Tag: Sicilian cuisine

From the Sicilian Gastronomic Dictionary, 10 tasty definitions – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Curious to browse a Sicilian Gastronomic Dictionary? Yes, because this dictionary is much more than a mere list of words: it is an immersion in the deep roots of Sicilian cuisine, “dedicated to those who are passionate about Sicily, by birth or by destiny”. Word of Francesco Lauricella, author of Mizzica! Sicilian Gastronomic Dictionary (ed. Topic).

The book starts from an important premise, namely that cooking brings people and cultures together like nothing else. Even language barriers are broken: by cooking together everyone understands each other quickly. There Sicilian cuisine it is, then, a meeting and a journey: very different individuals have come and gone on the island, in terms of origins, culture and religion; the result are recipes with a highly original identity. The dishes and their ingredients arrived from places, sometimes very distant, and only partially retained their original names: the dialect modified them and, in a sort of very long “Wireless phone”, he transformed them until they reached us.

The Sicilian Gastronomic Dictionary contains then more than 6,550 of these words to tell a special cuisine in his own words. And there are also fish, vegetables, animals, wild herbs, procedures, tools and instruments no longer so commonly used, but which it would be better not to lose track of in order to safeguard a truly important cultural heritage.

TOPIC editions – 400 pages | €25.00

We ask the Author the reason for the title, because «funny? «It is a word that represents the most authentic Sicily he explains, «it is the exclamation that every chef would like to hear when he brings a dish to the table, it is an ancient word that thanks to its ability to effectively express thoughts and feelings has crossed borders of the Sicilian language and, since 2006, has landed in Zingarelli vocabulary of the Italian language.

In the dictionary some gastronomic words are explained in more depth than others. Here, in honor of my Sicilian origins, I have chosen a dozen – truly delicious ones.

Dora’s Sicilian Cannoli recipe, flavor of Sicily – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Prepare i Sicilian cannoli requires a lot of attention, especially in the frying phase. And Dora Maugeri – iconic chef from Rocca delle Tre Contrade in Santa Venerina, Catania – knows this well. Her proverbial cannoli are tiny in size but are rich in flavor and she confides to us: «The pasta is made crunchy by lard and vinegar and must be filled strictly with sheep’s ricotta.

Cannoli, a Sicilian excellence

Well known throughout the world, the Sicilian cannoli is a product of excellence included in thelist of Traditional Agri-food Products (PAT) held by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies.

How is a Sicilian cannoli made?

The classic Sicilian cannoli is prepared with a crispy fried cylinder-shaped wafer, filled with sheep’s ricotta. There classic filling is that of sheep’s ricotta enriched with drops of chocolate or candied fruitbut today there are many filling options to choose from, such as custard, whipped cream, pistachio or chocolate cream.

How was the cannoli born?

The Sicilian cannoli certainly has it ancient origins, but there is no certainty regarding the moment of its invention. Its roots are thought to date back to Arab period of medieval Sicilywhen the Arabs introduced grain processing techniques and ingredients such as sugar and spices to the island: the word “cannolo” derives from the Arabic “qanawāt”, which means “small tube” or “cane”, which is exactly the shape of the much loved typical Sicilian dessert.

Tradition has it that cannoli originated during the Carnival celebrations, when fried and stuffed desserts were prepared to celebrate abundance before the fasting period of Lent.

Originally the filling of the Sicilian cannoli was probably already made of sheep’s ricotta, since flocks of sheep were abundant in Sicily.

Dora’s strong dishes

Also try the recipe between sea and mountains, the Marsala and orange sausages, the baked potatoes and vegetables, as well as the arancini with Dora’s ragù.

Sicilian caponata: the original Palermo recipe – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Tasty, comforting, it embodies the whole Mediterranean. There caponata Siciliana, side summer par excellence, was born in Sicily and today it is widespread and appreciated throughout Italy thanks to that unmistakable sweet and sour flavour. Cold, warm and room temperature, it really is irresistible and if it is served on a slice of toasted bread it can even represent an appetizer or a main course. Loved by vegetarians and omnivoresinitially it was also prepared with fish, while today the best known variant it is the one based on suns vegetable ingredients.

Sicilian caponata: the numerous versions

From caponata Siciliana they exist numerous versions but what is certain is that the eggplant they cannot be missed and that all the ingredients they must be individually prepared to be united only at the end. In the alone Sicily at least they can be counted four variations of caponata: a Catania among the ingredients there are also: peppers red and yellow, e.g Agrigento in addition to peppers there are the olives black but not the green ones, a Messina woe betide using concentrate for the benefit of tomatoes fresh it’s at Palermo there recipe that is performed is yet another.

Sicilian caponata: the Palermo recipe

A mix of fried vegetables (otherwise it’s not caponata!) and then pan-fried with a sauce based on sugar and vinegar: this is the secret to obtaining the original Palermo Sicilian caponata from the typical one sweet and sour taste.

Ingredients for 6 people

1 kg of long aubergines
250 g of tomato sauce
80 g of pitted green olives
60 g of desalted capers
60 ml of white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 golden onion
1 stalk of celery
extra virgin olive oil
fresh basil
salt

Method

Start preparing the Sicilian caponata by draining the aubergines. Wash them well with running water, cut off the end with the stalk, cut them into slices a couple of centimeters thick and collect them in a bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt and place a weight on top. After about an hour, rinse them well with fresh water and let them drain on sheets of absorbent paper. When they are well drained, cut them into cubes.
Pour into a large pan oil and when it is hot, fry the aubergines until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain on absorbent paper for fried foods.
Clean the celery, wash it with cold water and cut it into pieces more or less the size of the aubergines. Blanch it for a few minutes in boiling salted water and drain it.
Pour the sugar and vinegar into a bowl and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Keep aside.
Peel the onion and chop it finely. In a saucepan, fry the chopped onion in the oil for a couple of minutes, taking care not to let it burn. Also add the capers and blanched pieces of celery and leave to flavor for a few minutes, stirring often.
Add the olives and tomato sauce to the saucepan. Mix, add salt and cook for five minutes. Finally add the aubergines and the sweet and sour sauce. Mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are well blended. Season with salt, turn off the heat and flavor with the basil.
Let the caponata rest and serve it at room temperature so the flavor of the vinegar will be less intrusive.

Which aubergines are used to make caponata?

The types of aubergines that would be best to choose for making Sicilian caponata are the “violet” type, like – needless to say – the long Palermo violet. This type of aubergines are characterized by elongated shape and from very firm pulp which holds up well to cooking while remaining intact and compact.