Treats & Sweets « baroquesicily.com - Sicily Stories and Travel Tips from Jann Huizenga

Five-Minute Sicilian Gelo di Limone

August 2, 2010

This is the easiest dessert you can imagine and so very Sicilian. The first time I made the “jello,” I wolfed down the entire 6 servings before I’d even allowed it to cool. If you have a sweet tooth and like lemony things, this is for you.

1. Whisk together in a saucepan:

*2 cups water (or a bit more)

*1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (I like it with the lesser amount, but Sicilians would put in the greater amount)

*1/4 cup cornstarch (or even a tad less)

*peel of one biggish lemon (cut off in as few pieces as possible and with as little white pith as possible)

*juice of the above lemon

Making Sicilian Gelo di Limone, copyright Jann Huizenga

2. Cook on a high flame, stirring constantly. When the pudding thickens and begins to bubble (this will take about 3 minutes or so), pull it off the fire and immediately remove the lemon peel (or it’ll become bitter). Pour into 6 little dessert dishes, cool briefly at room temp, then refrigerate for a few hours.

Sicilian Gelo di Limone, copyright Jann Huizenga

I learned how to make gelo from Giovanna Giglio, a cooking teacher here in Ragusa (pulling a lemon off her tree, below). If you’re interested in a cooking class with her, drop me a line and I’ll put you in touch with her. See also my previous post about Giovanna.

And for another take on gelo di limone, see this link.

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A Volcano’s Late-June Gift

June 23, 2010

Peaches grown on the lavic slopes of Mount Etna! They’re called pesche tabacchiere, and love poems should be scribbled to them.

I gobble them up, consoling myself after the new bathtub leaks (again) and the painter calls to say he cannot come (again).

They’re flat, with a juicy pale-yellow flesh. The size of mini-donuts, but even sweeter. They remind you of how things must have tasted in Eden. In fact, the fruit vendor says they were the original peach. “How peaches were,” he says, “when they were born.”

I don’t know if he has scientific evidence for this, but I am completely convinced that this is the way peaches—and everything else—tasted in Eden.

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Seafood alla Siciliana

I love seafood but have always been a fraidy-cat about cooking it myself. I can throw a fillet under the broiler or on the grill and make Ruth Reichl’s amazing shrimp curry, but that’s about it.

So when Toni Lydecker sent me a copy of her gorgeous new book, Seafood alla Siciliana (Lake Isle Press, 2009) I was excited to expand my repertoire.

Seafood alla Siciliana by Toni Lydecker

Toni’s recipes are super easy to follow and most are short. Exactly what I need to overcome my fish-cooking phobia.

Before sharing the first recipe I tried from Seafood alla Siciliana (a future blog post will feature another), I have some good news:

You can win this cookbook! It’s somewhat smaller than coffee-table size, with thick, glossy paper, very pretty photos, and stories about Sicily’s cuisine. All you have to do is leave a comment on any of my blog posts between now and May 9, and I’ll enter your name for a random drawing on May 10. (You can enter one comment a day, max.) The only hitch is that you must provide a US or Canadian address for the shipping, so my apologies to readers on other continents.

Mahimahi Stewed with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers from Seafood alla Siciliana by Toni Lydecker

(4 servings; prep 10 minutes; cook 20 minutes)

*4 fillets (about 1.5 pounds) cut from medium-firm fish such as mahimahi, bonito, grouper, sea bream, sea bass, cod, or snapper

*sea salt or kosher salt

*1 small onion, chopped

*1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

*1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

*1/3 cup Mediterranean olives (optional)

*leaves from 1 or 2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, chopped

*1 heaping tablespoon salt-preserved capers, soaked in water for several minutes and drained

*hot red pepper flakes

Directions

Sprinkle the fish fillets lightly with salt.

Combine the onion, olive oil, and 1/4 cup water in a skillet large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer briskly but not furiously until the onion is tender. Add the tomatoes, olives (if using), parsley, capers, red pepper flakes to taste, and another 1/4 cup water.

My skillet before the final step of adding the fish fillets

Once the cooking liquid returns to a simmer, lay the fillets on top, skin side down. Cover and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. At this point the tomatoes will have released their juices and there should be a small ladleful of brothy sauce for each serving; if not, remove the fish to a platter, add a little more water and heat briefly. Taste and stir in a bit more salt and pepper flakes if needed.

Ladle the sauce into shallow soup bowls; place a fish fillet in each one.

My finished product

“Wow,” commented my husband. “This looks and tastes like a restaurant dish!” It brought back a bouillabaisse we had last year in Naples.

Really easy. Really lovely. I served it with a crusty baguette and wished only that I’d added a bit more water at the end, as per Toni’s instructions.

Image from Seafood alla Siciliana by Toni Lydecker, photo by Tina Rupp

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Gelato Days, Gelato Nights

April 15, 2010

It’s that time of year again. The ripe time. The jasmine is sweet; cows low in verdant pastures; a soft breeze blows from Africa.

It’s time for Sicilians to begin doing what they most love doing: eating gelato.

Men Eating Ice Cream, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Sicilians claim to have invented ice cream by mixing citrus syrups with the snow of Mount Etna. According to Mary Taylor Simeti, though, the reality is more complicated.

Ice Cream/Gelato, copyright Jann Huizenga

Ice Cream Cone, copyright Jann Huizenga

The place to go for ice cream in Southeast Sicily—besides the wonderful Caffè Sicilia in Noto—is Gelati Divini in Ragusa Ibla. You won’t find any icky Baskin Robbin’s flavors (no Cotton Candy, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream). These are Old World gelati for grown-ups: Rose Petal, Cream of Marsala, Jasmine, Honey of a Thousand Flowers, Fennel, Persimmon, Moscato d’Asti, Nero d’Avola. Rosaria, the charming proprietess, will always let you sample before you order.

Gelati Divini

Sicilian gelato has much less fat than American ice cream, so indulging is not really a sin.

Chocolate and Vino Cotto (Cooked Wine)

Taylor Simeti also recommends the Gelateria Cappadonia in tiny Cerda as the best gelateria in western Sicily. (Cerda is about an hour’s drive east of Palermo). In season, they make an artichoke gelato! Do you have a favorite gelateria in Sicily? Or maybe a great Sicilian gelato recipe? Please share!