Harim Network: food experience in Jordan with Andrea Alì

Mediterannean food is conquering the world! It has already started with a great 4 days cooking course held in Ammam, Jordan, with the Italian Chef Andrea Alì, that will end today.

Organized by Euro-Mediterranean Academy and the society La Panthera establishment, the famous chef Andrea Ali has been a guest at JAU Jordanian University, College of Hospitality and Tourism Education. In Jordan, he has brought his specialties and the most famous Italian recipes, revisited by his personal culinary genius, such as pasta alla Norma, meatballs, tiramisù and the famous ARANCINE!

His cooking is simple and authentic; it is the expression of a tradition that enobles the raw materials of the land, particularly of the Iblei Mountains, on which it is located his prestigious restaurant: “Andrea Sapori Montani”, in Palazzolo Acreide (SR). Inside, local and seasonal ingredients, strictly zero km, which comply with the principles of Slow Food to which he adapts his "cooking philosophy."

The course of Italian Cuisine in Amman will end with a competition among aspiring chef participants who will award the winners with a trip in Italy to visit and live the experience of Italian cuisine in Andrea’s Alì restaurant.

Thanks to this new international project signed by Harim Network, we hope new collaborations will start and the new generation of chefs made in Jordan will discover the Italian culinary heritage.

Cauliflower fritters, another way to eat caulflower!

Do you know how to prepare some delicious cauliflower fritters? This dish is great to make children eat this vegetable, as they don't usually like its strong funny smell. But, if you prepare some fritters like these ones, crunchy outside and soft and tasty inside, I am sure they will love them!!!

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
a small cauliflower
1-2 eggs
breadcrumb
grated caciocavallo cheese
salt & black pepper
a pinch of nutmeg or turmeric (optional)
e.v. olive oil

It's always difficult in recipes like this, specify the exact quantity for the ingredients. I usually wash the cauliflower and boil it first in salted water. As soon as it is cooked let it drain on a colander so that it gets rid of all the water that contains. Then, in a bowl place our vegetable and mix it with an egg and 3 table spoons of breadcrumb and 3 of grated cheese (if you don't have caciocavallo choose another you like). 

If the mixture is still too soft add more breadcrumb and cheese, if it's too hard add a second egg. A pinch of black pepper to finish with, and nutmeg or turmeric if you like it too. That's it... we are ready to fry!

On a large pan, pour some e.v. olive oil on a high heat, when the oil is hot take a spoon full of the mixture and with the help of a fork or a second spoon slowly place it on the pan. Do the same for the rest of the mix until the pan is full.

Careful because they cook quite quickly. Once they are ready on one side (few minutes) turn them on the other side and when they are golden brown take them out of the pan and place them on kitchen paper for a little while to absorb the exceeding oil, then on a serving plate. They must be served and eaten while still hot!

This is a lovely side-dish that will turn a boring veg in such an excitig recipe! :P
Enjoy!

Sicilian experts: An interview with Chef Giuseppe Di Cristina

We always talk about Sicilian food and recipes but today I am particularly glad to post this interview to a young Sicilian Chef who, because of his profession, is entitled to speak about this topic more than me: Giuseppe Di Cristina. (Qui la versione in Italiano). 

Me: Hi chef, let's start with a brief introduction about your work and background.

Chef: First of all thanks for this interview. I am honoured to answer your questions. I started to work at 14 years old at the restaurant Villa Flora (Palermo) while I was attending the 1st year of Catering school. From there I moved to several places trying to learn like a sponge the different types of catering and food service, both in Sicily (Mondello, Cinisi, Caltagirone, Campofelice di Roccella, Marsala and Palermo again) and in other parts of Italy (Pavia, Borgomanero (No), Courmayeur (Ao).
At 25 I became sous-chef working at La Nave and after 5 years I realised I was ready for the big jump: be in charge of a kitchen on my own! So in 2010 I started this new experience at the restaurant Torre Battilamano in Termini Imerese (Pa), then on the Alps in Cervinia (Ao) and back to Sicily at the Four Seasons in Lascari near Cefalù. Only recently I decided to become a freelance, working on my own, organising courses and teaching in professional schools.

When did you realise you wanted to become a professional Chef?
When I was a kid, smelling the parfumes coming from the kitchen when my mum and grandma were cooking.

Which is your favourite Sicilian dish and why? 

Being not only a chef, but also a scuba diver, I would say by all means the swordfish rolls, with red orange, raisins and pine nuts. I have always thought that this recipe is the great union between sea and land, which expresses the deep bond of Sicilians with the two resources of our island.

In your experience how do other people perceive our cuisine? Which is the most requested dish?

Sicilian cuisine is very well appreciated. There are no other regions that can boast our triumph of colors, parfums, smells and flavors in every single month of the year. The dishes that people ask the most, especially from my experience working in the Alps near the French border are two: the Sicilian Cassata and the Caponata.

What inspires you when you decide to create a new recipe?

Great question! Actually it depends on the occasion. I usually focus on the topic: if the dish is for a restaurant or for a particular party, or for a contest for example. In any case I decide the main ingredient and I start to examine in my mind every possible technique of cooking it and also if matches with other ingredients. 

From there I try and experiment with different colors and parfumes. Palate and brain become like lovers just like when a painter starts creating on his canvas. I have to say that 8 times out of 10 the final result is exactly like I had imagined it. Recently what inspires me the most is the woman of my life that is like a real Muse to me. Nowadays, when I create a dish, I do it thinking about her.

Can you name two Sicilian Chefs you appreciate? A senior and a junior one?

The senior is Pino Cuttaia, the most talented I have ever known, especially because has humility, a virtue which you don't see often. The junior that I appreciate is Roberto Pennino. He is one of the 'Maestri Pasticceri' of the entire island and is not even 30 yet. He is also great at carving vegetables. 

Meat or fish? Fruits or desserts? White or red wine?
Sea is definetely my element so I have to say FISH! I love desserts, especially soft creamy ones, while for the wine I prefer the red one.

Which is your favorite street food?
Panelle of course!!! In Palermo they are loved by kids and grown ups of every age. Plus... that lovely soft bread we eat them with... just amazing.

What do you think about the big success of culinary tv shows or reality?
I think they could be created better. Our category has obviously gained a lot of visibility, but in some cases there are people who talk about cooking without having a proper knowledge or understanding of it. 

If you would like to celebrate an event and not cooking, where would you go?
In the province of Palermo I would go to three places: Il Ghiottone Raffinato, il Cafè 113 in Casteldaccia and Il Normanno in Cefalù.

Which is the worse stereotype about Sicilian Cuisine?
That we don't have a tradition of meat dishes. This is totally wrong. In ancient times the tables of aristocrats were always full of game like rabbits, hares, wild boars, quails, partridges, ecc... not bad for an island, eh?!

Is there a foreign cuisine you particualrly appreciate and why?

Yes, it's the Austrian one, for its magnificence especially in Patisserie.  

Which is your next project?
In October I will start again with the cookery courses at DiCristina’s, my company. I love sharing my knowledge with people that are not professionals but have passion for food and cooking. 

GREAT! Thanks a lot for your time and answers, Chef! :-)

Please let me thank you for having contacted me and given me the honour of this interview on your blog. Thank you so much. 

Chef Giuseppe Di Cristina

Breaded eggplants or as we call them: "cotolette di melanzane!"

Cotolette di melanzane

Do you know how to prepare some amazing breaded aubergines or eggplants?
This is a Sicilian recipe that we called "melanzane a cotoletta". Melanzane means aubergine/eggplant, while the expression a cotoletta explains the way we cook it, as I wrote in my previous article. My friend Lucia and I prepared them last week.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people: 

- 1 rounded aubergine/eggplant (the ones we call tunisine)

- 2 beaten eggs

- breadcrumb

- olive oil

In Sicily we mostly use these kind of eggplants because they are sweeter and absorb less oil during the frying process.
1. As the pictures explain first let's cut the eggplant in slices not too thin. Place them in a colander with salt on for about 15 minutes than wash them under running water and dry them with a clean cloth;

 2. Prepare the "eggplants cotolette" just like in the video shown here (beaten eggs and breadcrumb);

3. Put on a high heat a large pan and fill half of it with olive oil and fry them on both sides until golden brown (pic below). 

4. Prepare a plate with kitchen paper to help absorb the exceeding oil, then serve them warm with a refreshing salads like tomatoes or rockets. 

When we were kids and my mum was preparing any kind of cotoletta, there was usually some beaten egg left, so she used to add some more breadcrumb and fry it at the end like a thick omelette. We loved it and we always fought to get the biggest piece of it!!!

Try them at least once, they are delicious and you will have a scrumptious lunch that is definetely worth the time spent frying!

The basics of Sicilian Cuisine: the "cotoletta" preparation!

Hi dear food lovers and blog readers, last week I asked on my facebook page the best way to translate our word "cotoletta" and I had some interesting answers, thanks very much!

Infact I was with Lucia, a friend of mine and I was helping her in preparing some amazing eggplants in breadcrumb, so I thought to write a few lines about this preparation that we love so much!

Be careful though because here in Sicily we have 2 similar ways of preparing breaded dishes: a lighter one (usually referred as impanatura) and a more complex one (the real cotoletta).

 
1) Light- We call it "impanatura" (literally means breaded) and is usually used only for meat or fish, we run it only in breadcrumb or sometimes in olive oil first and then breadcrumb (like this we do veal, chicken breast or swordfish);

2) Complex - We run both meat or vegetables first in beaten eggs and then in breadcrumb. Then we fry whatever is that we are preparing. So, the distinction is very important and is based on the ingredient you are preparing!!!

In this video that I shot, my friend Lucia and I were preparing some eggplants in breadcrumb (the recipe is coming soon on my blog) so I thought it was the best way to explain how we prepare any food "a cotoletta". Enjoy!!!

A refreshing Mediterranean iced tea with an exotic twist!

Have you ever prepared an iced tea that is refreshing and tasty and has an exotic twist as well? That is very easy to do. You only need few ingredients: your favourite flavor of tea, sugar, lemon, a small bunch of fresh mint and a piece of fresh ginger, big more or less like a clove of garlic.

So let's start by making a normal tea in the teapot, leave the tea in infusion for at least 15 minutes. Add 2 or 3 spoons full of sugar while the water is still hot, 10 mint leaves or more, an entire lemon cut in slices and the piece of ginger without the skin.

Leave everything together until the tea has reached the room temperature. After a good couple of hours (at least two) remove the slices of lemon and the ginger.

Put the tea in a jug or a bottle and place it in the fridge for other 2-3 hours. You can also take the mint out but I love it so much I keep it there until the moment I serve it. 

With this heat dear friends, don't miss the opportunity of preparing this lovely refreshing drink at home, definitely healthier than the ones you buy it. You can offer it to your friends when they come visit you or to your husband when he comes tired and hot from work. I am sure that they will love it and appreciate the fact that you had this sweet thought and prepared it with love just for them.

"Do you want pane e panelle?" My first interview to an Italian newspaper

Hi dear readers and food lovers, as I had happily announced few days ago on my Official Facebook page, I have been interviewed a second time this summer for my blog. How exciting!!!

It was an Italian newspaper always interested in finding Sicilian bloggers to talk about. So here it is a recap of my interview translated just for you :-)

What does your blog talk about?

The blog combines three passions of mine: food, writing and English language. So it talks about recipes but not only. I have written about Gaetano Basile's new book about food, about the Sicilian chef Natale Giunta fighting against organised crime and about one of the favorite place of judge Paolo Borsellino: the Focacceria San Francesco in Palermo. Obviously common denominator are always Sicily and food.

Why are you writing in English?

Many reasons. I wanted to export Sicilian cuisine, connect with all the numerous Sicilians that live abroad and miss the colors and parfumes of our wonderful cuisine, and let other people in the world know about our food and tradition as well.

It's a mortal sin leaving Sicily without trying...

A lot of stuff: panelle, pasta al forno, cous cous, grilled primosale cheese with black pepper, fresh ricotta cheese, brociolone, caponata, fried sardines.
Arancine and the whole rotisserie, pistaches ice cream flavor from Bronte, gelo di mellone, marzipan (pecorelle or frutta di martorana) and everything coming from our patisserie, starting with cannoli and cassata.

Three blogs that you like.

Fashioncooking.it because I like the fact that combines fashion and food. L’ora del libro, an Italian blog for those who love reading and Cliomakeup which is all about beauty products and make up.

Three stereotypes about Sicilian cuisine.

The caponata is made only with aubergine/eggplants and not with bell peppers.

The parmigiana has fried aubergine/eggplants and has nothing to do with the city of Parma or Parmigiano Reggiano.

The ricotta cream for desserts is made with fresh ricotta, sugar and dark chocolate chips only. Some people think there are also pieces of candy fruits, it was an old use, but not anymore.

Which adjective would you use to describe the following things:
Bronte's pistaches: precious
Pane ca meusa/spleen sandwich: poor
Modica's chocolate: historical
Sfincione: with strong characte
Caponata: multi-cultural

Tastes and parfumes.
Palermo: pane e panelle and street food in general
Trapani: cous cous with fish and caldofreddo
Messina: pignolata bicolore, lemon and choc.
Siracusa: slushes
Catania: Nerello Mascalese
Ragusa: caciocavallo cheese

Sicilian Chefs. Who do you prefer?

On this matter I have to improve my knowledge, among those who I have appreciated the talent there are:

1. Angelo Treno
2. Giuseppe Di Cristina
3. Natale Giunta

Name, origins, job, what you read and what you watch on tv.

Georgia from Palermo. I am a freelance web content writer, I work with social media and communication. Basically I write, not only for work but for pleasure as well, infact few months ago I published my first novel in Italian entitled: “L’Equilibrista”.

I love Sergio Bambarèn's books, but also the ones that tell true stories. Recently I read two amazing books that every human being should read: Ruta Sepetys' “Between shades of gray” and Immaculè Ilibagiza's “Left to tell”. On tv I like watching movies that make me laugh and relax, and depending on what happens in Italy, I may also watch programs on current affairs.

Your favorite aphorism.
Carpe diem. It's from the latin poet Horace and means "seize the day". 

Recipe and wine for this summer.

For this torrid summer I would suggest the cous cous with vegs. It's healthy and fresh, and perfect for any occasion. It can go with both a white or a red wine.
I am not a sommelier but I will try a combination with either Corvo Glicine or Cerasuolo from Vittoria. Both rigorously Sicilians!!! 


You can read the original interview here.