FashionCooking, the new blog about food and trends

FashionCooking is a new blog on the web! Why am I talking about it in my own blog? Because I find it original and unique. Infact its creator, the beautiful Sicilian Francesca Landolina, is keen on both fashion and food, so she came up with this brilliant idea, combining the two passions in just one piece of work, which is exactly what I did with mine, putting together my love for food, writing and English language.

Visiting her blog you can get inspiration for a particular dress or recipe, and you can find all the latest trends. Isn't it great? I wish her the best of luck with this new adventure! :-)

In the picture above Francesca with Chef Natale Giunta at his restaurant in Palermo.

'a Nivarata, the new Festival of Sicilian granita

 

Are you crazy about Sicilian granita? Are you any close to the town of Acireale in the province of Catania? 

Well... if the answer to those questions is YES than don't waste any time and go directly there because from today until the 16th of june is taking place the second edition of the brand new Festival of Sicilian granita called in dialect "a nivarata" a word that means a snow fall, because of the consistency of the granita (shaved ice) which is similar to snow and which was initially, in ancient times, made with snow.

There you can see Sicilian experts preparing marvellous granite and you can taste the new flavors as well as the traditional ones: lemon, almonds, pistaches, basil, cinnamon, orange, mint, anisette and a lot more!!!

Here you can find a nice blog on Sicilian granita in Italian language :)

Bruce Springsteen, Nicola Fiasconaro and a Fender

The one and only "Boss" of rock music, Bruce Springsteen, who is now in Italy for its live tour, yesterday met the famous Sicilian Maestro Pasticcere Nicola Fiasconaro, whose business of the same name is located in Castelbuono, a small town in the province of Palermo.

Fiasconaro is the most renowned brand in Sicily especially for Christmas panettoni but they also produce traditional desserts and chocolate manufacturing. And in fact last monday on the occasion of the concert in Milan Fiasconaro prepared an amazing gift for Bruce Springsteen, the perfect copy of the Fender guitar that the singer always uses to play at his concerts, with the difference that this one was made of Igp chocolate from Modica, a real delicacy and it was all hand-decorated.

"Oh my God" said an astonished and almost speechless Springsteen while thanking Maestro Fiasconaro for such an original present at the end of the concert.  

Now... what do you think? Will he give a bite to that fender or not? :-)))

Embrace the Healthy Cuisine of Sicily on a Mediterranean Cruise

 

Eve Pierce is our guest blogger for today. She has written this amazing piece, just for us, on the Mediterranean diet and its healthy properties, focusing on Sicilian Cuisine. So here she is in her own words:

"The Mediterranean diet has been recognised as one of the healthiest ways of eating, both within Europe and beyond, as its consumption is linked with longevity and a reduced risk of heart disease. It is based on the traditional dietary practices of Southern Italy, Spain and Greece, which is rich in plant-based foods, fish and olive oil, with modest intakes of dairy produce and wine, and comparatively little meat. In many ways the diet of Sicily is true to what is considered to be a Mediterranean pattern of eating. One difference is that Sicilians eat more meat than other parts of Southern Italy. This reflects the preference for meat of the Normans and Germans who came here in the middle ages; however, the use of fish is abundant in dishes and still commonly eaten. Fish is just as rich in protein as meat, yet white fish such as sea bream and sea bass, as well as the likes of cuttlefish and sea urchin, are low in fat, whilst oily fish like tuna, swordfish, sardines and anchovies are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. 

These essential fatty acids have long been known to protect the heart and circulation, but they are now known to be important for brain function, so may help to keep our mood balanced and to ward off cognitive decline. Make the most of the opportunity to eat fish whilst cruising in the Mediterranean and visiting Sicily, sampling varieties that you wouldn’t usually at home.

Like other parts of the Mediterranean, pulses (peas, beans and lentils) feature heavily in dishes and Sicily is second only to Tuscany for using them so widely. Fava beans and chickpeas are particularly popular and the former are often spiced and served as a bar snack; it often takes a while for tourists to twig what they are actually eating when they sit down with their beer or glass of wine. Fava beans are also frequently used in soups and are the principal ingredient of a vegetable side dish known as frittedda. Pulses are a good source of plant protein and iron; they are also full of fibre, so not only are they filling, helping with weight control, but they can also help to lower cholesterol. Other vegetables also feature highly in Sicilian cooking and although native varieties such as broccoli, fennel and peppers are popular, those introduced by settlers such as artichokes, tomatoes and eggplants have also become prominent in dishes. When eating out in restaurants, tomatoes and broccoli are often found in pasta recipes, fennel will be served in salads or baked as a side dish, artichokes find their way into frittatas, eggplants will be stuffed with other ingredients and a range of vegetables are combined to make ratatouille.

All vegetables and fruits are rich in antioxidants; these help to control levels of damaging substances in the body called free radicals, which alter cells and lead to the development of heart disease and cancer. Onions and garlic which are used frequently as a flavouring in Sicilian cooking, contains allicin which is thought to confer many of their benefits towards heart, cancer prevention and supporting the immune system. 

As would be expected in the Mediterranean region, olive oil is the predominant oil used in Sicilian cooking and dressings. This oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, which is the type of fat most beneficial to cholesterol, as it lowers harmful LDL cholesterol whilst maintaining levels of protective HDL cholesterol. The nuts introduced from the Middle East – notably almonds, pistachios and pine nuts – contribute further beneficial fats to the diet. They are used to make pesto and in a range of sweet dishes, though are just as enjoyable as a snack with dried fruit such as apricots, figs and currants; pick up some nuts from a Sicilian market to enjoy when back on board.

A trip to Sicily wouldn’t be complete without sampling their wine; even if you just stop off for the day as part of a cruise itinerary, don’t pass up the opportunity to try it. The soil on the island is ideal for growing grapes and wine has been produced here since the Greeks came to Sicily. Try the Sicilian red wine on your holiday; good examples include Nero D’Avola, one of the oldest grape varieties offered by the island. A moderate intake of red wine a day appears to be protective towards the heart. Antioxidants found in red wine is thought to protect the blood vessels and reduce the risk of a blood clot developing.

However long you are in Mediterranean for, embrace its traditional cuisine and look out for those dishes particular to Sicily. Not only will your taste buds thank you, but so will your health, particularly if you can adopt some of their beneficial dietary practices when you return home. The island of Sicily features as a destination on numerous cruise itineraries, providing you the chance to step on to the island’s soil to see for yourself what culinary delights are on offer. Anyone looking to eat well on holiday, in terms of the taste, quality and healthfulness of their food, would find it difficult to fault what Sicily can provide. Here we look at the cuisine of Sicily and the highly nutritious traditional ingredients that are widely used in the island’s cooking, which you can enjoy on board and in Sicily’s restaurants."

Thanks a lot to Eve for this incredible and useful article.

Pic frittedda: http://c1295762.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/cwright-fava2.JPG

Pic mackerel: http://it.123rf.com/photo_12679982_sgombri-freschi-di-pesce-scrombrus-scomber-su-ghiaccio.html

Reviews: A real Sicilian "arancina" in Notting Hill?

Do you remember when I talked about the famous and extremely popular Sicilian rotisserie? You find it in bars and cafès and one of the most appreciated pieces is definetely the ARANCINA, the huge rice ball fried and filled with mozzarella cheese and ham (al burro) or with Sicilian ragù made of minced meat sauce (alla carne). Delicious! Especially in Palermo everyone is crazy about our amazing arancine and one thing you don't know for sure is that the noun is actually FEMININE in this part of the island! And it is a very big deal for us! So remember it when you visit Palermo and you want to try one, all right? :-)

Recently, while I was in London, walking in the renowned area of Notting Hill I happened to find a food spot called: "Arancina, the traditional Sicilian pizzeria". The name was curious to me, to start with, because in Sicily we have a lot of famous dishes, but the pizza is not something we export as Sicilians, while the arancina definetely is. We do have our tasty pizza called sfincione in Palermo, but to my surprise there was no trace of that in the pizzeria, so I gathered the owners could not be from Sicily and infact I was right.


The place was lovely, cosy and very nice decorated, the people kind and smiley, the location amazing and the pizza was really good, it reminded me about the traditional pizza a taglio they make in Rome: thin, soft and tasty. Obviously as a real Sicilian and a food blogger (perfect combination, isn't it?) I had to try the arancina and see if it was like the original ones, but sadly my reaction was disappointment. Big disappointment.

For two reasons: first the SIZE of them. 

These ones were tiny ones... I would say "supplì" (originally again from Rome) with a different name.

Second the PRICE. A small fried ball of rice for 2.60 pounds.

In Sicily an average arancina is sold between 1.20 and 2.00 euros at the maximum (which in pounds is between 1.00 and 1.80 and in dollars between 1.50 and 1.70 more or less) and it is DOUBLE in SIZE.

In my opinion if you want to sell something at a high price because is exotic or sough after it's ok, but at least sell it in the correct size. I would have preferred to spend 3.00 pounds for an original big sized arancina, rather than 2.60 for a tiny one.

The taste was ok, it wasn't the exactly one but was good, ...I was hungry and I ate it with pleasure, but to be honest it was gone in just three bites and that was it. That was my lunch.

Do you know which was one of the most important ingredient that was missing in there? SATISFACTION!
Having something that is scrumptious, very well made and leaves you full and happy? Plus, you eat it and think of your homeland,... missing it. It is something that has to do with food, but above all with memoirs, family, friends, tradition, connection. All in one arancina and it wasn't accomplished at all!

Simple as that.

So, I would recommed the place (here is the website) for a nice authentic Italian pizza a taglio, but I would suggest to work more on the arancina... at least on the size, because if you sell the real thing customers will triple! And in case you want to try the original ones, there is only one place: Palermo, Sicily!

Then, we can talk about TRUE SATISFACTION!!!!!

Saint Joseph's bread and the devotion of the Altar

Do you know what "Pane di San Giuseppe" is? Last year on March the 19th, the day of Saint Joseph, I talked about our lovely tipical sweets called sfinci, remember?
But there is also another important tradition in our region on the same festivity, and it's to prepare a particular bread called after the Saint: "Pane di San Giuseppe" (literally Saint's Joseph bread).

It is a tradition that still goes on in some of the villages in the island especially in the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento, Enna e Caltanissetta. The people who are particularly devoted to Saint Joseph, set up in their own houses a kind of Altar (small or big it doesn't matter) that is dedicated to Him. They place a picture of the Sacred Family or the Holy Cross right up in the middle, symbol of Christianity, to be like the Tabernacle of the church. 

At the four corners of the table they place some bay branches and right in the middle all the bread that has the most particular shapes, like real refined sculptures of animales, objects, flowers, ecc... in Sicilian these eatable sculptures are called "cuddure". Tables are also decorated with oranges and lemons which are the fruits that the land of Sicily offers to the Saint.

The altar must be ready on the 18th, eve of the festivity, and houses are open to visitors and tourists to pay respect and express the devotion. If the landlord offers some food to a visitor, it must be accepted, because it's part of the devotion as well. This lasts until the following day when the striking ceremony ends usually at lunch time.
This tradition is at least 400 years old and, as usual, it may change in customs from village to village. 

Being Saint Joseph the father of Jesus we also celebrate the Father's day on this occasion, so don't forget to call your dad or remember him in a sincere prayer.

PICTURES CREDITS:
http://www.atinkite.it/appuntamento.php?id=88
http://www.palermomania.it/news.php?19-marzo-san-giuseppe-festa-del-papa&id=25158

Extortion to Sicilian Chef Natale Giunta: "It was a nightmare!"

Not only recipes in this blog but everything that can be good to know, to spread and to talk about.

Famous Sicilian Chef Natale Giunta, who currently partecipates at the well-known Italian tv cooking programme entitled: "La prova del cuoco" (the Italian version of Ready steady Cook) was on the newspaper in the past few weeks because he had received threats and repeated attemps of extortion on his restaurant last year. The Chef did not pay and reported four men of the organized crime to the Police.

"Sicily has been ruined by these people and this got to stop once and for all. I hope many other restaurant' owners will follow me in action and do the same" - said Giunta when asked to make a comment about the unpleasant facts.

With this article I want to express all my support and solidarity to this man, his job and his courage. Thanks Chef and Good Luck!!!

In the pic above the Chef Giunta with Antonella Clerici, tv presenter.