VIVA SANT’ ALFIO

Last night, Antonello and I were on our way to Trecastagni on foot for the Pilgrimage of Saint Alfio. After seven and a half hours of walking up the steep roads of Etna, and a total of 28 kilometers, we arrived at the Main Church just after midnight. The church was full of people awaiting the Pilgrims who were arriving on foot. Some of them, walking all the distance barefoot carrying a heavy devotion candle, entering the church were screaming "VIVA SANT’ ALFIO" in tears. Needless to say, it was moving.

We can understand what they felt when they arrived to the altar. Exhausted from the long journey and many kilometers we, too, regained energy seeing the church in the distance. We finished our pilgrimage with a fast pace and without any of the pain we had felt until then.

Just so you know, we are OK! We'll be resting this weekend, but on Monday I'll fill you in with the rest of the story...

Frittata agli asparagi selvatici

With its thin delicate stalks and deliciously bitter taste, there is no comparison to wild asparagus. Yesterday, Antonello came home with a bag of asparagus and they were just too green and perfect not to take a picture!

His parents picking away...

Wild Asparagus Frittata

Rinse and clean the Asparagus.
Place in a pan and cook covered until tender.

• You won’t add any water to the pan, the water on the stems is enough.

Add three eggs to the pan and stir until the egg covers all the stems.

I then add a few nice slices of Tuma to the mix... Once the Tuma is melted, enjoy!

Polenta: salsicce, finocchio selvatico, e tuma

Tuma is a typical Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep's milk. It has a cylindrical appearance and is sold fresh, no more than 2 days old. Our tuma is made and delivered to us weekly by the same man who makes our ricotta. Renowned for its delicate milk flavour, it has no crust, and the dough is white or ivory-white without holes. The texture is very soft, tender, with a rubbery consistency. Tuma can be consumed either cold or hot. We, however, love to bake it in dishes. Once heated, the Tuma takes on a whole new flavor.

Polenta with sausage, wild fennel, and tuma

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the wild fennel greens and boil the leaves until tender. Remove the greens and set aside. Saving the cooking water, bring back to a boil and begin to prepare the polenta. ( For two, 130 grams of polenta)

Transfer the polenta into a buttered baking dish and let cool.

In a pan, boil down one onion. (Again, I do not fry!) Once cooked, open four sausage links and add the meat to the onions. Cook together until the sausage it browned. Add the boiled fennel leaves to the pan and continue to cook.

Once everything is well combined you can simply cover the polenta dish with the sausage mixture and top with slices of tuma. Place in the oven to brown.

The crunchy tuma, mixed with the sweet delicately flavored finocchio and sausage, made this dish a real pleasure...

Cooking with Chiara

Chiara came over the other day and we decided to do some baking. I wasn't exactly prepared for it, but we made do with what I had. So, without any eggs, we whipped up a very nice and elegant cake that all enjoyed! However, the next time I want to use my intricate, heart shaped, rose mold, better to use a light soft cake, versus a thick nutty one...

It was a nice afternoon together!

Buon Compleanno Mario

Saturday night, our nephew Mario celebrated his fifth birthday. It was a festa indeed! There were games, music, and a room full of friends and family.

la Festa della Liberazione

April 25th is an annual public holiday in Italy on the anniversary of the 1945 liberation. We decided to gather together, with our friends, for a grilled fish feast at a Villa in our town. Early Saturday morning, Antonello, Luca, and I drove down to the fish market in Riposto and prepared for the meal. We bought over a kilo of octopus, mascolini, two kilos of Orate, and then a few calamari were throw in at the end. On our drive back, we stopped at a street side vendor and picked up some oranges, nespole (loquats), and lemons. Thirty minutes later, and after learning everything about the old man selling fruits and vegetables, we drove up to our town on the mountain. Once home, Antonello and I prepare the octopus salad and the fish for the grill.


This Villa is owned by our friend, and will open in June as a four star Bed & Breakfast. It will be amazing!




The weather was perfect, the meal was abundant, and the company put it all together.

Sunday at the Aquarium

Antonello and I wanted to make a day out with our nieces and nephews. So on Sunday morning, after a refreshing Granita at Caffè Cali', we were all off to the Aquarium in Giarre. This was the first time for all of us, and we were pleasantly surprised.

Remarkably, the more people we talk to, the more we learn that no one knows this little Aquarium exists...

Each exhibit was dedicated to a part of the Sicilian coastline.


It was great, we arrived early and the whole place was for us! The kids were so excited.

After the Aquarium, we drove down the road from Giarre to Riposto, to see the Sunday Fish Market.

Across the street is the Riposto Marina, where you can walk and see all the boats.



But, one can not leave Riposto without tasting the best Pistachio Gelato! Here, in the Marina, the bar serves what we believe to be the best! If you notice, everyone gets the pistachio here... Pistachios from Bronte in every bite!

Ok, Mario wanted chocolate...

The beautiful Elena and Chiara sharing a cup!

It was a great day!

La Zagara- il fiore dell’ arancio

Spring is here and the scent of zagara is in the air…

With its five soft, delicate petals, the pure and innocent beauty of the orange blossom exudes such a complex fragrance.

We have citrus groves all around us. Last week when Scirocco, the warm African wind, blew over Sicily, it carried into the streets the sweet, intense, scent of the zagara.

Nero di Seppia

One of my favorite pasta dishes, when we dine out, happens to be Nero di Seppia, Black ink of the Cuttlefish. Yes, it is not a meal for those worried about their appearance as during the meal your entire mouth turns a very dark shade of black. But, for those daring and open to taste something incredible, this is a plate you must not pass up. I stopped by the fish market and picked up a couple cuttlefishes to try this delicacy at home.

These are the ink pouches inside the Seppia






4 People:
350 g of spaghetti
500 g of seppie, 13 cm long, tender
half glass of tomato sauce
1/2 onion (70 g)
parsley
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup of white wine
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper and salt

Clean the seppia, saving the ink pouch. Cut the seppia into pieces then rinse with water. Cut the onion into slices and sauté in EVOlive Oil over medium heat with one clove of garlic. When the onion changes color, add the seppia, parsley, and the tomato sauce. Cook together on low heat. Then add the white wine and leave to cook completely. (20 min)

At the end, break the ink pouch and empty into the pan. (This is very strong ink, better to break with scissors and not your hands!) Cook for another minute and add the pepper, and salt if necessary. Turn the fire off and remove the garlic, and add EVOlive Oil. Combine the spaghetti and a touch of parsley for decoration.

Calamaricchi

Calamaricchi or Calamaretti in Italian, are little squids. Every fish market you pass lately have these little guys on display. So, for lunch... Pasta con Calamaricchi!