PASTA ALLA CARRETTIERA

In italiano su Agave blog


This dish is a very simple and tasty, is part of the traditional vegetarian cuisine of Sicily. Of course the result also depends on the freshness and quality of products and maybe even a nice view of the sea, then eat this pasta in Sicily is another thing ...

Palermo, Barcarello

Ingredients:
A kg of ripe tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic, red pepper, basil (someone replace it with parsley), extra-virgin olive oil, salt, optional addition of grated cheese (pecorino or ricotta salata). Spaghetti or bucatini (400gr).

Preparation:
Wash the tomatoes and peel (to facilitate the operation make some superficial cuts and put in a pot with boiling water for a few minutes) and remove the seeds. In a bowl, cut into pieces and add the chopped garlic cloves (remove the sprout inside) and the chopped basil. Add oil, salt and red pepper and let rest for at least an hour.

Cook pasta, place it in a bowl with the dressing and mix. If you want you can add the grated cheese.

"The Cuccìa of Saint Lucia"

In Italiano su Agave Palermo blog

The "Cuccia” is the typical sweet of feast of Saint Lucia (13 December)

Traditional recipe with cream of ricotta:

Ingredients: 500gr of wheat, 200gr of icing sugar, 1.5 kg of fresh ricotta, candied fruit 50gr (preferably cedar,orange or pumpkin) cut into pieces, 200gr of dark chocolate.
Processing: Prepare the grain: put in a pot with cold water for three days, changing the water continuously. The evening before the feast, cook the grain in a saucepan covered with water, add a pinch of salt, drain well.

Prepare cream: to sieve (you can also pass it with the blender) the ricotta, add the sugar and mix well, break the chocolate into small pieces, add the cream of ricotta and candied fruit, chocolate pieces and mix gently (someone also adds cinnamon).
Finally add the wheat. You can also store in the refrigerator.

Recipe with milk cream:

Ingredients: 500gr of wheat, 120gr starch, 1 liter and a half of milk, 200gr sugar, 200gr of dark chocolate,50gr candied fruit into pieces.
Processing: Prepare wheat as above.

For cream, dissolve the starch in cold milk, stirring with a whisk, cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the fire as soon as it is thickened. Add the grain. Allow to cool and add the chocolate reduced in little pieces and candied fruit pieces.
This is a base for other types of creams, chocolate, cream yellow and so on.

" 'Mpignolata " Loaf with sausage from Agrigento

photos of Jean-Luc Moreau

For the feast of St. Martin around Agrigento is a specialty that we like a lot, the 'mpignolata which is also called' mpriulata or 'mmiscata (depending on the town of origin).


We known it thanks to our guests-friends Lillo, Teresa and Ilaria of Grotte, a small town in the province of Agrigento.

It is a soft bun stuffed with sausage, onion and black olives, and there is another version with spinach and olives.

This dish was originally made at home during the period in which they celebrated San Martino, but now can be found throughout the year.


I found the recipe, although there are several versions. I have not cooked by me, but I ate the 'mpignolate that our friends bring us directly from Grotte.

Ingredients:


1 Kg. of flour, 4 eggs, 50 gr. of yeast, 150 gr. of lard, sausage, black olives, onion, water or milk, oil, salt.

Recipe:
Pour the oil in the flour, mix well, add eggs, mix well, add enough salt, yeast, the lard dissolved and kneading it by adding little by little lukewarm water or milk. Mix well and allow to rise (the dough should be somewhat 'softer than the bread).

When the leavening will be reached, cut the dough into pieces of about 100-150 degrees; pave every piece with a rolling pin, making it take a rectangular shape and thin. Meanwhile in a pan cook the onion cut into slices in olive oil, to which you add the crumbled sausage. Put the sauce of sausage, onion and black olives fleshy and pitted on each rectangle of dough.

Wrap the dough over itself and then again in the shape of a spiral, put on an olives and place in hot oven. Cooking time: 30 minutes.

Now for vegetarians: with spinach.


Boil and then skip the spinach with olive oil in a pan, add the pitted black olives and season rectangles of pasta with this sauce, wrap the dough.


There are several versions in which you use minced beef, chunks of pecorino, Frittola pork, etc, to you the choice!