"Happy birthmonth" to the Sicilian Cuisine blog

Yesterday I went out for dinner with two friends of mine. I wanted to talk to them as I have just lost my job, so the occasion was a bit sad. Fortunately we laughed a lot and had a lovely dinner in a Trattoria with some typical dishes like the caponata, done in the apples version, which was one of my favourite things. The homemade pasta was also very nice, especially the walnut cream on top.

Then the dessert arrived. It was the very famous "torta Setteveli", which means seven layers cake. Created in Palermo by the Maestro pastry Chef Cappello has now become very popular during birthdays and parties. So, because today my "baby" is one month old, I thought it would be nice to celebrate it with this post, hoping that the future will be professionally brighter thanks also to this blog.

Homemade fig jam and walnuts, the sweetest pie you have ever had

Do you know how to make a fig jam and walnuts pie? This delicious dessert is not traditional in the way that you find it in local bakeries here, but it was a tradition in my family.

My mom loved to prepare it when we were little, usually after summer, when the fig jam was fresh and ready to be used. 

I recall in particular one nice episode: I was about 16 years old and I had 2 class mates coming home for the afternoon. We had organized to watch "Dirty Dancing" for the first time and we were so excited!!!


My mum didn't tell me anything about the pie, she just took it out after the movie for our afternoon snack and we all loved it!

Ingredients & preparation:
2 & 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (250 gr.), plus extra for rolling - 1 & 1/2 cup unsalted butter (150 gr.) - 3/4 cup sugar (100 gr.) - 1 egg - 1 teaspoon salt - lemon zest - walnuts - fig jam (homemade or from the shop)


In a bowl mix the sugar with the egg, the butter and the salt. Slowly add the flour and finally the lemon zest. Knead the dough until smooth, wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge for about an hour.

After that roll out the pastry, not too thin (about 12 to 14 inches), then put it in a pie pan, pressing gently bottom and sides to give it the right shape. Now you can add a thin layer of fig jam and finally the walnuts.


Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 180°degree (in fahrenheit should be 356*). Serve still warm with a lovely cup of tea.


I like the combination between the soft fig jam flavour and the crunchy walnuts and the crust. I suggest you try it. It will definetely sweeten your afternoon. Enjoy!

"Biancomangiare", the Sicilian white pudding

Do you know how to cook Biancomangiare, the Sicilian white pudding? And why is it called that way? The origin of this delicious dessert is told by the expert journalist and writer from Palermo Gaetano Basile. The recipe dates back to the middle age period and the word "Biancomangiare" (literally white food) comes from the French expression blant manger, which meant mild simple dishes, something that patients in hospital or people with stomachache could eat: like rice and chicken.

However, when the recipe was imported here people started to call it blanc manger because of the assonance between bland (simple) and blanc (white) thinking that the name blanc manger was actually referred to the color of the dish. So in Italian the expression now in one word became: "Biancomangiare" and started to spread as a sweet pudding done with all white ingredients: milk, cornstarch and sugar... and we still prepare it this way!

Ingredients & Preparation: 1lt milk - 6 tbs cornstarch - 4 tbs sugar - cinnamon (both powder and bark) - grated orange zest - Use pistaches and almonds or orange leaves for garnish

In a saucepan mix the cornstarch with the sugar. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly better if using a whisk to eliminate possible lumps, then add a tea spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 or 4 pieces of crumbled bark. 

Place the saucepan on a medium heat, add the orange zest and keep stirring until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth and starts to boil. 

Then remove from heat and place it in a silicon baking tray or in small individual bowls. Let them chill half an hour (one hour if you pour the pudding into one big tray) and put them in the fridge. Once they are cold and firm you can transfer them in plates for dessert and garnish however you like: using chopped pistaches and almonds, just with some more cinnamon and orange zest on top or simply with orange leaves. In any case it will be absolutely yummy. Enjoy!

PS - It's good to know that there are some people who do a richer version of this recipe adding almond flour and fish-glue, but we never did it in my family. I definetely prefer this pudding because is lighter and easier to prepare. Hope you like it! ;)