The Cooking and Cuisine of Sicily

[Adam Balic]

An extremely quick question chaps. There is a famous Sicilian pasta dish (often using orcecchiette)of broccoli, anchovies, pine nuts, currants/sultanas etc ectc, which I have made many times, however I have read recently that in Sicily, cauliflower is called "broccolo" (rather then "cavolfiore").

So is it possible that I and pretty much every English language cookbook that has this recipe, have been using the wrong veg?

[hathor]

Adam, I have this nifty little book, "Guida Gastronomica D'Italia" put out by the Touring Club Italiano, and its the original 1931 edition.

Under the "Provincia di Argigento" there is this entry:

"Pasta coi broccoli- Pasta di casa condata con cavolfiori (brocculi) fritti, lardo e formaggion pecorinio"

So, it looks as if your hunch is correct that 'brocculi' is dialect for cavolfiori.

[Kevin72]

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?

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There's a similar Roman prep called suppli all telefonato that has a cheese filling; arancini typically have the ragu or, sometimes, anchovies.

[fortedei]

An extremely quick question chaps. There is a famous Sicilian pasta dish (often using orcecchiette)of broccoli, anchovies, pine nuts, currants/sultanas etc ectc, which I have made many times, however I have read recently that in Sicily, cauliflower is called "broccolo" (rather then "cavolfiore").

So is it possible that I and pretty much every English language cookbook that has this recipe, have been using the wrong veg?

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Cauliflower is usually called cavolfiore in Sicily. It can also be called broccolo' (and I'm sure other names in local dialects ). Pasta chi vruccoli is made with cauliflower.

[Adam Balic]

Yes it seems that most of the English language versions are incorrect.

This site also has a discussion on the topic.

[Kevin72]

Oh, and Ling, why not do the pasta con le sarde? That's substantial enough that you wouldn't miss a "main", accompanied with the arancini and the fennel and orange salad it sounds perfect.

[alexis lee]

Just a suggestion- in one of my books they said that arancini can also be filled with a mushroom ragu, which can be seen commonly in Rome. However, the very idea of Arancini is so Sicilian so it shouldn't be a problem. Fun Fact: Arancini means "little orange" in Sicily, thus the name. I thought that was interesting!

The only advice I can offer since I just made arancini but stuffed them with chicken livers and mozz cheese, is that be sure your rice is very well seasoned or you run the risk of having bland balls. he he. The rice just absorbs the flavor.

Does anybody know if mushrooms are grown in Sicily? Or are they commonly found there? I am of Sicilian descent and I don't particularly remember mushrooms in the food growing up.

Good luck on your dinner! It sounds scrumptious.

Oh- and a little secret some people use in their Caponate- cocoa powder. Not too much but just enough to give it some depth and richness.

[Kevin72]

This just in: Caponata leaves a hell of a stain when it tumbles off your cracker and down the front of your tan shirt. At work.

[FoodMan]

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!

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You are suppoosed to use wild very flavorful strawberries for Fraguledda according to Schiavelli's "Many Beautiful Things" (awsome book BTW). Lacking that I used 1 lb of mixed organic berries (about 75% strawberries and the rest raspberries and bluberries) to get a nice intense berry flavor.

Place those in a jar and top with 2.25 Cups of Everclear and leave for 15 days. Gently shake the jar every couple of days or so.

Make a syrup by heating 1.5 Cups water till nearly boiling and stir in 2.25 Cups of sugar until dissolved. Let cool.

Strain the liquid in the jar through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander into a bowl. It should be a deep lovely maroon color. Mix in the cooled syrup. If it is still too strong for your taste, make more syrup. Use a funnel to place the drink in bottles. Should make about 1.5 750ml bottles and the recipe can be doubled. The result is one of the best liquours I've made with a lovely color and intense berry flavor.

PS if you use 100 proof Vodka instead of the 190 proof Everclear, you will probably need less syrup.

good luck

[Chufi]

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.

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Vegetarians? but they will eat anchovies and sardines? if they eat fish, i would just suggest making the swordfish pie!

Ling, I made the caponata last year for a dinnerparty, and served it with tomato pancakes, maybe not truly Sicilian but it sure was delicious and very pretty too. The picture is here in this post.

Elie, I know what you mean. I could just cook Sicilian every night! Tonight we're having yesterday's leftovers though so no cooking going on unfortunately..

[Pontormo]

Ling, I made the caponata last year for a dinnerparty, and served it with tomato pancakes, maybe not truly Sicilian but it sure was delicious and very pretty too. The picture is here in this post.

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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.

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Kevin: If you're going to bring leftovers to work this summer, might I suggest a bottle of this in your bottom drawer?

Edited July 11, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Kevin72]

Kevin: If you're going to bring leftovers to work this summer, might I suggest a bottle of this in your bottom drawer[/

URL]?

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Going home at lunch to hose the shirt down with it, as a matter of fact!

The chickpea fritters are great and another item that winds up working better than you could possibly think, especially with cheese grated over them hot out of the fryer. Both Rome and Sicily (coincidentally two of my favorite cooking regions) really get my frying jones going.

But, dammit, I still think Ling should make the pasta with sardines.

[FoodMan]

Kevin: If you're going to bring leftovers to work this summer, might I suggest a bottle of this in your bottom drawer[/

URL]?

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Going home at lunch to hose the shirt down with it, as a matter of fact!

The chickpea fritters are great and another item that winds up working better than you could possibly think, especially with cheese grated over them hot out of the fryer. Both Rome and Sicily (coincidentally two of my favorite cooking regions) really get my frying jones going.

But, dammit, I still think Ling should make the pasta with sardines.

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Oh, yeah chickpea fritters AKA Panelle are pretty nice. If you have the fryer going already, make some.

BTW, I do not think Ling said that her friends eat fish. They are vegetarians. So Sardines are out. Ther are a few baked pasta dishes in "Cucina Paradiso" that do not use meat. One is Penne with cauliflower that sounds great.

[Claudia Greco]

My Italian/Sicilian liquerus sure are ready for an after dinner sip. Here is what I have so far:

from left to right; green walnut (Nocino); wild strawberry (Fraguledda), actually I used a mixture of berries here due to the lack of the real thing with delicious results; Limoncello; and an Amaretto like liqueur of roasted almonds, insipid color I know, but tastes outstanding.

I

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Yowza! You've been busy! Right now, I'm trying to make a (very untraditional) Meyer lemon limoncello, only because I can't get a hold of any cedro (Italian citron) or the Amalfi lemons - sfusati. I love Italian liquors. I think your wild berry one should be marketed!

[Pontormo]

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.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Kevin72]

Yeah, looking back I misread Ling's posts. I had thought she said they were okay with fish and cheese but it was only cheese.

[Claudia Greco]

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

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11525461...2363_196565.jpg

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Fennel, orange and a splash of a liqueur - Campari? Or fennel, orange, fig/raisin?

Crazy from the heat (and all those beautiful pictures of everyone's food),

Claudia

[Ling]

But, dammit, I still think Ling should make the pasta with sardines.

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Oops, sorry to confuse you...when I said I might make the pasta, I meant for myself, not for the vegetarians. Yes, they don't eat anchovies...darn. But I guess that's what I'm eating for lunch sometime this week...

Pontormo--no need to apologize, the superstition is kind of silly. I'm not generally a superstitious person, but the number "4" is a big one for Chinese people...there is usually no Level 4 in buildings in Asia (especially in hospitals, as 4 is phonetically very close to the word "die")...even some Chinese-owned buildings here in Vancouver don't have Level 4, or 14...strange, isn't it?

If there's escarole at the market, I'll make the stuffed escarole.

I guess we'll use cheese, wild mushrooms ragu, and peas for the arancini.

Elie, thanks so much for the recipe! If I can't find good berries, I'll make limoncello this month.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

Wow. I've been away for a couple of days, and y'all have been very, very busy: bravi!

On arancini and suppli: they're pretty close. But arancini are larger, saffron-yellow and fried to a light golden color (instead of a darker brown), and are shaped like oranges or pears (as opposed to a sort of egg shape). Peas are very, very good in arancini (often with prosciutto: even better!) I've never seen a mushroom ragu in arancini or suppli (and I've eaten a lot of suppli), but for vegetarians it'd be a good substitution. I don't think cheese is typical for arancini (as opposed to suppli, for which they are par for the course).

[Andrew Fenton]

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. 

Pontormo, if you're having trouble getting caciocavallo in DC, just come up to Philly. This morning DiBruno's was offering a special on two kinds of it: regular and smoked. w00t!

[Pontormo]

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.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[pedie]

Why isen't the Asparagus Sicilian? If a Sicilian had good asparagus, a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing might be all he (or she) would do. ok, maybe grill it first over hard wood...and skewer it with anchovies and sprinkle some Pantelleria capers on it...

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My cousins live in a little mountain comune, Ferla, in the province of Siracusa. Every April they head out to gather the wild asparagi. They are slender stalks, with a stronger flavor and a bit more chewy than what we are used to. Yes, they saute it in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Wonderful flavor.

[Andrew Fenton]

My cousins live in a little mountain comune, Ferla, in the province of Siracusa.  Every April they head out to gather the wild asparagi.  They are slender stalks, with a stronger flavor and a bit more chewy than what we are used to.  Yes, they saute it in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Wonderful flavor.

Wild asparagus is the best EVER. Back in April (when they were in season in Lazio) I gorged myself on it. I'm glad to know that it's native to Sicily, too. All the more reason for me to move to Syracuse. Seriously, I'm going to do it.

[pedie]

Tomorrow is our farmer's market and I lay in wait for the fishman who drives down from Oxnard, CA with the most wonderful fresh fish. Hopefully, he will have tuna and I can try a recipe that is buried in the book "Mattanza" by Theresa Maggio. The book is her experience in Trapani, Sicily exploring the mysterious world of the "tonnara," the ritual trapping and killing of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean (not for the faint of heart...but traditional). Recipe is on p. 78 of the paperback version.

The recipe is supposed to have Arab origins. The bluefin tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick) are soaked in red wine for a few minutes, then dried and dusted with flour. They are placed in a buttered pan (I am assuming deep skillet) with a few fresh mint leaves on top. To this finely chopped onion and bits of parsley are added. Then it is all covered with a layer of very thinly sliced potatoes. They are sliced so thin because they are supposed to break down to be creamy in the cooking. Salt and pepper and then pour in the wine in which the tuna was soaked, add just a little water, cover and cook over a very low flame. She warns to be careful not to let it stick, shaking the pan continually. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are creamy.

Maybe it isn't correct to share a recipe that I have not yet prepared but it sounds worth a try and I will let you know if I get the tuna and have success.

[pedie]

I'm glad to know that it's native to Sicily, too. All the more reason for me to move to Syracuse. Seriously, I'm going to do it.

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What a fantastic goal. I suppose it is true of much of Italy, but when you get into the country and the small comuni of Sicily, you can really experience the reality of living in an agricultural community that holds fast to tradition. The meals are prepared with what is in season and much of the conversation is of the weather and its effect on the crops. These are not large farms. Each family has an "orto", a kitchen garden that grows most of the produce for their own table. It is amazing to me how they produce so abundantly in hillsides steeply terraced in rocky limestone. I receive emails talking about the crops...their recent extreme heat (as high as 110 C) is causing the little olives to dry and drop to the ground so the local harvest will be small this year, reducing the amount of oil each family will produce from their family groves. Here is a picture of an orto in Ferla, near my cousin's house.