March 16, 2012
Ricotta is the ultimate comfort food for Sicilians— pillow-soft and creamy, not at all like the rubbery goo at Albertsons. For this recipe, buy it from your local Italian grocer or an upscale market like Whole Foods or make it yourself (not that hard!).
Ingredients for Ricotta Mousse (serves 6):
*9 oz ricotta
*1/2 cup Sicilian Moscato (you can cheat with a California Moscato from Trader Joe’s)
*2 T sugar
*3 oz pistachios, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts (2 kinds of nuts will suffice), coarsely chopped
*5-6 T eucalyptus honey (or substitute any other nice honey)
*candied orange peel, slice thinly (optional)
*mint sprigs (optional)
Ready?
Whip the ricotta with the sugar and Moscato. Force the mixture through a sieve to get a velvety consistency. Sprinkle a bit of the nut mixture into 6 Martini or wine glasses. Top with the mousse and a final sprinkle of nuts. Garnish each glass with a dollop of honey, and if you are using them, candied orange and sprig of mint.
Buon appetito!
This recipe is adapted from Taste and Tradition, Vol 2 by Roberta Corradin and Paula Rancati. It comes from Chef Angelo Treno of Al Fogher restaurant. TOURIST ALERT! Al Fogher is the place to eat after visiting the Roman mosaics in Piazza Armerina.
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December 26, 2011
Sicily tries to kill you with sugar, and Christmas Day is no exception.
Everyone was walking the streets yesterday morning smooching and shouting “Auguri!” And juggling a cake or two. 
These are no ordinary cakes. They’re saccharine clouds pasted together with cinnamon-ricotta goo, doused with cognac or rum, laced with teeth-achingly sweet marzipan, and topped with pistachio nuts, berries, chocolate or a blood-rush of sugary icing and spirals of candied orange, lemon, and citron.
Dig in for a glucose overdose, and don’t blame me if you gain a few kilos:
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July 7, 2011
Watermelons are piled high wherever you look. These heavy-as-boulder ones come from nearby Pachino, a town famous for its ruby-red tomatoes.
Watermelon used to bore me, conjuring up corporate picnics, American flags, and pig-out contests.
But I like it the Sicilian way–as gelo. It’s simple and fast.
DIRECTIONS
1. Roughly cut up a 3-pound watermelon (seedless, unless you want to pick out seeds one by one as I did) and discard the rind. Puree the chunks until liquified. (I have no blender–I’m trying to live a minimalist life–so I smooshed the chunks with my fists.)
2. Whisk 2/3 cups sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch in a non-reactive pan. Whisk in the pureed watermelon. (OPTIONAL: Add jasmine flowers.) Bring the mix to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. It will take only a few minutes to thicken and bubble.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla. With a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. You can leave it in the big bowl, or spoon it out into individual serving bowls, as I did. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.
4. To serve, garnish with some or all of the following: grated dark chocolate, ground cinnamon, chopped pistachios, jasmine flowers. Serve with whipped cream if you like the calories.
This recipe was adapted from Saveur. Hope you enjoy it!
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June 23, 2011
You sip prosecco, nibble sardines and langoustines and Sicilian caponata. Breezy curtains ripple and swing. It feels like you’re in a canopied bed, in One Thousand and One Nights.
But you’re out on a traffic island. In my favorite new restaurant.
 Dining at Il Consiglio di Sicilia in Donnalucata, Sicily Dining on this traffic island is fun! There’s not much traffic, really–just a few Fiats and scooters and kids on bikes. As the curtains billow open, ruffling your hair with warm sea air (the blue Ionian laps just down the street), you glimpse a family playing on their stoop. Children skip by with gelato. You look for a genie to fly from your bottle of wine.
Il Consiglio di Sicilia is owned and run by the four talented siblings of the Cicero family: Antonio, Gabriella, Elisa, and Chef Lucia, just 23 years old.
 Lucia, the 23-year-old cook at Il Consiglio di Sicilia  Gabriella, your server at Il Consiglio di Sicilia Try the tasting menu (called La Joia), a languid parade: gorgeous seafood starters, primo, secondo, and desserts, each course accompanied by wine, all for €48.
 Sicilian langoustines at Il Consiglio di Sicilia, Donnalucata  Marinated Anchovies with Mint at Il Consiglio di Sicilia Or order a la carte. Pastas include spaghetti con le vongole, tagliolini ai ricci, and spaghetti with cuttlefish ink topped with fresh sweet ricotta (€12-15). Second courses include swordfish, baked sea bass, mackerel with herbs and tomatoes (€13-15). All from local waters. And don’t miss out on Chef Lucia’s desserts: cinnamon gelo (pudding), chocolate flan, lemon sorbet, and truly amazing cannoli.
 Dining on the "Traffic Island" at il Consiglio di Sicilia
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Donnalucata is a charming fishing village in Southeast Sicily. Il Consiglio di Sicilia is at 79 Via Casmene, next to “Palazzo Rosso” (a Montalbano location)–just ask anyone for directions. Open every summer evening for dinner. They will also do lunch for group so 6 or more when you reserve a day in advance. Tel. 0932.938062 or 340.9448923. Email: info@ilconsigliodisicilia.it
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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.
Which one to get?
Chocolate with orange nibs? Laced with Grand Marnier? Cointreau? Nuts? Truffles? A Mister Chocolate?
How about a cake with a bottle of bubbly enclosed? My head spins.
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!!
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All photos and text on BaroqueSicily are Copyright of Jann Huizenga ©2009-2015, unless otherwise noted. Material may not be copied or re-published without written permission. All rights reserved.
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