Back to the origins…
March 17, 2011
POLPETTE ALLA SICILIANA – SICILIAN STYLE MEATBALLS
Recipe n. 28
When I first started this blog, I wanted to make recipes available to you from my knowledge of Sicilian cuisine. I admit I have gotten lost on the way lately, as I started to experiment in the kitchen with different types of cuisine and other ways of cooking (or not cooking at all with the raw diet), but deep inside me there is something about my way of cooking which is rooted and will never leave me- my Sicilian influence. So here I am again with a typical sicilian recipe which has two basic ingredients very common in sicilian recipes, with an ancient influence from arabic cuisine: ‘passolina e pinoli ‘, pine nuts and raisins. When combined together they often represent the key ingrendients of the most famous sicilian recipes. Today I want to show you how we make meatballs in Sicily.
Ingredients:
- 1lb ground lean beef (grass fed and no antibiotics)
- 1/4 cup of ‘passolina e pinoli’/ raisins and pine nuts (better if you can use currants soaked in water for a few minutes )
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs soaked in milk for a few minutes (I like to use rice milk)
- 1/2 onion finely chopped or grated
- chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they are well combined (but do not overdo the mixing). Using both hands start rolling the meatballs between the palms of your hands. I like to make my meatballs small like single bites, but you can make them any size you like. After you have obtained several meatballs you have different options about how to cook them. You could heat a few spoons of olive oil in a large pot and then place the meatballs gently inside and let them brown on both sides and then add your favorite home made tomato sauce and cook everything together for about 20 to 30 minutes over medium/low heat. Or if you prefer a ligher version, instead of frying them in the olive oil, you could bake them for 20 min in the oven and then put them in the pot with the sauce to finish cooking them, or place the meatballs directly the way they are while the sauce is still cooking. Whatever your preference is you’re going to love them. It’s one of the few ways to get my ‘meat reluctant child’ to eat meat, and he really really likes them!
Long squash with a taste of sicily
August 30, 2010
MINESTRA ESTIVA DI ZUCCHINA LUNGA SICILIANA – SUMMER SOUP WITH LONG SICILIAN SQUASH
Recipe n. 24
A funny coincidence happened last week: I received two ‘super long funny looking squash’ from two different friends. They are typically grown in Sicily around this time of year. It must have something to do with the meaning of my last name in sicilian dialect: ‘cucuzza which means zucchina’! We use the zucchina and its leaves when they are available (which are called tenerumi), to make a simple yet deliciuos minestra which can be eaten hot or cold. I was sure that I would have never found them here in New York, but I was wrong. Apparently every wednesday at Carmine st. and Bleecker st. there is a local farmer who is selling them, along with delicious fruit and vegetables. I dedicate this recipe to my dear friend Amy, who cycled all the way to our place on her bicycle, together with her young son and the zucchina lunga siciliana. She was also very excited with the new discovery…not to mention that she had dressed the zucchina in a beautiful red silk ribbon! What more could one ask for?
Ingredients ( Serves 4)
- 1 zucchina lunga siciliana
- 1 white medium size onion,
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 small potatoes,
- 1 cup of vegetable broth (optional) or regular water
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
- 5 fresh basil leaves
- pinch of salt and pepper
- pinch of hot chilly pepper (optional)
- Olive oil
1 cup of spaghetti (broken in small pieces) to cook separetly and then add to the minestra (optional)
Cut the 2 extremities of the zucchina, peel it and cube it. Try to get rid of most of the seeds, if you can. Rinse all the pieces and let them dry in a colander.In the meantime wash the tomatoes and cut them in half. Peel the potatoes and cut in small pieces (same size of the zucchina). Place about 3 tbsps of olive oil in a large pot and let the onion, previously chopped, cook for a few minutes together with the hot chilly pepper and the cherry tomatoes. As soon as they soften, crush them slightly with a wooden spoon and then add the zucchina lunga siciliana. After cooking for a few minutes at medium/high heat, take the hot chilly pepper out and lower the heat. Now add 1 cup of water (or broth). While it’s cooking, the zucchina will also release its own water contained in the vegetable. Let it cook at medium heat until the broth will be slightly evaporated and the zucchina will look tender and soft. Adjust with salt and pepper and add some chopped basil leaves. Just before serving add some grated cheese to the minestra and a few spoons of cooked spaghetti , if you wish.
