However, it does help if you have a KitchenAid (or at least it does for me) to give the dough the requisite beating it requires.

[FoodMan]

Thanks for the pictures, athinaeos. I especially like the bold presentation of the whole octopus! 

The Pane Siciliano and both types of bruschetta look awesome, FoodMan. Did you make the eggplant caponata as written? Did you find it too sweet, like Andrew did? I'm planning to make it for a vegetarian Sicilian meal on Thursday.

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Other than the extended cooking time and the bunch of herbs added at the end, yes I made it as written. This is my favortie caponata recipe and I usually go back to it whenever I need to make some. IMHO it is not too sweet. Make sure to use the cocoa powder, I think it is essential, maybe even add a little more than requested.

[FoodMan]

Shaya, I think that ironically the commonly available semolina flour works much better in breads than it does in pasta: I use the same for both, just out of the bulk bin at our local gourmet store.  However, it does help if you have a KitchenAid (or at least it does for me) to give the dough the requisite beating it requires.

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Yeap, what he said Shaya. Just regular fine semolina or semolina flour will work. Here's a tip for you though that's worked for me before with those loaves. Do not make 3 loaves from the recipe, make only 2. Going for 3 will make your loaves smaller and "slimmer".

Kevin, why did the chocolate melt in yours? Did you not wait till the pudding cooled before adding? If you make it again, do not eliminate them, they really work great with the flavor of the pudding. Just make sure the pudding is completely cooled like the recipe says.

[Kevin72]

It was slightly warmer than room temp; I was worried that it would set up if it cooled too completely and then I'd have difficulty getting the chips stirred in smoothly.

[FoodMan]

It was slightly warmer than room temp; I was worried that it would set up if it cooled too completely and then I'd have difficulty getting the chips stirred in smoothly.

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Let it cool completely and use chocolate that is not chopped too fine and you'll be fine. Remember chocolate melts at body temperature, so anything above 80F is not a good idea. I worried about getting it incorporated as well but decided to follow the recipe closely since it was the first time making this. The result was perfect.

[patticky]

Klary,

I haven't made the cassata but I have split a pound cake into 3 layers and filled it with leftover cannoli filling, frosted it with chocolate icing and decorated it with chopped pistachio nuts. The best ricotta is the baker or dry ricotta but that's hard to find where I live. (I can buy 25 pounds at a time from a local cheese producer). When I buy the ricotta from the grocery store, I drain it as much as I can. If I'm really stuck and it's still too watery, I have added whipped cream but only in desperation. My family isn't crazy about chunks of citron, so I take some of the sugar and citron and put it in the food processor to partly pulverize while still keeping some of the dice. You might also use chopped dark chocolate tho most recipes now suggest chocolate chips. If I use large chocolate chips, I sometimes cut it slightly in a food processor as well.

I think if you want to make a genuine cassata, you might need to use a sponge cake, probably soaked in a little rum. In that case, I probably wouldn't use a chocolate icing either.

Question on fried sliced artichoke: Does anyone blanche the artichoke before slicing and coating?

Patti

[Chufi]

Thanks, all, for the advice on cassata. The birthday boy has now made a special request for another cake and who am I to refuse him? but, I still plan on making cassata before the month is over, so your advice won't go completely to waste...

Last year, when Kevin was doing Sicily, he made a swordfish impanata that looked so good that I wanted to make it too.. He very kindly PM-d me the recipe, and then ofcourse I never got round to making it, but today I finally did, and now I can't believe that I waited a whole year to make this, it is the most delicious thing I have eaten in a long time.

The crust is very special, flavored with orange zest & juice, sugar and white wine. A bit sweet, which is a perfect counterpart to the spicy salty hearty filling. I think swordfish and salted capers are a match made in heaven and this dish makes the most of that lovely flavor combination. Everyone should try this! (I'll gladly Pm the recipe )

Edited July 10, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[FoodMan]

Chufi, please please PM me this recipe. Looks outstanding. Boy are there so many baked items I'd like to get to in Sicily (baked rice, Sfincione, pastries)

[Kevin72]

It's inspired by Erica de Mane's book, Flavors of Southern Italy, which I've been meaning to plug with the Triple Crown of Southern Italian cooking coming up in the next few months.

Glad you liked the impanata, Klary! I had re-researched last year's thread and forgotten about that one, and now am trying to think of a time to cook this one. And you got everything I liked about it when I made it, too: the sweet crust off against the swordfish, capers, and roasted peppers.

[hathor]

Ciao tutti!!!

I've had no internet for the past 10 days...don't ask. The entire region is waiting for the mystical 'cavo' from Citta dei Castello...and it may acutally have arrived. So, at least for today... I have internet! woo-hoooo!!

Regardless, I may not have done the history lesson yet, but I have been cooking!

The great granita experiments!

It started with a simple lemon granita served in the lemon shells and served with far, far too much limoncello (read: large, very bad hangover)

Then I tried: campari limonatta granita. This is a very good thing.

The lastest attempts:

*lemon-mint-black pepper granita

*orange-basil-pepperoncino granita (oooohhhh yes!!!)

I've been 'challenged' to come up with a fennel granita...any ideas??? Fennel-orange..and???

Elie: the salt baked/orange stuffed fish is my absolute favorite. If you don't have pounds of salt laying around, just press the skin of the fish into as much coarse salt as you can spare. And to whomever asked the question, no, the fish meat does not get at all salty. The salt acts as a natural mositure barrier, sealing the salt in, and then you peel away the salt/skin crust. Divine.

Ling, OH MY GOD. Beautiful presentation of the liver!!!

Oh, and that almond, pistachio, pine nut pesto. Here is my arm, there is the vein....just fill me with it!!

(Can you tell that I'm still giddy from last night's game??)

Tonight's dinner brings us to an ingredient no one has played with yet...cous cous!!

We currently have an abundance of zucchini's....no, that's an understatement. So, tonight I made a 'zucchini barca'. I took a long zucchini, slit it, put in some sausages, sicilian capers, tomatoes, cheese, roasted it and then served it with a sultana raisin couscous. Then to add that Sicilian 'je ne sais quoi" a lemon-pepperocino juice. Couscous is just about one of my favorite things.

I know. I know. The picture belonds in the "Regrettable Foods" thread, but it tasted really good.

Here, to make up for the nasty photo....we had dinner on the roof, and this was tonight's sunset.

I promise the history lesson is coming...soon, maybe tomorrow...but the cooking has been

underway.

Two things that everyone must do: go find some pure Sicilian sea salt, and some nero d'avola wine.

And here is a shot of the salt flats, near Palermo.

[Pontormo]

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.

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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.

[NYC Mike]

Man! Everything looks really good! Unfortunatly for me, my life is in boxes right now, but we are trading in our 6'x6' NYC kitchen for something much more so its good news. I can't wait to cook in it near the end of this month.

Elie, would you mind sharing your wild strawberry (Fraguledda) recipe? It looks amazing in the glass. I'm praying my lemoncello project makes the trip in one peice!

[Kevin72]

I've been 'challenged' to come up with a fennel granita...any ideas???  Fennel-orange..and???

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I like the orange part of it, very Sicilian. What about using Sambucca as the base or part of the base?

[Pontormo]

Mint?

[Kevin72]

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?

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I think it was the former; Ricotta Salata didn't become more commonly available here until the start of the decade. And it really is what makes the dish. I had to make do with pecorino and parm once and it just wasn't the same. Almost, but not enough.

[hathor]

I like the Sambuca-anise thing with the fennel...but I'm wondering if its enough a counterpoint.

Mint-orange-fennel? Sounds like I have a few batches to get started on.

thanks!!

p.s fennel-orange-basil? Aren't basil and mint in the same family, or am I delirious?

p.p.s I volunteer to make the arrangements for any class trip we want to take to Sicily!

p.p.p.s. Can you 'candy' a basil leaf?

[Pontormo]

Not sure it's proof of sanity, Judith, but:

Gardeners may be curious to know that many of our favorite culinary herbs, including basil, rosemary and oregano, belong to the mint family, botanically known as Lamiaceae. Plants belonging to this family are easily recognized by their square stems and opposing pairs of leaves. They also have whorled flower spikes, and many, of course, contain aromatic compounds. Some other popular members of the mint family include salvia, lamb's ears, and lavender.

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?

[Kevin72]

Cacciocavallo continues to be elusive but I settled for provolone after Alberto gave his blessing on it when I brought it up last year. (You did give your blessing on it, right Alberto? Good.)

Ricotta salata is amazingly easy to come by now. I have access to sheep's milk ricotta, which Victoria Granof says is most traditional for Sicilian recipes, but don't want to buy at those prices.

I have a whole collection of those cloth maps of Italy at home that break down each region by a particular product, so one map is all breads, one is all wine, etc. One of the maps is for cheeses, which I'll look at tonight since I can't think of any others from the region.

[Pontormo]

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. )

Edited July 10, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Shaya]

Chufi, your impanata looks absolutely wonderful. Bravo!

[Ling]

Klary, that looks great! Could I also have the recipe please?

Love the shot of the salt flats, hathor!

I've decided on our Sicilian vegetarian menu. (We're cooking for vegetarians.) We're going to do the caponata, arancini, and I'll try to do a version of cassata...there are so many recipes out there that mine will probably be an interpretation, rather than something very traditional. I'm not a huge fan of marzipan, so I won't be using that.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Pontormo]

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.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[alexis lee]

As I was riding home on the train my mouth was watering for one of my "cupboard" favorites. Pasta con le Sarde. It's funny that I stumbled upon this topic while I was browsing. It's a great pasta to whip up with many things you can keep in your dry storage. It's a beautiful bright pasta with complex flavors.

Basically you smash a few garlic cloves and put them into a pan with EVOO. With gentle heat bring that up slowly to infuse the oil. Then you add some anchovy filet and saute until the anchovy melts. then add some diced red onion and fennel. Sweat that until they are translucent and just starting to color. Throw in some chili flake, and pine nuts. Toast the nuts in the oil. Then you throw in your Raisins (or currants )and Sardines. If that stuff hasn't thrown off enough water add a bit of water (preferably pasta water) and taste for seasoning. When the sardine filets soften and all of the flavors meld you are ready to go. I like to then zest some fresh orange over the top and finish it with chopped fronz of fennel. If it's a special occasion you can add saffron to the oil in the beginning as well. ORGASMIC!!

Sorry, just wanted to share. I think I got a bit carried away.

[Ling]

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.

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Yeah, I agree...the meal seems kind of light, doesn't it? I wanted to add another thing, but I'm kind of superstitious and don't want to do four dishes (four being the unlucky number for Chinese ). But we'll probably add another dish. I was going to serve the caponata with bread, but couscous also sounds good. The fennel and orange salad sounds great! Maybe we'll do that. (I would love to do the anchovy pasta; that sounds incredible! I love anchovies! The last time we cooked with anchovies, we used like 2-3 fillets and ate the rest of the jar as is. )

The arancini will be filled with cheese (the guests are OK with cheese). I've only had arancini a few times in restaurants and they were filled with mozzarella--how authentic is this? Should I be stuffing it with another type of cheese?

Edited July 11, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Pontormo]

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.

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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!!!!