Tutto Italiano

Food Union volume three

tutto italiano the all Italian issue

Food Union is an online magazine that focuses on ingredient profiles, recipes and photographic essays all surrounding the topic of food.

To view previous issues please go to the following links below: Food Union Volume One

Meet the Maker

http://issuu.com/haleypolinsky/docs/food_union

Food Union Volume Two: The Gather, Garden, Grow Issue http://issuu.com/haleypolinsky/docs/food_union_edit_j.3

Haley Polinsky is a Saskatchewan born, Toronto based multi-media food artist. She holds a diploma in Culinary Arts from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver and is a self taught artist.

Haley is available for food styling, recipe testing, food photography and customized illustrations or prints.

All content in Food Union was created and produced

by Haley. To follow my blog or to find links to purchase images of my work or prints, visit me at: www. haleythemaker.com @haleythemaker For all feedback and inquiries contact me at: haleypolinsky@gmail.com

Best meal in Italy: Gnocchi ricotta Favourite city in Italy: Palermo Favourite Italian grape: Nero D’Avolo

Haley Polinsky Copyright 2015.

All rights reserved.

You may not take any images or content from this publication without written permission.

Favourite Italian word: Boh

index 06 Editor’s note 08 The Heart of the Matter 19 Carciofi alla Giudia 26 La Pescheria 46 Sarde Marinate 48 Cafe 54 Puntarelle 58 Cicchetti 62 Pasta & Italian Food Wisdom 76 See Sicily 100 Watercolour Lettuce 108 Il Mercato 152 Palermitano Street Food 164 Spritz O’clock 168 Recommended reading

editor’s note Last year I decided I needed to go to Italy. I had never been to Europe and yet had accumulated quite a few European friends in Toronto, almost all Italian who raved about the food and always said to me that I would fall in love in with Italy - if not an Italian man at least with the food. After much delay and indecisiveness I decided there was never going to be the perfect time to go, so at the beginning of August 2014, I booked a one way ticket to Europe.

My adventure began in Paris on December 1st, 2014, I travelled for five months to Portugal, Spain, Greece and Morocco, but I spent more than half of my trip in Italy.

Before I went I studied Italian cooking by reading Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks like novels, when I really should have been practicing my Italian. Arriving in Italy, I was amazed to see all things I read about and was told from my friends to be true. Like how vast the food changes from region to region and even from town to town. From the parmigiana reggiano cheese and prosciutto of the Emilia Romagna region to the pecorino of Sardinia and the ricotta of Sicily.

I threw myself into the food culture and tried to learn as much as I could and tried to eat as much typical food as possible. I learnt things like no cappuccinos after 1 pm and that it is acceptable to eat ice-cream for breakfast in Sicily with the classic summer breakfast of granita and brioche. And I ate more pizza and pasta than I had ever before in my life.

I travelled in the off season which everyone questioned - why would I want to travel in the winter? But I think it worked to my advantage for a few reasons, I escaped winter in Canada (and it turned out to be one of the worst winters in many years), there are not as many tourists and it is cheaper to travel at this time of year. I was also able to experience the winter and spring cuisine. While summer has tomatoes, zucchini, peas, beans, berries and more, the winter offers equally delicious produce like persimmons, artichokes, cardoons, cauliflower and citrus. Every season has particular dishes to savour.

I was lucky enough to experience a southern Italian Christmas on the island of Sardinia with my friend Luisa’s family, where I ate family meals cooked by her nonna, Pietruccia. She is the kind of cook that does not use recipes, her hands guide her effortlessly through the kitchen.

I showed Pietruccia the second issue of Food Union and when a photo came up of some Ontario artichokes that I had photographed, she just shook her head and said “No, these aren’t artichokes!”. To Pietrucca only the artichokes of Sardinia are real artichokes.

When I came back to Canada, I informed my Italian teacher, Sebastiano, that he did not teach me an essential word: Squisito (exquisite). The word in Italian is almost always accompanied by the action of corkscrewing your index finger into your cheek, expressing that what you are enjoying is completely exquisite (and not only is this used for food - it is often said by men when admiring a pretty woman).

I have many people to thank for making my trip to Italy so special. I was so lucky to have new friends tour me around their city, showing off their specialties and taking me to the best restaurants and even have people plan special menus for me to make sure I got to try the best of the best. People’s passion for food was one of my best discoveries. Italians appreciate food at a whole other level, it was incredibly inspiring and contagious. My list of thanks to goes out Fabrizia Lanza, Erica Berry, Luisa, Giovanna and Luca Begani, Federico, Alice Adams, Sabrina Rossi, Sara White, Giovanna and Pompeo, Enza, Mario Traina, Alessandro Campo and Andrea Vigna and all those whose name’s I don’t know, the guy in Taormina who insisted on giving me oranges or the family in Sardinia who packed me lunch for my train trip and sent me on my way with some homemade Pomegranate liqueur.

If you are interested in reading and seeing more of my travels, I updated my blog often during my trip. Check my back log to see photos and read in depth about the places I visited and the food I ate.

I hope this issue inspires you to travel to Italy or to relive your sweet memories of the food focused country and that the recipes have you saying “Squisito!” Thanks for reading!

it’s a matter of the heart a love letter to the artichoke

Artichokes are everywhere in Italy and change from each city you visit, not just the dishes but the variety of artichoke that the each region uses. From the spiky leaves of Sardinia (Carciofi di Spinosa di Sardegna) to the soft round leaves of the Mammole artichokes from Rome. Sicilians love artichokes so much that the people in the town of Cerda erected a larger than life artichoke statue in the town centre. Just to give you an example of how many varieties of artichokes there are in Italy here are some varieties from Sicily: -carciofo di Messina -carciofo violetto spinoso di Palermo -carciofo verde spinoso di Palermo - carciofo violetto senza spine -carciofo verde precoce di Sicilia, -carciofo cardone di Sicilia -carciofo della Piana di Catania When artichokes are truly fresh one of the best ways to enjoy them is by simply eating them raw. I had never encountered this before, but I sat down for dinner the first night in the tiny town of Ittiri, Sardinia with my friend Luisa’s nonna, Pietruccia, and there was a plate of raw artichokes, a bottle of olive oil pressed from her son’s olive trees and a dish of salt. And so we started; plucking the leaves off one by one, dunking them in a pool of olive oil mixed with a pinch of salt and biting just the tender part of the leaf off and discarding the rest. I thought this was a genius way of eating the artichokes because it makes the cleaning process so much more bearable because you are enjoying the fruits of your labour while working away.

Romans use the Mammole artichokes which have no thorns and are large and juicy.

Mammole are available in Rome from February to April and are generally cooked whole, as the outer layers of the mammole variety have a lot more substance on the leaves.

Romans cook their artichokes two different ways, alla Romana in which the artichokes are braised in white wine, garlic, parsley and mint (a special Roman variety) and carciofi alla giudia, whole fried artichokes. Carciofi alla giudia which translates to “Jewish style artichokes” was named this as the dish originated in the Jewish neighbourhood of Rome.

Carciofi alla Giudia

A Roman specialty taught by Roman photographer and food stylist Sabrina Rossi.

Carciofi alla Giudia Food Styling & Recipe by Sabrina Rossi Serves four 4 artichokes (Mammole variety) 5 litres olive oil 1 lemon Salt, to taste Trim artichoke stems to 2-3 cm in length. Remove outer leaves. Trim the leave’s pointy tips and remove the core with a spoon or melon baller. Keep the artichokes in water with lemon while trimming them to avoid oxidization.

Then, prepare a sauce pan with olive oil, pouring enough oil in that it is deep enough to contain the whole artichoke.

Bring the oil up to 120° C. Once trimmed, dry each thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel to avoid splatters while frying.

Blanch artichokes in oil, using tongs to ensure the leaves are fully submerged.

Artichokes are done when soft and very pale, about 10 minutes. Let drain on paper towel.

After opening keep, face down on paper towel until cooled completely.

When completely cooled, bring the oil up to 170°C. Then fry the artichokes for 5 to 7 minutes , again keeping the artichokes submerged with a pair of tongs, browning all sides evenly.

Transfer to a paper towel to absorb any remaining oil, then season with salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve immediately to enjoy them at their best.

Tip: To check to see if the oil is hot enough you can use the ‘bread technique’. Putting a small piece of old bread into the oil, if it starts to form small bublbles and not brown to fast the oil is ready for cooking.

While still hot, carefully push the artichoke leaves outward (a bit like opening a flower), using either your fingers or a fork.

Sabrina Rossi is a Rome based food photographer and stylist.

You can view more of Sabrina’s work at www. sabrina-rossi.com

LA PESC

the daily pe

HERIA

rformance of Catania

La Pescheria, the fish market in Catania, is much more than just a market. It is a performance that unfolds each morning starting at six am with the fisherman arriving with their catches of the day, setting up their spot.

The market is one of the oldest establishments in Catania, it is located where water once circulated, now called Piazza Alonzo di Benedetto and Piazza Pardo. There are three main areas of the market, the largest area which is more inland with fisherman selling the freshest with the lowest prices, while the tunnel hosts all the frozen fish products and the main structured stalls offer more diverse species accompanied with higher prices.

After your nose wanders you through the market with all kind of fish smells both good and bad, station yourself above the market along the railing with the all the local men who come by each morning to watch the coming and goings of the market. You’ll quickly be captivated by the scene, listening to the vendors yell their prices, watching the guy walk around with a wooden box that hangs off his chest, filled with parsley and lemons approach customers trying them to sell garnishes for their fish. Once the market closes up for the day around two pm, all that remains are fish scales, guts, heads, squid cartilages and more until tomorrow morning when the daily performance begins all over again. La Pescheria is the place to see and be seen in Catania.

6 am.

The fisherman arrive with their catches and begin setting up for the day.

10 am.

The height of the market. Crowds of locals buy fish for dinner, tourists linger taking photos. Above the bustle of the market you will find a row of locals, who take it all it all in.

Razor clams

Anchovies

2 pm.

All that is left is empty boxes on the ground, scales, fish spines and trimmings.

Sarde Marinate Fresh sardines taste sweet and briny. They are worlds apart from the overly fishy canned stuff. Sardines are in an abundane in the winter and spring in Sicily as the sardines are releasing schools of fish that swim close to the coast making it very easy for the fisherman to catch. The fishmerman at the La Pescheria would have overflowing buckets of fresh sardines each day.

Recipe courtesy of the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, can also be found inside the book Coming Home to Sicily by Fabrizia Lanza Serves eight 1/2 pound very fresh, small sardines, heaved removed, scaled, cleaned and deboned Juice of 2 lemons Juice of 1 orange 1 garlic clove, halved 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp dried oregano, preferably wild Salt and pepper 1 small loaf good quality semolina bread, sliced thinly Place the sardines in a small bowl and cover with the lemon and orange juices. Set aside to marinate for twenty to thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and broil, flipping halfway through, until lightly toasted about three minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, oregano and salt to taste. Drain the sardines, then dip each sardine in the olive oil mixture and serve on the toasted bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

CAFE A year in coffee with Milanese food stylist Alessandro de Campo.

Alessandro Campo is a Sicilian born, Milanbased food artist. I found Alessandro online while preparing for my trip to Italy. I knew I wanted my trip to be full of meeting like-minded people, passionate about the same things as me, that being mostly food. So I started researching food stylists and photographers in Italy. I was immediately impressed with Alessandro’s work as it comes from a place of curiousity and experimentation. After exchanging a few emails, he agreed to collaborate on a piece for Food Union.

The coffee project, which has yet to recieve an official name, was born a few years ago when he started his personal proccess of inner understanding. He said he began to have a hard time accepting life for what it was and was constantly trying to make life more comfortable.

While Alessandro and I each cookeda dish for each other and photographed the experience which was the original collaboration idea, I instead chose to share with you a project of his he showed me a sneak peak at.

To view more of Alessandro’s work visit at his website at the following link below.

Out of this thought process, he decided that he wanted to incorporate this idea into a piece.

Life in our modern age has a lot of different instruments available to us to modicate it to better fit our needs not necessarily better for our environment or those around us. Alessandro Alessandro has been working in kitchens for over came to believe it is sometimes necessary to 18 years. He’s experienced the best and the worst accept reality as it as and resist the urge to be of the restaurant industry, both which steered constantly “fixing things. him in the direction he’s now facing - towards the art world and away from cooking.

So the coffee project was born, he began capturing the remains in the bottom of his coffee Alessandro’s passion for food and culture that cup after his daily coffee. Alessandro has decided surrounds it is undeniable. It oozes out him to shoot the photos with his cellphone camera of when he speaks like a chocolate lava cake that to the coffee stains that remain in the bottom of his tap once with your spoon and the rich, chocolate cup after finishing his daily coffee. “I accept the ganache comes rushing out. Alessandro splits his images as they are with different forms, colour time between living in Spain and Italy, working and light. I accept pure life as it comes to me.” as freelance food stylist .

Sometimes the images look like hearts left in the bottom of his cup, some look there is scattered Alessandro and I met on my last day in Milan, ash everywhere or a fresh dug garden, everyday a cold, rainy day that we happily spent inside in there is a new that appears. his warm cozy apartment located in Bergamo, a suburb of Milan. I instantly felt like I was The project is yet to have an official name but chatting with an old friend about our shared love Alessandro plans on shooting a full 365 record of food and our love and hate relationship of of his coffees (currently he has 120 photos done working in restaurants and to where we are now at the time of this publication) and he plans on both with our food careers, leaving the kitchen printing the photo series into a small booklet and entering the art world. which will be apart of a future installation.

http://alessandrocampo.com/

PUNTARELLE a bitter chicory The moment I saw puntarelle in the market I fell for it. It has an elegance to it. The way it’s leaves cover it’s buds, made me inevitably curious as to what the buds looked like inside.

Puntarelle, also called cicoria di catalogna or cicoria asparago in Italian (named that due to it similar spear resemblance to asparagus), comes from the Lazio region and is generally available in Italy from the end of winter to late spring and in North America from late summer to early winter. It is a very bitter green that has a fresh crunch to it. Romans love puntarelle so much that they created a kitchen tool called a taglia to cut into thin strips.

Punterelle is a bitter flavoured vegetable and is most often paired with lemon and anchovies but works wonderfully with grapefruit for a refreshing change. When punterelle is served raw it has a milder bitter crunch and when cooked it develops a stronger bitter taste.

Puntarelle is not commonly found in North America but a few farmers have recently started growing it in the last few years at the request of local chefs . Try growing puntarelle in your own garden, it grows well in cool weather, plant in the early spring or fall.

Puntarelle alla Romana Recipe & Styling by Sabrina Rossi 1 whole puntarelle 2 salt-cured anchovies, rinsed clean and pin bones removed 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped White wine vinegar Extra-virgin olive oil Salt Prepare the puntarelle first by removing old leaves (these will be too too bitter to eat) and then cut the puntarelle into long thin strips. Place into a bowl of ice water to crisp the puntarelle and to curl the strips. Let the sliced puntarelle sit in the water for at least two hours to achieve nice curls and to remove some of the bitterness.

In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and vinegar to form it into a salad dressing. Adjust seasoning according to your preference.

Thoroughly drain the puntarelle and dry in salad spinner to remove excess water. Toss with anchovy-garlic dressing, adjusting salt to your taste.

This is a great fresh salad with lots of crunch but it is on the stronger side of things with the use of garlic and anchovy so be better prepared for a bitter flavoured salad.

Clams au gratin, fried calamari, and fried vegetables.

CICCHETTI Venetian-style tapas

Cicchetti is Italy’s version of Spanish tapas. Something that really only exists in Venice. Enter into a small bar and you might think you have stepped into a bar in Spain but with Italian ingredients. Buy a drink and nibble on the variety of snacks available. Some bars are a bit more upscale serving, mussels au gratin, friend calamari and octopus salad, while other bars are a bit more low key and serve just a variety of crostinis, but are equally delicious.

The following are the most typical dishes of Cicchetti as told to me by my native Venetian friend, Sebastiano Bazzichetto: Crostini con baccalà mantecato Baccalà mantecato is a traditional paté made of dried and salted cod, milk, olive oil and salt mixed together to form a spreadable paté that is spread on top of toasted pieces of polenta.

Fritto di pesce, also known as fritolini Fritolini is an assortment of fried fish, usually served in a very small quantity. Typically in Venice schie is the choice of fish for fritto di pesce: schie are a very small fish, no longer than a thumb, that usually swim low water. The name schie comes from “skìas” an ancient greek word that means shadow.

Cozze gratinate Plate of mussels cooked au gratin with butter, garlic, lemon and parsley.

Crostini burro e alici Toasted pieces of bread topped with butter and anchovies.

On the opposite page: Tender baby octopus salad with celery, green onion, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

PASTA

Pasta is one of the essentials when we think of Italy and that is certainly true. Most Italians eat pasta every single day of their life and with good reason, it is a dish adaptable to every season.

In the summer it is served with fresh tomatoes and in the winter with canned tomaotes or simply with garlic and oil, aglio e olio, or there are more seasonal pastas like pasta sarde, a traditional pasta eaten for St. Joseph’s day consisting of fried sardines, wild fennel, tomatoes and raisins. While most people at home use dried pasta, on occasion pasta from scratch will be made.

By the end of my time in Italy as much as I enjoyed being able to spend three months in a country full of rich food culture and tradition, I needed a break. I was completely pizza and pasta’d out, if that is even a thing that is possible.

But now back in Canada and I am missing Italian food. I’m now back in my Canadian kitchen interpreting Italian food in my own way. I left Italy with a lot more food knowledge and wisdom from all the meals I ate and the food I cooked on this trip but Italy in particular.

Upon returning home to Canada, I only then noticed that I didn’t know how to properly eat pasta properly before going to Italy. And what I mean when I say that I didn’t know how to eat pasta properly is, I was one of those people who basically kind of slurped the long strings of pasta into my mouth and chomped it off with my teeth and letting it drop back down into my plate – certainly not the classiest. Growing up my mother would always break spaghetti into half when throwing it into the pot of boiling water, her method of making it easier to eat.

This is not something I thought about before going to Italy or intended on learning just something that happened probably from eating so much pasta and observing so many Italians eating. I realized when you are out in a restaurant eating a new dish and are unsure of what to do always look at a local and follow suit. I now unconsciously twirl it effortlessly around my fork with out evening thinking twice. This may sound ridiculous but eating pasta is a skill.

Here are some of the things I learned during my three months in Italy: -Season things always. I knew this cooking essential before arriving in Europe, but I find most home cooks in North America are scared of using salt in their cooking mixing up the difference between salting food for saltiness and salting food to enhance it’s natural flavour. Marcella Hazan, Italian cookbook writer says “Nothing is so necessary to the production of taste as salt. The fear of salt has caused most of the dishes that are set before us to be inexpressive, to be dumb in flavour… Salt when used judiciously but confidently does not replace the natural taste of the food you’re cooking or the salads you’re tossing but it causes it to bloom…”

-Eat now. Do not wait for everyone to get their plate of food. Your food is hot and that is when it is meant to be eaten. Do not wait for others to get their plate if you are served first start eating, start now! Mangia, mangia! I found this hard to get accustomed to as it would be considered rather impolite in a North American setting.

-Olive oil. Douse everything in olive oil. People take their olive oil very seriously and seem to instinctively know what the perfect amount is. Lots of traditional dishes in Italy, especially in Sicily are fried in oil yet they still do not feel heavy.

-Why does that taste so good? Could be one of two things. Anchovies or parmesan, these are the two key ingredients in Italian cuisine that provide that umami kind of flavour to your dishes. Marcella Hazan, an Italian cookbook writer say about parmesan, “It has an elevating effect comparable to that of an outstanding olive oil on vegetables and greens; the flavours of the dish appear to soak and expand taking of force and volume” -Cappuccinos are only to be consumed from the morning to around one in the afternoon. Never after lunch. Too much milk, too heavy, with the exception if you got up after one and are still hungover…

-And lastly, it’s always a good time for a spritz and wine with lunch is a must.

Anchovies an essential part of Italian cuisine

Wild leeks

Pasta Dough 200 grams flour 2 eggs Make a mound of flour on the work surface and create a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and then using your fingers break the yolks and start working the egg into the flour. Bring the dough together until you have a smoothly integrated mixture.

Knead the dough, pushing it forward with the heel of your palm. Fold the dough in half, give it a half turn and press it hard against the heel of your palm again. Knead for a full eight minutes by which time the dough should be smooth and soft as putty.

Cut the ball of pasta into 6 pieces (the general rule is the number of pieces should be 3 times the number of eggs. So 2 eggs = 6 pieces). Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Set the pasta machine to the widest setting. Flatten one of the pieces of dough by pummeling it with your hands and then run it through the machine. Fold the pasta as you would an envelope by bringing the two ends over each other, so the piece is a third of its length, and run it through the machine again. Repeat with the other 5 pieces. Close the gap in the rollers down by one notch and run the pasta pieces through one by one.

Continue thinning the pieces progressively closing down the notches one by one until the pasta is as thin as you want it. Attach the cutter attachment to the pasta machine and then run the sheets of pasta through the cutter and lay the fettuccini on a well floured board or drape over kitchen cupboard doors until you are ready to cook.

Fettuccini with Wild Leeks and Anchovies This is not an traditional Italian pasta dish, but it is in the same philosophy of Italian cooking adapted to North American ingredients. Simple but quality ingredients.

1/2 lb wild leeks, cleaned and leaves separated from stems Butter Olive oil 2 salt cured anchovies, rinsed Freshly grated parmesan Chili flakes Salt Bring a large pan of well salted water to a fast boil.

Over medium heat melt a dab of butter and add olive oil, once warm add anchovies, let them fry and break down a bit. Add wild leek stems and let cook until soft and then add leaves, turning down the heat as they really just need to wilt as they are very delicate.

Cook pasta. Strain. Toss pasta in the pan with the wild leeks, adding extra oil and butter to coat pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and chili flakes, optional.

SEE S

ICILY.

I spent a month and a half of my three months in Italy just in Sicily. What brought me to Sicily was the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking school which I randomly discovered through Rachel Roddy’s instagram. I knew little of Sicily before arriving or even when I was first dreaming of travelling to Italy.

The school is located in central Sicily, an hour and a half train ride outside of Palermo in between two little towns, Vallelunga and Valleduomo, in a little area called Case Vecchie. The school was started by Anna Tasca Lanza in 1989. In the years following she created a strong following of people coming from all over the world to learn about Sicilian food and culture, and now Fabrizia, Anna’s daughter continues her mother’s work.

The scenery around Case Vecchie is stunning.

I was in Sicily in the winter, but even in the cold season, Sicily’s raw beauty blew me away.

I was amazed on my daily walk around the countryside, I could not get enough of the rolling hills and fields, vines, olive and almond trees and endless wild flowers.

Sicilian food really is something special and different compared to the rest of Italy. Sicily was a melting pot in it’s former years being conquered by the Arabs, Greeks and Normans, this had a tremendous effect on it’s cuisine. It is the only region of Italy that it’s typical dishes include couscous, and pasta with raisins.

Sicily is may not be rich in money but it is rich in good soil. They are the largest wheat grower in Sicily, providing the wheat for the rest of the pasta and pizza eaters of Italy. The Catania area is particularly known for their citrus. The pistachios of Etna and the anchovies of Sciacca.

Modica the town of Chocolate and Trapania for its couscous.

Driving through the country side you will find almonds, walnuts, endless vineyards, olive trees and more.

During my time in Sicily, I ate some of the best ricotta Sicily prodcues as the winter is when the richest, most flavourful ricotta is made because the pastures are green with all kinds of wild grass for the sheep to graze on creating a well-rounded, earthy tasting cheese.

There is an abundance of wild greens to be foraged, not to be confused with mandrake, a very poisonous plant, that is often mistaken for the edible wild greens. I unfortunately made that mistake myself, to read the story my poisinoning adventure go to my blog and read ‘A Taste of Mandrake. The coveted and incredibly flavourful wild fennel is all over the the countryside in the winter for foraging.

Winter is also the height of citrus season and the almond blossoms were beggining to bloom leaving a beautiful white confetti on the roads as they shed their petals.

My month and a half in Sicily was made much better being surrounded by those who are truly passionate and knowledgable about Sicilian cuisine: Fabrizia Lanza, Mairo Traini and I have to thank Giovanna and Enza who made me countless meals and all the other women and men who work at Case Vecchie for really enriching my Sicilian experience. The following pages show a small glimpse into my time spent in Sicily and some of my favourite discoveries and sceneries.

Case Vecchie.

The 19th century courtyard that I called home for almost two months.

The old vines remind me of old men, full of character, all distinctly different, resilient and strong just like those who call Sicily home.

Wild arugula

Sheep can be found everywhere in Sicily, most often you will see the shepherd moving his flock around looking for the best field to graze on. They will most likely be blocking the road you are trying to drive down.

Filippo, the shepherd and cheesemaker

Tuma, the first cheese made of the day.

Salvatore, Native Sicilian and expert forager.

Finocchietto selvatico, wild fennel can be found all over Sicily in the spring and it is incredibly fragrant and flavourful.

Biancomangiare This was my favourite Sicilian dessert. I tasted this sweet almond pudding the first day I arrived at Case Vecchie and ended my last meal in Sicily as with it as well. Simple yet exquisite.

Recipe courtesy the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, can also be found inside the book Coming Home to Sicily by Fabrizia Lanza Serves six to eight.

4 cups whole milk 2/3 cup cornstarch 3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp almond extract Ground cinnamon, for garnish Pistachios, finely chopped for garnish Whisk together the milk, cornstarch, sugar, and almond extract in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent sticking, until thickened and creamy (the custard should have the consistency of bechamel), 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and divide the custard among small glasses. Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon and a sprinkling of pistachios. Serve cold.

lettuce

Watercolour recreations of the beautiful, delicate lettuces found at the spring markets in Italy.

IL MERCATO Markets are a meeting point.

More than just a place to just pick up your groceries.

A place to meet old and new friends.

A place to be inspired.

This is a collection of photos my visits to the markets in Italy from North to South.

Catania, Sicily

Catania is known for their oranges as they have the best weather in Sicily for growing citrus.

Occasionally a vendor will ask me to take their photo, like this man in Catania. Who was just selling a few bunches of bay leaves and herbs from his garden.

Names of Cauliflower in Italy.

In Italian, cavolfiore.

In Northern Sicily, broccolo.

In Southern Sicily, bastardo.

Rome, Lazio

Cagliari, Sardinia

Uomo di Formaggio The cheese man of Amalfi, Campania

Venice, Veneto

Naples, Campania

Cagliari, Sardinia

Palermo, Sicily

Cucuzze

The most popular variety of zucchini grown in Sicily.

Tenerumi The leaves of the cucuzza plant.

Commonly used in soup in the summer when available.

CIBO PA L E R M I TA N O Street Food of Palermo

Stigghiola Grilled intestines

In the day passing through the La Vucciria you will find butchers, fish mongers and some produce sellers. In the night the atmosphere of the La Vucciria completely changes into one of an outdoor festival that happens to be every night, of the year. Starting around seven pm people start to arrive, meeting friends, ready to start the night out with some food and drinks. Friday and Saturday are the loudest and most voracious of the days of the week with the nearby piazzas turning into outdoor clubs with djs and bars all around in the night.

La Vucciria is just one of the markets in Palermo, it is located near Piazza San Domenico. The market has two meanings behind its name, in Sicilian it means voices which refers to all the noise that comes from this space, day and night. Vucciria also has a French background from when the Normans conquered Sicily, in Norman French it means butcher, which are the main occupants of this market.

The butchers and fishmongers from the day bring out their grills and pans and begin to cook in the evening. The fishmonger serves a selection of seafood from boiled octopus, grilled sardines to fried calamari and shrimp.

The butcher offers a couple specialties like stigghiola - grilled intestine in which you can choose from veal, goat or lamb intestines that are grilled over charcoal and served with salt and a squeeze of lemon. The butcher also serves cipollata - which is green onions wrapped with pork and grilled.

Spleen sandwich, pani cu’ la meusa is Palermo’s version of America’s hot dog. The beef spleen is first boiled, sliced very thinly and then served in a soft bun soaked in lard with either a squeeze of lemon or with melted caciocavallo cheese, a sharp, salty Sicilian cheese.

For the vegeterians there is panelle, essentially chickpea chips. Chickpea flour is cooked with water until thick and almost all the moisture has evaporated, then quickly spread out thinly to cool on plates. Then when cooled, is fried in oil, creating a light, crunchy chickpea chip.

Crocche, potato croquetes are served alone or stuffed inside a bun. A new fritter is made of mix of everything, the scraps of the panelle, potato fritter and fried onion.

Stop by one of the sfincione carts for a thick Sicilian pizza resembling focaccia, topped with tomatoes, onions, possibly a few anchovies and seasoned with a sprinkle of oregano. As Fabrizia Lanza explains in her book, Coming Home to Sicily, early each morning the sfincione men meet behind the cathedral of Palermo to get their portion of sfincione and go off to set up their cart to sell for the day. On display you will see slices of the sfincione that when you place your order the cook will open the lid to his little gas powered oven and heat a slice for you. Something feels so magical about a great piece of pizza coming from a street cart.

Some of the best people watching in Palermo occurs here at the La Vucciria, so order a little bit of food from each vendor, grab a beer from one of the local bars and watch the nightly performance.

Pane ca’ Meusa Spleen sandwich

Sfincione

Sicilian style street pizza

Sfincione Recipe courtesy Mario Traina, Executive Chef at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School Serves six to eight.

For the dough:

For the topping:

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup semolina flour 1 tbsp compressed yeast 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp salt 3 cup warm water, more or less depending on the conditions 1/2 cup olive oil

3 large red onions, sliced and blanched 1 cup tomato sauce 1 cup toasted bread crumbs 1 cup Pecorino cheese, finely grated 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4 to 6 anchovies or sardines, chopped 1 tsp dried oregano

Combine the flours, yeast, sugar, and salt. Start adding the water, little by little, mixing it with your hands and using a pastry scraper to incorporate the scraps. The dough should be soft and pliable. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and knead in.

Coat a 9-inch high-sided pan with olive oil, place dough in the middle of the pan and stretch the dough to the sides of the pan. In another bowl, combine the blanched onion with the tomato sauce, bread crumbs, pecorino, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and anchovies and mix gently together.

Spread over the dough and drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano. Cover the pan and let it rise in a warm part of the house for at least 2 hours.

Bake in a preheated 350째F oven for 30 minutes.

It’s Spritz O’clock

The Spritz is a drink that was created in Venice from the Austrian influence (as Venice was formerly apart of Austria), a spritz in Austria was equal parts water and wine which was make the wine go the extra mile. In the German language spritz means sparkling or splash.

The spritz is so popular that in Venice it is simply called Veneziano.

A spritz is composed of sparkling wine, bitter liqueur such as Campari, Cynar or Aperol(being the most common) and soda water and garnished with orange segment or peel.

Blood Orange Campari Spritz Sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Cava 1 shot Campari 1 glug club soda 1 slice blood orange Fill a tumbler or large wine glass with ice. Fill the glass 2/3 full with sparkling wine. Add the shot of Campari. Top with club soda, stir well, then add the blood orange slice.

Reads Some literature to get you excited about an upcoming trip to Italy or just delve deeper into the food and culture of Italy.

Bitter Almonds by Mary Taylor Simetti The story of Maria Grammatica, a story of a Sicilian woman born into poverty, grew up in a convent learning the traditions of pastry from the nuns to eventually leaving and now running her world famous bakery in Erice.

On Persphone’s Island by Mary Taylor Simetti I read this book after just after leaving my time in Sicily and it was the perfect read to end that chapter of my trip. This book was set in 1982 following the year in the life of Mary who was an American who had married a Sicilian. Mary had then been calling Sicily home for twenty years and was raising her two teenage kids at the time. The book is a great description of what a year of living in Sicily is like from the cultural festivities, drastic weather patterns and seasonal dishes. Her family split their time between the capital of Palermo and a small town where they had their small family farm, producing their own wine, olive and oil and more. I could relate to some of it, because some things in Sicily never seem to change. The book also touches on what life was like when the Mafia had such a strong hold over the island.

The Heart of Sicily: Recipes and Reminiscences of Regaleali, a Country Estate by Anna Tasca Lanza and Franco Zecchin I read this book in Anna’s own little cookbook heaven in the downstairs of her house curled up next to the fire, escaping the Sicilian winter that waited me outside. Anna came at cooking from a much different perspective of Fabrizia but they definitely meet in the middle with their passion and vision.

Coming Home to Sicily by Fabrizia Lanza This book is beautiful is so many ways, and I am trying not to be biased. The photography by Guy Ambrosino is absolutely stunning and really captures what life is like at Case Vecchie. I really enjoyed reading Fabrizia’s story and drooling over the recipes as I’ve tasted many of them in person and can attest to their deliciousness.

Five Quarters by Rachel Roddy Rachel Roddy made me beyond excited to arrive in Italy, after following her for months on Instagram, looking forward to see her daily post on #whatsinthesinktoday, her darling little boy Luca and what the vendors were selling that day at her local market in Testaccio, Rome. I have yet to see this book in person but I had to mention it as Rachel further inspired my curiousity in Italy and through her I found the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School which turned to out to be the major focus/ influence of my trip. I am an avid follower of her blog and can attest to the quality of her recipes. Rachels’s writing is captivating as is the real life her, incredibly animated and telling vivid scenes of her daily life in Rome and recipes that accompany that.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and Marcella Says... by Marcella Hazan This was the first Italian cookbook I ever read. Marcella Hazan was incredibly influential in bringing real Italian food to North America. Her recipes are simple yet absolutely delicous. She wrote with exact decisiveness with sentences like you don’t have good quality tomatoes, forget about it.

@haleythemaker www.haleythemaker.com