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Healthy-Gourmet Recipe
SICILY - fabulous foods
I
recently returned from vacationing in Rome and Sicily and am so excited to share recipes. In
fact, I'll share a few now and some more next month.
First, I want to
tell you about this fabulous food. Sicily's southern cuisine has been influenced
by Greeks, Arabs, Normans, French and Spanish, the cultures that have lived on
in Sicily over the centuries. The Arabs brought eggplant, pine nuts, rice,
lemons, oranges, spices, dried fruit, and sorbet (granita.) Everywhere we stayed
we enjoyed red colored orange juice made from blood oranges.
Olive oil
and Pecorino Romano cheese are preferred in southern Italy, butter and Parmesan
cheese in the northern Italy. When buying olive oil, avoid mild varieties which
are an Americanized version lacking in flavor, with less health promoting
properties.
My father grew up in a small town near Palermo. The food of
his childhood (and mine) included caponata, eggplant and ricotta over pasta with
a fresh tomato sauce topped with basil, prickly pears, and even snails. Many
foods (and all of our vegetables) were flavored with olive oil, garlic, fresh
herbs, and his passionate personality.
FRESH PICKED AND LOCALLY
PRODUCED
What's different about eating food there instead of here is that
the ingredients are so fresh, as if they just left the farm, and the ricotta,
even that sold in supermarkets, tastes as if it was just made. The highly active
Mount Etna volcano with its lava eruptions has fertilized the soil richly, and
some believe that's why the vegetables taste so extraordinary
there.
JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT
On this trip because we met some of our Sicilian
cousins; their children were concerned if we'd all fit in their car, since they
were under the impression that most Americans are fat! Judging by the portion
sizes of some Italian food in this country, one might believe that Italians
living there must be fat. Actually, portion sizes in Sicily and Rome are small
by U.S. standards. Here, I've seen pizza loaded with cheese and pepperoni and
hanging off a large dinner plate. There, it's quality over quantity. Wasting
food is frowned upon, so portions are appropriate.
SUMMER 2010
Salt
eggplant, place in a colander or strainer with something heavy on top of it to
draw out the bitter juices for 1 hr; drain. Cook in 1/8 cup olive oil on medium high
heat.
Saute onions in a separate pan in 1/8 cup olive oil until soft. Add celery and tomatoes. Cook
for a few minutes (celery shouldn't lose its crunch!) Add vinegar, sugar,
(optional: add 2 tablespoons tomato paste) and cook for a few minutes until
thickened. Add cooked eggplant and pine nuts, capers, olives, salt and pepper.
Cool. Put on a serving platter and garnish with basil (or parsley.) Eat at room
temperature. Can be refrigerated for 5 days.
TOMATO SALAD
Tomatoes
Sea salt
Pepper
Balsamic
Basil or
parsley
Optional: fava or cannelini beans, or buffalo-milk
mozzarella
Slice tomatoes, add salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
Top with basil or parsley.
Add beans if desired.
VEGETARIAN
ANTIPASTA
This is a delicious platter to fight over, so be sure to put the
plate down near your end of the table!of foods which can be arranged on a
colorful plate or wooden cutting board or in small dishes. Eat as a meal, an
appetizer, or take it on a picnic. Pack it up, put it in your backpack, and hop
on your bike. Head for a park, find some shade, and enjoy it with friends, or
someone special in your life.
What to include? Caponata, tomato salad,
potato salad, fresh mozzarella or sharp cheeses, tuna with olive oil, lemon, and
red onion. Include some Italian bread and Sicilian wine.
GRILLED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINES)
Slice eggplant widthwise or lengthwise.
Brush each side with olive oil and black pepper. Grill, turn a few
times. Add salt.
Enjoy over pasta, as part of an antipasta, layered with
tomatoes, balsamic and olives, or in a Panini (sandwich) with tomatoes, basil
and fresh mozzarella.
Alternative cooking method:
Heat a pan. Add olive oil. Add
eggplant, salt and pepper. Turn and heat on the other side. You might have to
add a little more oil.
CAPONATA is an eggplant relish eaten cold or at room temperature,
typically as an appetizer or part of an antipasta platter. Some call it the
quintessential Sicilian dish.
2
pounds eggplants, washed and chopped small
1/4 cup extra virgin olive
oil
2/3 pound onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 ounces pitted green olives,
sliced
2 tsp. salted capers, rinsed
2/3 pound tomatoes,
chopped
1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3/8 cup
pine nuts
Fresh Basil
Salt & pepper to taste
FENNEL & MINT TEA
While staying at a house in Sicily, we noticed
plenty of fennel and mint in the garden. Good discovery ... it makes a great
tea, so delicious that we had some almost every afternoon. A small handful of
each makes a couple of cups. Enjoy it with a little sugar if you want. Note:
both fennel and mint are good for digestion.