Recipe: A Sicilian Night for Beth (recipes & some facts about Sicily)

Beth, I suggest that you select from the recipes provided by my dear friend Terrie and from these others, the ones that seem easier for you to prepare without practicing. Wow! Well, good luck my friend, and beleive me that Italians are well known for their wonderful food and their great appetites. They always make a point of serving MUCH & DELICIOUS food. Buena Suerte!

A SICILIAN NIGHT FOR BETH (Recipes & some facts about Sicily)

SOME FACTS ABOUT SICILY:

A large triangular island in the Mediterranean Sea, separated from the 'toe' of Italy by the narrow Strait of Messina. It forms, with the neighbouring islands of Lipari, Egadi, Ustica, and Pantelleria, a region of Italy comprising the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa, and Trapani; area 25,706 sq km (9,929 sq miles); pop. (1990) 5,196,820; capital, Palermo. Settled successively by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Cartheginians, it became a Roman province in 241 bc after the first Punic War. After various struggles Sicily and southern Italy became a Norman kingdom towards the end of the 11th century. It was conquered by Charles of Anjou in 1266, but the unpopularity of the Angevin regime led to the uprising known as the Sicilian Vespers and the establishment in Sicily of the Spanish House of Aragon in its place; southern Italy remained under Angevin rule until reunited with Sicily in 1442. In 1816 the two areas were officially merged when the Spanish Bourbon Ferdinand styled himself King of the Two Sicilies. The island was liberated by Garibaldi in 1860 and finally incorporated into the new state of Italy. The Sicilian economy is predominantly agricultural. Tourism is important.

Over the last three thousand or so years Sicily has been continuously occupied for varying periods of time by peoples from many different cultures. Each group subsequently displaced by the armies of the next group. Along with their armies, many of these people brought with them their own plants and livestock. Transplanted in the fertile volcanic soil of Sicily, these imported plants and animals flourished. While in some cases they created unexpected problems, they were usually beneficial and resulted in enriching the Sicilian cuisine.

Sicilian cuisine encompasses the foods that make up the Mediterranean pyramid and includes a rich variety of locally available foods.

APPETTIZERS:

Crostini al Funghi
Category: Crostini & Bruschetta

4 slices bread for crostini
extra virgin olive oil
9 oz cultivated mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed & chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley.

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms and continue to fry. Season. Add the chopped capers. Toast the bread on a griddle and put the mushroom mixture on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

Arancine - Deep-Fried Rice Croquettes
Recipe by Wright

Pinch of saffron
2 cups Arborio rice, washed
2 cups chicken stock
Salt
2 Tb buter
1 1/2 cups grated Caciocavallo or Pecorino Cheese
2 eggs, separated
1 small onion
2 Tb olive oil
1/4 lb ground beef, cooked and drained of fat
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped very fine
1 Tb fresh rosemary leaves
Pinch of pepper
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/4 cup white wine
Flour, for coating
Breadcrumbs, for coating
Olive oil, for deep frying

Steep the saffron in 1/2 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Place the rice in a pot with the chicken stock. Add the saffron solution, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the butter. Stir and bring to a boil. Once the stock is boiling, lower the heat and cook the rice, tightly covered, until it has absorbed all the water, about 20 minutes. Spoon the rice onto a platter and mix in the cheese and egg yolks. Spread the rice out to cool. Saut the onion over medium heat in 2 Tb of olive oil for about 7 minutes, or until translucent. Add the cooked ground beef, tomato, rosemary, 1/4 t of salt, and the pepper and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes. Add the peas and the white wine. Cook until the wine has evaporated. The mixture will look like a thick rago t. Spread some flour for coating on a piece of wax paper. Lightly beat the egg whites in a shallow bowl. Spread breadcrumbs for coating on a piece of wax paper. To form the rice balls, spread some rice flat in the palm of your hand, then cup your hand slightly, using the thumb of your other hand to make an indentation. To keep the rice from becoming sticky, keep a plate of cold water nearby to dip your hand into each time you form a rice ball. Place about 1 Tb of the meat mixture into the indentation and fold the edges over. Cover with some more rice and shape it with both hands into a ball the size of a lemon, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Squeeze just tightly enough to make a firm ball, but not so hard that it falls apart. Roll each ball in the flour, dip it in the beaten egg white, and roll it in the breadcrumbs, coating it evenly. Refrigerate the rice balls for 30 minutes before frying. Heat the oil for deep frying to 360 F. Deep-fry the rice balls for 4 minutes or until golden. Do not fry too many at once. As the arancine finish cooking, drain on paper towels. Arancine are usually served warm or at room temperature. Makes 12.

Caponata di melanzane
Recipe by Bruno. --English translation by A. Dieli
Ingredients for 4 persons

600 g. eggplant
300 g. potato
4 red or green peppers
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 head of celery without the leaves
1 Tb of capers
4 carrots
1 large onion
olive oil
grated and toasted breadcrumbs
red and black pepper

Peel and dice the eggplant and fry. Peel and dice the potatoes and lightly fry until golden. Cut the peppers crosswise in rings and place in frying pan. Add the chopped celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and the capers and when cooked, mix in the eggplant and the potatoes. Stir for some minutes with a wooden ladle. Add the red and black pepper and continue stirring; then turn off the heat. At this point sprinkle on the toasted breadcrumbs.

FIRST COURSE:

Capuliatu in crudo - Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato
Recipe by Bruno --English translation by A. Dieli
Ingredients to serve 4

600 g. dense tomatoes, not too mature
4 cloves of garlic
3 Tb olive oil
50 g. grated piccante pecorino
finely chopped basil
red or black pepper
salt as needed

Put the tomatoes in boiling water; remove them after a few minutes, peel and cut them into small pieces by hand. Get rid of the water and the seeds. In an earthenware bowl put the chopped tomatoes, finely diced garlic, oil, and basil. Cover with a cloth towel and let everything marinate for an hour. When the marinade is almost ready, cook the spaghetti, drain it and add it to the earthenware bowl. Add the grated pecorino. Sprinkle black or red pepper as you choose. Serve and accompany with a robust red wine not exceeding 12%.

MAIN DISH:

Gaddina Catanisi - Catania-Style Chicken
Recipe by Arba-2

1 chicken, 3-1/2 to 4 pounds
Salt
fresh rosemary
marjoram (or oregano)
garlic, chopped
1 nutmeg, to grate
extra virgin olive oil
scallions, use only the white ends, chopped
1 cup of orange juice, unsweetened
4 Tbs cognac
Pepper

Cut chicken into eight parts. Sprinkle each part with salt, fresh rosemary, marjoram, chopped garlic to taste, and a good three scrapes of nutmeg. Choose a baking dish that will accommodate the chicken in one layer and can be used on top of the stove as well as in the oven. Place a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in the pan, turn heat to high, and brown the chicken.

When the chicken is well browned on all sides, add the chopped scallions, the cup of orange juice, pepper and 4 tablespoons of cognac. Transfer to a preheated oven at 375 degrees. Bake for 1-1/4 hours. Baste the chicken with the pan juices from time to time. When cooked, serve it in the baking dish in which it was baked

ACCOMPANIMENT:

Sicilian Braised Vegetables (4)

9 oz spring onions,coarsely chopped
18 oz fresh broad beans(before podding)
18 oz fresh peas (before podding)
4 artichoke hearts,quartered
salt & pepper
4 tbsps olive oil

Put all the vegetables in a pan with the oil and cook very gently for a few minutes. Season. Add a ladleful of water and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add a little more water from time to time. This can be served as a side dish, as a soup with stock or as a sauce for pasta. It can also be eaten cold, when a little lemon juice, sugar and mint leaves are added during cooking.

SALAD DISH:

Orange Salad (Insalata d'Arance)
This typically Sicilian salad is excellent as a side dish, or a separate course leading into dessert. Serves 6.

4 large naval oranges,
1 large fresh anise bulb (the crisper the better),
1 small lemon,
1/4 cup shelled almonds,
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,
1 tablespoon white sugar,
1 tablespoon sweet Marsala wine,
1 head of lettuce,
dried coconut shavings,
a branch of fresh peppermint leaves.

Preparation: Separate mint leaves from stalk. Clean the anise well. Peel the oranges and lemon, and remove the tough heart of the anise, as well as the stalk and leaves. Cut the anise, oranges and lemon crosswise into thin slices. Toss together with almonds and mint leaves in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, olive oil and Marsala wine, and toss again. Chill for a few hours. Toss again before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves. Sprinkle dried coconut shavings over the top.

DESSERT:

Biscotti
Recipe by Tina

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 t grated orange zest
2 cups bleached flour
2 eggs (3 if eggs are small)
2 t anise seeds
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 t salt
1 cup chopped almonds
1/4 lb butter, room temp
1 cup sugar

Heat oven to 325. Combine flour, anise seed, baking powder and salt and set aside. Beat butter, sugar and zest until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until smooth. Stir in almonds. On a baking sheet, form the dough into two logs about 1 1/2" wide by 14" long about 3" apart. Partially cut or score into diagonal slices about 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven to 250. Cut logs through on the previous scoring and put cut-side up on baking sheets. Bake until dried, 30-40 min.