Tag: Palermo

Palermo: the Festino and the ice cream bomb – Italian Cuisine

For the celebrations of the patron saint Santa Rosalia, the Festino returns to the Sicilian capital. A good opportunity to taste the ice cream bomb

Every year in the night between 14 and 15 July Palermo celebrates saint Rosalia, patron saint of the city, with a great procession in memory of the miracle he saved Palermo from the terrible plague epidemic of 1624. Like all religious holidays, sacred and profane are mixed together and over time the feast it has been enriched with meanings, choreographies and sets that maintain a very strong symbolism linked to tradition and religious worship.

The 395th edition of the Feast

An unmissable event for the Palermo doc, Festino attracts curious people from all over the world Sicily and astounds tourists who, for the occasion or by chance, find themselves involved in the celebrations. The theme chosen for the 395th edition is the restlessness: "Unrest is human", states the mayor Leoluca Orlando, "as fear is human. But anxiety can be the engine of change when it is linked to respect for the human person, respect for rights, listening to and understanding the other. Once again Festino is an important part of the cultural change in Palermo. Once again Rosalia, with her anxiety, is confirmed as a Guide for our city . This year the traditional celebratory wagon, which will go in procession along the "Cassaro" (Corso Vittorio Emanuele) will be carried out by the inmates of the Ucciardone prison.

The foods of the Festino

The Festino also brings with it a cart of gastronomic traditions. Among these: the watermelon (in Sicilian ‘u muluni); the babbaluci, small earth snails cleaned under water and cooked in a sauce rich in garlic and parsley, are sucked directly with the shell or taken with a toothpick; the scaccio, a mix of dried fruit in a paper tile and composed of calia (roasted chickpeas) and seed (pumpkin seeds); and then the desserts. In Romagnolo, a neighborhood famous in the 30s for the ex Bagni Petrucci and Bagni Virzì, the legendary "hard pieces" are still unforgettable, that is the slices of ice cream that lasted longer at high summer temperatures.

The ice cream bomb

Before the advent of ice cream cone and take-away ice cream in Palermo there was the custom of consuming the famous Neapolitan "hard pieces" (they were the first to introduce this cooling system into molds) resistant to transport, but above all an emblem of a noble elite. There were various types (tile, charlotte, grenades, stracchini alla napoletana), but the most famous was certainly the ice cream bomb. The term bomb derives from the fact that the old master ice cream makers, economically unable to purchase new metal forms, collected the bombs' ogives which were then filled with ice cream, dug in the center and stuffed with Italian meringue enriched with candied fruit and chocolate chips (the meringue was then replaced by cream). In the 70s and 80s they ended up becoming the must of the Palermo ice cream shop.

Pasticceria Da Josè

The Da Josè confectionery, belonging to the D’Amico family, still keeps alive the tradition of the hard piece made in the historical variants: bomb and small garden. On July 14, 1960, Giuseppe D’Amico, a young pastry chef, raises the sluice of Pasticceria Gelateria Da Josè in the renowned seaside village of Romagnolo in Palermo. In summer, at that time, the beach was very busy. With dedication, stubbornness and passion, he creates small masterpieces, fully embracing tradition. From his laboratory he makes the ice cream bomb, known as "hard piece", in different flavors: coffee, parfait, rice of paradise, nougat, small garden (strawberry, lemon and pistachio), jasmine ("scussuneria"). The central part, known as the Tesoretto, is rich in candied chocolate and almonds. "The art is not hidden behind a jealously guarded recipe", explains the D'Amico family. «Art is the constant search for the best raw materials, selecting them in their places of origin and striving to preserve every intimate peculiarity. Art is the brazen capacity dictated by the talent to break the mold and present different works and even new flavors that become part of the most precious memories .

Pasticceria Da Josè
Via Messina Marine 267 – Palermo
Tel. 091 621 4405

The octopus boiled in Palermo – Italian Cuisine

It is one of the Palermo street food cult foods. If you are planning a trip to the Sicilian capital, take a walk along the seafront of the list of things to do Mondello to try the boiled octopus (purpu vugghiutu in dialect). In the fifties it was sold in the stalls of the seaside village and was cooked in huge pots, after being vigorously beaten on the rocks by the sea. Many will still remember the famous commercial with Monica Bellucci, made in the 1990s by director Tornatore for Dolce & Gabbana. The octopus was then pulled out of the pot with a fork and cut into pieces only when it had to be consumed. Today there are no more purpari but it is possible to taste this specialty in the restaurants of the square of Mondello, the Palermo's favorite beach, or in historic city markets.

Restaurant The corner of Mondello

A family with the sea inside, specialized in the art of octopus fishing. "My grandfather was one specchiarolo, from the boat he immersed the trunk in the water resting it on a large mirror to identify the octopuses and in this way he gave the directives to the fishermen on the maneuvers to be carried out ”. Speaking is the young chef (27 years old) Gaspare Giammanco of the trattoria L’angolo di Mondello that will celebrate a year of activity on May 16th. The dishes offered are those of the Sicilian maritime tradition. In the dining room the direction is entrusted to father Franco, thanks to his long experience in the restaurant world. The support of mother Patrizia Caruso, also of a historic local family, is fundamental. A passion, the one for fishing that involved Salvatore, the eldest son of the couple, from an early age who, after taking over "Provvidenza", the maternal grandfather's fishing boat, delights in fishing in the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mondello, squids, snappers and other delicacies that end up in his brother's kitchen. The restaurant is intimate and welcoming, decorated with the colors of white and blue. In summer, passing patrons can taste alone 6 € the boiled octopus to eat standing – as the purpari street food tradition wants – in the colorful ceramic dishes placed on an external counter.

Octopus boiled recipe from Palermo

Ingredients

Fresh octopus
2/3 lemons
Fresh parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
salt

Method

Wash the octopus well and put it in a pan with water. Add salt and bring to the boil. The octopus will be ready as soon as it becomes tender (check with a fork). The larger the octopus the longer the cooking time will be. Drain and place the octopus on a kitchen cutting board. Allow the tentacles to cool and cut well. Open the head in half, depriving it of the stomach and inedible parts. Season the octopus with oil, lemon juice and parsley. Serve in small pieces on a serving dish and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley tufts.

The advice of the sommelier

Excellent matching with the inzolia, native variety particularly widespread in western Sicily. It is a wine with a young character, characterized by a pronounced fragrance and freshness, thanks to its slender aromas and its minerality, which goes well with the sweet tendency of boiled octopus.

Where to eat the octopus from Palermo

The corner of Mondello
Via Mondello 15, Palermo
Tel. 091 6377921 – cell. 329 7010383

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Sfincione Palermo – Recipe Sfincione Palermo – Italian Cuisine

First of all prepare the dough: put the fountain cutter in a bowl, crumble the yeast on it, add the honey, then start adding the slightly warm water to the wire, stirring gradually. Work until the dough is struck.
Add also the oil and salt and continue to work until the mixture is strung again.

Cover with a non-contacting transparent film, then leave to rise in the oven with the light on for at least 3 hours. The dough should almost triple in volume.

In the meantime, prepare the seasoning: chop the onion, fry in a couple of tablespoons of oil, add the chopped tomatoes, half a glass of water, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper and oregano and cook for at least 30 minutes over low heat , then let it cool.

Grate the cheese.
Separately, toast the crumbed bread crumbs with a little oil.

Once grown, resume the dough, deflate it and roll it out in a pan greased with oil, then season with the sauce.

Add bread crumbs and cheese and season, if you want, with a little extra oregano.
Let stand for 30 minutes, then bake in preheated oven at 200 ° C and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Leave to cool, then twist and serve your Palermo sfincione.

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