Pranzo de domenica: Macaroni

This was our Sunday lunch, handmade macaroni with rabbit. We used the same recipe as below on October 10th , but added sausage instead of meat. I believe the sausage gives this sauce a much richer flavor.

Macaroni
100 grams of flour per person
Water- no measrments

• Begin by making a mountain of flour on the table. Create a well in the center and add water.
• Gradually kneed the flour until the consistency is correct. (Neither sticky or liquid)
• Break the dough into pieces and with the help of a thin rod, roll the dough into a long macaroni shape. Mamma says it’s better if the center is large, that way when the pasta cooks, water can enter the center.
• Let dry on a cloth sprinkled with flour- they will not dry completely
• Bring a pot of water to boil and place the pasta in. Fresh pasta does not take long.
• Add salt to taste and enjoy

Fresh pasta does not become al dente. You want the pasta to be no longer doughy, but a little chewy.

Piovoso Giorni

It was a complete wash out weekend on both Saturday and Sunday. But, that just means it’s a good day to bake a cake, and that’s what we did!

Torta Mela (Apple Cake)
200 grams of sugar
2 big apples sliced –One for inside the cake and one for the top
100-120 grams of butter
3 eggs
Flour- she doesn’t measure this out, just by eye
Cinnamon- again no measurements
16 grams of baking powder- we use a packet that’s pre packaged

Mix sugar and butter together, then add the eggs and one sliced apple.
Gradually add flour to the mixture until the consistency is thick.
Add cinnamon and baking powder
Mix all together and pour into a buttered pan
Arrange sliced apples on top and place into the oven

Our cake took one hour and fifteen minutes to cook, but it was well worth the wait!

White way of Delight

When passing through a town who is preparing for their festival, their streets are filled with lights arching the streets. This happens to be our town on the night of St. Ignazio, our patron saint. All the town follows the saint in a procession throughout the town.

Palio Medioevale

We happened upon the Medieval festival in the town of Randazzo one evening.

Sunrise over Casa Mia

Castello Nelson

Maniace Bronte, Catania

The Castle of the Nelsons – We learned through our tour that the Castle was formerly a Benedictine Abbey dedicated to Santa Maria, then turned into a castle. The area where it rises was the scene of a battle between General Maniace’s troops and Saracens, the latter eventually driven from Sicily. The building was highly harmed by a quake sometimes at the end of the 12th century and successively rebuilt. It belonged to the Benedictine and the Basilian monks of the XII-XIII Century, and successively bestowed to the English Admiral Nelson in 1799 who helped the king, Frederico IV, put down a revolt in Naples. Nelson’s heirs sold it to the municipality of Bronte in 1981 to be a museum. It has a beautiful park with a charming church dedicated to Santa Maria di Maniace. The house has it’s original furnishings of the XVII and XVIII centuries. The one place in Sicily where on a historical tour you’ll find English writing under pictures and English books on display.

BMW F 650 GS DAKAR

She has taken us so many places! Along the way we stop at many water fountains and pass countless signs of the old days. Here is a post used to tie up a horse or donkey. I so enjoy finding these treasures.

Day at Sea

The Sicilian sun is magic on the clear blue Sea, the pictures speak for themselves… This was a day spent with friends, coasting the shore line of Sicily. Out here you get a real view of how this land was sculpted.

Mount Etna Trekking

Antonello and I were blown away by the amazing views Mount Etna provided us. Breathtaking is what it was! We signed up for a seven hour excursion on Mount Etna, that turned out to be something we had never expected. In the distance, the bellowing volcano released her gasses with an eerie moan, reminding us that she was wide awake. We anticipate our next adventure!

Coniglio e Carne

Rabbit and Meat
We combined the two, but they can be served individually.

Meat
In a pan begin to prepare the ragu:
• Cut up celery, carrots, and an onion
• Sauté in a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Place the meat into the pan and brown the meat.
Once the meat is browned add natural tomato sauce. (Unflavored, you want the flavor of the meat to be the taste.)

Rabbit
Cut the rabbit into pieces.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Once boiling, add the rabbit to the pot along with the juice of one squeezed lemon.
• You’re boiling the meat for only a few minutes. You do not want to completely cook the meat, but remove the wild odor.
Place the almost cooked rabbit into a pan with a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Continue to brown and cook the meat.
Once browned, add the rabbit to the meat ragu and let the two flavors blend.

Pasta
If there happens to be too much liquid once the meat is cooked, uncover and bring to a boil. Continue to heat until the liquid is boiled down.
• We serve the meat as the second plate, and the ragu sauce accompanies the pasta as a first plate. You want the sauce to stick to the pasta.

Olivi

Olives

Time to pick the olives! We’ve notices that our olive trees are not producing that many olives this year. The rule is one year they do, the next they don’t.

i cachi

Persimmon
They are practically falling off the trees this time of year. When this fruit is ripe, it is such a treat. Sweet and so juicy! I enjoy it in my yogurt in the morning.
Check out the link on the title if you'd like to learn more about this fruit.