I am very excited about the next few posts on Italy, as I will be taking you with me to Sicily. You see, I was born in Milan (in the north of Italy), but my family comes from the beautiful island of Sicily and being away from Italy made me realise how much I owe…
WATERMELON GELATO
Today, for my Regional Italian dish series, I am going to take you all back to Sicily with the perfect summer recipe. I know, I know… it’s winter down here and it’s also been quite cold lately, but my family and friends are enjoying summer in Europe, so I thought of publishing this today. I…
SARDE A BECCAFICO ALLA PALERMITANA
Today’s Regional Italian dish takes us back to Sicily… to Palermo to be precise. It is a very popular dish and like all popular dishes, every family has its own recipe or twist. Also each Sicilian city has its variations. This is my family’s version, from my father’s side… and it is the Palermo version. …
GELO DI MELONE – WATERMELON JELLO
This is another traditional dessert from Palermo and it was included in the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event. I asked my aunts for my grandmother’s recipe and here it is. I still remember her making it during the hot summer months. It doesn’t take long and…
CASSATINE SICILIANE
These cassatine are the snack version of the bigger and more famous Cassata Siciliana. They are pretty much the same thing (apart from the lack of candied fruits on the top), only smaller and more “street friendly” as they are often consumed on the go on the busy streets of Palermo. They are delicious little…
SPIEDINI – SPITINA
My dad often tells me about his grandmother making Spiedini and Crostini when he was a child. She would spend the whole afternoon making these in the kitchen, having to feed them to her many grandchildren. My dad would sit next to her and watch. And that’s how he learnt how to make them. As…
CROSTINI
Picture this: slices of bread, covered with a thick meat sauce, topped with cheese, breaded and fried. Imagine eating one of these treats… with the slightly melted cheese stretching out into the rich sauce and the crunchy slice of fried bread. Is your mouth watering already? These are crostini and I made them as a…
PANELLE
Panelle are, together with cazzilli and arancine, the most famous Sicilian street food, and that is why I immediately knew I had to feature them on the menu of the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event! They are delicious on their own when eaten hot, but…
MAFALDE – MAFALDINE
Mafalde are typical bread rolls from Palermo, in Sicily. They are very easy to make and are great to accompany any dish. You can make them as dinner rolls, or serve them in a more traditional way: filled with hot panelle. When planning the menu for the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I…
CAZZILLI – CROCCHÈ DI PATATE
I love all potato croquettes! My mum used to make them often, even though she makes them differently (I will share her recipe too as soon as possible). These, instead, are exactly like the ones you can buy on the streets of Palermo and they were on the top of my list for the Sicilian…
FOODBUZZ 24X24: SICILIAN STREET FOOD NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
The majority of you know that, even though I now live in Australia, I was born in Milan – Italy, by Sicilian parents and even though I was brought up in one of the most glamorous and fashionable cities of the world, I have always been attracted to the simple yet amazingly delicious food that…
BAKED ANELLETTI – ANELLETTI CA CARNE CAPULIATA
Today is Father’s Day here in Australia… so happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! On such a special occasion, I usually ask my husband what he would like to eat and his answer is always the same: anelletti! This is definitely his (and my father’s) favourite dish. It is the most popular…
SWEET AND SOUR PUMPKIN WITH GARLIC AND MINT
This is a very versatile dish: it makes a great side dish for meats, but it can also be eaten as an appetizer or finger food on some toasted ciabatta. It is my family’s favourite vegetable dish. We all like its sweet and sour taste and I usually make a lot of it and keep…
“AGGLASSATO” CHICKEN – POLLO “AGGLASSATO”
This is a family recipe for cooking chicken that my dad brought with him from Palermo. The Sicilian term “agglassato” (in Italian “glassato”) means glazed and it refers to the glazed look that the onion sauce gives to the chicken. The onions give the chicken a sweet taste that is balanced by the slightly tangy…
CRUMBED PORK INVOLTINI PALERMO STYLE – INVOLTINI DI MAIALE ALLA PALERMITANA
This is a dish that I learnt from my dad. He is from Palermo and all the dishes of Palermo that I know to cook, I have learnt from him. He has in turn learnt them from his mother and grandmother, so they are all family recipes, handed down from generation to generation. One of…
SFINCIONE PALERMITANO
This is another traditional Sicilian dish. This time we are talking about Palermo. For people who like food, Palermo is paradise. People really enjoy their food and there are so many great dishes, that it is very hard to choose what to eat! My dad is from this wonderful city and I have been lucky…
