Sicilian artichokes

Catherine de Medici introduced artichokes to France when she wed Henri II.

Sicilian immigrants planted California's first artichoke farm near Half Moon Bay in the late 1800s and Marilyn Monroe was crowned California's first artichoke queen in 1948.

A theory suggests that artichokes actually originated in Sicily and were introduced to the rest of Europe around the 12th century. In fact, records show artichokes being grown in Sicily as early as 287 BC, and were a favourite of the Romans in Sicily. They were "re-introduced" again to Sicily by the Moors in the 9th Century. Since then, they always been a staple in Sicilian cuisine: The delicacy and sweetness of Sicilian artichokes contain hidden flavours and fragrances just waiting to explode.

Sicilian artichokes not only are delicious but a good source of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), niacin, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, phosphorus, calcium and fibre. The substance cynarin is thought to benefit digestion, while the juice of the leaves is used in skin cosmetics.

An artichoke liqueur, part of the Campari group, bears the name Cynar and is made with artichokes from Sicily. Its distinctive flavour is enriched from an infusion of 13 herbs and plants, making it a completely natural drink.

As Capers, Sausages, Ricotta, Cous Cous, Oranges, Pistacchi and other Sicilian delicacies feature their own personal sagre (festivals) around Sicily, even the humble carciofo has a sagra of his own, taking place in Cerda every 25 April, only 58 km from Palermo.

The artichoke is celebrated every year with a festival that mixes art exhibits and other artichoke-themed entertainment with live traditional bands and parades through the town.

When:

Apr 2009 (annual)

Where:

Cerda

Opening Hours:

Parades and bands start at 9am
Tasting starts at 12pm

Contact Details

Name:

Information

Phone:

+39 091 899 10 03

As you approach downtown Cerda, the enormous statue of an artichoke will remind you of what will be the "king dish" on the menu (the photo, above, is of the "Big Artichoke" sculpture in the main piazza of Cerda).

But whether you will want to visit Cerda or not, if you are on your way to Sicily don't forget to sample some Sicilian carciofi at the restaurant.

These are a must try :

Carciofi Ammuttunati - or ripieni (artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs, raising, parmigian and herbs)

Carciofi alla Villanella -

Carciofi in pastella (deep fried artichokes)

If this tantalises your taste buds, try this recipe.

For those wanting to purchase authentic Cerda artichokes direct from the source, go here.

And here is a nice article in praise of Sicilian Artichokes.

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The gutter in the guts...

The French may talk the most about sex and baking, but the Sicilians have the best renditions....

The bread called "coppiette" is made to resemble a couple involved in, shall we say, carnal knowledge. This is an apparent reference (we believe) to the ancient custom of a couple having sex in the wheat field in order to ensure its fertility.

There's a particular shaped pastry called "prucitanu", that seems to resemble a woman's genitals, which is often given by the wife to her husband at Christmas (the pastry that is). Conversely, she might give him the cream-filled phallus/biscuit called "viscotta di san martinu", named after the patron saint of the cuckolded husband.

The best tale relates to the "xuccarati", a hard circular pastry with a hole in the middle that well endowed grooms use to calm fearful brides. You put seven on your, ahem...penis and remove one for each night you're together. Other hot dishes draw inspirations from erogenous body part including the pistacchio-flavoured pastries, called "fedde" - they linguisitcally refer to, and physically resemble, buttocks!
The most common of these erotic mouthfuls is the "minni di virgini", or Virgin's breasts, a custard filled pastry shaped like a woman's breast and topped with an aroused cherry nipple. Also sold-sans niple-as genovesi. The story behind this delicious pastry, however is less than appetizing.: the pastry commemorated the martrydom of St. Agatha, who had her breasts cut off by Roman pagans for refusing to renounce Christ. This story, however, is thought to be simply a Christianiztion of of an ancient Egyptian rite in which priests carried about a golden breast-supposedly of Osiris-and poured milk libations for the devout.

Whether it is a phallus-shaped bisquit, sweet buttocks or a couple of breasts, we do not ask questions but simply enjoy the taste!

The following is based on the recipe created by the Monastery of the Virgins of Palermo, as described by writer June di Schino in her article, "The Waning of Sexually Allusive Monastic Confectionery in Southern Italy" in the book, "Disappearing Foods". Makes eight. Best enjoyed warm.

Minni di Virgini (Virgin's breasts)

Three cups of basic pastry dough.

½ cup Basic Pastry cream,

Candied pumpkin (succatta) or filling of your choice

Powdered Sugar and candied cherries cut in half.

Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Divide the dough into seven pieces and roll them into rectangles about 6x 4 x 1/4. Place two tablespoons of the filling made up of pastry cream on one half of the rectangle and sprinkled with chopped candied pumpkin and/or chocolate. Fold the other half over it. Seal it well and then cut out a circular shape about three inches round with a glass of pastry cutter. Put the halved candied cherry in the middle and bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.

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Pasta Sfoglia Ripiena (Stuffed puff pastry)

Ingredients:

2 pre-rolled puff pastry sheets
1 Kg ground seasoned Italian sausage
olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 cup ground Provola (or gouda cheese)
1 cup ragout sauce (your own recipe)
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the to degrees Celsius.
Golden the onion in olive oil and stir fry with the sausage, adjusting with salt and pepper.
Add ragout sauce, let the mix thicken, cool down and set aside.
Unroll the lower layer of pastry out on a baking tray (usually pastry comes interleaved with plastic, which I leave on as baking sheet.)*
Spread ground sausage mixture on pastry to form a flat rectangle, then sprinkle the ground provola cheese on top, leaving some room for the folding edges of pastry.
Unroll the upper layer of pastry and place on top of the ground sausage mixture.
Trim and seal edges carefully.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Let it cool and cut in large squared portions. Best served warm

* Beware that puff pastry needs to be kept refrigerated and unrolled chilled. By doing so, you will prevent excessive softening of the texture.

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Recipe: Crema di ricotta al caffé (Ricotta & coffee cream)

Sicily is famous for its sweetened ricotta desserts, like the wonderful and elaborate cannoli or the cassata.

Crema di ricotta al caffé is one of the easiest desserts to make : This delicious combination of ricotta and coffee takes just minutes in the food processor. It may be made a day ahead. (In fact, it tastes even better once the flavours have mellowed.)

Ingredients : (serves 6-8)

1/4 cup very strong espresso

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

1 pound high-quality whole-milk ricotta

1/3 cup sugar

unsweetened chocolate powder and coffee beans for decorations.

In a food processor or blender combine the ricotta, coffee or espresso, vanilla and sugar.

Process for 2 minutes until the mix appears smooth.When done, spoon the ricotta mousse into 6-8 small glass goblets or dessert bowls, cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.

Before serving the cream, sprinkle with some chocolate powder and decorate each bowl with 1 or 2 coffee beans.

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Recipe : Cuccía

Cuccia is a traditional dessert, served only on Santa Lucia's day (December 13th) in Sicilian households.
All the mothers in every Sicilian neighborhood make cuccia, each in her own unique way. Some are sweeter, some have chocolate, some have citron, some had both. The mothers would prepare bowls of their cuccia for their neighbours and the children are asked to distribute the food.
Who can resist the fresh warm tastes of whole wheat kernels with honey and ricotta? At least, I could not. When my mother was preparing cuccia the night before St Lucia's day, I used to sneak in the kitchen in the middle of the night and eat a large part of the dessert even before it was ready.

As the legend goes, Lucia was a young Sicilian girl from Syracuse who vowed to live as a virgin in devotion to Christ. Her mother, however, arranged a marriage for her to a pagan suitor. To dissuade her mom by way of a miracle, Lucy prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha that her mother's hemorrhage would stop. When the miracle happened, her mother agreed to leave aside the topic of marriage. Lucy's suitor, however, had other ideas, and denounced Lucy as a Christian to the pagan authorities. The authorities went to arrest her, planning on forcing her into prostitution -- but they were unable to budge her, even after tying her to a team of oxen.


She was then tortured by having her eyes torn out. They'd planned on torturing her by fire, too, but the fires kept going out. She was then killed by being stabbed in the throat with a dagger.


Because of the above, St. Lucy is the patron of those with eye problems, and is often depicted carrying her eyes (often on a plate), being tied to a team of oxen, with St. Agatha, or before her judges.


Her remains lay in Syracuse for hundreds of years, were transported to Constantinople, and then to Venice where they were venerated at the Church of San Geremia. Her head was sent to Louis XII of France, and placed in the cathedral of Bourges.


Her name, "Lucia," means "Light," and light plays a role in the customs of her Feast Day.


In Sicily, torchlight processions and Sicily mark her day, and bowls of a cooked wheat porridge known as cuccia are eaten because, during a famine, the people of Syracuse invoked St. Lucy, who intervened by sending a ship laden with grain to the starving population.


Recipe :

1 cup (5 ounces) hard wheat kernels (wheat berries)
Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups high-quality whole-milk ricotta (made without gelatin or stabilizers)
Honey to taste
1/2 cup currants or raisins
generous pinch cinnamon (optional)

1. Soak wheat in cold water to cover overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and place in a 3-quart saucepan along with the salt and enough water to cover by 2 to 3 inches. Cook at a slow simmer, partially covered, about 1 hour, or until tender. Kernels will open up slightly.
2. Drain the wheat and combine it with the ricotta. Blend in honey to taste, and the raisins or currants. Turn into a deep serving bowl and dust with cinnamon. Serve warm or at room temperature in small bowls.

Variations
Cuccia with Chocolate: Some Sicilians like warm Cuccia with ricotta, honey, and shaved semi-sweet chocolate to taste. We add, too, 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped candied orange rind.

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Jamie Oliver does it again

There is nothing wrong with a visit to Florence, Venice, Rome or Cinque Terre. But soon you may find yourself looking for another Italy; a less touristy one that, though free of Caravaggios, is also welcomingly free of crowds.

A "real" place with "real" people, flavours and, above all, particulary addictive recipes!

Jamie Oliver's discerning eye spotted the delight of Sicily a long time ago and today he shares his discoveries with us! From msnbc.com

Jamie Oliver serves up a Sicilian specialty

For his next lesson in Italian cooking, the British culinary star shares tuna meatballs with tomato sauce. Check out the recipe.

Sicilian Tuna Meatballs

For the tomato sauce
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 14-oz. cans of good-quality plum tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• red wine vinegar
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

For the meatballs
• 14 oz. tuna
• olive oil
• 2 oz. pinenuts
• 1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups stale breadcrumbs
• 2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

First make your sauce. Place a large pan on the heat, add a good glug of olive oil, your onion and garlic, and fry slowly for 10 or so minutes, until soft. Add your oregano, the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, then blend until smooth. Taste, it might need a tiny swig of red wine vinegar or some extra seasoning.
While the tomatoes are simmering, chop the tuna up into 1-inch dice. Pour a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and place on the heat. Add the tuna to the pan with the pinenuts and cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry for a minute or so to cook the tuna on all sides and toast the pinenuts. Remove from the heat and put the mixture into a bowl. Allow to cool down for 5 minutes, then add the oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, lemon zest, and juice to the bowl. Using your hands, really scrunch and mix the flavors into the tuna, then divide the mixture and squeeze it into meatballs slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you dip one of your hands in water while shaping, you’ll get a nice smooth surface on the meatball. If the mixture’s very sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs. Keep the meatballs around the same size and place them on an oiled tray, then put them in the fridge for an hour to let them rest.
Put the pan you fried the tuna in back on the heat with a little olive oil. Add your meatballs to the pan and jiggle them about until they’re golden brown all over. You might want to do them in batches- when they’re done, add them to the tomato sauce, divide between your plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and drizzle with good olive oil. Great served with spaghetti or linguine.

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Recipe of the day : Falsomagro

Farsumagru or Falso Magro (literally Fake-Lean) is perhaps the most celebrated Sicilian meat dish.

It translates roughly as nonlenten, because it contains an amazing wealth of ingredients, including meats.

Farsumagru is another typical Sicilian recipe that places its roots around the 1800's, where the French chefs Monsú (from French word Monsieurs) treated their masters with their special "Viande farcie de maigre" - stuffed lean beef roll.

In Sicily, meat has never been verypopular. Perhaps because of the abundance of fish or, on the other hand, for the high prices of bovine meat itself.

In fact, Sicilians were mainly using the cattle for milk and the only available beef came from old or injured bovines whose meat was very hard, chewy and barely edible.

When the Monsú arrived in Sicily and discovered the almost complete lack of quality beef, they needed to come up with something creative to replace their "Viande de false maigre" and decided to embellish the local hard meat by stuffing it with everything "non-lean", such as salami, boiled eggs, ham and cheese.

Just like for "sarde a beccafico" Sicilians imitated the rich and nobles, but being unable to understand French, they soon renamed that fusion French-Sicilian dish as Falso Magro: A truly original "Fake-Lean".

A rectangular slice of veal weighing 1 3/4-2 pounds (7-800 g), with no holes!
1/2 pound (200 g) prosciutto or mortadella
1/2 pound fresh mild sausage, or the soft salami of Chiaramonte Gulfi
4 hard boiled eggs
4 ounces (100 g) cured lard (a strip the length of the slice of meat)
3 ounces (75 g) ground beef
A fresh spring onion
A beaten egg
A clove of garlic
4 ounces (100 g) sharp caciocavallo or provolone, diced
2 1/2 ounces (60 g) grated pecorino col pepe (similar to Romano, but with peppercorns)
A small bunch parsley
1/4 pound (100 g) freshly shelled peas, blanched in salted water
Tomato sauce
A walnut sized chunk of rendered lard
A sprinkle of well aged red wine
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Begin by pounding the meat with the flat of a knife, being careful to keep the slab rectangular in shape, and not puncturing it. Next, lay the slices of prosciutto or mortadella over the meat. Trim the tips off the hard boiled eggs to reveal the yolks, and lay them lengthwise down the middle of the piece of meat.

Trim the rind from the lard if need be, put it around the eggs, then sprinkle the diced cheese and parsley sprigs over everything, along with the garlic, minced, and the spring onion.

To complete the filling combine the ground meat, grated cheese, peas, and, if you want, some fresh sausage. Spread the mixture over the other ingredients in the filling, and roll the meat up around it. Tie the roll with string lengthwise and width wise and down, to produces a "salame."

Put the farsumagru in a large pan and brown it either in the fat from cooking sausages, or a mix of lard and oil. At this point the farsumagru is ready to take its place in a festive ragù. Or, if it is to reign in glory by itself at the table, sprinkle it with red wine and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated. Then add some tomato sauce, diluted in water, and simmer the roll for about an hour, covered. When it comes time to serve it transfer it to a platter and remove the string, but wait till you get to the table to slice it into half-inch slices. The beauty of the thing, if it's done right, is the way the brilliant yellow of the yolk is surrounded by the whites, in which are in turn surrounded by the milky lard, with the green of the peas and parsley in the brilliant white of the cheese.

This is the farsumagru, the undisputed King of Sicilian meat dishes.

Serve it with its sauce, and with a fine red wine, along the lines of a Nero D'Avola.

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