Food Lover's Odyssey

One Cannolo Two Cannoli

  

How appropropriate that my first Daring Bakers' Challenge is cannoli.  Having recently returned from Sicily and much sampling, sampling, and sampling (you get the idea) of cannoli, I was thrilled to see them as the November Daring Bakers Challenge.  It also gave me a chance to use my new cannoli forms, a gift from my Roman friend Stefania.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Daring Bakers, it's a group of bakers who bake the exact same recipe each month and share the results.  Many in the group, numbering in the thousands, have a blog and share their experience via their blogs. 

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts, and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook: As Compiled by Artie Bucco by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone. She also added her own modifications and changes.

 

 

I used the same filling that I used for the Cassatelle alla Siciliana because I prefer chocolate in the ricotta cream instead of candied fruit.  I think current day Sicilians aren't big fans of the candied fruit either because the cannoli I found throughout the island  had only ricotta cream, and some had chocolate in the cream, but no candied fruit.

 

This was the second time I made cannoli.  The other was many years ago with my grandmother's recipe.  It was before I had ever been to Sicily, so I had only store-bought mushy cannoli to compare.  My new standards are quite a bit higher, but these were delicious.  I was really pleased with the filling.  I drained the ricotta in a cheese cloth overnight.  I am still searching for a sheep's milk ricotta that isn't too grassy tasting, so I used a cow's milk ricotta from Trader Joe's instead. 

The shells were crunchy and just sweet enough and extremely close to those in Sicily (they use lard, strutto in Italian, there).  I would have liked the shells to have more blisters, but I need to practice a bit more with the dough.  Here are a few things that help to get the blistery outer shell.    The dough should be as thin as possible.  I used my pasta machine to roll out the dough, which made it extremely easy.  I found that the shells blistered better when the oil temperature was 375 degrees F and the dough was loosely wrapped around the cannoli forms. 

 

You can find the filling recipe I used here.  Below is the recipe the Daring Bakers used that Lisa Michele adapted for us.  By the way, the name ‘Lidisano’ (the recipe name) is a combination of Lidia, Lisa and Sopranos.  Thanks again Lisa Michele!  And, grazie mille Stefania for the Italian cannoli forms!  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli

RECIPE NOTE: THE EQUIVALENTS FROM THIS RECIPE WERE PREPARED USING THIS CONVERSION SITE

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 egg white

Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar

 

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
2. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.
3. Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
6. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
7. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Pasta Machine method:

1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through
2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.
3. Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:

 

1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.
2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

 

Related Posts:

Cassatelle alla Siciliana 

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Tiramisu and Italian Sweets

Involtini di Melanzane and a Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner Menu

Italian Biscotti From Tuscany

French Fraisier to Celebrate My Blog Birthday

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

 

 

I went for the wine and found chocolate.  My trip to the Piedmont region of Italy was mainly to sip as much Barolo wine as possible.  In addition to the wine, I  found Eataly and CHOCOLATE!  

 

 

Turin has been making chocolate since 1600 and is most famous for its gianduja, the combination of milk chocolate and hazelnuts.  After Piedmont was conquered by Napoleon and the supply of cocoa became scarce, chocolatiers started adding ground hazelnuts (hazelnut trees grow throughout the region) to the chocolate, and gianduja was born.  Gianduja cream, made internationally famous by Nutella, is another product in abundunce in the region.  To showcase the many chocolatiers, chocolate pastry shops and gelaterie of Turin, they offer visitors a Chocolate Pass.  For 12 euros, you get 22 tastings of the unique chocolate specialties of the city.

 

Take the 3 days the pass gives to complete the chocolate tastings.  Even I, a self-proclaimed chocoholic, overdosed on chocolate after all those tastings.  Along with a pass you get a brochure that leads you, in a well-organized manner, through Turin's "streets of chocolate."  It's also a great way to see the city's sights (the guide points them out) while searching for some of the best and oldest sweet shops in Turin.

 

 

Gianduiotto, the triangular shaped bars of gianduja, are a big part of the tasting, but you also get to try little cakes and pastries, bicerin (the coffe and hot chocolate of Turin) and gelato.  Along with the tastings, my brochure gave a little history of chocolate making and of the shops. The tastings are just small samples of what each shop creates, but it's a great introduction to the chocolate world of Turin.  Of course you can buy more along the way, and I did.

 

 

I made this budino with some of the gianduja I purchased while in Turin.  A budino is basically an Italian pudding and similar to the French pot de creme.  This elegant dessert is lusciously rich and extremely easy to make.  

 

 

Gianduja Budino

Makes eight 6-ounce or twelve 4-ounce servings

 

  

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk

2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream

3/4 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar

12 egg yolks

4 sheets (12 grams) gelatin

12 ounces (340 grams) gianduja chocolate*, finely chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

  

About 1 cup lightly-sweetened whipped cream, optional

About 1/2 cup chopped and toasted hazelnuts, optional

 

 

  

Scald the milk, cream, and half of the sugar in a saucepan.  Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining half of the sugar and the egg yolks until the mixture lightens in color.  Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.

 

  

Once you have scalded the milk mixture, temper the yolk mixture by adding  a little of the milk mixture at a time and whisking together until both mixtures are combined.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium heat stirring slowly and constantly. Heat the mixture to 175° F, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.

 

  

Ring all of the excess water out of the gelatin and immediately add to the heated mixture.  Stir until it is incorporated.  Strain half the heated mixture over the finely chopped chocolate and slowly whisk together until the mixture combines.  Strain the remaining half of the heated mixture over the chocolate mixture and whisk together.  Add the vanilla extract and combine.

 

  

Pour into serving dishes.  Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.  Serve with optional whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts, if desired.  Buon Appetitio!

  

*You can get gianduja at most gourmet food stores.

  

UPDATE:  If you are unable to find gelatin sheets, you can substitute 1 package (a scant 1 tablespoon) of the powdered gelatine.  Follow the manufacturers directions for "blooming" the gelatine in water, then add to the heated mixture before straining over the gianduja. 

 

  

  
 

____________________________

  

  

For more information on the chocolate pass and other culinary tours in Turin, you can go to their tourist information website here. (Best times to purchase the pass are weekdays.  Avoid Sundays, holidays, and the month of August when most/many of the shops are closed.)

  

CioccolaTo, Turin's next chocolate festival is scheduled for March, 2010.  The festival is a 10-day chocolate celebration with exhibitions, demonstrations, chefs, chocolate makers, and of course, chocolate tastings. 

 

  

Here is a list of some of the most notworthy negozi (shops) on my Chocolate Pass tour:

 

Baratti & Milano, Piazza Castello 27 (One of the oldest pasticceria of the city it sits on the corner of the biggest piazza in Turin.)

Caffe Torino, Piazza San Carlo 204 (rich and creamy petite sweets elegantly made and displayed in this old-world caffe)

Caffetteria Roma Gia Talmone, Piazza Carlo Felice  (Outsdanding morning pastries and some of the best gelato in the city. Owned by Gatsby's on via Soleri and another sister location Mokita in Piazza San Carlo)

Pasticceria Pfatisch, Via Sacchi (One of the oldest chocolatiers in Turin)

 

Caffe Al Bicerin, Piazza della Consolata 5 (The Bicerin - a hot drink of coffee, chocolate and milk popular throughout the city originated here)

 

Pepino, Piazza Carignano 8 (In 1935 the first gelato di passegio, literally meaning strolling gelato aka the eskimo pie, was created.)

 

 

Related Posts:

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival 

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After 100 Scoops

History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

Nutella Love Cake - Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Ganache for World Nutella Day 2011

Everyone Should Eataly (Turin)

Gianduja Nutella Cheesecake to Celebrate World Nutella Day

Caramel Gelato and Favorite Gelato Spots in Rome

Everyone Should Eataly

  

 

In one day, I spent ten hours at a supermarket in Turin, Italy.  I wanted to spend 10 more. If you have already been to Eataly, you will understand.  If you haven't, GO!  A whole day is barely enough to enjoy the high-quality, artisanal, and affordably-priced food of Italy under one 27,000 square-foot roof.   It is an Italian food lovers' paradise!

Besides all the food to buy or eat there, they have a myriad of food and wine classes.   Eataly's aim is to supply "everyone" with high-quality, fresh and locally produced food at reasonable prices.  The employees are inviting, friendly and eager to help you buy, eat and learn about Italy's foods.

 

Oh, the delicacies you can buy in the market:

I was elated and confused with the variety of foods available.  To ease some of the confusion, the store is organized into sections: cured meats, cheese, seasonal fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, fresh pastas, a baked goods section, the cellar with wine and beer, and the "sundries" area. Sundries is such a bland word to describe this section.  It's filled with specialty food from the region and all of Italy: over five aisles of local sweets including gianduja (the chocolate of Turin), the best olive oils from each region in Italy, a fresh milk dispenser filled  with raw milk from local farms, premium blends of coffee beans, just to name a few.

 

 
 

The earthy smells of the cheese aisle will lead you there.  There are over 200 cheeses from which to choose.

 

 
 

The fresh pasta section has over 50 different shapes of pasta.  Shapes popular in Piedmont are agnolotti (a big half-mooned ravioli) or plin (which means "pinched" in the local dialect to describe how the pasta's shaped).

 

 
 

The bread is hands-down the best in Italy.  It's hard crust and deep-pocketed interiors rival any French baguette.  They make focaccia in the style of the neighboring Ligurian region and Neopolitan pizza in their wood-burning oven.

 

The cellar includes 48,000 wines, a beer bar, and an area where you can bring an empty bottle and fill it with wine from a huge glass jug.  Bootlegging gone commercial.

The cellar goes from bootlegging to Barolo, the best wine of the region.  I was breathless at the selection of Barolo wines.  The sales clerk gave me a tour of the cellar, then walked me to the glass-enclosed rare wine section and left me  ALONE with Barolo wines from as early as 1967.  I was afraid to move or breathe fearing I would disrupt the temperature of the room and harm these precious bottles.  Ok, so not all the products are reasonably priced, that 1967 Barolo was 430 euros. 

 

Five aisles of sweets and one devoted to chocolate.  I think I spent an hour in that section alone.

 

Have a seat and at Eataly:

There are 7 eateries, one finer-dining restaurant (Guido per Italy), a coffee bar, a pastry store, and a gelateria where they make gelato from farm-fresh raw milk. 

For lunch, we snacked in the cellar and sampled some of the Barolo.  The sales clerk offered us as a gift sampling of prosciutto.  It wasn't just any old Prosciutto di Parma, it was culatello di zibello, the best of the Parma prosciutto.  The most prized part of the ham is put in a pigs bladder and left to cure in the valley of the Po river.  This speciality is rarely exported outside of Italy.  It's sweet, creamy and intense, and she gave us a plate, free of charge, like we were honored guests in her home. 

 

We were there on a Friday, and by 8:00pm, all the eateries were packed with locals vying for tables as soon as they were vacated.  The pizza or a plate of pasta was less than 15 euros each.  For dessert, you can choose from gelato, chocolates, or pastries, or have a little of each. 

 

 

Learn about the food and wine of the region:

You can take cooking lessons, dine with celebrity Italian chefs, take wine lessons, have a wine tasting, and take a class on the 60 Piemontese products that are considered best in the world.  There is also a book store with thousands of books and magazines on food and wine.  They have computers and free wifi. Believe me, wifi in Italy is hard enough to find, so free wifi is miraculous.  Now all they need to do is set up a place to sleep, and one may never leave.

Eataly is easily accessible by buses #1, #18 and #35 that depart from Turin's main train station (Porta Nuova).  They are open from 10am to 10:30pm and the restaurants are open from Noon-3:00pm and 7:00-10:15pm.

There are also Eataly locations in Bologna, Milan, and two in Tokyo.  One is scheduled to open in 2010 in New York (oh, those lucky New Yorkers).  As the sign says, "Life is too short to eat and drink badly."  At Eataly, you have no alternative but to mangia bene!

 

Related Posts:

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After 100 Scoops

A Taste of Napoli - 15 Favorite Dishes for the Food Lover in Naples

Best Ways to Savor Venice

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Quince Crostata for an Italian-Inspired Thanksgiving Dessert

  

In my Italian-American family, we have always celebrated Thanksgiving with an Italian twist.  We have a five course meal, where only one or two of the courses are American,  and the rest are Italian.  When I tell my friends we are having ravioli before the turkey, they look at me with crinkled up faces, mouths open trying to form questions, or odd stares.  It's what we do for every holiday dinner, even an American one.  After the antipasti and primo piatto (first dish) of pasta, we do have an American secondo (main dish) of turkey, with contorni (side dishes) of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and yams.  Desserts vary in nationalities, from traditional American pies--pumpkin, apple, etc. to eclairs.

Each year, I try something new. Ever since I had a homemade quince digestivo in Rome (somewhere in strength between grappa and limoncello), I've wanted to make something with quince.  Thanks to Dianne, my cooking with quince came sooner than I thought.  She handed me a bagful of freshly picked quince one evening after her class.

Quince aren't the prettiest of fruits, especially before they're washed.  They have a dark fuzz on them, but clean up nicely with a warm water wash and paper towel scrub.  The look like a bumpy cross betwen a pear and an apple.  Raw, the flesh is virtually inedible; it's hard, sour and very astringent.  The interior color is similar to the inside of a pear.  If you cook them slowly, their off-white flesh turns red, and the flavor softens, becoming sweeter and edible.  I poached them for 2 1/2 hours, and  the flesh turned a rosy color, the taste was quite a bit sweeter but still a little sour. 

During my travels in Italy, I sampled several fruit crostatas.  The fruit and crust was usually separated by a creamy filling, and they were my inspiration for this dessert.  For this recipe, I used a flaky crust, with a sweet almond-cream filling.    Dried sour cherries and a crumble topping add different textures and colors to the layers.  The crostata is a tasty blend of textures and of sweet and sour flavors.   Thanks Dianne!  I have enough quince for our Thanksgiving dessert. 

Quince Crostata

Makes one 9-inch crostata

For the crust:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water

  

  

For the almond-cream filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

3/4  cup ground blanched almonds

  

 

For the poached quince:

3 quince

5 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 lemon

1 vanilla bean

  

 

For the crumble topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

  

15-20 dried sour cherries

  

  

To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture is the size of peas.  Slowly add the first 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, incorporating it with a fork.  Form the mixture into a ball, adding the additional 2 tablespoons of water, if necessary.  Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

  

  

Meanwhile, poach the quince.  In a deep sauce pan, bring the water, sugar, honey, lemon, its juice and vanilla bean to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Peel, quarter, and core the quince and add them to the water.  Cut parchment paper in a circle, the size of the pan, and cut a small circle in the center of the parchment paper.  (This will keep the quince submerged yet allow the steam to evaporate.)  Poach on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the quince are soft and have turned a rosy color.  Cool, drain, and slice into 1/4-inch slices.

  

  

To make the almond-cream filling, mix the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a blender until it’s creamy.  Add the egg and mix until combined.  Add the vanilla and salt and combine.  Add the ground almonds and mix until creamy.

  

To make the crumble topping, cut the butter into the flour, then add the brown sugar.  Incorporate the brown sugar with the pastry cutter until the mixture is the consistency of peas.

 

Preheat the oven to 350° F

  

Roll the dough out to approximately 11 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch in thickness.  Place into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  After the 30 minutes, spread the almond-cream filling evenly onto the base.  Sprinkle half the dried cherries over the almond-cream.  Lay the slices of quince, one on top of the other, forming  a ring, on the almond-cream mixture.  Add 4 to 5 slices to fill the circle in the center.  Sprinkle with the remaining dried cherries, and  the crumble topping.  Place on a baking sheet (in case the juices run from the bottom) and bake for 55-60 minutes.

Let stand 20 minutes and serve. (It is best when it's warm.)  It would go well with caramel gelato (or ice cream)   Buon Appetito!

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

  

I heard a group of Italians at the train station saying, "This isn't Italy, this is Sicily.  It's worse." They were upset because the train door closed on their friend.  When they complained to the train conductor, he told them, "Well, don't stand in the doorway."  Not the same as the mainland, it's Italy more intensified.  The people gesticulate more, are very direct, talk louder, are stronger personalities (both good and bad), and are fiery like their volcanoes.  Here while walking through a food market in Palermo, a vender yelled, "straniera" (foreigner) after I asked a question.  "Yes, I am," was my answer, but "why make the announcement?" I thought.  Stranieri, like me, might think the natives are brusque, in your face, maybe even a bit rude, and you either love 'em or hate 'em. Some things are worse than the mainland, but some things are much much better.

Sicilian food has its own personality, too.  The pasta dishes are richer, saltier, more varied, and more intense in flavor, like its people.  The desserts are sweeter and denser than all of Italy. Wild vegetables are used in everyday dishes.  The fruits are brighter and deeper in flavor, like the sun that beats down on the island.  You can find some of these foods in other parts of Italy, but their origin is Sicily, and in some cases, cannot be replicated well or at all.

As I finish my journey through Sicily, I wanted to share with you my favorite flavors of the island.

Here are my top 10 foods in Sicily:

 

 

10. Fish from Three Seas

Three seas wash the shores of Sicily; the Ionian, Tyrrhenian, and the Mediterranean, providing the island with an abundance of fish.  Swordfish (spada), tuna (tonno), sardines (sarde), anchovies (acciughe), squid (calamari and totani), sea urchin (ricci), bottarga (dried and salted fish roe), all are among the many fish of the island.  Fish is in all parts of the meal, as antipasti in sweet and sour sauce (agrodolce), in a myriad of pasta dishes, and as the second course. 

 

9.  Arancini

Whether you order arancina (balls from Palermo) or arancino (pyramids from Catania), try one of these fried balls of goodness.  Rice, ragu, peas and melted cheese come together to make a satisfying hand-held meal.  And, in one bite you have your protein, carbohydrates, dairy and vegetables.

 

 
8.  Marzipan Treats (Frutti di Martorana)

Marzipan is molded and painted to look like anything, from fruits, to fish, to spaghetti.  These quaint little candies are called frutti di Martorana after the nuns of Martorana in Palermo who were famous for forming the paste into fruits.  They hung these "fruits" in the trees that filled their cloister once to honor a visiting bishop.  The treats are gifts on All Souls Day, are molded into lambs for Easter, and adorn the windows of pastry shops througout the island.

 
7.  Sicilian Pasta Dishes (Primi Piatti Siciliana)

The first dish (prmi piatto) in Sicily should not be missed.  The dishes use the various flavors of the island in creative combinations to create pasta dishes that pack salty, sweet, savory and crunchy into one forkful.  Don't miss pasta alla norma, pasta siracusana, pasta con le sarde, pasta with tenerumi soup (soup with the leaves from zucchini plants), pasta fritta (fried pasta), and pasta with sea urchins.  Try one or share two (or three) with each meal.

 

 
6.  Pistachios from Bronte

The best pistachios come from the Sicilian city of Bronte.  These pistacchi (In Italy pronounced pee-stah-kee, with a "K" sound NOT a "SH" one) grow on lava rocks from nearby Mount Etna (the island's active volcano).  The unique growing climate is responsible for the bright green color and intense flavor.   There is pistachio gelato, pistachio granita, pistachio pastry cream, pistachio candies and cookies, and even pistachio pesto.   You can buy them vacuum packed and bring them home to recreate your Sicilian food adventure.

  

 

 
5.  Anything in Agrodolce

Everything is better in sugo di agrodolce (sweet and sour sauce).  It's in classic caponata, used with pumpkin, and even fish.  Sicilians soak many foods in this simple sauce (made from vinegar and sugar) that expresses the sweet and sour of life in Sicily. 

 

 
4.  Granita

Italian flavored ice is best in Sicily.  Granita flavors quintessentially Sicilian are pistachio, almond milk, lemon, mulberry (gelsi) and no breakfast is complete without coffee granita with whipped cream.

 

 
3.  Street Markets -- Especially those in Palermo

My first experience with a Sicilian market vendor was in Castellamare (a small resort town an hour from Palermo).  A white van drove into the driveway, honked the horn loudly, then a man came out yelling at the top of his lungs, "Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaneeee" that echoed high above our three story condo.  My cousin sent me downstairs to buy bread for the day.  Every morning, it became a ritual.  When I'd hear the horn, I'd start my descent to the roar of his bread call.

The street markets of Sicily, and especially Palermo, are just more intensified versions of this experience.  Vendors yell out their special prices as you walk by.  One vendor after another yells out the specials and the disconts (lo sconto) of the day with voices hard, loud and fast like bombs, which are both confusing and amusing.  Palermo street markets, Vucciria, Ballaro and Capo in its historic center, are the most colorful.  

Besides the personalities of the vendors, the unique flavors of Sicily will be plentiful at each market--pachini tomatoes (from Pachino in the southeast), blood oranges, bright Sicilian lemons, all the fish from the three seas of Sicily, wild fennel, tenerumi, capers from the islands of Pantelleria or Salina, prickly pears (fichi d'India), and eggplant in all shapes (round, long and thin, fat and even mini-sized)

 
2.  Torta Setteveli

Popular as a birthday and celebration cake in Palermo, it is inspired by the dance of the seven veils. From the biblical story, Salome danced sensually while removing seven veils to elicit lust and want in Herod, so he would do as she commanded.  The torta setteveli is well-named.  It's gooey, silky, sugary, and intense, and seven lustful layers of chocolate and hazelnut that will surely evoke a yearning for another slice of this cake.  Do not miss it.  Pastry shops in Palermo that serve them by the slice (why would you buy only a slice?) or by the entire cake are Oscars and Ciros (on Via Notarbartolo, 25 in Palermo).   A recipe with step-by-step instructions is coming soon!

 
1.  Anything with Ricotta di Pecora (Sheep's milk ricotta)

Many Sicilians told me that their sheep's milk ricotta could NOT be replicated.  I believe them and for this reason it's my number one food of Sicily. The milky flavor with the most subtle tang and its creamy texture make it a filling favorite.  Sweetened with a little powdered sugar and chocolate chips, ricotta cream fills many Sicilian sweets.  It's also used on crostini and in pasta dishes.  If you only have one taste of the ricotta, make sure it's in a cannolo Siciliano ripieni al momento (Cannolo filled right at the moment.)

  

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

Surrounded by the colbalt blue sea.  Pools of bubbling hot springs. Names of Greek gods, and volcanoes still spewing fiery lava.  This could be a setting for a Greek story.  However, it's an actual place, the Aeolian Islands, named after the wind god Aeolus.  These seven volcanic islands, north of Sicily, referred to as the "sette sorelle" (seven sisters) are sprinkled like glitter along the Mediterranean.  I spent a weekend there with all the natural elements (earth, wind, fire, and water) and learned a little something about squid.

 

 

 

 

We stayed on the island of Lipari, the biggest island and most tourist-friendly.  Stromboli is the island with an active volcano.  Every few minutes the volcano spurts and smokes.  Vulcano gets its name from the god of fire.  Mythology tells that the volcano on this island was the chimney to his underground workshop.  Below the smoldering ashes, Vulcano wielded weapons for Mars.  In reality, the island has black-sand beaches, smells like rotten eggs from its sulphurous emissions, and is well-known for its thermal and mud baths.  Panarea is the island for the well-heeled, celebrities, and other Italian VIPs.  It's white-washed cabanas line the island's harbor.  Nightlife on Panarea is the most lively of the islands, and its evening views of Stromboli's fiery tip is magical.  Salina with its twin peaks of extinct volcanoes, is the greenest of the islands.  It is covered with vines that produce the sweet Malvasia wine, caper-producing bushes, and fragrant olive trees.  The smallest and most remote islands of Filicudi and Alicudi are less frequented and almost deserted in the off-season.

 

 

 

We spent one day on a boat excursion that took us around Vulcano, with a short stop in Panarea and then off to Stromboli, so we could spend some time walking its black-pebbled beach and wait to see the evening fireworks show from Stromboli's volcano.  The boat dropped us at the port of the town, Ginostra.  I thought it funny that the captain bragged about taking us to this town that's only reachable by boat.  How else do you reach an island? Visitors to Stromboli seem the most adventurous.  There is plenty of scuba diving and one can even hike up to the oozing crater of the volcano.  I wasn't one of them, instead I sat and ate a gelato while watching the enthusiastic crazy helmut-clad hikers get safety instructions from their guides.  In the evening Stromboli gave us a short showing of fireworks, and we headed back to Lipari.  On the night ride back on the dark black sea, I saw the little dipper and la stella venere (Venus "star").  This was a first live-sighting for this urban girl.

 

 

 

Our second night, we stumbled upon a huge line of locals, lined up (yes, Italians lined up) for food, and leaving with mounds on their plates, along with bread and a glass of wine.  A local told me it was the totani festival, and the fare was free.  They eagerly waved me into the line, and I didn't argue.  Totano is a type of squid.  "Absolutely, not calamari.  It is, of course, much tastier."  It's bigger, has red flesh, and a little tougher in texture than calamari.  It's also a little sweeter.  We had totani (the plural of totano) four different ways: fried, in couscous, in a cold salad, and braised.  Quite tasty, and I even managed to get a second helping, also free of charge.

 

 

My heart is somehow attached to the sea (maybe I have an ancestor that was a mermaid, but it's more likely they were pirates).  I'm always searching for the most beautiful blue ocean, and the Aeolian Islands didn't disappoint. 

Getting there is very easy.  There are hydrofoils that leave from Palermo (a breathtaking 4- hour trip), Milazzo (1-hour trip) and Naples (12-hour overnight trip).  The companies that offer hydrofoil service are Siremar (www.siremar.it), SNAV (www.snav.it), and Ustica (www.usticalines.it).  There are numerous excursions to all the islands from Lipari, and several fishing excursions where you catch the totani and cook it aboard the boat.  You can also rent mopeds, bikes, go carts to travel around Lipari. 

 

 

Related Posts:

Romantic Italy: Best Places to Kiss in Italy

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

Cassatelle alla Siciliana - Sweet Ricotta Cream-Filled Fried Treats from Sicily

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Granita

One Cannolo - Two Cannoli

Pasta con le Sarde - Cooking in Palermo

Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant Rolls) - Starter for a Sicilian-Inspired Dinner

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

The Dish from Sicily: Sicilian Granita

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Granita

Lemon granita is tart, cold, crunchy, refreshing and sunshine in a glass. It is one of the classical granita flavors from Sicily.  Although I think it should be a summer treat,  lemons are available in Sicily year-round, and mainly a winter fruit in the US.  Sicilian lemons are a lot like California's Meyer lemons; sweeter, less acidic, thinner-skinned than regular lemons.  Meyer lemons are spring fruits, well unless you have a Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree, like I do.  Our tree produces lemons practically year-round, also like those in Sicily.

 

 

Right now, our short squat lemon tree bush has about 200 lemons fighting for space on the limbs of the teetering dwarf.  The bush might fall over from the weight of all the lemons.  I picked some of the ripe ones and made lemon granita.  After my first crunch of the tangy and sweet lemon ice, I was transported back to Sicily and the summer.  I think I even felt the sun's heat and heard the Mediterrenean lap against the shore with each bite.  Maybe this is the reason lemons are a winter fruit, so one can believe the day is warm and sunny, even in the midst of one that is cold, windy and rainy.

I had actually planned to write about my Sicilian breakfast----coffee granita with whipped cream.  Yes, that is a normal Sicilian breakfast, which they use to wash down brioche.  But, life brought me lemons, so I made both lemon and coffee granita.  Lucky you, me, and those who came to dinner last night.  

Both granitas are extremely easy to make.  The hardest part of it is remembering to go to the freezer every 30 minutes and scrape the mixture, so you get a chunky texture.   I hope you make both and let me know what you think.  Also, I'm going to have lemons galore---what would you like me to make with them?  (Please post your thoughts/requests in the comments section.)

 

Lemon Granita

Makes 8 servings

  

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Rind from 2 Meyer lemons (use peeler and remove any of the white pith)

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

  

Boil the water and granulated sugar.  Remove from the heat once the mixture boils, and cool to room temperature.  Add the rinds from the lemons and lemon juice and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Strain out the rinds, and pour into a 13x9-inch glass dish.  Put in the freezer.  Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture with a fork.  Repeat this process every 30 minutes for 3 to 4 hours.  The mixture should be frozen but in small chunky shavings.

  

  

Coffee Granita

  

Makes 8 servings

  

5 cups  hot coffee

1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

  

Add the granulated sugar to the hot coffee and stir to dissolve the sugar.  If you like the granita a little sweeter, use 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  (If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, heat until sugar dissolves.)  Add the vanilla extract and cool to room temperature.  Pour into a 13x9-inch glass dish.  Put in the freezer.  Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture with a fork.  Repeat this process every 30 minutes for 3 to 4 hours.  The mixture should be frozen but in small chunky shavings.

Buon Appetito! 

  

  

  

Cassatelle alla Siciliana

 

 

 

These ricotta cream turnovers from Sicily are hard to resist and even harder to stop at only one.  The crunchy crust encases warm and oozing ricotta and chocolate.  They are best when warm.  Let me know if you could eat only one.  I couldn't!

 

Cassatelle alla Siciliana

Makes about 18 pastries

For the dough:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons Marsala wine

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup water, plus more if necessary

For the filling:

24 ounces sweet ricotta

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for the garnish

4 ounces chocolate chips

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

1 egg white

About 1 cup oil for frying

Mix together the flour, sugar, oil, wine, lemon juice and salt.  Add half the water and combine into a ball.  If the mixture does not come together, add more water as necessary to form a soft dough. (You should only knead the dough enough to form a homogenous dough—overworking it will make the crust tough.)  Divide into 3 disks and wrap in plastic.  Let rest for 30 minutes.

For the filling, mix together the ricotta and sugar until they are combined.  Add the chocolate chips and cinnamon and stir together.

Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thick and cut into circles about 5 inches in diameter.  Fill each circle with about 2 tablespoons of ricotta cream, brush edge with egg white, and fold over.  Use a fork to seal the closed edge.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a sauté pan.  Fry the cassatelle, turning frequently, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  (Do not overcrowd the pan.)  Drain on paper towels and dust with confectioners’ sugar.  They are best when they are still slightly warm.  Buon Appetito!