Carnevale 2008

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale — which is a Late Latin expression meaning “to put away the meat.” No one has to force us around here to keep up with traditions! Yesterday for lunch, the family was invited to Antonello’s parent’s house. We dined on a hearty plate of handmade "maccheroni al ragù", involtini di vitello and polpette al ragu' (rolled meat filled with cheese and prosciutto, and meatballs cooked in the ragout of the maccheroni), all of which were prepared following the traditional recipies made by his mother. After lunch, Antonello and I visited our friends and family in costume and then paraded around the town streets. The streets were full of costumes, actually children in costumes, but our look was definitely noticed and appreciated. We had a few photo opportunities with passer bys.



We have a lion tamer in the family...

Mario, MariaElena and Alessandro's boy...



We let the secret out with Justina and Anthony...



The "old man" scaring Chiara!!
Mario dressed as the"Red Corsair".

Read about Carnivale in Sicily here.

Costolette d' Agnello

I stopped by my butcher this morning, to pick up some meat for lunch, and little did I know I would find so much more. I came home with some new cuts of meat, and I met a new friend. I met Rosalina, a woman from Giarre who is origanyilly from California. I look forward to getting together with her and her family soon. Enzo, my butcher who owns the shop where people from far and wide travel to pick up his meats, showed me a fresh lamb. So, today on the menu we have Lamb Chops... We enjoyed some fresh artichokes that I bought yesterday, and a plate of homemade pesto. My husband was a very happy man!





INGREDIENTS: (everything by eye)
dried rosemary
dried origano
dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 lamb chops


EV olive oil
minced onion
aged balsamic vinegar (the good stuff)
chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, origano, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
Add onions to the skillet, (I cooked them in water first to not fry them in oil) and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Sunday Road Trip: Erice and Trapani

Last Sunday we were off on another Sunday Road Trip, and this time our destination was western Sicily. With my road map in hand, I watched as we passed all the towns on our way towards Palermo. We had wanted to visit Trapani, the place where Antonello spent many months in the Navy when he was younger. Just before Trapani, we decided to follow a small winding road that brought us to the beautiful town of Erice. Located on high ground, overlooking the town of Trapani and the northern coast of Western Sicily, we enjoyed the view from this medieval city, walking through the many charming old stone streets.


An old man told Antonello that during the II World War so many fighter planes thought this piece of land, off the coast of Trapani, was an emerging submarine. As a result, this poor island called "scoglio dei porcelli" was bombed over and over again. (You can see it in the center of the picture.)


On our way down from Erice we stopped to admire the landscape of the Salines, and the city of Trapani from above.


Down by the sea, Trapani is an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands. It was originally named Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour.


Here we are at the "Ligny Tower", which is at the farthest point on the penninsula forming the sickle.

Concerto Jazz

"Il rotary club randazzo valle dell'Alcantara a favore della rotary-Foundation ha organizzato PER 22. GENNAIO il concerto del " QUARTETTO SICILIANO" presso i locali del museo della musica ORE 20,30 ingresso 15,00 euro. Si invitano tutti gli appassionati, e non, a partecipare all'iniziativa che ha uno scopo nobilissimo ovvero la raccolta di fondi a favore della ROTARY: FOUNDATION. I componenti del Quartetto sono:Dino Rubbino Tromba flicorno, Giovanni Mazzarino Pianoforte, Nello Toscano Contrabbasso, Fabrizio Giambanco Batteria."

Last night our coral group, LE SETTE MUSE, was invited to perform along with the “QUARTETTO SICILIANO” for the Rotary Club of Randazzo. It was a great night! At the last minute, actually yesterday afternoon, I was asked to sing a few solos for the concert. Luckily, I found tracks from my days when singing on cruise ships. I sang "Open Arms" from the group Journey, and "Get Here" by Brenda Russell. It felt great to sing again…

Bike Trip: Troina

The name Troina derives from the ancient term Tragena, that means "sheep farm". Afterwards, the name changed into "Traina", and ultimately "Troina". "Sheep farm" seams in keeping, as its land is rich of forests and pasture areas.



Here is a woman's encouter with Troina...

Bike Trip: Cesarò

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a bike ride! We packed our lunch and were off, first stop Cesarò...

The artistic and monumental bronze statue of Cristo Signore Della Montagna (Christ the Lord of the Mountain), watches over the town of Cesarò from high above. Bringing this 21-foot bronze statue of Jesus Christ with a 20-foot arm span to a 10-by-10-foot platform, at the top of the highest peak, was an unusual mission indeed. Weighing in at 7,000 pounds, a US team from Sigonella, operating their helicopter, rose to the challenge on August 19, 1996. Our friend, Natale, told us a little extra information about this story. Apparently, the town was originally quoted an unbelievable price from a local company to transport their statue. Word got out and spread to ears near Sigonella. The team didn’t ask for any money, in return they just asked for a nice Sicilian Meal!
You can read the full article here and see a photo of the transport…

A day out with the girls…

This week, while shopping for vegetables, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Justina and Rosaria. Both of them happen to be from Australia, so it was an absolute pleasure to speak in English! Rosaria is passing through for the moment, as she is off onto another travel destination next week. Justina and her husband happen to be neighbors of ours, living just a few houses up the road from us. We got together this morning for coffee, conversation, and a stroll in the sunshine at the Linguaglossa street market. While there, we were introduced to Annalisa, a friend of Justina who lives in Linguaglossa and studies languages in Catania. There we were, all four speaking in English, while every person that passed turned his or her head to hear this strange language being spoken…
I look forward to many more get-togethers…

We'll see you soon Rosaria!

Cavolfiore

Have you ever seen a cauliflower so beautiful? If you’re from these parts, this bright purple beauty is very common to see. I read that it is actually called “violetto di Sicilia”. I had never seen this type before living here. At the supermarket, we had the white head variety, “palla di neve” (ball of snow) and I never remember it being that good. (If I were to try it here, it would be completely different.)
Antonello’s father grows this cavolfiore in our garden, so we have plenty of them to eat. Usually, I make it for dinner simply steamed and served with it’s broth. I read that cauliflower is rich in vitamin C and vitamin A; it is advised to those who suffer from anemia. The broth, or cooking water, is rich of sulfur and is excellent for the cure of eczema and inflammation in general.
This day I made the cauliflower as a light second. No oil added, I just dipped the steamed cauliflower in egg then breadcrumbs mixed with parmigiano reggiano. Simple, light, and very tasty.



Check out the link on the title. This site, Italia Donna, is a great source of information...