The Food Of Sicily

 Most Italian culinary focus doesn't involve Sicily. It's usually the North with their  elegant, sophisticated dishes or Naples and Rome with their vibrant flavorful ones. Yet Sicilian cooking is fresh, one of the first farm to table cuisines.The ingredients come from the land and sea and marry the island's varied cultural ancestry.

The island has experieinced a wide array of cultures  starting almost from the beginning of time. The original Sicils (for whom the island was named after0 probably migrated from the iIalian  mainland's Amalfi coast. There were also other tribes , the Sicanians and Elymians which probably came from Spain and Greece..Later the Greeks and Arabs took over followed by the Romans, Germanic tribes, Arabs and Vikings. There was also the Spanish rule in the mid 1700's as well, bringing an Iberian influence to the cooking. There is also the Italian influence evidenced in their spaghetti dishes. The pasta is topped with breadcrumbs and chopped parsley.Another has Arab influences, pasta con sarde, This was created by General Eufemio's chef a Byzantine commander who protected the island''s coast. He needed a hearty meal to feed his many troops. A chef came up with one that utilized local produce, - namely sardines and Arab ingredients namely saffron and raisons.Pistacchios also figure in Sicilian cooing as well, thanks to the Moorish influence.

There are also farms on the island too, providing all sorts of fresh produce. The Sicilians love broccoli rape , drenched in garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes.People from Catania to Messina enjoy a grilled vegetable salad. This is a combination of grilled eggplant, onion, pepper, zucchini and peppers along with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.it can be eaten as a main dish with a good hunk of crusty Italian bread or served as a side with grilled steak or chicken.A favorite snack is arancini made with spinach,. These are fried rice balls stuffed with greens and mozzarella. They can also be filled with meats such as salami and other island cheeses like pecorino or ricotta. Fruit is also abundant on Sicily.Oranges and Meyer lemons are big in cooking and in salads. They're also popular ice flavors. A refreshign dish year round is Sicilian orange salad. This is sliced oranges mixed with black kalamata. olives and cnopped fennel. sliced red onions are also added to it and its' dressed with a combination  olive oil and lemon juice

Sicilian cuisine is a trip into fresh  ingredients turned into delicious dishes. They represent the island's love of the land and the sea. These are dishs with history and flavor.

for Concetta Portelli Helble

Chickpeas From Savory To Sweet

Chickpeas are quickly becoming a kitchen staple. They can be used in any lunch or dinner recipe and now they also an ingredient in breakfasts and desserts. These creamy little peas are becoming the powerhouses of the culinary scene and with good reason.

This amazing little pea , also know as the garbanzo bean has been around for 7,500 years.We modern cooks weren't the first to popularize it. Ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian chefs  also cooked with it and centuries later the Spanish brought it to the New World. It also made its way to Spain via North Africa and India, thanks to the trade routes. Chickpeas are the backbone in Indian vegetarian cooking, allowing it to be the much needed protein. The beans are divided into two kinds , desi and kabuli. The first is a small dark ball while the kabuli is the smooth creamy white one we use. Surprisingly you can start off your day off with a chickpea scramble. It's mixing chickpeas with turmeric (to give it that scrambled egg look) along with white onion and garlic.If this is too strong in the AM, just omit the onion and garlic and sub in spinach and mushrooms. A nice brunch idea is a savory muffin ,using a can of them drained with  a package of spinach. The best thing about the recipe is no flour is used,perfect for those with gluten and wheat allergies. The peas and spinach are pulsed in a food processor with nutritional yeast and Parmasian cheese, Eggs are added for binding and then the mixture is poured into a greased muffin pan. The muffins are baked the same as regular muffins  - for about twenty-five minutes.


Of course chickpeas have been used in lunches and dinners since the Neolithic Era. Hummus is a classic lunch as well as party dish and anyone can make it. What is good about the recipe is that you can add anything you want to i, from spinach to red peppers. The basic recipe is mashing the peas with lemon juice and olive oil. The traditional one calls for tahini sauce but this can be omitted. Minced garlic is added for bite. some home chefs even add sun dried tomatoes for color and to amp up the taste.Now the age old dip is entering the dessert realm.Because of its' mild taste companies and home chefs are pairing  the pea with chocolate and sweet spices. Sweet hummus dip has a stronger, texture than the regular, in a way resembling cookie dough.Use unsweetened cocoa  when making it and palm sugar.Of course the chickpea water, aquafaba has hit the baking world in a big way. Bakers are whipping in into vegan meringues  with excellent results. It can also top both Key Lime and lemon meringue pies too for a healthier spin. Chickpeas , though, shine their best in stews and soups. A hearty chickpea stew is loaded with protein and flavor. Add tomatoes along with bell peppers and onions for one that is tasty and filling. Or try it with cauliflower, spiked with curry for a different spin.Minestrone soup can benefit greatly from the addition of a can of chickpeas.A cup of them can go a long way in adding flavor to a pot.

Use this amazing little powerhouse any way you'd like, Start the day with it or make a refreshing lemon hummus for a healthy lunch, Have it for dinner or even dessert.The chickpea is versatile.

Basil Season

Late August brings about many harvests, tomatoes, eggplants  and of course basil,It's one of the most prolific plants with each plant sprouting hundreds of leaves. What's great about it, is that basil is so easy and addictive to use.It can add punch and flavor to everything from pizzas to pastas.

Basil is one of the most ancient herbs, originating in India over 5,000 years ago.It was the Greeks, however to name it,,from basilius, the king and has been associated with the Feast of The Cross,in the Greek Orthodox religion.It refers to St Helena's Emperor Constantine's mother's pilgrimage to Jerusalem,According to some, it could have been used to perfume ancient royal oils and baths. Many chefs  consider the king of herbs.The plant is a staple in Italian cooking but also is popular in Southeastern Asian cuisine too,Italians use the sweet or Genovese kind while Thais, Laotians and Vietnamese cook with Thai basil.The last has a spicier taste, perfect for rounding out  red and green curries along with drunken noodles.The herb's benefits are bountiful.It's high in Vitamin K, essential for blood clotting, along with Vitamin A and beta carotene. The leaves are also loaded in such minerals as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese Vitamin C and potassium,It's volatile oils such as estagole and myrcene give it antibacterial qualities too, which are important in restricting the growth of harmful bacteria.It's best to use freshly picked leaves to take advantage of all it has to give.

Basil gives so much flavor to various dishes . One of the most famous is pesto sauce, originating in the Northern Italian seaport of Genoa. The basic recipe is two cups of fresh leaves pureed with Parmigiano or Romano cheese ,extra virgin olive oil, and pine nuts. Garlic cloves and fresh ground pepper are also added to round out the sauce. It works well with any kind of pasta, but it great served with ravioli or tortellini, It can also be used on toasted Italian bread as alternative to garlic bread or even as a green pizza. Basil does have a strong, herbal taste that may be too overwhelming at first.You may just want to use it sparingly at first. Try chiffonading the leaves. You can do it with one individual leaf  or a pile of stacked (I prefer individual). Tightly roll the leaves - think little cigars., and then using a sharp kitchen knife.slice the roll into four pieces . The result is pretty bright green ribbons that go well in a tomato salad or addg oomph to a Margherita style pizza. Basil gives a fresh "green" flavor to tomato sauces, whether salsa crudo or a mellowed one that's been on the stove for an hour.  Basil can be easily frozen too.It's just snipping off the stems , then washing and drying them before putting them in freezer bags.They can last up to a year, hile stile maintaining their distinctive flavor.

Take advantage of the basil harvest right now. The leaves are great to use in fresh or cooked dishes, adding color and flavor. Celebrate this royal plant in a number of ways.

It's A Wrap

Lunch can be a boring affair sometimes. It's either sandwiches or burgers with the occasional salad in the summer and soup in the winter. However there is something else to liven up the midday meal: the wrap. This is  versatile kind of sandwich that is easy to make and definitely more interesting to eat.

A wrap is nothing more than a burrito however Greeks, Mid Easterners,Armenians, Turks and Kurds have all variations of it. The bread is usually a tortilla, pita or lavash a kind of naan found around the Caspian area. They're usually made from wheat but can also be made from corn and flour.The wrap as we know it today was created in the early Nineties with three places claiming to have invented it. They were the southern California chain "I Love Juicy,New York's OVO Bistro and Stamford Connecicut's Bobby Valentine's sport's Gallery Cafe. The last clains that it ran out of bread and had t used the first thing handy -a tortilla. The US isn' the only country that's wrap happy. Australia has two chains Oportos and Burger Fuel that feed the wrap fire while Britain has happily embraced the sandwich as well. There is a caveat though. Plain wraps are usually fifty calories higher  than a slice of bread. Be careful with what you stuff them with  or they could have the same caloric weight as a burger.Companies like Toufayan do offer low calorie ones that start at one  hundred calories. Try these if you're watching your weight or are on a restricted diet.

Filling the wraps is the best part.You can add anything from leftovers to fresh  veggies to create an unique and tasty lunch . The first part is selecting  a wrap. Now they come in different flavors like pesto, garden vegetable and tomato along with plain and whole wheat. (again Toufayan, the leader in wraps produces all  of these). For a healthy one think chopped turkey or chicken with chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce. This is an incredibly light lunch and you can even have  side of vinaigrette as a dipping sauce.Another good one that chock full of vitamins is an avocado wrap. Since  avocado is filling, meat is optional. Add layers of spinach and watercress for a truly green and tasty bite.Any sandwich can be turned into a wrap. Try a BLT or a club sandwich loaded with bacon and mayo.For a quick wrap on the go try ham and American cheese. Salads too can be stuffed into a wrap. Caesar salad is a popular wrap  filling in diners and it can be made with or without grilled chicken or shrimp. You can also try a chef salad stuffing  with its' variety of different meats  cheeses and veggies. Serve with your favorite dressing as a dipping sauce.

Wraps are a nice and different alternative to humdrums sandwiches and burgers. Stick to the classic fillings or create one that unique. Either way it's a great way to liven up a lunch!

High Time For Pie

This is the season for pie baking. Between harvests and Thanksgiving everyone should be rolling out crusts and preparing filling It s’ a great dessert with a long history. People have been celebrating with this simple dessert for millenniums. It’s no wonder that we moderns include it into our holiday rituals.

We have the ancient Egyptians to thank for pie making. They were the first to put a mixture of nuts honey and fruit s into uncooked pastry and bake it. They haeven had two names for covered and open pies. The covered ones were called coffins because of their closed in shape while the ones without were called traps. The Greeks who ruled Egypt in the late Fourth Century were so enamored that they brought the recipes back to Greece. They surrendered the recipe to the Romans who fell madly in love with them. They were even offered to the gods in the temples. From then it spread through out Europe with variations leading to tarts and tartlets. Pie hit England and made their way over to America with the early colonists. Early pie crusts were solid and not at all flaky like their modern day cousins The crusts acted as containers to hold in the juices and fillings. Pie crusts got so thick at times that anything could be put into them , including jugglers and orchestras.

Luckily you don’t have to put Cold Play in your Thanksgiving pie to impress guests. You can go with apple or pecan, both easy pies to make. Another fun and quick choice is the pudding pie - taking an already made pie crust and filling with the pudding of your choice. It’s then easily topped off with Cool Whip, or Reddi Whip and garnished. There’s a lot of variations here but th e most popular flavor s are chocolate and butterscotch.

Pies are a wonderful and fun addition to any holiday dessert table. They’re easy to make , especially if the whole family pitches in. Make two or three in one flavor or vary it. Either way you’ll have a good time both baking and eating these treats.

Spain's Culinary Wonders

Spain is known for many things including excellent cuisine. The country has many different provinces and different examples of regional cooking. It is centuries old and full of native meats and vegetables. There is tapas, seafood, rice and flan , all traditional, all good.

Spanish food has both Arab and European influences. The country was first settled by Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians who brought with them their love of olive oil and good wine. The Arabs also claimed the peninsula and gave Spain. their different sweets and cakes. The Celts also had settlements in Northern Spain in Asturias and gave that region some of their food preferences. The Spaniards also love saffron and any of their dishes are seasoned with it. It is one of the main ingredient s in their national dish, paella.

Spain has some excellent seacoasts that provide the country with shrimp, lobster and eels. The interior is home for pig farms which give the Spanish their beloved serrano ham. Veal is also big in Spain especially in the north.Other crops like the tomato and potato have come when the country was the dominant leader in discovery.

Spain is an interesting country with a variety of different dishes and tastes. It's a major influence on world cooking as well.

Happy Birthday Cake

Yes, today is my birthday (it's also Samuel Taylor Coleridge's birthday and the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar).I've decided to dedicate today's entry to the birthday cake. We all have good memories of them.

The birthday cake has been around since ancient Greek times when they made simple cakes for each other. They had to be round like the sun or the moon to celebrate "the circle of life". Also the Greeks put candles on them so that they would glow like the moon. Our wish making comes form them as well because the Greeks believe that the smoke could carry wishes and prayers to the gods. The 16th Century Germans also picked up on this but believed that one single taper in a cake represented the light of life.
We still carry these customs to this day. Another custom is smearing the celebrant's name on the cake so that the wish will come true.

If any of you out there has a good birthday cake recipe share it with us. I'd love to hear about your memories of butter cream roses or birthday cakes shaped like castles.