Donnafugata Calici di Stelle 2019

I attended a press conference for Donnafugata winery’s upcoming Calici di Stelle event. We were hosted in the beautiful international marionette museum in Palermo, Sicily. As we toured through the museum, I discovered a hidden jewel right in the middle of my city. Antonio Pasqualino’s Museo Internazionale delle Marionette houses an incredible collection of handmade theatre puppets. As we learned all about the relationship Donnafugata has with the Sicilian art of puppet theatre, Josè Rallo announced Donnafugata’s project to restore two puppets as a contribution to the museum.

During the preview, Ms. Rallo described Sicily so eloquently as a symphony of colors and perfumes in the center of the mediterranean that was once powerful Magna Grecia and the beginning of winemaking history. Inside her wines, people want to find sustainability, nature, stories and culture. That’s why they connected so deeply with the history and storytelling of the Sicilian puppet theatre. Several Donnafugata wines have taken names from characters of the “opera dei pupi” in the past; so it didn’t come as a surprise to hear the Napoli brothers explaining the symbolic connections between their Princess Angelica and the elegant La Fuga chardonnay or gallant Knight Bradamante representing the Floramundi DOCG cerasuolo di vittoria blend.

The 22nd annual vineyard event will be held on August 10, the night of San Lorenzo’s shooting stars. It will be an evening in the Contessa Entellina vineyards, celebrating Sicilian culture with performances from the Invisible Orchestra and Sicilian puppeteering family, Fratelli Napoli.

Here’s the scoop…

Wine + the Art of the Sicilian Puppet Opera

WHAT: Donnafugata Calico=i di Stelle

WHERE: Tenuta di Donnafugata in Contessa Entellina

WHEN: 10 August, 2019 from 9PM-1AM

TICKETS: €30 online, €35 at the door

*This is a party in the countryside. Eat a bite before the event.

Calice di Stelle includes wine and small tastings, but not a full dinner.

Fresh Pomegranate Juice

One of the best things about Palermo in fall and early winter? Fruit juice. FRESH fruit juice! Pomegranate juice is one of our favorites.

Sicily’s climate is perfect for growing luscious rich-tasting fruit. The warm days and cool nights allow pomegranate shrubs to grow much larger than the ones you might find in California, or other places in the world. Pomegranates, native to Asia, spread through the centuries to the Middle East and then the Mediterranean. Pomegranate is called melograno in Italian. I Melograni have always been known as a symbol of fertility and bounty. Inside every pomegranate there are hundreds of edible seeds called arils. Pomegranates are rich in fiber, vitamin c, potassium, and even protein. They help reduce the risk of illness. Some even say they are an aphrodisiac!

When that winter chill comes along in Sicily pomegranates, with their high anti-inflammatory effect, are just what you need to feel good. When you press the whole fruit, pomegranate juice contains more antioxidants than any other fruit juice. All of the good stuff actually comes from the oils in the peel and the pith, so don’t forget to press the whole fruit!

In order to reap the best benefits of the pomegranate fruit, make sure to pick them when they are already ripe. This is not a fruit that will continue to ripen after it comes off of the tree. To extract the most juice, roll them on the countertop like you would do with citrus fruit.

Another easy way to pick the seeds out is to score the fruit into quarters from top to tail, then pop out each section and remove seeds from the pithy membranes. Many people also use this technique. Cut the pomegranates in half, place over a bowl, and swiftly hit the back with a wooden spoon.

Where to find Fresh Pomegranate Juice in Palermo?

During fall and early winter in Palermo, you can find pomegranates in the outdoor markets.

Many shops will sell freshly-pressed pomegranate juice for around €3 per cup.

Across from Piazza San Domenico there is a small bar that always sells freshly squeezed orange juice and when you’re lucky, you can find pomegranate juice here too.

In the Ballarò and Capo markets, there are stands that sell the juice daily. Enjoy a cup as often as you like and keep that winter cold away.

Written for Palermo Street Food: DECEMBER 21, 2018

Palermo’s Hardcore Street Foods: Stigghiole

Palermo is famous for its street food culture. There are the crowd-pleasers like panelle chickpea fritters, fluffy sfincione, and arancine rice balls. But, only the bravest know about Palermo’s more hardcore street food. With this new series, we will introduce you to some of our favorites from the more extreme echelon.

Southern Italy, famous for “cucina povera,” a way of making due with what little you have. Now a days, these recipes are a great way to use leftover ingredients in order to create a new dish the next day or to eat well with only a few simple and affordable ingredients. With Sicily’s history of aristocratic noble families on the island, there were luscious French-inspired dishes but there are also these more common countryside dishes that were made with what was available when the best ingredients were too expensive or already given to the landowners. Eating well does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. Which leads us to the topic at hand: stigghiole.

The name stigghiole comes from the Latin word “extilia” meaning intestines, but this dish actually has Greek origins here in Sicily. Stigghiole are made with lamb, veal, or sometimes goat intestines that have been wrapped around green spring onion and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Some versions of stigghiole wrap a small amount of meat in intestine fat first and others use no meat at all, filling them with chopped white onion, long parsley sprigs, and a sprinkle of grated pecorino cheese before coiling the outside with sausage casings. It almost looks like a sausage and really, when you think about it, it is practically the same ingredients as a sausage. The sausage casings need to be soaked in salt water and rinsed over and over again until they are cleaned properly before using. The perfect balance of fat, salt, freshness from the parsley and a little kick of raw onion make it absolutely mouthwatering.

Throughout Sicily’s “entroterra” and center of the island, you’ll easily find stigghiole in butcher shops or served in the streets during festival celebrations. They are most common in the city of Palermo where we serve them grilled over charcoal or wood-burning barbecues throughout the city center at outdoor markets like Ballarò or Vucciria. It’s a dish that most people do not make themselves since you can buy them pre-made at the butcher shop. Most commonly here in Palermo, we just eat them on the go as a street food snack with lots of lemon squeezed on top.

In Vallelunga Pratameno, a small village in central Sicily, we learned how to make stigghiole with the town butcher. In his shop, they use chopped onions, parsley, and some grated pecorino cheese. The lacy thin pieces of caul fat helped hold it together in this case because the onions were chopped into small pieces. It ends up melting away on the grill but keeps the stigghiole juicer.

In Palermo, the vendors grilling stigghiole are called “stigghiularu.” They grill stigghiole over charcoal fires then slice into bite-sized pieces finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. We absolutely love this dish and know the smell right away when we walk through the market or wander through the streets near la Vucciria after a few beers on a Friday night. The stigghiularu send up their smoke signal to make sure everyone knows where they are. With just a little piece of fat on the grill, the piazza fills with a cloud of delicious smelling smoke and it’s easy to find our beloved stigghiole. Just follow the smoke, and you’ll know what we mean.

Where to find stigghiole in Palermo:

Piazza Caracciolo also known as the old Vucciria market behind Piazza San Domenico

From Monday to Saturdays, you can find them In the Ballarò market

Written for Palermo Street Food: FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Recipe: Ricotta al forno

Ricotta is the king of Sicilian cheeses, although it should not technically be called a cheese at all. “La ricotta non è un formaggio, ricotta è ricotta.” Ricotta is just ricotta. About 90% of ricotta made in Sicily comes from sheep’s milk, except for a small part of the island that makes it from cows milk.

The name ricotta actually signifies that it is in fact ”re-cooked” whey that is a bi-product of the first cheesemaking process in the early stages of creating pecorino. This ingredient is incredibly versatile with so many special Sicilian desserts like sfince or cassata featuring sweetened ricotta cream fillings, savory pasta dishes topped with fresh ricotta, there is the salted and aged ricotta salata, baked cinnamon ricotta cakes, or even this lesser-known slowly baked version “ricotta al forno.”

One of our favorite prepared foods to pick up in the market is “ricotta al forno.” This baked ricotta is slowly cooked in a low temperature oven for about an hour before being served on trays to the masses in the outdoor markets in Palermo. Every morning, trays are displayed in the Ballarò amongst piles of Sicilian cheeses like pecorino, ricotta salata, fresh containers of ricotta, provola, and caciocavallo.

There are several varieties of ricotta al forno depending on the toppings you add before cooking. There is a traditional version with only a drizzle of olive oil, others that are covered with Sicilian oregano, a typical Palermitan sfincione topping of tomato/breadcrumb/anchovies/onions, the fan-favorite: pistachio with orange marmellata, seasonal varieties like caramelized onions + artichokes or traditional with dry herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, spicy red peperoncino, and black peppercorns. We like to serve ricotta al forno as an antipasto with crostini and a fresh drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or it can be used as a condiment inside of a sandwich. Here is a recipe to make ricotta al forno.

RECIPE: Ricotta al Forno (baked ricotta recipe)

fresh ricotta

fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, or thyme)

pinch of sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

The plastic strainer that the ricotta comes in helps keep a nice basket shape and allows some of the liquid to run out through the small holes. Flip the fresh ricotta out of the plastic container and let it rest in a bowl for about an hour to air dry and release some additional liquid whey. In a small bowl, prep your toppings, add a pinch of sea salt, and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the ricotta in one piece onto the tray. Cover the ricotta with a small coating of extra virgin olive oil and then press in the herb topping along the top and sides. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 1 hour. The ricotta will harden and become a bit more compact with a beautiful overall toasted brown color. Allow it to cool slightly before cutting into it.

written for Palermo Street Food: MARCH 19, 2019

Inspector Montalbano's pasta ‘ncasciata

photography by Anna Trifirò - LAND Collective

Leaning on the terrazza of Detective Montalbano’s apartment in Marinella, he takes time to look out to the sea and reflect on the cases he’s been working on down at the questura station in Vigata. His thoughts constantly pass from concentrating on work to light-hearted reflections of mouthwatering meals that his housekeeper Adelina will prepare for him at lunchtime. 

While drinking red wine and having a casual lunch of his favorite pasta ‘ncasciata at home, Salvo was chatting with fellow detectives Mimi and Fazio about an open investigation. They swiftly switched back and forth from conversation about the case to discussing their meal. Montalbano was asked if he would have eaten the entire platter of pasta if they were not there to help him out. He quickly responded, “and what would be so wrong with that?” Salvo raised his glass of red wine and proposed a toast “To this pasta ‘ncasciata by Adelina; which is a true work of art.” Glasses clinked and the three men continued to eat the entire pan of pasta. 

The way Detective Montalbano appreciates the food of his beloved Sicily is so perfectly written throughout Camilleri’s stories. Where would he be without his treasured cook, Adelina? Would Salvo’s passionate love for Livia ever be enough to leave the comfort of this nourishing home? Just in case he’ll need to pass on the recipe one day, here’s our version of Montalbano’s pasta ‘ncasciata.

Pasta ‘ncasciata is a version of a traditional baked pasta dish known as pasta al forno in Italian. The dry pasta is partially cooked first in salted boiling water then strained and seasoned with a rich tomato ragu, cubes of fried eggplant, pieces of caciocavallo cheese, and pockets of besciamella cream sauce tucked in between layers of pasta. Pasta alla Norma is a typical dish from the southeast part of Sicily made with eggplant, tomato sauce, and ricotta salata. This pasta ‘ncasciata plays with those same summer flavors and the seasoned pasta is assembled into a casserole pan to bake in the oven. This allows all of the flavors to come together, becoming one of the very few pasta dishes that tastes even better when you eat it later. The ragu can be made ahead and also used as a filling for Montalbano’s other favorite dish, arancini. 

recipe: pasta ‘ncasciata

serves 6 | preparation: 1 hour and a half | cooking time: 20 minutes

ingredients for ragu

• 2 sweet white onions, finely diced

• 1 small carrot, finely chopped

• 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

• 1/2 lb. ground beef (also can be a mix of pork/beef/veal if you like)

• 2 T. estratto di pomodoro (high-quality Sicilian tomato paste)

• 28-ounces pelati (canned whole peeled tomatoes)

• 1/4 c. red wine

• 1 T. sugar

• 1 T. red wine vinegar

• sea salt + black pepper to taste

• 4T. extra virgin olive oil

ingredients for besciamella

• 2 c. milk

• 2 T. butter

• 2 T. flour

• pinch of nutmeg

• sea salt to taste

ingredients for pasta

• 2c. short dry pasta like rigatoni, penne, Sicilian anelletti, or casarecce

• 1 c. caciocavallo cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

• sunflower or other vegetable oil for deep frying

• 3T. grated parmigiano cheese

• extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt + black pepper to taste

process

Start with the ragu and while it cooks you can prep the other ingredients. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the diced onion, carrot, and celery until softened. Add the ground meat and breakup with a wooden spoon so it starts to cook with the vegetables and breaks down into small pieces. Dissolve the tomato estratto in a small cup with the red wine then add both to the pot. Stir to deglaze the pan and get any browned meat pieces up from sticking at the bottom of the pan. Add the canned pelati and all of the tomato juices. Stir to combine everything and turn heat down to low and cook for at least 45 minutes. Stir occasionally as the ragu thickens and cooks down. Season with a small pinch of sugar and a splash of red wine vinegar if necessary to balance the flavor of the tomatoes if you want. Season the ragu with fine sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (160 C). Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. Heavily salt the water, so it tastes like the sea. While water comes to a boil, make the besciamella sauce in a small saucepan. Melt the butter in the saucepan over low heat then add the flour and stir quickly with a small whisk. When the butter bubbles and absorbs the flour, making a roux, it will look like wet sand and slowly darken to a golden color. Add the milk all at once and quickly whisk to get out any clumps. As the milk heats up, keep stirring until it starts to thicken and slowly bubble. Season the besciamella with a small pinch of nutmeg and fine sea salt to taste and set aside.

Fry the cubes of eggplant in a sauté pan with vegetable oil. Allow them to float around and get a dark golden brown color before pulling out with a slotted spoon to blot on paper towels. After a few batches of eggplant are fried, let them rest to remove extra oil until you are ready to assemble the pasta ‘ncasciata. 

Boil the pasta until al dente or even a little bit firmer than al dente. The pasta will cook a bit longer in the oven so you do not want to over cook it. Strain the pasta in a colander. Season the cooked pasta with the ragu sauce and toss with half of the eggplant pieces. Taste the seasoning now to see if you need to add any more salt or pepper. Place the pasta into your oven-safe baking dish then tuck the additional pieces of eggplant, caciocavallo cheese and spoonfuls of besciamella into small pockets between the layers of pasta. Finish the top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of grated parmigiano cheese.   Bake until everything has heated through and the cheese melts. It will take about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or wait until it cools down so you are able to cut slices from the pan like a lasagna. Enjoy it with a glass of Sicilian red wine like a Frappato or Nero d’Avola.

About the Chef

Linda Sarris is a Greek-American private chef from New York City. After culinary school, she took off for an internship at a farm-to-table cooking school in Italy. She fell in love with the culture, the local food, wine, and Sicily’s magical sunshine. Under her brand, The Cheeky Chef, Linda organizes biannual chef-led food/wine tours and is writing a self-published travel ‘zine called SNACK Sicily. She splits her year between cooking for female entrepreneurs in New York City and freelance travel consulting in Palermo. Follow along on @thecheekychef and www.lindasarris.com.

Sicilian Breadcamp in The Financial Times newspaper

In October 2018, I organized a very special workshop with 7 female bakers from around the world. They joined us at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School for an experimental week using their own professional baking techniques with our local Sicilian flour. We visited a flour mill, a local cheesemaker, sipped Sicilian wines in the courtyard, and slathered fancy French butter on our homemade sourdough breads just after they came out of the school’s wood-burning oven.

I am very excited to invite bread lovers of all levels to join us for the second workshop that will run from September 30 through October 5th, 2019. Additional information and workshop pricing available online. Although this is not a sourdough workshop, students will learn all of the different breads from around the island and focus two full days on sourdough baking with the lovely and extremely talented Monika Wałęka. We’re waiting for you in Sicily!

photo by Monika Wałęka for The Financial Times, December 28, 2018

“It isn’t difficult to understand the relationship between land and the taste of the land when you are on a farm with a cooking school in the uplands of interior Sicily.

Thunderheads hung in the sky, fields were striped with chocolate earthen clods after the wheat harvest. Fabrizia Lanza, who inherited the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school on the family’s estate from her mother, lamented that it had rained all September. Much of the grape harvest was delayed, the tomato crop that usually lasted until November was already over. We walked through her garden, among mulberry, persimmon and pomegranate trees, banks of rosemary, silvery sages, scented geraniums, “very good on chocolate cake”. Rotted pears crushed underfoot.

Lanza had gathered several artisanal bakers (and me, who has never baked a loaf in her life) for a week of “bread camp” to learn about Sicilian ancient grains. There is a trend in Sicily and all over the world, of rediscovering forgotten strains of wheat to recapture the flavour of bread lost to industrialised farming and supermarket demands for shelf life. There are more than 50 “ancient” Sicilian grains, developed over centuries to adapt to varied microclimates of the Italian island, and increasingly farmers are finding a market for them among pasta makers, pizza restaurants and bakers. Lanza said when she first tasted bread made from one, it was a revelation.

“I had no idea that flour had a flavour,” she said. “Regular flour was for me just white powdered talc.”

By chance rather than design, the bakers were an all-female group. Passionate about einkorn, spelt and emmer, they had Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers. Three had written books on sourdough. Monika Walecka mills her own flour, sells 100 per cent grain loaves in a farmers’ market in Warsaw and has a circular tattoo of wheat kernels around her elbow. Natasa Djuric was about to start work with the 50 Best Restaurants’ former top woman chef, Ana Ros, at her restaurant in Slovenia. After breakfast (home-made yoghurt, blood-orange jam, apple cake) they all set to work with the different flours: tumminia, a marginal wheat grown in the second sowing, “tasty, cinnamonny, but stubborn,” warned Lanza; perciasacchi, so called because its barbed grain pierced sacks; and Senatore Capelli, named after the senator who presided over agrarian reform in Italy in the early 20th century.

Laura Lazzaroni, who has written a book on ancient grains and advises bakeries in Milan, said her favourite was the reddish russello: “mellower, more hazelnutty”. Older varieties of wheat tend to be tricky to work with. There was a lot of debate about when to add salt, hydration levels and the relative extensibility of the dough, the gluten matrix, protein content, proofing time. Some doughs “ripped”, others collapsed into gloop; the good ones were pronounced “strong”.

“Of course it’s emotional,” said Walecka, adding a palmful more flour to correct a slack dough. “It’s alive, it’s like a bucking bronco, it’s different every time.” Stretch and fold, the bakers gently pushed and prodded with elegant fingertips, testing, feeling. Making bread is above all a tactile operation. Some of the flavour surely must be individual to the hands that make it.

Between lunches (pasta with tomatoes, aubergines and salted ricotta, a bitter greens frittata) and dinners (velvet fava bean soup with a poached egg, ricotta gnocchi, lentils from the island of Ustica) and visits to a local flour mill and a shepherd who makes ricotta, the conversations went back and forth between the grain and the bread. I grappled with the complexities. What is the difference between a hard wheat and a soft wheat? Durum wheat (triticum durum) — which is what most of the older Sicilian grains are — is hard between your teeth; the vitreous grain breaks into gritty shards. Softer wheat varieties (triticum aestivum) are more friable (breaks up easily) and crumbly when you bite into them. So, what is the difference, I asked, between flour that is stone milled and flour crushed between steel rollers? Between whole grain and semi-whole grain, bran and germ, varying protein contents, relative gluten levels and the confusing and arbitrary labels for flour in different countries: “strong bread flour” in Britain is known as “tenero di forza” in Italy and “65” in France?

I figured out enough to understand that modern wheats have been developed to grow in a chemical environment and are prepared with mechanised processing techniques. Almost all the bread we eat — from the apparently rustic baguette or ciabatta to a supermarket white slice in a plastic sleeve — is a 20th-century result of super-performing flours “improved” with additives and commercial yeasts that will pouf air into almost anything.

In addition, white flour has been sifted so that almost all of the nutritious part of the grain, the bran and germ, has been removed. There’s a reason that older grain varieties went out of fashion — they had low yields and were fickle to bake with; and there’s no doubt that industrialisation of the food supply has enabled us to feed billions more cheaply and hygienically. But nutrition and flavour have been sacrificed along the way. Did you know, for example — I did not — that freshly milled flour usually only has a shelf-life of a few months?

Ancient grains can be expensive — spelt and einkorn can cost more than five times as much as regular flour and stone milling is technically difficult. Sarah Owens, who was a ceramicist and a horticulturalist before she became a baker, lives in the Rockaways in New York. She admitted that she sells her loaves for $10 each, but she’s not getting rich off it.

“Is this a real economy of ancient grains or is it an artistic endeavour?” asked our host Lanza. Any artisanal food, handmade using quality ingredients will always be a niche product, but the demand for better-quality flour and bread is becoming more widespread. The trickle-down effect is clear in the ubiquity of sourdough loaves, and agronomists are developing new wheats to satisfy the demands of farmers, millers, bakers and consumers alike, with high-yielding strains that are easy to process, tasty to eat and easier to digest. But the question remains whether customers, used to sweetish pappy bread, will want to go back to the tang and chew of denser loaves made with ancient and whole grains.

Lanza told me that when people come to her farm and cook and eat what grows in the garden, it is a revelation. “It opens taste buds. An almond is not a piece of wood but a flavour. People put something in their mouth and say, ‘I had no idea’.” When I tasted their breads made with Sicilian ancient grains I marvelled at the varied nuttiness and toasty spice of the flavours, crumb as glossy as custard and crusts as crunchy and good as crackling. “Yum,” I echoed. “I had no idea.””

— Wendell Steavenson, THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Palermo's version of Sicilian pizza

After you’ve thrown back a few beers in the piazza but the end of the night is nowhere in sight, you feel a little rumble in your belly and know it’s time for a snack. Street food in Palermo is epic. There is a huge selection of fried panelle, grilled stighiole, boiled octopus or even the big bomba - the famous spleen sandwich: pane ca meusa. But the secret is not greasy sustenance at this moment, the thing you really need is bread. In a bit of a “Midnight in Paris” type of cinematic dream, I found myself in a little slice of heaven around 2AM in the heart of centro storico Palermo. If you try to find it the next morning, there will be nothing there. Tucked away on an unlit street, the smell of onions and freshly baked bread leads you to what can really be described as a garage where two men on the night shift are baking fresh sfincione for the whole city. For over 35 years, these two guys have been making the same food every single day, and they only make one thing. On one side there is a crate of white onions that will be peeled and thinly sliced before cooking in a huge stockpot over an open flame with tomato until it becomes a soft pink color. In the main room, Piero mixes the cold tomato and onion mixture with breadcrumbs by hand in a big bucket and there is an assembly line of sheet pans getting topped with the sauce and another dusting of breadcrumbs before going into the oven. This is not your typical slice joint.

In an American pizzeria, sicilian-style pizza is a thick square piece sometimes known as the grandma slice. Where I grew up in Pennsylvania, we had something called tomato pie which was more like a room temperature focaccia with a thick layer of concentrated tomato sauce on top. We were used to something with a 1-inch dough, totally different than Neapolitan or New York thin crust pizza and the square format was always important. Over here in Sicily, there is another version of pizza. They only slice you need to add to your to do list is Sicily’s real pizza, the sfincione.

Palermitan sfincione is a fluffy pizza baked with a light topping of tomato sauce, anchovies, sliced sweet white onions, and a healthy dose of breadcrumbs. The base is a dough that falls somewhere between a bread, focaccia, and a pizza dough. Created 4 centuries ago, it was something that they baked and gave to poor people outside of churches on Christmas Eve. Using cheap and plentiful ingredients, the recipe is still pretty simple and can be found all over the city without any variations. Sfincione might look heavy but it’s actually pretty light because they are cooked for a short amount of time in very hot ovens.

Hidden away in the small garage bakery in centro storico, the sfincione these guys produce at night will be picked up by street vendors and served from their carts all around the city the next day. Although the street carts of sfincione are tricked out with little ovens to reheat the pizza, the best you will ever get it will be in the middle of the night from the bakers, or maybe from a cart in the morning for breakfast. A slice of sfincione can run you somewhere between 50 cents to 2 euros. Make sure you ask them to reheat it in the oven, then it will be topped with a drizzle of olive oil, maybe some extra salt, and a sprinkle of sicilian oregano. There are a few variations in the province of Palermo. In Bagheria, they have a white sfincione topped with spring onions, ricotta, caciocavallo cheese, and lots of olive oil-soaked breadcrumbs. It’s known a sciavata in Camporeale, because of the long oval shape, similar to a ciabatta bread. Sfincione carts can be found all over the city, up and down Via Maqueda, in Piazza San Domenico on Via Roma and in the Ballaro market there are some spots that always have vendors. As for sharing the location of the secret late night sfincione bakery, maybe it was all just a dream. 

LIFE IN SICILY food & wine tour: an off the beaten path Italian adventure with Chef Linda Sarris

Live like a local and experience #lifeinsicily during this all-inclusive spring food/wine tour with Chef Linda Sarris.

Linda Sarris is a NYC-based private chef who splits her time between meal planning for her mover-and-shaker clients and olive harvesting on travels around Sicily to write her upcoming mini magazine, SNACK Sicily.  Her unparalleled love for Sicily, cooking, and her insider access to the best food and wine producers make her the perfect leader for exploring all the best things about Sicilian life, culture and cuisine.  

On this culinary road trip, guests will source local products, then go back to the kitchen and learn how to make the most of these ingredients in their cooking. Amazing day trips to our favorite local spots, winery tours, and a sommelier selection of wines with all meals round out the week. Western Sicily is the perfect place to experience true Sicilian life as a local and to immerse yourself in it’s rich culture.   

BOOKINGS: MAY 5-12, 2018 

RESERVE YOUR SPOT ONLINE

For more information and any questions, feel free to contact our organizer Amie Ruditz. (973)-327-2336 amie@montecastelli.com

• The week includes overnight accommodations at Don Giovanni hotel in Sambuca di Sicilia (voted one of Italy's most beautiful villages), all of your meals, local transportation as described in the itinerary including pickup and drop-off at Palermo airport. We've included all of the materials for your cooking classes, optional morning yoga, organized day trips + local wine during all meals/tours/tastings. oh yea!
• This intimate trip will be limited to 12 people max so grab a few friends and join us for a semi-private tour!
• Not included in pricing: Airfare, all extra beverages and food outside of itinerary, additional transportation outside of itinerary. 
• Read more about our hosts' organic wine + olive oil : Di Giovanna  http://www.di-giovanna.com

May 5-12, 2018

This week-long journey will immerse you in the joys of Sicilian foods, introduce you to new techniques and ingredients, and inspire your cooking for years to come. Western Sicily is the perfect place to experience true Sicilian life as a local and to immerse yourself in its rich culture. This less developed side of Sicily has a long history of agriculture and a diversity of cultures from Greeks to Arabs that influenced its cuisine and way of life.

During this impeccably curated hands on week of cooking, eating, and exploring, Linda will share all of her knowledge and absolute best discoveries to lead you on the journey of a lifetime. She'll guide you through the simple, beautiful and flavorful experience of living a week in Sicily to the fullest, all with her signature CHEEKY style!

ABOUT: CHEF LINDA SARRIS

Raised in a big Greek-American family with a Chef grandfather and a fisherman dad, Linda has been in love with food her whole life. After the French Culinary Institute and a few stints in restaurants, Linda took off to sharpen her culinary skills in her own adventurous way - working on a farm-to-table cooking school and wine estate in Sicily, spending two summers as a private-chef in Tuscany, and traveling back to Sicily every year since to work the olive harvest.   She has been researching and gathering insider information on Sicilian food tourism, in preparation of her new venture, SNACKsicily, a printed mini magazine with down to earth recipes, interviews with her favorite local Sicilians, and the best tips for travelers.

Interview with CASAMIA Food & Wine tours from Rome

Our Italians: Linda Sarris of The Cheeky Chef

by Gina Tringali | Mar 10, 2017 | CasaMia

Welcome back to the “Our Italians” series of interviews that focuses on food artisans, experts and producers in Italy or abroad. These passionate individuals are committed to sharing the best in Italian food, wine and traditional products, through family-owned businesses and small scale enterprises, and we’re here to introduce them to you.

Today we make the acquaintance of Linda Sarris, The Cheeky Chef. I met Linda in NYC years ago over a glass of Italian wine. I’d been following her on Instagram. Having a deep love of Sicily like me, I couldn’t wait to meet Linda in person and compare “Sicily” notes. Without further ado, meet the lovely Cheeky Chef.

Casa Mia: Please tell us how you became a private chef? How did you choose the name “cheeky chef”?

Linda Sarris: The Cheeky Chef was originally a food blog that I started while traveling in college. I worked on a cruise ship with people from all over the world and they bestowed upon me the name Cheeky because of my light-hearted but brazen attitude. I worked in book publishing at Random House before my hobby of food blogging became too big for me. I changed careers at the age of 25 and graduated from The French Culinary Institute. After short stints with a few restaurants, I was drawn to private dining. When I was starting out, a company called KitchenSurfing would help place private chefs with people who wanted to have dinner parties. I launched my private cheffing business and gathered my first clients with the help of that website. Now I am working as a freelance private chef in New York City cooking for several female CEOs, my blogging has evolved into Instagram, and I travel often for food projects in Italy.

CM: Where does your love of Sicily come from?

LS: I landed in Sicily by chance with no knowledge of Italian language and really no interest in cooking Italian food. I was selected for a scholarship through the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization that magically placed me into the hands of my mentor Fabrizia at the cooking school started by her mother, Anna Tasca Lanza. With the time I spent working there and the countless trips over the last 6 years, I’ve realized and openly accepted that Sicily is my happy place. There’s that initial feeling we all get when we travel abroad that makes us think we want to buy a bicycle and ride through Paris wearing a beret and swinging around a baguette for the rest of our lives. Well babe, that’s not real life. My love for Sicily didn’t start when I first arrived, it’s something that’s taken time and just keeps growing and growing with every visit. It’s the little things and patterns you start to recognize that connect you with a place –– like the way I’m obsessive now about wiping off my shoes before going into anyone’s home.

I’m made of Mediterranean roots, so there is a comfort of being in a land where people look like me, they warmly want to hug and kiss you, accept you even if you’re not from there and appreciate your attempts on speaking their language. I’m in love with the way Italian culture (and specifically southern Italian) has a natural desire to feed and share things with you.

CM: Tell us about SNACKsicily. How was the idea born and how has it evolved?

LS: SNACK is a project I have been working on for about two years. I have been dreaming of putting together a guide for food and wine that is specifically focused on ingredients. It will be something with a longer shelf life than a travel guide to restaurants and hotels, because to be honest in Sicily, we never really know how long these places will last. I have taken a few extensive research trips to visit producers, meet winemakers, travel to nearly every area of the island, and gather the information I need to put this together. This year, I will be self-publishing a small printed mini-magazine under the name SNACK Sicily with the hopes to turn it into a book eventually and even branch out with the SNACK brand and write about other regions. You can follow all things SNACK related on Instagram via @snacksicily.

CM: What are your 3 favorite Sicilian dishes to cook?

LS: I like to cook with Sicilian ingredients and play with the way I mix and match their flavors together. There is always something crunchy like almonds, pistachio or toasted breadcrumbs and of course an abundance of fresh seafood or salty flavors like capers, olives, bottarga or anchovies. One of my favorite techniques I have learned from eating my way across Sicily is the idea of “agrodolce”. It’s not just a marriage of flavors but more of a forbidden love affair between sweet and sour. They just can’t stay away from each other. My top three dishes are pasta con le sarde, panelle, and I have become a serious snob when it comes to cannoli. A proper cannolo has perfectly-fried homemade shell and it must be filled with sweet ricotta cream just before you eat it so it doesn’t become soggy. Also, please stop saying “cannolis”, it’s not a word.

CM: Favorite food memory in Sicily?

LS: One of my favorite food memories was in Pantelleria, an island that belongs to Sicily but is actually closer to Tunisia. We took a small boat around the island to go snorkeling and swimming all day. I plucked sea urchin and patelle from the rocks below and brought them into our boat to quickly cut open and eat with our hands. With small scissors, I remember carefully opening up the spiny sea urchin and discovering the bright orange meat inside. Patelle are sort of like single-shelled oysters that have a beautiful mother-of-pearl inside. You have to dive down wearing a snorkel mask and with a small knife to shuck them off of the side of the rocks that they hold on so tightly to. Many of my best food memories involve something that happened outdoors and usually without plans or silverware.
 

CM: If I could only visit one location in Sicily where would you recommend?

LS: This is the toughest question and will for sure offend somebody. If Sicily was my family, how could I possibly pick my favorite child? I would recommend visiting Palermo on your first trip. It’s easy to get there and just a quick bus ride to the sandy beaches of Mondello. Palermo might not be for everyone but it’s the city where I feel you can get an overview of the food, the people, and the history of the island. You’ll find some of the best outdoor markets, so many types of streetfood, great nightlife, a growing art scene and a beautiful mix of Sicilian, Sri Lankan, and North African people. Palermo has unparalleled layers of Norman-Arab-Byzantine architecture all over the city and if you can embrace her gritty loud perfectly Sicilian exterior, you’ll come to love Palermo just like I do.

CM: Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our readers?

LS: Think about visiting Sicily on your next trip to Italy. It’s not usually a traveler’s first thought, but it’s so much more interesting than taking 10 trips to Tuscany. There is more to Sicily than what you know from The Godfather. It’s truly a magical island with incredible food, breathtaking landscapes, unique wines, some of the most beautiful beaches, and the warmest people I’ve met.

You can follow Linda’s Sicily adventures at SNACKsicily or contact Linda at The Cheeky Chef.

In Sicily, New Hands Make Old Wine

Article from DIRTonline | Words & Photos KATIE JUNE BURTON

In Sicily, New Hands Make Old Wine

Nov 18, 2016

After an hour of winding roads and scenes of mountains, valleys, and grazing sheep, you start to forget about the wildly intoxicating city of Palermo behind you. Welcome to Sambuca di Sicilia, recently named 2016’s Most Beautiful Town in Italyin the country’s famed annual competition. In true Sicilian fashion, we're greeted by fifth generation winery owners, brothers Gunther and Klaus Di Giovanna. First on the menu: olive oil harvested and pressed that day, as well as a variety of their wines. The beauty greets you right away and the people who live there could not be more excited or proud to share it, the Di Giovannas included.

Nestled in the mountainside of the nature reserve of Monte Genuardo, the Di Giovanna estate spans across 250 acres of vineyards, olive trees, forests, and wheat fields. The vineyards combination soils—volcanic tuff, calcareous limestone, and clay—are home to myriad local and international grapes; Chardonnay, Grillo, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Syrah, Cabernet, Sauvignon, and Merlot. Bolstering the wine program is an organic olive oil operation, finessed by hand from prune to bottle. Here, Gunther’s wife Melissa explains what it really takes to run a vineyard, and the ever subtle alchemy required to balance tradition and innovation.

What is your winemaking philosophy?

The best way to describe our philosophy is purity, cleanliness, and authenticity. We grow traditional Sicilian grape varietals and produce them organically, but with a modern approach. We’re not just selling a beverage; we’re capturing a year in a bottle.

All grapes come from your property, how does this contribute to the quality of the final product?

When you have total control of the product that you grow, you have total control of the wine you produce. Other wine producers and co-ops that buy grapes by the kilo are measuring quantity, but not necessarily quality. We really focus on vineyard management and harvesting the best, healthiest grapes. Producing organically made wine demands that grapes come into the cellar healthy, as there is nothing we can do to manipulate unhealthy grapes to make good wine. That means making sure the vines are clean, the ground is clean, and the humidity is low (humidity is what breeds fungus and disease). It’s also important to manage the vines so they don’t overproduce grapes and minimalize the flavor of the variety.

““It’s been our mission for generations to take these traditional grapes and share them with the world.””

— Melissa Di Giovanna

What is it about Sicilian geography and climate that makes it the excellent wine country that it is?

Historically, Sicily has been excellent viticulture territory; the Phoenicians and the Greeks produced wine, olive oil, and wheat here and exported it to the whole Roman Empire. The climate is ideal—we’re surrounded by water, so we get the influence of the ocean and the salty air, and having four perfect seasons—not too cold in the winter, and hot dry summers—plays a huge part in growing and maturing grapes, as well as the volcanic properties in the soil. Sicily is basically one huge volcano (there’s active Mount Etna in the east and then several volcanoes underwater surrounding the island), resulting in mineral-rich, tuffaceous soil.

Being located in the mountains in high altitude is definitely one of the defining characteristics of our wine, as it gives us a warm climate, but extra crisp air. This results in a unique freshness and minerality that is less typical when you get closer to sea-level, where grapes can lean towards jammy flavors, really ripe and mature, which you don’t really get in ours. Our grapes develop more citrus, floral notes that are a bit more aromatic—and that comes from the altitude.

How do you stay connected to the old tradition of Sicilian wine production while still innovating?

We’re working with indigenous varietals as a way of preserving the history and culture of Sicilian wine. We focus on the Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Grillo grapes because they are specific to Sicily and extremely important to our winemaking identity. It’s been our mission for generations to take these traditional grapes and share them with the world. Also, by practicing organics with our growing and winemaking, we’re preserving the soil and land.

Has there been a time when you took a risk on making a wine?

In 2004 we decided to make a dry, high quality rosé and almost all of the Sicilian producers laughed at us. There was this idea that no decent Sicilian wine producer makes rosé, as it wasn’t considered a serious wine. Ten years later, we’re all making and drinking it, and we’re on our 12th vintage of Gerbino Rosato de Mascelese and Nero d'Avola.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in winemaking during this generation?

Everybody is making great wine now, so it's pretty competitive. It’s becoming easier for people to gain access to the knowledge, education, and materials they need to produce a quality product.

What are the biggest challenges in running a winery?

The commercialization of the product is the biggest challenge. The wine market is so saturated and it’s hard to find the right people and get them interested in what you're doing. The work behind running our vineyard has been systemized for a long time—we have a great team, we have our brand established, but getting the wine to the people is the demanding part. The only way to make the right impression and tell the story is to pack your suitcase and go door-to-door.

What are the advantages and challenges of running a family business?

Family business means everything is personal; it’s a bit more complex and can sometimes take away the professionalism. Then there’s the pride that comes along with producing wine and having your name on every bottle. Gunther and Claus get to continue doing the work and planting the vines like their great grandfather did, and they really hope that preserving a business and craft will be important to their kids, too.

LIFE IN SICILY trip

Cook, Eat + Explore Sicily with The Cheeky Chef

This week-long journey will immerse you in the joys of Sicilian foods, introduce you to new techniques and ingredients, and inspire your cooking for years to come. Western Sicily is the perfect place to experience true Sicilian life as a local and to immerse yourself in its rich culture. This less developed side of Sicily has a long history of agriculture and a diversity of cultures from Greeks to Arabs that influenced its cuisine and way of life. During this impeccably curated hands on week of coodking, eating, and exploring, Linda will share all of her knowledge and absolute best discoveries to lead you on the journey of a lifetime. She'll guide you through the simple, beautiful and flavorful experience of living a week in Sicily to the fullest, all with her signature CHEEKY style!

ITINERARY:

Sunday: Welcome to Sicily! Settle in and explore before a sunset aperitivo + dinner at the Di Giovanna cantina.

Monday: Wake up with an optional morning yoga class before breakfast. All day trip to Marsala with a winery visit and lunch in town. Free time for shopping and a sunset visit to the salt pans before aperitivo + dinner at a local seafood restaurant in Marsala.

Tuesday: Breakfast at the hotel. Hands-on cooking lesson + lunch. Participate in the local harvest and visit the olive oil mill to see how olive oil is made. Evening tour of historic Sambuca di Sicilia before dinner and an artisanal Sicilian beer tasting at a wood-fired pizzeria.

Wednesday: Optional morning yoga + breakfast. Morning trip to Castelvetrano to visit a local flour mill, trattoria lunch and tour of an ancient olive grove. Cooking class with Sicilian grains and fresh extra virgin olive oil + enjoy the dishes we created during dinner.

Thursday: Breakfast before taking a morning hike through the Monte Genuardo Nature Reserve to forage for wild greens. Vineyard tour at Di Giovanna + lunch at the winery. Evening cooking lesson featuring meat, wild greens + seasonal produce. Finish off the night with dinner in the courtyard and a flight of Sicilian amaro.

Friday: Light breakfast at the hotel and an all-day trip to Agrigento and Licata. We'll have a picnic lunch and tour the Valley of the Temples then head to Licata for a memorable dinner at Chef Pino Cuttaia’s 2-Michelin-Star restaurant, La Madia.

Saturday: Breakfast at the hotel and a morning visit to the port of Sciacca for ceramic shopping. Lunch at Porto San Paolo and back to Sambuca for an afternoon cooking class featuring the fresh catch of the day. We'll keep the wine flowing through the night with a farewell dinner in the courtyard.

Sunday: Breakfast + Departure.

*subject to change

Chef Linda Sarris's unparalleled love for Sicily and great ingredients make her the perfect leader for exploring all the best things about Sicilian life, culture and cuisine.

Join us on an insider-access tour to learn about the best food and wine producers while meeting the real-deal makers and shakers in Sicily this fall!

ABOUT: CHEF LINDA SARRIS

Raised in a big Greek-American family with a Chef grandfather and a fisherman dad, Linda has been in love with food her whole life. After the French Culinary Institute and a few stints in restaurants, Linda took off to sharpen her culinary skills in her own adventurous way - working on a farm-to-table cooking school and wine estate in Sicily, spending two summers as a private-chef in Tuscany, and traveling back to Sicily every year since to work the olive harvest.   In summer 2016, she spent two months in Sicily researching and gathering insider information on Sicilian food tourism, in preparation of her new venture, SNACKsicily, a printed mini magazine with down to earth recipes, interviews with her favorite local Sicilians, and the best tips for travelers.

SIGN UP: 

For more information and to book your spot, contact Amie Ruditz.

(973)-327-2336

amie@montecastelli.com

fishmonger in ortigia, siracusa

tony the fishmonger at the market in ortigia, siracusa, sicily

snacking in Castelvetrano

In our first edition of SNACK SICILY's city guides, we give you a mini checklist to shop, snack, taste, stay, eat, and tour while visiting Castelvetrano. It's our little mix of culture, local ingredients + typical dishes. 

Located in the province of Trapani, about halfway between Marsala and Sciacca, this little town is just a 20-minute drive from the coast. Known for their famous pane nero and the ancient Greek ruins of Selinunte, Castelvetrano is a nice place to spend a day or two while traveling around the west side of Sicily.  

SHOP: ancient sicilian flour + dry pastas from Filippo Drago at Molini del Ponte

• Mention something about Sicilian flour and the name you'll hear immediately is Filippo Drago. For three generations, his family has been milling wheat in Castelvetrano. Filippo has passionately devoted himself to preserving and promoting the use of natural stone milling of ancient Sicilian varieties of wheat. These ancient grains are naturally high in vitamins and low in gluten which can be tolerated by people suffering from side effects of other flours. Filippo works closely with and supports farmers who can continue to grow these ancient grains like Tumminia, Russello, Bidi, Biancolilla, Perciasacchi, and Mallorca. Inside his mill, located in the center of town, you can buy flour used to make couscous or pane nero, chickpea flour for panelle, and beautiful dried pastas like Le Busiate a typical corkscrew shape from the province of Trapani. Do not miss this small but mighty shop.

SNACK: pane nero di Castelvetrano

• Pane Nero di Castelvetrano is a "black bread" made with stone-ground ancient Sicilian grains. Famous around the island, this bread is made specifically in Castelvetrano with a mix of the darker-colored tumminia flour (at least 20%) and a hard Sicilian durum wheat, plus a little salt, Nocellara del Belice extra virgin olive oil, water, and a natural yeast (lu criscenti). They are formed into round loaves called vastedda in Sicilian dialect, topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, then baked in wood-fired ovens stoked with dried olive branches. Slow Food has brought together producers in a consortium to protect this bread with a Presidium and give the wheat farmers, stone millers, and bakers a chance to preserve the tradition. Filippo recommends the best bread in town (now that his bakery closed it's doors) is a panificio called Termini. 

TASTE: extra virgin olive oil at Case di Latomie, Azienda Agricola Antonino Centonze

• Nino Centonze's family farm is 1 of only 6 properties with the Slow Food Presidium for Italian Extra-virgin Olive Oil in Sicily. The local olive variety is the Nocellara del Belice - known internationally as gorgeous round Castelvetrano table olives with vibrant green color and a mild buttery flavor. These trees grow in the Valle del Belice in southwest Sicily where they have actually been given 2 DOP protections in Europe, one for the oil and the other for the olives. On Nino's beautiful property, with long sage-colored groves as far as you can see, the real highlight is the centuries-old trees that grow right out of the limestone quarries originally dug out by the Greek colony of Selinunte. 

STAY: a Sicilian farm holiday at Agriturismo Carbona

• Just outside of town, this peaceful agriturismo has quaint rustic rooms that are just what you need when taking a few days to visit Castelvetrano. Read "Quaint" and "Rustic"... are you picking up what I'm throwing down? Agriturismo Carbona produces their own olives (I recommend you pick up a vacuum-sealed kilo or two), marmellata, and olive oil. They have a small restaurant and a beautiful olive grove and orchard to stroll through. 

EAT: lunch at Trattoria da Giovanni

• In the middle of town, hit up Trattoria da Giovanni for a delicious lunch. There is no menu, just what they are making for the day. Giovanni or his son will greet you in a very casual dining room and explain what the kitchen is offering. We had caponata, olives, a vegetable soup with ditalini, homemade sausage in tomato sauce and a fried ricotta-filled cassatelle for dessert. The prices are affordable, the food is homemade and very good with carafes of local wine and a few bottles of amaro or limoncello coming around after the meal. You'll love the food, and definitely adorable Giovanni as well. Feels like you stepped into a friend's home. Check out their website for daily specials. (just kidding, Sicilian trattorias don't have fucking websites).

TOUR: explore the ruins of Selinunte Archaeological Park

• Selinunte was one of the most powerful colonies in ancient Greece, situated on a cliff overlooking the sea in what's now southwestern Sicily. Founded in the 7th century BC, the progressive colony got it's name from a wild celery plant that grew around the nearby river with the same name. Rivaling nearby Segesta in riches and power, Selinunte was unfortunately demolished by The Carthaginians in 409 BC. In just over 1 week, 16,000 people were killed, the city was burned and completely flattened to the ground. The Selinunte Archeology Park is now one of the largest ancient Greek sites in all of Europe. The seven temples are left in their rubble exactly as they collapsed and only one temple has been reconstructed in the park. Not like the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento where the temples are standing and preserved. There is a little tram in Selinunte that takes you around from temple to temple but I recommend you walk it ... after all those fried cassatelle you had for lunch. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Signora Clara's cannoli on the Favignana islands of Sicily

Even if you don't speak sicilian, you'll understand enough and love this woman!

donpasta - Artusi Remix
Regia: donpasta e Simona Bua
Immagini: Simona Bua
Thanx: Isola di Favignana

Simona Bua
http://theislandocumentary.com
http://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/...
https://vimeo.com/simonabua/
https://www.instagram.com/simonabua/
https://twitter.com/simonabua/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simona-bu...

The Dining Rooms “Love Story” Written by Stefano Ghittoni & Cesare Malfatti
Publishing by Edizioni Ishtar snc Taken from the album “Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)? by The Dining Rooms – 2015 Schema Records

SNACKsicily night at Adelina's wine bar in NYC

Chef Linda Sarris teams up with Adelina's wine bar for a Sicilian themed kitchen take-over in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Tuesday, January 26th.

Join us on January 26th for #adelinasnacks / RSVP here

We're serving a special à la carte sicilian menu for the night. Stop by for a glass of wine and some panelle or stay with us for dinner. 

Adelina’s is a wine bar and restaurant in Greenpoint, serving Italian wine on tap, craft beers and home-style cooking. Linda Sarris, a private chef based in Brooklyn, has spent the last 5 years learning about Sicilian cuisine with research trips, farm stays, cooking classes and adventures through fish markets, vineyards + salt-pans. Her new project SNACK is a chef's guide to the food/wine of Sicily. 

We've created a great menu for the night featuring traditional ingredients highlighting the diversity of flavors across this special little island. 

Adelina's
159 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
G train to Greenpoint Ave
Tuesday, January 26th
5-11PM
www.adelinasbk.com 
www.lindasarris.com

a beautiful video about HARVEST

La Vendemmia, synonym for "harvest" and "vintage" in English, has a deeper sense in Italian: it recalls a lot of values linked to culture and history. Discover what does La Vendemmia mean in this short documentary by Wineram Productions, Honest Cooking Magazine + Donnafugata winery.

adventures on sicily's salt pans

An easy way to step up your kitchen game is to make small updates to your everyday pantry items. Start with salt, high-quality olive oil, vinegars, and while you're at it - toss those old dried up spices that have been sitting in there for years. When I cook, I like to know where my ingredients come from. Especially if it means traveling to see how, why and who makes them. Let's talk about sea salt.

Sea salt produced on the west coast of Sicily is some of the best in the world. They have been drying and harvesting salt here for centuries; originally for shipping it north to Scandinavia to be used in salting dried fish. It makes sense really. The climate and location explains it all. Long dry hot summers, the strong warm winds off of Northern Africa, and the high salinity of the Mediterranean are the perfect ingredients for making sea salt. I like the way Sicilians talk about winds, the same way Californians talk about the autumn Santa Ana's. I experienced it for the first time in San Vito lo Capo, a cape in the northwest part of the island. The warm dry "scirocco" blew through and the weather quickly turned from hot Mediterranean summer to a heavy bone-dry Sahara desert. The salinity of the sea is much higher than the Atlantic ocean. Think about swimming in the US and swimming off the coast of Italy. You'll notice right away how easy it is to float around without treading non-stop and all you need to do is lay back and wiggle your toes. 

The west coast of Sicily is lined with "saline" or salt pans from Trapani down to Marsala and on the small island of Mothia. Depending on the season, as you drive or bike south from Trapani you'll see a lot of windmills, wide "vasche" basins to collect sea water, and big white pyramid piles of salt. I contacted the "salinaio" salt producer that makes the salt I use in my kitchen to organize a little visit to the pans. I met Salvatore at his office job in a big library in the center of Trapani, I followed him out of the city and down a dusty dirt road to see the salt pans that he works on with his brother, Enzo.

They start the process in April and fill the basins with sea water. As it begins evaporating the water is pumped to other shallow pools but they don't start harvest until September. I was lucky enough to be there at the right moment for all of the action. I took photos from the edge and shouted questions in broken Italian to the men shoveling salt before they let me take off my shoes and jump down there to get a closer look. These are not the hipster rooftop farmers of Brooklyn, they are true contadini: the artisanal farmers and land workers all men between of age of 40-70. They've been doing this job their whole life and it's hard work.

The only machinery used is a pump to help move the water out of the pans while the salt is drying and a conveyor belt to transport wheelbarrows of rock salt off of the pans and up onto the mountains you see from the road. As the water dries up, the top layer of salt becomes thick like a frozen lake. On one side of the pans where the salt is not fully dried up yet, they use a flat spade shovel to break up the salt by digging down and turning it. They dig a moat between the flats to let the water continue to run out as the salt dries on top while the second group of harvesters shovel the broken up salt rocks into wheelbarrows to be moved off of the pans, up the conveyor belt, and onto the mountain to dry before being sifted and crushed.

It's an amazing sight to see the salt workers in action, hand-harvesting something so natural and precious. I still can't believe how much time and work goes into a product that costs $3 a bag. Grab a bag of Sicilian sea salt for your kitchen pantry and you'll never go back. Sale Grosso is the coarse salt to throw in a pot of water for pasta and Fior di Sale is the tiny salt crystals harvested from the top layer of the salt pans, ground very finely for a nice finishing salt on top of special dishes. Luckily for us, the WWF has protected the salt road from Trapani to Marsala so we'll have sea salt for many years to come as long as there are people who want to do the job.

embracing la passeggiata

Gangi, Sicily

When traveling around Sicily, a lot of Italy in fact, there comes a time in the late afternoon when the small towns shut down for a little (4-hour) pausa. The shops shut their doors, restaurants are switching from lunch to dinner service, and the banks and post offices pull down their gates. Luckily, the only place that's open will usually be a local bar. Travelers usually find this annoying. There's nothing to browse, nowhere to shop, nothing to do but go home to rest or take a little time to appreciate the city itself by popping into a church or having a walk around town. Finding the beauty in this time of day was a turning point for me when I first arrived in Italy. Instead of being annoyed that everything shut down for siesta, I chose to turn off my New York City businesswoman attitude and just enjoy it.

La Passeggiata is a leisurely stroll that people take between lunch and dinnertime. A time to catch up with friends, neighbors, locals. A time to gossip in town, share a drink in a bar, buy a coffee for a friend, or just sit in a piazza and people-watch. The most beautiful part is the older people who still get dressed up and walk (even arm-and-arm) back and forth through the town. You'll see suave suited older men (with fabulous hats of course) sitting in a line in the front of a coffee bar or a church, just chatting and watching the people go by. In small villages, it's usually men who are out at this time of day, the women of course are at home - but I won't get into that. So instead of being upset that the Zara in Palermo is closed at 4pm, just take a peek into a small piazza, relax and watch. It's la passeggiata! 

Palermo bound: SNACK takes off!

SNACK takes off!

Flying from Florence to Palermo to start the vol.1 research trip through the West side of the island. I am landing in Palermo then picking up my rental car for the month. Spending the weekend with my Sicilian besties in the city. Eating + Drinking + Causing Trouble. Amuni!

Palermo is my favorite city, long late nights out and early morning exploring the markets fueled with espressi, eyes half-open, sunnies on, soaking up last night's sangue with fried street food for breakfast. La vita e bella!

Palermo Sweet Palermo. Catch up with you on Sunday when I recover. 

babalucci for the Festa di Santa Rosalia in Palermo

Summertime means the people of Palermo skip off to the beaches of Mondello or the nearby wildlife reserve Capo Gallo. For those staying in the city, you’re lucky enough to get one of my favorite seasonal dishes, babalucci. On July 16, Palermo celebrates their patron saint and one of the typical dishes eaten for the festa di Santa Rosalia are these tiny little snails (lumache). They are cooked right in their shells with loads of garlic, olive oil, black pepper and parsley.

You can buy the live snails in the open air markets (look for them climbing up little poles in their baskets) or better yet, just find some guys on the street selling portions to eat as you go. They’ll usually give you a container and weigh them out and you just pick them up with your fingers and suck the little guys right outta their shells. I order them by the euro, 2 or 3 euros is usually enough for a small portion. Simple, seasonal, local + delicious.

The best best best ones are sold along Via Torremuzza in Piazza Kalsa. Luckily, this is just below the little loft apartamentino I used to stay in. I like to grab a few cold beers, a container of babalucci, a loaf of bread and head to Foro Italico to sit by the water and relax with my fav seasonal snack. #SNACKsicily