Marzipan sheep, the symbol of Easter in Sicily

Do you know what "Pecorelle di pasta reale" are? We call it sheep of marzipan, which is made of almond flour, and in our Christian culture they are the symbol of Easter in Sicily. In some parts of our island they fill the marzipan with a kind of preserve of nuts, especially pistaches, or citron marmelade, but you won't find it in Palermo, where we use plain marzipan.

Sheep, in particular lambs, represent the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that during the Holy Week suffers and dies for Mankind and then, after 3 days, rises again on Easter sunday. 

We want to remember His sacrifice even at the table, with this little jewels of marzipan, made in proper molds or shapes of chalk, which are the result of faith and tradition.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

"Pasta ch' i sardi" one of the most famous Sicilian dishes in the world

Do you know how to prepare the famous Sicilian pasta with sardines? First of all let's specify that in Sicily we learn that the period for fishing and eating sardines is during the months that have a "R letter". (In Italian are February, March, April, September, October, November, December).

Said that you should know that the main ingredients of this dish are: sardines and wild fennel. As I always write about very traditional dishes it's very common to find different versions of the same dish, depending on which province of Sicily you are from, but also on the individual family tradition.

On the whole, I would say that there are two main recipes for this pasta: the red one and the white one. What does it mean? It means the version with the tomato paste and the version with saffron instead.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people: 

- 400 gr. bucatini (long and thick shaped pasta like in the pic above)

- 250 gr. fresh sardines

- 400 gr. wild fennel

- 5 anchovy fillets

- 30 gr. sultanas

- 30 gr. pine nuts

- olive oil

- a small onion thinly chopped

- salt

- 6 ts of breadcrumbs

- 20 gr. saffron powder (for the white/yellow version)

- tomato puree or concentrated tomato extract (for the red version)

1. Wash sardines well under running water. Then wash also fennel and boil it in a large pot with salted water. Once it is cooked, drain it but do not eliminate the water. On a cutting board chop the fennel thinly and leave it aside.

2. In a sauce pan put a drizzle of olive oil on a medium heat, add the chopped onion and let it brown for a couple of minutes.
Add the anchovy fillets cutting it in small pieces using a wooden scoop or spatula just like in the pic on the right. They have to melt and become a paste.

3. Then put sultanas and pine nuts mixing all together.

4. Take half the quantity of the sardines, (leaving out the ones that are not broken that will be used after) and mix them in the sauce in small pieces too.

5. At this point add the saffron if you are doing the white/yellow version, or add some tomato puree if you prefer the red one (pic on the left). It's important to melt the concentrated tomato that has to become again a sort of paste. You can put a bit of fennel water to help melt the tomato puree.

6. Finally put the chopped fennel in the pan, together with a dipper full of the water in which has cooked. Mix well and place on top of the fennel the remaining sardines that should all be in one-pieces.

7. Let cook the sauce with a lit for about 10-15 minutes on a low heat. (Picture below)




8. In the meantime cook the pasta (bucatini or ziti) in the remaining fennel water as usual and drain it. If the water is not enough for all the pasta add some more water but remember to check the pasta on salt before draining it.

9. While pasta is cooking, in a small frying pan on a medium heat prepare the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and stir the two ingredients until they become homogeneous and kind of dark brown in color (but not burnt).

10. Now you can either place it on a serving dish covering it with all the condiment and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top and eat it as it is or doing the same process but placing it on a oven tray and bake it for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 200° C. Serve hot.

Close your eyes for a second and enjoy the great Sicilian taste, the earth and the sea forever bond!

Colourful bell peppers in sweet and sour sauce

Do you know how to prepare peppers in sweet and sour sauce? As you already may know, the sweet and sour sauce is very common in Sicily. Its origin goes back to Middle Age, when the Saracens brought it into the Sicilian cuisine, and it stayed here ever since.

Ingredients & preparation for about 4 people:

- 1 green pepper 

- 1 red pepper 

- 1 yellow peppers
- 1 small onion

- olive oil

- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 

- 1/3 cup sugar 

- salt

1. Wash the peppers under running water. With a sharp knife cut them in half and remove all the seeds and the core, then cut in strips like the ones in the picture above. Clean and chop the onion thinly.

2. Put a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and the onion. Leave it cook for about 5 min.
3. Add the peppers' strips and let them cook until become slightly golden, turning them every 5 minutes.
4. Once cooked, pour the vinegar and add the sugar. Stir well using a fork or a spoon, finally add some salt.
5. Leave the peppers into the sauce for 5 more minutes so that they become tasty enough, then remove from heat and place on a serving dish. This side dish can be eaten either warm or hot. Enjoy!

Brociolone or falsomagro: the Sicilian meat roll for important occasions

Do you know how to cook the traditional Sicilian brociolone? This is an extraordinary dish that Sicilians prepare for important events or festivities because it takes a bit of time, but it's very delicious. We also called it in Sicilian "falsu magru", literally meaning "false slim" (ital. falsomagro).

In ancient times probably meat was not particularly nice and tender so the Chefs of Nobles, the famous Monsù, created new fillings to stuff the meat. Every Sicilian family puts a different stuffing inside, because nowadays everyone has its own version. My favourite, which is one of the most traditional, is the one with omelette, caciocavallo, breadbrumbs and salame. It is not only very tasty but it is beautiful to see as well! 

To prepare this dish you will need:

- a big slice of beaten beef (about 800 gr & it must have the thickness of half of a cm)

- 150 gr of thin sliced salami

- 60 gr grated caciocavallo cheese

- 100 gr provola or fresh caciocavallo cheese in small cubes

- 3 eggs

- 5-6 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

- 1 large onion

- 3/4 of a glass of red wine

- 1 glass of water
- olive oil 

- salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Cut the onion in half and chop it. On a low heat put a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and half of the onion and the spoons of breadcrumbs. Adjust with salt and pepper.
2. Remove from heat, let the mix cool down and add the cheeses (both grated and in cubes).
3. With the 3 eggs make an omelette, but careful because it has to be very thin and a bit smaller than the size of the beef, otherwise it will come out of the meat.

4. Take the beef and oil it inside, than put the ingredients in the order that you prefer, for example:  the thin slices of salami, then the omelette and finally the mix of breadcrumbs. You have to cover all the space making three different layers of stuffing.

5. Roll it out very carefully and make sure that the filling do not fall from the sides, then using a kitchen string tie the roll very well and firmly.

6. Now it's time to brown the meat roll in the appropriate pan. Again put some oil, the other half chopped onion, salt & pepper on a minimum heat. Put the roll inside the pan and let it cooked well, turning it every 4-5 minutes. 

7. When the beef has become finally brown add just less than a full glass of red wine and let it evaporate completely. Then add a full glass of water and cover the pan with the lit. 

8. Let it cooked for another half an hour, checking every 10 minutes and turning the meat so that it can cook on every side. After 30 minutes ckeck the cooking point sticking a fork inside the roll, if it comes out easily means that the beef is also cooked on the inside, otherwise leave it for another 10 minutes and check again later.

9. As soon as it is cooked remove it from the pan and once it has cooled down cut the roll in slices, thick not more than 1cm. 

10. Place it on an oval serving dish or a tray and put the sauce that has remained in the pan, on top of the slices. If the sauce is too dense or concentrated add a little bit of hot water and mix with the fork. Then cover the roll slices with this delicious sauce and serve hot! 

This dish is perfect on Easter day, which is so close now. You will definetely enjoy it!

"Pasta a minestra" and "Pasta asciutta": what are they?

Do you know what is pasta a minestra? And what about pasta asciutta? As you know, in Sicily, just like in the whole of Italy, we eat pasta every day and for us is a great deal.

We normally distinguish in these two main differences: pasta a minestra and pasta asciutta. 
Pasta a minestra means soup or potage with also small pasta cooked in it, the specific one that we use for soups. In any case it is something that has a more liquid aspect rather than the usual plates of spaghetti or penne. In the picture on the left there is a plate of pasta a minestra with green cabbage, and we also have the version with pasta asciutta.

By contrast, pasta asciutta is the very famous one, like spaghetti alla carbonara for example, or penne, linguine, anelletti or any other kind of pasta that we cook with a condiment that is not liquid!!! Here on the right a plate of pasta asciutta with broccoli, but we also have the version with pasta a minestra.
Besides, we have soup with pasta all year around, not only in winter but also in summer with the fresh vegetables that the seasons offer.

I know it may sounds strange for those who are not used to eat pasta everyday or have it with soup as well, but that's the way it is here!!!

Cauliflower pie, another way to eat cauliflower!

Do you know how to cook a tasty cauliflower pie? In Sicilian cuisine we use a lot this vegetable. We like to put it especially on pasta, we even have three different kinds, but in my family we also prepare it in a very simple way for dinner.

Ingredients and preparation: 1 cauliflower (medium size) - 2 eggs - breadcrumbs - 100 gr. grated caciocavallo cheese - salt - black pepper - 60 gr. salami (the original recipe is without but sometimes we add it)

1. Cut the cauliflower in pieces removing the hardest part and soak it in water with half a teaspoon of baking soda that will help cleaning it well and eliminating possible bugs. After 10 or 15 minutes wash it under running water and put the pieces in a colander.

2. In the meantime put a casserole with water on a medium heat, when it starts boiling add salt and toss the cauliflower in the pot. As soon as the vegetable is cooked (must be soft) drain it and let it cool for some minute.

3. Preheat the oven at 180° C.
4. Take a large bowl and put almost all the ingredients together: cauliflower, eggs, cheese, salami if liked (cut in pieces) and some black pepper. 5.When the mixture looks creamy and well mixed, place it on a pie dish or a baking tray for the oven.
6. You can either spread it quite thin or thicker if you prefer. Sprinkle on top some breadcrumbs with small knobs of butter to make the top a bit crispy.
7. When the oven has reached the right temperature cook the pie for about 20 minutes, until it becomes kind of golden brown.
8. Place it on a serving dish and enjoy when it's still hot! Very nice if you accompany it with a tomato salads dish.


It's really good and if you leave out the salami (which is optional) you have a great dish for vegeterians too. So enjoy!

Turkey breast in Sicilian orange sauce, a taste of mildness

Do you know how to cook turkey breast in orange sauce? I don't think this recipe has its origins in Sicily actually, because you may find it in other parts of Italy as well, but that's the beauty of our cuisine. Not everything is exclusive, we prepare this dish and we do like it a lot! It has such a delicate taste, it's delicious and very easy to prepare too.


For 4 people you only need:
- 4 turkey breasts
- some 00 flour 
- some butter (about 150 gr.)
- 1 orange
- salt


This second dish is ready in 15 minutes.
1. Take one turkey breast at a time and dust it with flour on both sides without exaggerating with it. Do it also for the other slices of turkeys.
2. On a high heat put a frying pan and about 20-30 gr of butter.
3. As soon as the butter is melt place a slice of breast turkey in the pan and let it cooked on both sides until gets golden brown.
4. Fry in the same way the remaining turkey without forgetting to put some butter in the pan before.
5. When your turkey breasts are all cooked lower the heat and put in the pan about 50 gr. of butter, a big pinch of salt, the juice of an orange and some pulp of the same orange. Gently whisk with a fork all the ingredients making a sauce.
6. Place the turkey on a serving dish and pour the sauce on top. Serve hot and you will have the perfect second course for a pleasant dinner among friends. Enjoy!