Tag: St

Night of St. Lawrence: grilled with an upturned nose? – Italian Cuisine


On the night of St. Lawrence all enchanted by the magic of the sky: between romanticism, friendship, poetry and good food

Who has not expressed a wish at least once in his life looking at the falling stars in the night of St. Lawrence?
Like every year, clear skies permitting, we will be looking up at the spectacle of nature, that extraterrestrial nature that fascinates us for its romantic appearance, enchants us a bit like a magic, a little it scares us because it makes us feel small in the face of an immensity that we can't even think of for how vast it is.

And then we went out to see the stars again

Yes, because if our house is certainly not hell (despite the high summer temperatures) it would still be an offense to the wonderful nature that surrounds us not to go out to enjoy one of his best shows. As always, the advice is to avoid light pollution and then look for a dark place. Here then is that to observe the phenomenon of shooting stars the first thing to do is to escape from the cities. An evening in the countryside or on the beach or, even better, in the mountains, could also be the occasion to have a barbecue with friends or relatives. Don't forget a product, possibly natural, that will protect you from mosquitoes, especially at sunset.

What are shooting stars on August 10th?

In reality they are not shooting stars, as we commonly call them, but meteor showers, that is flows of debris left by the passage of comets and asteroids. On the night of August 10 (but not only in that one) the Earth, in traveling its orbit around the Sun, crosses the Perseids, which are nothing but a meteor shower left by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

A night of poetry

One of the greatest Italian poets of the last century, Giovanni Pascoli, inspired by the grandeur of this heavenly event, gave us the gift of these wonderful verses that make up poetry 10 August.

San Lorenzo, I know why so much
of stars for the calm air
it burns and falls, because there is a great cry
in the concave sky it sparkles.

A swallow was returning to the roof:
they killed him: he fell among thorns:
she had an insect in her beak:
the dinner of his little swallows.

Now it is there, as on the cross, that stretches
that worm to that distant sky;
and its nest is in the shadow, which awaits,
that peeps more and more slowly.

Even a man returned to his nest:
they killed him: he said: Forgiveness;
and a cry remained in the open eyes:
he brought two dolls as a gift …

Now there, in the rome house,
they wait for him, they wait in vain:
he motionless, astonished, points out
dolls to the distant sky.

And you, Heaven, from the top of the worlds
serene, infinite, immortal,
oh !, of a cry of stars you put it in your hands
this dull atom of Evil!

A greeting…

… that of The Italian kitchen: that your holidays are unforgettable and your wishes fulfilled!
Peace & love.

The sfincia of St. Joseph: the recipe – Italian Cuisine

The sfincia of St. Joseph: the recipe


The Sicilian dessert to celebrate Father's Day and the recipe of the historic pastry shop Costa di Palermo

Sicilian pastry is a true masterpiece of art. Traditional desserts are a triumph of colors, flavors and fragrances, behind which there is always a story in the balance between the sacred and the profane. There is no party, religious or pagan, that is not linked to a gluttony: the cannoli at Carnival, the cassata at Easter, the buccellato at Christmas and so on. The creations with ricotta are certainly the most famous. Their fame has crossed the island's borders so much that it has become the very symbol of Sicily in the world.

The sfincia of St. Joseph

In Palermo the father's Day, March 19, is celebrated with the Sfincia of St. Joseph, a huge fried puff covered with ricotta and decorated with chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, cherries and candied orange peels. Widespread throughout western Sicily, sfincia is part of the gastronomic and cultural heritage of the region. As with many other Sicilian desserts, its origin is mysterious and is lost back in time. According to some scholars the name derives from the Arabic isfanǧ (sponge), a word that the Moors used to refer to a soft fritter with an irregular shape, due to the spongy note, covered with honey or sugar. The current version is due to Poor Clare of the Monastery of the Stigmata of St. Francis, demolished in 1875 to allow the construction of the majestic Teatro Massimo. The noble nuns dedicated the cake to Saint Joseph, the Holy of the Humble. It was then the ability of the Palermo pastry chefs to enrich it with ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit. Today the sfincie can be tasted in every moment of the year, better if in winter, when the ricotta is fresh. In all the pastry shops of the city the mignon version is also very common (perhaps to alleviate the guilt feelings).

The recipe of the pastry Costa

Since 1960 the pastry Costa it is a point of reference for generations of Palermo and beyond. A long family history that begins with Antonino Costa, the founder, and continues with his son Riccardo and the very young grandchildren Antonio is Matteo, all still involved in the management of the business today. In 2018 the opening of the second store, in the heart of the historic center, a few steps from the Quattro Canti. The new patisserie is a tribute to Liberty and Belle Epoque, one of the happiest moments in the history of Palermo and Sicily. Do not miss the desserts of Costa with fresh ricotta, in particular cassata, cannolo and, of course, the sfincia, of which we report the family recipe.

Ingredients for 8 large sfincie

For the sfincia

0.25l water
0.25kg lard
5g salt
0.25 kg flour
7 eggs

For ricotta

500g fresh sheep's ricotta
150g sugar
100g dark chocolate

Method

Preparation of sfincia

Boil water and salt in lard. Then add the flour, add the eggs and mix until the dough is thick and smooth. Cook kneading dough in sunflower oil at 180g for 10-15 minutes, then cook at 220g until the dough is crisp and golden. Allow to cool and rest for a couple of hours.

Ricotta preparation

Sift the ricotta, mix it with the sugar, add the chocolate flakes.

Definition

Fill the sfincia with about 80g of ricotta. Using a spoon, cover it outside with ricotta. Finally decorate with candied cherries, candied orange peel and pistachios.

Pasticceria Costa
Via Maqueda 174 (Quattro Canti) – Tel. 091 9807927
Via D’Annunzio 15 – Tel. 091 345652

on January 17th in Naples we celebrate St. Anthony and the pizza chefs – Italian Cuisine


On the day in which the celebration of the saint occurs, in the capital of Naples they set up the Pizzaiuolo Day to recall an ancient tradition of bonfire propitiators and propose a special pizza

After the proclamation of the Art of Neapolitan Pizzaiolo to the Unesco World Heritage of Unesco, countless new initiatives have sprung up to celebrate pizza and its masters. One of these is the "City Day of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo" which, established a year ago by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, is celebrated in Naples on January 17th.

Sant'Antonio and the pizza chefs

Why this date? It is the recurrence of Saint Anthony the Abbot, considered protector of bakers and pizza makers, a day in which, in ancient times, the Neapolitan families closed the pizzerias for half a day and went to a restaurant in Capodimonte, Colli Aminei, to light together a propitiatory bonfire.

How to prepare pasta for Neapolitan pizza

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The saint's pizza to taste

Today we wanted to evoke this tradition, but the pizzerias will not close, indeed: the premises participating in the initiative will propose a special pizza dedicated to the saint. The ingredients? Those of the classic Margherita, tomato, mozzarella, oil and basil, and then sausage, spicy salami and ricotta.

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