Tag: Sicilian cuisine

Baked anelletti with pistachios: recipe by Giusina in Cucina – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

In addition to the usual and sensational timbale with aubergines or ragù, why not also try a timbale of baked anelletti with pistachios? It is the satisfying variant of the cult Sicilian dish that the Palermo native offered us Giusi Battaglia – for everyone now Giusina in the kitchen from the name of her TV show on the Food Network – when we asked her for a suggestion a special idea for Sunday. We were looking for a simple dish to make, but which would stand out, a recipe so as not to tire us out too much, but to hear ourselves say at the end: «But how good! . So the TV presenter offered us her special way of rediscovering a classic.

Giusina in Cucina’s baked anelletti with pistachios

«I have a great passion for pasta flans, because they are sumptuous, almost regal says Giusi Battaglia. «I love seeing them at the center of the table as great protagonists. They bring joy and are perfect for convivial occasions such as Sunday: they can be prepared first, to be able to prepare later. dedicate yourself completely to friends and family, without worrying about the stove” continues Giusina. «I thought of a timbale with pistachios to tell the story of Sicily by enhancing one of our most special products. Bronte and Raffadali pistachios have a unique flavor and aromaand in this recipe they give a very particular and delicate touch.”

Because we love home cooking, the real one

The simple, but tasty and spectacular dishes, moreover, have always distinguished Giusina’s cuisine: those who watch her on Food Newtork and those who follow her on It’s always midday on Rai1 given that he is now a regular guest of the landlady Antonella Clerici. Those who follow her on social media (@giusinaincucina) know this too, where she talks about her daily life with the same spontaneity: busy days made up of family commitments, office work (which remains her first job, despite the TV) as well as cooking. «I’m not a professional food influencer who can dedicate the whole day to recipes, but I know that those who follow me love learning about new dishes, so I propose them in my own way: I show what I prepare to eat at home, for lunch and dinner, filming it with my cell phone. All without retouching, filters or food styling: it’s all real life, like that of the people who follow me with affection that I reciprocate” says Giusina.

«I don’t have a great technique, I didn’t study to cook, but I was lucky enough to meet many chefs who taught me many things that I now put into practice he says. An example? «Once I was with Pino Cuttaia (two Michelin stars at La Madia, Licata, ed.) and I was chopping parsley, throwing away the stems as I always do. And he explained to me that instead parsley stems should never be thrown away, because they are the richest in nutrients, the most fragrant, and unlike the leaves they can also be cooked because they do not give off a bitter taste. A small thing, of course, but one of the many that I now carry in my baggage” concludes Giusi Battaglia, who we will soon see on TV in a summer and on the road version of his program Sicily Edition and in See you at the bar, with Paolo Briguglia, discovering new specialties, always in Sicily. Meanwhile, for a nice taste, here is the recipe for his anelletti.

The recipe for baked anelletti with pistachios by Giusina in the kitchen

Ingredients

For the pasta and ragù

500 g of rings
250 g of pork mince
250 g of veal mince
1 glass of white wine
1 onion
rosemary
pepper
salt

For the pistachio béchamel

1 L of whole milk
100 g of 00 flour
100 g of butter
salt to taste⁠
pepper as needed
nutmeg to taste
150 g of pistachio pesto

For garnish

200 g of grated caciocavallo
2 medium mozzarella
pepper as needed
Salt to taste
chopped pistachios to taste

Method

Brown the meat in a pan with the onion, add the wine, add herbs and leave to cook.
Prepare the béchamel by first creating a roux with flour and butter, then adding the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg and then thickening.
Add the pistachio pesto to the béchamel and set aside.
Bring the water to the boil and cook the anelletti for 10 minutes.
Drain them and season with grated caciocavallo and mix with a little béchamel.
Make a layer of pasta in a mold, place a generous layer of minced meat, add the béchamel, the caciocavallo and the mozzarella.
Close with another layer and repeat the operation finishing with a layer of chopped pistachios.
Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes in a static oven at 180/200 degrees.

The pasta and chickpeas you’ll want to make for Father’s Day (and beyond) | The Italian kitchen – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

A rustic first course that preserves the flavor of Italian tradition, the pasta and chickpeas it is enjoyed in the long winter months, but also in the milder seasons. In fact, in the Aeolian Islands since 1835 it has been customary to prepare “A tavuliata” on March 19th on the occasion of the feast of Saint Joseph: a long table where all citizens can take part in the lunch in which pasta and chickpeas are served in a large copper pot . And why pasta and chickpeas? The story goes that some boats with sailors from Malfa on board, who were in difficulty due to a storm, prayed to Saint Joseph to return home safely. When the storm passed, the sailors who returned to land joyfully offered the poor of the town a meal with the ingredients they were carrying: legumes and pasta. Since then pasta and chickpeas has become the typical dish of that day. There are different variations of this dish, we offer you a peasant version. Chickpeas, known since ancient times thanks to their pleasant flavour, are rich in vitamins, mineral salts and proteins; furthermore they were the favorite food of gladiators thanks to their energy value.

Teresa Mannino: «In Milan you have brunch, we eat cazzilli – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

He will also be among the co-hosts at Sanremo 2024 Teresa Mannino who, at the 74th Sanremo Festival 2024, starting on February 6th, will join the host and artistic director Amadeus on the evening of Thursday 8th. Sicilian comic author and actress, born in 1970, Mannino “with a unique and original gaze observes and tells what happens in the small world of private relationships and in the large world of the public scenario”, we read in his bio.

Amadeus, Mannino and chef Andrea Berton. “We have chosen the ingredients, now we just have to mix them”. (@teresamannino_official)

Differences at the table between North and South

“I’m very ready, because I’ve been preparing for a lifetime,” she declared some time ago on Tg1. «But not in Sanremo, but to say what I think, which is what I will also do on that stage. And on the Ariston stage Mannino will not disappoint. Her gags tell of herself, a Sicilian transplanted to the north, to Milan, but also of the relationship between man and woman, parents and children, partly focusing on the differences between north and south, which mostly revolve around the relationship with food and the relationship with time. «Food for us southerners is linked to the emotional sphere, in Milan you give flowers here, we give trays of sweets. The weekend doesn’t exist for us, because we have Sunday lunch with relatives, of which there are two in the end, one to eat and the other to digest. Ours is not your brunch, we have pasta with sardines, stuffed aubergines and fried cazzilli.” And fried cazzilli are among the goodness of traditional Sicilian cuisine, delicious potato croquettes typical of Palermo street food. In fact, in Palermo they can be found in all the fried food shops, but they are served with panelle, the fried variant of chickpea farinata. Here is the recipe and five tips to avoid mistakes.