Back at the Beach

July 3, 2011

Summer is in full swing.

The wind blows up from the Sahara.

The sun burns; the Ionian cools.

Beach in Southeast Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Morning at the Beach in Southeast Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

A Beach in Southeast SIcily, copyright Jann Huizenga

A beach in Southeast Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

We’re sitting at a kiosk at the “Aziz” beach, 2 kilometers east of Donnalucata in Southeast Sicily.

“Three hours on the beach, the best coffee money can buy, two fresh brioches, and a turquoise view of the Mediterranean that extends to Africa,” Kim says, “All for five euro.”

Happy Fourth! Are you on the beach?

****

Directions: From Donnalucata, drive 2 kms east (following signs to Marina di Modica and Siracusa). When you see a (faded ) sign that says “Aziz” and “Pizzeria,” turn right and go all the way to the water, where you’ll see a white “kiosk.” Ask locals for help: everyone knows Aziz. Go early to get good parking: the bar opens at 9am and is peaceful until about 11:00.

Click to subscribe to BaroqueSicily.

Sicily in Pulsing Pink

March 14, 2011

Pink Sunset in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Vendor on Pink Wall in Ragusa, SIcily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Pink Laundry in SIcily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Pink Cloud in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Balloons in Sicily, copyright Jann HuizengaPink Wall in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Spring Onions in Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Fireworks at Festa di San Sebastiano, Palazzolo Acreide, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Thanks to all of you for your comments on the last post. Congratulations to Natalie, WINNER of the COOKBOOK giveaway!  Check out Natalie’s charming blog, anamericaninrome.

***

Click here for 7 simple ways to help Japan.

***

Click to subscribe to BaroqueSicily.

Who ARE These Guys?

December 20, 2010

Well, I never. My first Christmas in Sicily, and so many surprises! I found this pair wandering an empty piazza. They stopped so I could shoot them, but I didn’t dare interrupt the music to ask Who in blazes are you?

Sicilian Musicians at Christmas, copyright Jann HuizengaThe Great God Google says they’re Zampognari. The instrument on the right is a zampogna, or Italian bagpipe, made of reeds and a sheep’s hide, and dating back to the time of Nero.

In Sicily, bagpipe-blowing shepherds traditionally come down from Mount Etna at Christmastime to play in the villages–sort of the Sicilian equivalent of Christmas carolers.

Are these Zampognari real shepherds dressed up as Santa? Or faux shepherds trying to revive what many fear is a dying art? I’m not sure, but they blow a mean Christmas carol.

***

Click here to subscribe to BaroqueSicily.

What’s in those Hat Boxes?

December 18, 2010

My first Christmas in Sicily. Things are low-key and I’m lovin’ it. The bar has dangled a few nonchalant stars; the barista wears a red tie . The (horse) butcher has lined his doorway with a handful of twinkle-lights. Poinsettias redden the piazza.

Things at the supermercato have reached a fever pitch, though. Christmas cakes in hat boxes—piled high on skids everywhere you look—teeter alarmingly, threatening to bury you alive under mounds of butter and lard. Friends tell me Sicilians start gobbling the cakes (called panettone or pan d’oro) at the end of November. By Christmas, they’re so bloated they can’t look at a hat box.

Christmas Panettone in Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Which one to get?

Christmas Pan d'Oro in Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Chocolate with orange nibs? Laced with Grand Marnier? Cointreau? Nuts? Truffles? A Mister Chocolate?

Christmas Panettone in Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

How about a cake with a bottle of bubbly enclosed? My head spins.

Christmas Panettone in Sicily, Copyright Jann Huizenga

I finally close my eyes and point. I pick the classic—a spongey-eggy poof studded with oranges and raisins (OK, I’m boring). Wish I were sharing this monster with you!!

Christmas Panettone in Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

***

If you’d like to subscribe, click here.

O, Sweet Danger

October 23, 2010

Forests of prickly pears glitter with sunset-colored fruit: burning orange and deepest pink. The fall crop is so abundant in Sicily that most of it plops down onto roadways to rot in the sun—roadkill for nectar-seeking wasps and honeybees.

Sicilian prickly pears, copyright Jann Huizenga

I gave the prickly pear, called fico d’india—literally, fig of India—the cold shoulder for quite a while after my first experience peeling one. Who knew to put on gloves? The invisible barbs lodged deep into my fingertips. I spend hours armed with tweezers squinting on my sunlit balcony, extracting them one by one.

But now I’ve found a happy solution: I drink my prickly pears.

Either in liqueur form …

Sicilian prickly pear liqueur, copyright Jann Huizenga

… Or in sweet granita—seeds and all. It tastes like watermelon juice imbued with banana-y blood oranges. Of course I worried that a prickly pear plant would sprout in my stomach after this granita, but so far so good.

Sicilian prickly pear granita, copyright Jann Huizenga

Have you tried the prickly creatures? Discovered a danger-free way to eat them?

***

Click to comment.

Click to subscribe.

Site Meter BlogItalia.it - La directory italiana dei blog Related Posts with Thumbnails