Food Lover's Odyssey

Cassata Siciliana for a Blog Birthday

 

Today Food Lover's Odyssey turns three. Before anything else, I want to thank all of you for helping me get here. I truly appreciate all your visits to the site, your comments, emails and Facebook "likes." I've been able to meet and cook with so many great people as a result of this blog, and it's all thanks to you!

Besides my recipes and food stories, I hope you've enjoyed my tales of magical desserts, limoncello misadventures and meeting royalty, and thank you for making the weekly roundup of Italian food, Italy on a Plate a success. This year I've started to branch out beyond the blog by hosting a fabulous Culinary Tour to Puglia! (By the way, plenty of spots are still available for September's trip.) 

I would love to hear from you about what you'd like to see, or see more of, in the upcoming year.  What have been your favorite posts? What parts of Italy & France do you want to read more about? (I'll be traveling again soon and will use your input to make my travel plans.) Please let me know in the comments.

 

 

 

In the meantime, let's celebrate with cake! I've made a special cake from Sicily, the elaborate Cassata Siciliana. Although cannoli are probably more popular outside of the island, cassata is just as iconic of a dessert. I wonder how the popularity of both these Sicilian desserts might have been reversed if that famous line from The Godfather had been, "Leave the gun, take the cassata."

Like cannoli, this cake uses the ricotta cream made with Sicily's spectacular sheep's milk ricotta. (There's really none better anywhere else, so if you're in Sicily you must indulge in at least one ricotta dessert).  A traditional dessert of Easter so rich and sweet, it is a great way to end the long Lenten fast. The sugar overload and the Baroque decor are attributed to Sicily's Arab conquerers who brought sugar to the island. Long ago only nuns in monasteries and chefs of the rich made this cake, but now it is a standard in the pastry shops all over the island. You can also find it in pastry shops on Italy's mainland, especially in Puglia, Campania & even Sicilian pastry shops in Rome.

Sponge cake (pan di Spagna) that has been doused in liquor encases a thick layer of ricotta cream filled with a chocolate bits and candied pumpkin (zuccata).  The cake is wrapped in green-colored marzipan and covered, sometimes only on the top and sometimes completely, with a sugar glaze. If that's not enough sugar for you, whole pieces of candied fruits cover the top in an elaborate decoration resembling a flower petal. More decorations of thin piping finish off this extravagent, Baroque (some might say over-the-top) cake. The cake brings toghether the sweet tastes that are quintessentially Sicilian: ricotta cream, marzipan and candied fruits.

 

 

 

Being of Sicilian ancestry, I thought it fitting that I make this cake to celebrate turning 3.  The cassata I've made takes into consideration a few of my flavor preferences, no candied fruit inside and icing only on the top. You can find cassata made exactly like this in Sicily, but purists may want a little more. I've noted in the recipe where I've strayed off the traditional path, so you can make it in the very traditional way, with a thick coating of icing all around and filled with candied fruits. I did a little bit of fruit decoration to the top, although I only found the cherries and candied orange peel here in the suburbs of San Francisco.  Being more of a minimalist, I think I should have stuck with my initial idea of only three cherries in the center. The sweet smell of candied fruit and crushed almonds mixed with sugar, from the marzipan, sends scents of Sicilian pastry shops through your kitchen.

 

 

 

Cassata Siciliana
(makes one 10-inch cake)

For the pan di Spagna (sponge cake):
8 eggs, yolks and whites, separated and at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (240 g) granulated sugar, divided in half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of cream of tartar
2 cups (240 g) cake flour, sifted


For the ricotta cream:
30 ounces (850 g) fresh ricotta, preferably sheep's milk, drained
2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
3 ounces (170 g) candied fruit*
3 ounces (170 g) dark chocolate chips*

*NOTE:  If you prefer, you can leave out the candied fruit and use 6 ounces of chocolate chips instead.

For the imbibing syrup:
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Scant 1 cup (200 ml) water
2 to 4 tablespoons Maraschino liqueur or rum, to taste

For the marzipan:
10 ounces marzipan
2 to 3 drops of green food coloring
Powdered sugar, as needed to help keep the marzipan from becoming too sticky


For the sugar glaze:
6 ounces (150 g) powdered sugar
About 3 tablespoons water


For the royal icing:
8 ounces powdered sugar
1 egg white (or 1 tablespoon meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water)

 

Whole candied fruit and candied orange peel for the garnish

 

 

Preheat an oven to 375 F

Butter the bottom and sides of one 10-inch round cake pan and one 8x8-inch square cake pan. Then lightly dust both with cake flour.

To make the pan di Spagna (sponge cake): In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the egg yolks, half the sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is pale, thick and at the "ribbon stage" (meaning when you lift the beaters the batter falls back on itself in a ribbon-like effect), about 10 minutes.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Clean the mixing bowl and in it, whisk together the egg whites with the cream of tartar.  Once the mixture becomes frothy, slowly add the other half of the sugar.  Whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks. (You don't want firm peaks or the egg whites will be too stiff to fold in with the other ingredients.) 

Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the egg yolk mixture.  Then fold in half of the flour mixture.  (It's best if someone else sprinkles the flour into the egg mixture while you are folding it in; it allows the flour to be incorporated more slowly while keeping as much air in the batter as possible.)  Fold in another 1/3 of the egg white mixture.  Then fold in the remaining flour. Lastly fold in the remaining third of the egg white mixture. 

Pour 2/3 of the batter into the round cake pan and the remaining batter into the square cake pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cake is done when you lightly touch the top of the cake and it springs back. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from the cake pans.  Let cool completely before assembling the cassata.

 

To make the ricotta cream: Press the drained ricotta through a seive.  Add the powdered sugar and stir the mixture together, by hand or using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, until the mixture is creamy.  Add the candied fruit and/or chocolate chips and stir in.  Place in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the cassata.

 

To make the imbibing syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add the Maraschino or rum, the amount depending on your taste. Refrigerate until it's cold and you're ready to assemble the cassata.

 

To prepare the marzipan: Add 2 small drops of green food coloring to the marzipan and knead in until the color is uniform and a light green. Add powdered sugar to the mixture as you're kneading in the color to prevent the marzipan from becoming too sticky. If you need to, add 1 more drop of food coloring to the marzipan to get the desired color. (Be careful as a very little coloring goes a long way.) Set aside until you're ready to assemble the cassata.  If the marzipan is too soft, put in the refrigerator until it firms up.

 

To make the sugar glaze: Do this only right before you are ready to ice the cake. In a small saucepan, melt the powdered sugar with the water, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more if necessary.  The more water you use the thinner and more translucent the icing will be; it will also run more easily.

 

To make the royal icing: Make this when you are ready to decorate the cake.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the sugar and egg whites until it forms a thick icing.  Place in a pastry bag fitted with a small writing tip.

 

 

Assembling the cassata -

Line a 9-inch pie dish or pan with cling wrap.  (Ideally you would like the dish to have a smaller bottom in order to get the traditional dome-like shape of the cassasta.) Roll the marzipan out into one strip of 1/4-inch thickness and wide enough to cover the entire side of the dish. Place the marzipan strip in a ring-like shape along the side of the dish so that is covers the entire side of the dish. Trim any excess at the top.

Slice off  the thin layer of crust on the top and bottom of the round sponge cake. Then slice the round sponge cake in half horizontally, so that you have two round cake disks.  Using the bottom of the pie dish as a guide, measure one disk to fit the bottom, trimming away any excess.  Place that disk at the bottom of the pie plate. Using a pastry brush, give the cake a generous imbibing of the syrup.  

Cut four slices about 3/8-inch thick from the square sponge cake. Wrap the slices around the edges of the plate, laying they against the marzipan. Brush these pieces of sponge cake generously with imbibing syrup.

Fill the center with ricotta cream, filling it to the top and leveling the cream with an offset spatula.

Place the second round disk of sponge cake on top of the ricotta cream and brush generously with the imbibing syrup.  Bring the marzipan up around the sides of the cake.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is best.

When you're ready to finish decorating the cake, make the sugar glaze. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.  Place a dish or cake plate on the uncovered sponge cake and flip the cake over. Remove the pie dish and plastic wrap.  Slowly pour the icing onto the top center and spread it outwards with a spatula.  If you would like to ice the sides, pour enough icing so that you can spread it down along the sides to cover the marzipan. If you want to ice only the top, pour a smaller amount of icing onto the center and spread it almost to the edge of the cake. It should settle itself into the edge. Let the icing cool completely until it hardens.

Decorate by adding to the top candied fruits, Maraschino cherries, and candied citrus peel in the shape of a flower petal. Finish decorating by piping royal icing along the sides and top of the cake.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Fraisier to Celebrate My First Blog Birthday

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Cassetelle Siciliana (Sweet fried "ravioli" filled with ricotta cream)

One Cannolo, Two Cannoli

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Taste of the Sea and Spaghetti Siracusana

Good Eats and Good Views in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Totano Festival and a Weekend on the Aeolian Islands

Take Anything but Leave the Cannoli

 

 

 

Braciola di Maiale - Braised Pork Roll for a Sicilian Holiday Dinner

 

 

Braciola, a stuffed roll of meat, reminds me of my mom.  Not because she made it; actually she never made it.  She would talk about it, pronouncing it bru-shah-loh-nee or shortening it to brah-jyohl, and always complain about the eggs in the dish.  "Why not take the eggs out?"  I asked one day.  Well, that's not how my mom cooked.  She didn't tamper with recipes, especially family ones.  You made them the way the previous generation made them.  If you didn't like the dish, you made something else. 

Not my philosophy at all, especially when I was younger and just starting to bake and cook. If I didn't like something in a dish, I would want to leave it out, even if it changed the dish altogether. I wanted to put chocolate in everything and take walnuts out of everything.  Being the strong-willed child, adolescent and young adult I am was, my mom and I would have debates about how much I could change a recipe while keeping the integrity of the dish.  (I still believe you can take those yucky walnuts out of rocky road and still call it rocky road--the marshmallows make it rocky, too, you know.)  We'd banter over almost every dish on a menu.  Her testa wasn't as dura as mine, so she'd give in more than I would, and some recipes got changed.  Well, except the rocky road. 

We'd also have debates over the Italian language.  My mother and my aunts learned from their parents, and spoke Sicilian dialect.  My grandfather passed away when I was two, and my grandmother only taught me a few words.  I learned at a private school in San Francisco (they didn't offer Italian at my public school). Many of the teachers were from Florence.  The language I learned was sometimes so far from what my mom spoke, she would insist that I wasn't speaking Italian.  I was; maybe with an American accent, but I had the words right.  I would bring her my Italian dictionary and show her, "See, mom, this is the word for lemon, 'limone', NOT lemuna.  This is the word for cherry, 'ciliegia' NOT cirazu"  And so it went, with many other words, including braciola.

As I've become older and have cooked more, I realize there should be a balance struck between honoring the traditions and recipes of the past and changing them.  Before changing a recipe, I strive to understand why an ingredient is in it and whether it's necessary to the essence of the dish.  In the case of braciola, I don't think the eggs are necessary and have actually found other versions without them. 

Because the braciola was so popular at the dinner, I decided to treat my aunts to it and make it again (as most of you know, my mom is no longer with us).  I told them I was going to make, braciola (pronouncing it: brah-chee-oh-la).  Both of them said, "What's that?"  Changing my pronunciation, I repeated, "I'm making bru-shah-loh-nee or brah-jyohl." Then they understood.  I added, "Oh, and I'm leaving the eggs out."

 

 

 

This pork roll recipe came about after Paula emailed me a recipe from Mario Batali saying she would like it or one similar to it for the secondo (main dish).  Mario's was a rolled pork shoulder and had eggs in it.  At the time, I was leafing through the My Calabria cookbook I had just received (my prize from a giveaway at My Bella Vita) and noticed that there was a recipe for Vrasciole (dio mio, the Calabresi are just as bad with the dialect). These were individual-sized pork rolls that looked divine.  The filling in these Vrasciole was pork fat, parsley, and garlic.  Since I often make my grandmother's spiedini (known as involtini to the rest of Italy), I know they take a lot of time to wrap up individually.  To save on time, I decided to make a large roll and combined ideas from both recipes that I thought would enhance the dish.  As I said, it was a hit.  Only the desserts, the Torta Setteveli and Lemon Granita, were more popular. Now, I share the dish with you.

Along with this dish, you can find all the recipes for an Italian (and Sicilian)-inspired holiday dinner here on Food Lover's Odyssey:

Antipasti: Involtini di Melanzane

Primo Piatto: Spaghetti Siracusana

Secondo Piatto: Braciola di Maiale (below)

I Dolci: Granita di Limone  and Torta Setteveli

 

 
 

Braciola di Maiale

Adapted from recipes from Mario Batali and My Calabria by Rosetta Costantino

(Serves 8-10 people)

4 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, bone out, butterflied and pounded to a rectangle about one-inch thick**

About 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

About 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

About 10 slices prosciutto, either di Parma or San Daniele

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 cup grated Parmigiano Regiano cheese

3/4 cup currants (yellow raisins)

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for the garnish

Rind of 1 lemon, grated

4 tablespoons dried oregano, divided in half

About 1/4 cup extra vigin olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

3 cups dry white wine

Two (28 oz. cans) San Marzano tomatoes, peeled and whole

4 cups Chicken Stock

**NOTE: You could ask your butcher to butterfly and pound out the pork shoulder for you.

Open the pork shoulder out onto a working surface and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the meat.  Make sure you have a dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pot that is big enough for the length of the pork shoulder to fit in it.  (If not, cut the pork in half.) Lay the prosciutto slices over the meat so that the prosciuotto covers the entire surface.

In a mixing bowl combine the cheeses, currants, pinenuts, breadcrumbs, parsley, grated lemon rind, and 2 tablespoons of the oregano.  Spread this mixture on top of the pork, over the proscuitto layer. Roll the pork up tightly and securely tie with twine. 

In a dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it is translucent.  Add the pork roll, and sear all sides until they are all a golden brown. This will take about 15 minutes in total.  Remove the pork from the pan; set aside.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt.  Sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots, and cook another 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute more (do not let the garlic brown).  Place the pork back in the pan. Add the wine and turn the heat to high to deglaze.  Scrap any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a parchment paper circle.  Cook 2 1/2 hours turning the meat every 15 minutes so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Remove the meat, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.  While the meat is resting, turn the heat up to low, keep the sauce uncovered and let it reduce a bit.  Slice the meat into 1-inch thick portions and serve with the sauce and a garnish of the chopped parsley.  Buon Appetito!

NOTE: In this case, and to confuse matters further, this roll is really a braciolona (a big braciola), but I called it a braciola initially, so I'll keep it that way. 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Holiday Dessert Recipes

Snowball Cookies and Christmas Baking Memories

Mom's Slow-Cooked Meat Ragu

Cassatelle alla Siciliana (Fried Sweet Ravioli with Ricotta Cream Filling)

Cannoli Siciliani 

Pignolata (Honey glazed fried dough)

Tiramisu

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo 

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

 

 

Sicilian sweets are some of the most popular in all of Italy.  There is the cannoli, quite possibly the most famous.  Cassata, marzipan treats, and granita are also quite popular.  However, not many people outside of Sicily are as familiar with the Torta Setteveli. The cake of the seven veils, named after the dance of the same name.  The dance of Salome to make Herod confused with want and lust.  Well, this cake definitely elicits want and lust.......for more cake!

The Torta Setteveli is the typical birthday cake in Palermo.  It's a combination of alternating chocolate and hazelnut layers, with a crunchy layer that combines both those flavors.  It's also the cake my cousins introduced me to when I made the mistake of saying I thought French pastries were better than Italian pastries.  They certainly showed me. 

There are many stories about who actually created the cake. Some give credit to Capello of Pasticceria Capello in Palermo, other to Luca Mannori of Prato, whose Torta Setteveli helped him win the 1997 Pastry World Cup in Lyon, France. You can find the cake throughout Sicily, but it is in every pasticceria in Palermo. The Palermitani see it as the ultimate dessert to enjoy on special occasions, especially for birthdays. 

While I was visiting relatives in Palermo, it was my little cousin Francesca's ninth birthday. I snuck out of the house to surprise her and get the cake.  Two hours later and one long half-mile, crowded bus trip back to their apartment, I returned.  I got odd looks both on the bus and walking back to the apartment as I carried the cake in my hands as carefully as I would a baby.  Francesca had her birthday cake, and I had my first taste of the Setteveli.  It definitely lived up to its billing.  Each layer is creamy and rich but also as light at as a veil from which its name derives. 

These are the seven layers of the Torta Setteveli:

7th layer (top layer): Chocolate Glaze

6th layer: Chocolate Mousse

5th layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

4th layer: Chocolate Sponge Cake

3rd layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

2nd layer: Praline Crunch

1st layer (bottom layer): Chocolate Sponge Cake 

 

 

 

This cake was the second of two desserts in the Sicilian-Inspired Holiday dinner I made last weekend.  I had been wanting to recreate this cake since I tasted it last year.  It takes a little time to make, so I would save it for a special occasion like a birthday, Christmas, or it would be a perfect chocolate treat for Valentine's Day.  It could and should be made a day in advance.

 

 

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake

(makes one 10 1/2 inch torta)

 

Chocolate Genoise Cake

This sponge cake is adapted from Lidia's Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich

(makes one 10-inch cake to be sliced in half)

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Preheat an oven to 375 F. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan

Sift together two times the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

Over a double boiler, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they are warm (about 80 F) and almost doubled in size.  Place the mixture into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk until the mixture has tripled in size, about 7 minutes.  It's the proper consistency when you lift the batter with the whisk, and as the batter falls back into itself, the part that fell will stay on top of the batter for 30 seconds before sinking (called the ribbon effect because the form it makes looks like a ribbon).

Sift half of the flour onto the egg mixture, then fold it into the batter, being careful not to deflate the air whipped into the batter.  Sift the other half of the flour on the egg mixture and fold it until all the flour is combined.  Pour the batter into the springform pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  A skewer/toothpick poked into the center of the cake should come out clean when the cake is done.  Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.  You should make the sponge cake at least one hour before assembling the torta.

 

Simple Syrup for Imbibing

75 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Refrigerate.  The imbibing syrup should be cold when assembling the torta.

 

Praline Crunch

65 grams dark chocolate 64%

25 grams butter

80 grams hazelnut paste**

40 grams cornflakes, crushed a bit by hand

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.  Mix together the melted chocolate & butter, the hazelnut paste and the cornflakes.  Set aside until you're ready to assemble the tart.

 

Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

(makes about 1 quart)

8 ounces whole milk

8 ounces cream

4 ounces hazelnut paste**

5 egg yolks

90 g granulated sugar

12 g gelatin (3 leaves that are 4 grams each), placed in water

16 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Prepare an ice bath in one large bowl

In a large saucepan, heat the milk, cream, hazelnut paste to scalding. The mixture will start bubbling around the outer edges.  While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale.  When the milk mixture is scalding, pour a little bit of it at a time onto the yolk mixture, whisking it as you pour. (You want to pour a little at a time so you bring the eggs up to temperature slowly and don't curdle the eggs.) Continue whisking until all the milk mixture has been incorporated into the egg mixture.  Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and stir slowly with a spoon over medium heat until the mixture reaches 82 C/160 F.  Strain into a bowl that has been placed on top of the bowl you prepared with the ice bath.  (NOTE: At this point you've made hazelnut creme anglaise.) Squeeze all the water out of the gelatin, and add the gelatin to your creme anglaise, stirring until it has melted and has been incorporated.  Stir over the ice bath until the mixture is chilled.  Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture to lighten it.  Fold the remaining whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture in two more stages.  Prepare this bavarian cream right before you will be using it.

 

Chocolate Mousse

150 grams cream

150 grams dark chocolate 64%

250 grams cream, whipped to soft peaks and set aside (out of the refrigerator)

Chop the chocolate into shavings and place into a bowl.  In a saucepan, heat the cream to scalding.  Bubbles will form on the outer edges.  Pour the scalding milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk together the mixture until they are combined into a creamy ganache.  Let cool to 100 F. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache in three stages, as you did for the bavarian cream. Prepare right before assembling the torta. (NOTE:  It's important that the temperature of the ganache is 100 F and that the whipped cream is not cold.  If the temperatures of the two mixtures are too far apart, the chocolate will seize up and you will not have a smooth mousse.)

 

Chocolate Glaze

85 grams water

80 grams cream

40 g cocoa powder

120 g granulated sugar

12 grams gelatin leaves (3 leaves that weigh 4 grams each), soaked in water

In a saucepan bring to a boil the water, cream, cocoa powder and sugar whisking constantly.  Once the mixture boils, keep on the heat for another 4 minutes whisking constantly.  Cool to 100 F.  When the mixture reaches 100 F, wring out all the water from the gelatin and add it to the chocolate mixture.  Cool to 90 F.  Make right before using.  At 90 F, use to ice the torta.

 

**Hazelnut paste is not easy to find in the United States.  You can order Hazelnut paste online, and sometimes you can find it at high end supermarkets, but you can also make it yourself.  You must have a food processor to make hazelnut paste yourself.  Below is the recipe.

Hazelnut Paste

250 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

3 cups hazelnuts with the skins removed

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnut oil or walnut oil preferred, can substitute vegetable oil

In a saucepan caramelise the sugar, by heating the sugar and water until it is a light amber color to about 340 F.  You do not want to wait until the mixture is darker because it continues cooking after you've taken it off the heat.  Once it is a light amber color, off the heat add the hazelnuts and stir so that each nut is coated with caramel.  Pour onto a silpat or parchment paper and cool completely. Once it has cooled, break the candied hazelnuts into pieces that will fit into your food processor. 

In your food processor, working in batches of 2 or 3, grind the candied hazelnuts until they are a thick paste.  Add all the paste back to the food processor and drizzle in the oil just until its a creamy paste, a texture similar to peanut butter.

 

Assembling the Torta:

Organization is key to easily preparing the torta.  You will want to have the hazelnut cream ready, the sponge cake cooled and the imbibing syrup cold before you start on the other components of the cake. 

Once the above components are ready, slice the sponge cake.  First remove any dome from the cake so you have a flat top surface, then cut the cake in half.  Place one slice at the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.  It's easier to unmold the cake if you place a mylar plastic strip around the rim of the springform pan.  With a pastry brush, dab the simple syrup onto the cake, imbibing it well. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the praline crunch.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread it onto the top of the imbibed cake layer.  Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the hazelnut bavarian cream.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and ladle about 2 cups of the bavarian cream onto the chilled praline layer of the cake.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream to the outer edges of the cake so that you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Ideally, the layer of bavarian cream, should be the same height as the layer of cake.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, so the bavarian cream will set more quickly. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and place the second slice of cake on top of the bavarian cream layer.  With a pastry brush, dab the simble syrup onto the cake, imbibing the cake well with the syrup.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and ladle 2 cups of bavarian cream onto the cake layer.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream out to the outer edges of the cake, so you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Again, ideally you want all the layers of cake and bavarian cream to be of equal height.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate mousse.  Once the bavarian cream has completely set, remove from the freezer.  Remove the springform rim from the cake, and the mylar plastic rim if you used it.  Spread the mousse onto the top of the cake and the sides.  The mousse should be as smooth and level as possible on the top and on the sides - and again, ideally the mousse layers should be the same height as the cake slices and the bavarian cream.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to take the cake out of the freezer, make the chocolate glaze.  In the 15 minutes, or so, it takes to make the glaze and to let it cool to 90 F, the cake will be ready to take out of the freezer.  If your cardboard disk is bigger than the diameter of the cake, you should carefully replace it with one that is no bigger than the diameter of the cake.  (This will allow the glaze to run off the cake instead of forming a puddle at the bottom.) Place a baking rack into a sheet pan, and place the cake on the baking rack. (It might be wise to have a second sheet pan ready, in case you have to glaze the cake a second time.  Slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, starting at one end and moving to the other end.  At the same time make sure that the glaze covers all sides.  If the glaze has not covered all sides after the first glazing, move the rack (with the cake on it) to the second sheet pan.  Pour the glaze at the bottom of the sheet pan back into the saucepan and reglaze in the same manner you did for the first glazing.  Ideally, you will want to glaze only once, but if you have to glaze a second time, you want to work quickly before the gelatin starts to set.  You should not glaze more than 2 times, or you risk having an uneven and lumpy glaze.  Place back into the refrigerator until the glaze has set and chilled, at least one hour, before serving.  Slice and serve.  Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Involtini di Melanzane - Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner Menu

Braciola di Maiale (Braised Stuffed Pork Roll) for a Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner

Eurochocolate Perugia - Italy's Biggest Chocolate Festival

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Nutella Love Cake - Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Ganache for World Nutella Day 2010

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

Cassatelle alla Siciliane

Cannoli Siciliani

Meyer Lemon Granita

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

French Fraisier - The French Birthday Cake to Celebrate My Blog Birthday

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

Pasta con Le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Spaghetti Siracusana

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino - Sicilian Fast Food

The Dish from Sicily: Granita

 

Involtini di Melanzane - Starter for a Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner

 

 

 

Last weekend we celebrated my cousin Paula's birthdy, and she is also one of my most faithful readers.  For her birthday, she asked me to cook a traditional Italian dinner, meaning we would have antipasti (before meal "snacks" or appetizers), a primo piatto (first plate - usually consisting of a pasta or rice dish or soup), a secondo piatto (second course - the protein course), and a dolce (sweet or dessert).  Since I'm a huge fan of the dolci, I served two desserts, a "pre-dessert" and a main dessert.  In the traditional four-hour Italian dinner, there would also be a contorno (side dish - the vegetable course) which is served along with the main course, but someone (me) forgot to put it in the oven.....oops. Luckily there was enough food, that no one missed it.

 This dinner was especially fun to create, not only was it Italian, but all the dishes sang of the Sicilian flavors, the birthplace of my grandparents.  There was the eggplant, tomato, cheese combination, prevelant throughout the south of Italy.  Salty sea flavors of Sicily, capers and anchovies, were in the pasta.  Pine nuts and currants, that sweet combination from the island, were added to the pork dish.  Dessert was a completely Sicilian affair with granita and the traditional birthday cake from Palermo.  I'm so excited to share this Sicilian-Inspired holiday menu with you. It's a great way to bring a little bit of Italy and Sicily into your holiday dinner, whether that holiday be a birthday or Christmas - or both.

 

 Paula's Italian Birthday Dinner Menu

~ Antipasti ~

Involtini di Melanzane

~ Primo Piatto ~

Spaghetti Siracusana

~ Secondo Piatto ~

Bracioala di Maiale

~ I Dolci ~

Granita di Limone

and

Torta Setteveli

 

Eventually, I will be sharing all the recipes with you, but today I've started with the starter.  Below is the recipe for the Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant Rolls).  Involtini is Italian term for any food that is rolled, and filled.  You will also see involtini of fish (especially sword fish), beef and veal on many Sicilian menus.  Come back Friday when I'll have the recipe for Torta Setteveli - the birthday cake in Palermo.  I've been wanting to recreate this cake ever since I had it last October. Next Monday, I'll be serving Braciola di Maiale (Braised Rolled Pork Shoulder).  I've provided links to recipes from this menu that I've already shared here on Food Lover's Odyssey: Spaghetti Siracusana and Meyer Lemon Granita. I hope you make the entire dinner for a special occasion, or try one of them to add a little Sicilian flavor to your holidays.

 

 

Involtini di Melanzane
(makes 20 involtini)

3 - 4 eggplants, yielding 20 lengthwise slices ¼-inch thick
2 tablespoons sea salt
About 2 cups olive oil
2 cups Parmigiano-Regiano cheese
1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup tomato sauce (see recipe below)

 

Layer the eggplant slices in a colandar, sprinkling each layer with salt. Cover the top with a paper towel and place something heavy on top of the covered eggplant to help release their juices, which tend to be bitter.  Let sit for 2 hours.  After the 2-hour period, rinse the slices of eggplant with water and pat dry. 

In a large saute pan, add olive oil until it is about 3/4-inch deep.  Heat the olive oil and add some of the slices of eggplant and fry them until they are lightly browned on each side, 2-3 minutes per side.  Take the slices out and drain them on paper towels.  You may have to add more olive oil one or two more times during the frying process.  Make sure to heat the oil before adding the eggplant slices.)

Preheat an oven to 375 F.

Spread about 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

To make the filling, mix together, in a bowl, the grated Parmigiano, breadcrumbs, parsley and pepper.  Reserve 1/4 cup of this filling and set aside.  Take a fried eggplant slices and lay them out on a working surface.  Spread about 2 teaspoons of the filling mixter over each eggplant.  One inch from the top of each eggplant, place 4-5 cubes of the mozzarella.  Roll up the eggplant and place them in the baking dish, with the end part down.  Spread the remaining tomato sauce in a line over the center of the eggplant rolls.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle a little of the Parmigiano/breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle over the top where the sauce is.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve.  Buon Appetito!

 

Tomato Sauce
(makes about 2 cups)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon salt, divided in half, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup white wine
One 28-ounce can San Marzano peeled tomatoes, chopped or crushed by hand and their juices
½ cup basil, chopped

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and half the salt and sweat the onions for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until they are translucent.  Add the garlic and cook a scant minute (don't let the garlic burn).  Add the wine and turn the heat to high to cook off the alcohol.  Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and remaining salt, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

 

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How do your travels and/or heritage inspire your holiday meals?  What are some of those dishes you have included in Christmas dinners?

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***This post is part of WanderFood Wednesdays - Go on over to the site and check out other posts from more food lovers who travel.

 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Cannoli alla Siciliana

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Holiday Dessert Recipes

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette 

Cassatelle alla Siciliane (Sweet Fried Ravioli with Ricotta Cream filling)

Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta with Sardines, Tomato and Wild Fennel Sauce)

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino - Sicilian Fast Food

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

The Dish from Sicily: Granita

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:

Cassata Siciliana

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

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.)

  

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 3 cups 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!

 

 

Related Posts:

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

One Cannolo, Two Cannoli

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Granita

Pignolata - Sweet Gooey Bites from Sicily

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Involtini di Melanzane - Stuffed Eggplant Rolls

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Braciola di Maiale - Braised Pork Roll

Taste of the Sea and Spaghetti Siracusana

Good Eats and Good Views in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Totano Festival and a Weekend on the Aeolian Islands

Take Anything but Leave the Cannoli

Arancino - Sicilian Fast Food

The Dish from Sicily - Sicilian Granita

Beach Bag Essentials and My Favorite Italian Beaches

Best Places to Kiss in Italy

Italy in Books: Sicilian Food and "The Wings of the Sphinx"

Pignolata - Sweet and Gooey Bites from Sicily

 

These little bites of fried dough slathered in lightly caramelized honey with the name pignolata, because each bite resembles a big pine nut, are special treats made for Carnevale or Christmas.  My cousin's husband, Pino, made them for us on a rainy Saturday.   I had never heard of these before, but the "ooooohs" of encouragement from his daughters when he said he was making them was enough for me to know they would be a special treat.

Fried dough, carmelized honey, and little sprinkles.  (Melted and drizzled chocolate is also optional.)  Originally made for Martedi Grasso (Fat Tuesday), the day everyone splurges before the Lenten fast begins, they are now also a Christmas sweet.  They are popular in the South of Italy.  Neapolitans call them struffoli and the Calabrese also call them pignolata. 

They are easy to make, festive looking and sweet and gooey.  As I shaped the sticky balls into pyramids, it reminded me of shaping popcorn balls.  Shape them quickly because the caramelized honey is hard to manipulate once it cools.  They are best to eat when they have just cooled.  The honey is still soft and creates strings of sweetness as you pull the little dough bites apart. 

 

Pignolata

(adapted from Pino's recipe) 

 Makes 8-10 servings

 

5 cups sifted cake flour, plus more for the work surface

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 pinches of salt

4 eggs plus one egg yolk

2 to 4 tablespoons white wine*

About 6 cups vegetable oil for frying

 

For the syrup:

1 1/2 cups honey

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

 

1/3 cup colored sprinkles

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
 

 

*In Naples they use limoncello as the liquid.

 

Mix the cake flour, sugar, and salt together and place on a work surface.  Make a well and add the eggs and egg yolk in the center of the well.  Break the yolks with a fork, and work the flour into the center.  Add 2 tablespoons of the wine and combine the ingredients with your hands to make a smooth ball.  If you need more liquid, add the other 2 tablespoons of wine.  Do not overwork the dough or you will have tough pignolate.  Cover with a towel and let rest for one hour.

 

Separate the dough into 8-10 small balls the size of an apricot.  Roll the ball into a half-inch thick rope.  Cut the rope into 1/4-inch pignolate (large pine nuts).  Place the cut pieces of dough onto a lightly floured towel and cover them, so they won’t dry out.  Continue until all have been cut.

 

Meanwhile heat the oil in a sauce pot to 350 degrees F.  Fry the dough in the hot oil until they are a light golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes.  (Fry about 15 pieces of dough at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pot and cool the oil too much.)  Drain on paper towels and cool.

 

To make the syrup:  Boil the honey, sugar, and water in a sauté pan.  It will start to bubble.  Let the bubbles subside a little, then add the pignolate and continue cooking on medium-high heat until the pignolate start to stick together, 5-7 minutes.

 

Pour onto a buttered surface.  Sprinkle half the colored sprinkles and shape into a dome or individual pyramids, using spoons or heat-resistant gloves.  (You should not use your bare hands with cooked sugar as it will burn quickly and severely.)  Add the the remaining colored sprinkles and drizzle the optional melted chocolate over the top.  Let cool completely before eating.  Enjoy!

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

 

 

Lines don't really exist in Italy. There might seem to be a line, but Italians know all those fools are foreigners. They will walk right by through you and up to the cashier, as if you were invisible. Once during a break from Italian class, we students were in line to pay for our coffee, snacks, etc. Noticing this strange phenomena, the cashier yelled to his colleagues that it was obvious we were stranieri (foreigners) because of the perfect line we had formed.

 

 

 

Street markets are even more chaotic and it's every man, woman, and child for him/herself. If it's crowded and you are timid or polite, forget about ever getting service. I went with my cousin Mariella to the mercatino (little street market) in Palermo. Mariella, barely five feet two, wedged her way through the crowd with her rolling shopping bag behind her. She pushed her way up to the counter and asked, "Chi e l'ultima?" (Who is last?) They politely told her and then each person waited their turn. This happened at each vendor's counter during the day. Imagine my surprise! At one point Mariella asked me why my mouth was agape. There is actually some logic to the chaos of the street market. Who knew?

 

 

 

We shopped for ingredients to make caponata. Caponata is a vegetable dish, mainly eggplant, in an agrodolce sauce. Agrodolce, a sour and sweet sauce, is YUM, YUM YUM!! It's also used with fish, winter squash, and with seafood salads. Here's the thing; it's also easy to make, just 1 part sugar to 2 parts vinegar. (The term agrodolce also describes things that are both sweet and sour at the same time, a movie, a breakup, a graduation or other ending that leads to a beginning. ) The theory with agrodolce is that you need both the sweet and the sour together, each contrasting and accentuating the other, but as a whole the flavor is balanced and harmonious.

Below is Mariella's recipe, with one little additon. I've added some sultanas (golden raisins) to the recipe because I think the sultanas hold the agrodolce sauce and balance the tartness of the capers. Caponata should be served at room temperature---never warm. It's best if served the day after you make it.

 

 

 

 

Mariella's Eggplant Caponata

Makes 8 cups

 

2 pounds of eggplant (about 4)

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 stalks celery, diced

2 cups olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 ounce) can peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped

5 ounces pitted green olives, quartered

4 ounces capers, rinsed

1/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

2 pinches of pepper, plus more to taste

Cut the eggplant into one-inch cubes, leaving the skin on. Place in a colander, sprinkling each layer with salt. Cover with a paper towel and weigh down with plates. Leave for one hour, allowing the excess water to drain.

Sweeten the vinegar by adding the sugar and set aside. Blanch the celery in boiling salted water for 2 minutes.

Rinse the eggplant and pat completely dry. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large sauté pan, and cook one-fourth of the eggplant cubes over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Place the cooked eggplant on paper to drain. Continue cooking the eggplant in this way in 3 more stages.

Drain the excess olive oil from the sauté pan used for cooking the eggplant, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. On high heat, sweat the onion and a pinch of salt for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with the juices, the olives, capers, sultanas, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and the sweetened vinegar and cook about 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Cool and refrigerate overnight. You can serve it as an appetizer on toasted bread or as a side vegetable. Buon Appetito!

 

 

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Foods Not to Miss in Italy

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When Life Gives You Lemons - Make Lemon Granita

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

A Taste of the Sea and Spaghetti Siracusana

Cannoli alla Siciliana

Braciola di Maiale - Braised Pork Roll for a Sicilian Holiday Dinner

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

A Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino

The Dish from Sicily: Granita

Tiramisu Recipe - And How to Almost Get Thrown Out of the House in Sicily