Pears cooked in 'Nero d'Avola' served with whipped cream

 

Do you know how to cook pears in Sicilian red wine and serve them with soft delicious whipped cream? Ok... I will tell you! As Christmas is very close by now, here there is a lovely idea to make a dish with juicy fruits that can also count as a great dessert for one of our upcoming festivities: Christamas Eve, Christamas day, St. Stephen's day (which is boxing day), New Years Eve, Capodanno (New Year day) or Epiphany. See how many occasions we have? 

Infact to be honest... we often forget about fruits when we prepare big meals. We are usually (here in Italy at least) concentrated on the first dish (fresh pasta? baked pasta? lasagne?), the second one (pork? turkey? beef roll?) and the dessert (cake? pie? pudding?), so we tent to miss out the 'fruit course'.

But, if you like the idea, this recipe is elegant and easy at the same time, as you can cook the pears in wine the day before and whip the cream on the big day!!!

Ingredients & Preparation for 4 people: 4 pears cut in halves - 1/2 lt Nero d'Avola (Sicilian red wine) - 200 gr double cream - 200 gr caster sugar - 2 big pieces of lemon zest - cinnamon

1. Wash the pears under running water, cut them in halves and remove skin and inside.

2. Place them in a sauce pan on a medium heat with the red wine to cover them all, plus 100 gr caster sugar, the lemon zest and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

3. Let them cook like this for about 25 minutes, time is also related to the quality of the pears, if they are pretty ripe and soft (but not too much!) probably 15-20 minutes would do, but if they are hard better 30 minutes. You need to check them anyway from time to time!

4. In the meantime whip the cream with the remaining sugar until smooth and soft.

5. As soon as the pears are ready (try them with a fork to test how tender they are) take them out of the sauce pan and place them on a dish to cool down, while keep the sauce going on the heat to restrain a bit more. We are looking at a red wine syrup of some sort that will be poured onto the pears when served so it has to be more juicy than watery.

6. Once the sauce is ready place the pears on a serving tray and the whipped cream in a bowl so that you can serve them separetely. Pour the Nero d'Avola syrup onto the pears and serve straight away.

If you want to try this recipe on a normal Sunday lunch and want to keep it low fat just serve them with plain white yogurth instead of the cream. It will be as delicious as the first one!

Enjoy :-)))

Sicilian Wine Pairings with Sicilian Cuisine, 1st part

Hi everyone, do you know what kind of Sicilian wine would match some of the recipes of the Sicilian Cuisine? Keep reading and you will find out. My blog recently reached 30,000 visitors in about four months and I think there is no better way to thank my readers than posting a great guest article written by a wine lover and expert. Check her blog out here. Thank you very much Jacqueline!

Here she is in her own words:

"I recently came upon the Sicilian Cuisine Blog and instantly loved the recipes posted. Being Sicilian-American and a sommelier who loves to cook traditional Sicilian dishes, I thought this would be a great opportunity to spotlight some fascinating and dependable Sicilian wines, paired with recipes posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog.

Crisp white wines are a great way to start, and a favorite Sicilian white wine is the Corvo Bianco. Corvo, a very reliable producer in Sicily, uses Inzolia, Catarratto, and Grecanico grapes to produce their very enjoyable white wine.

Inzolia, also known as Ansonica, is a white grape grown in the western part of Sicily; it has characteristics of citrus fruit and nuttiness and floral aromas, and contributes a crisp acidity. Catarratto is a white grape widely planted in Sicily mainly near the western coast, known for contributing robust aromas and flavors reminiscent of citrus and orchard fruits. Grecanico is the smoothest and most elegant of the three, adding to the blend its notes of apple, and soft texture. 

The Corvo Bianco is a pale straw colored wine with bright characteristics of white flowers and notes of lemon, apricot, and green apple. The wine leaves the palate feeling clean.

When pairing, this wine would accommodate lighter fish and vegetable dishes.  When browsing through the recipes posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog, I felt this wine would mirror the flavors of the lemon flavored artichokes as the wine pairs very well with vegetables and the lemon flavors in the artichoke dish would be reflected in the citrus characteristics in the wine.

When thinking of Sicilian wines, Rose is probably the last style of wine to come to mind. However, last year I was introduced to a lovely Rose from a well-respected producer in Sicily. The Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Rose, produced by the Tasca family at the Regaleali estate in the hills of central Sicily, is made of Nerello Mascalese.

Nerello Mascalese is an important red grape grown at high altitudes in Sicily, and displays characteristics of red fruits and berries with a slight smokiness and is relatively tannic. The Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Rose is a salmon-pink wine, full of red fruit aromas and flavors including strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, with just a hint of smoke that reflects the volcanic soil present where the grapes are grown. The wine is soft and subtle with a modest finish, and is best paired with light pasta and seafood dishes. I would be interested in trying this wine with the mussel soup posted in the Sicilian Cuisine Blog which consists of fresh mussels, red pepper, plum tomato, and other ingredients. I believe the freshness and light fruitiness would compliment the mussels and tomato nicely, and the slight sweetness of the wine would provide a very good contrast to the red pepper.

-----

Thanks again to Jacqueline! A second part of this excellent pairing will come soon. Stay tuned and in the meantime... enjoy a glass of wine, obviously a Sicilian one!!!

Cauliflower with black olives cooked in red wine

Do you know how to cook cauliflower in red wine? This side dish smells really good and it is so easy to prepare. For 4 people you will need: half of a big cauliflower - 50 gr black olives - 3 glasses red wine - olive oil - salt - a clove of garlic


Cut the cauliflower into pieces and wash it under running water. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic. When the garlic becomes lightly golden put the cauliflower inside the pan, reduce the heat on minimum and cover with a lit. 


After 10 minutes pour the first glass of red wine and the salt and let it cook again with the lit. Do the same after 10-15 minutes with the two other glasses of wine, mixing with a fork and preventing cauliflower from sticking to the pan. Then add the black olives and cover once again with the lit.


Cooking time all together must be at least one hour, depending on how you prefer the cauliflower, if very soft or crispier. For the last 5 minutes sautè the cauliflower on a higher heat and transfer rapidly on a plate. Serve still hot. It will be the most wine-scented dish you have ever tried. Perfect with fish, meat or even a nice tasty cheese. Enjoy!