Sicilian recipes

Barley soup with broccoli

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 600 g broccoli
• 1 onion
• 50 g extra virgin olive oil
• 350 g hulled barley
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• Chili pepper, sea salt to taste

 Preparation:

1. Clean the broccoli, divide into florets, wash and boil for about 10 minutes in boiling water, adding salt towards the end and drain.
2. With a slotted spoon and cook the barley (soaked in cold water for 12 hours) in the same cooking water for 20-30 minutes.
3. Chop the onion and sauté in a little cooking water. Add a pinch of chili pepper if desired, add the drained barley and, after a few minutes, add the lightly crushed broccoli.
4. Finish with parsley, oil, and salt.
5. If necessary, adjust the thickness of the soup with the cooking water.

 

Sfincione

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 1 kg bread dough (500 g durum wheat flour, 2.5-3 dl water, 20 g yeast, 12 g salt, 20 g extra virgin olive oil)
• 4 medium-sized onions
• 50 g extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g anchovies in oil
• 1 kg ripe tomatoes
• 100 g tomato paste
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• Oregano to taste

Preparation:

1. For the sauce: cook the julienned onions in oil and water for about 15 minutes, add the ripe tomatoes or tomato paste, season with sea salt and pepper, and cook for about an hour.
2. For the dough: place the water, yeast, and flour in a mixer for about 15 minutes, add oil, water, and salt to obtain a soft but not sticky dough. Let it rise and roll it out on an oiled baking sheet. Spread with tomato sauce, onions, small pieces of primosale or tuma cheese, anchovies, and breadcrumbs.
3. Bake at 425-450°F for about 30 minutes.

 

Anchovy, orange, fennel, and pomegranate salad

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 300 g of very fresh anchovies
• 3 Sicilian blood oranges, 1 red onion
• 50 g of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs
• ½ pomegranate
• Fresh winter salad sprouts
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

 Preparation:

1. After gutting and cleaning the anchovies, blast chill them at -20°C for 24 hours to eliminate the risk of anisakis. Alternatively, keep them in the freezer for 48 hours. Fillet them and marinate them with ice, vinegar (or lemon juice), and salt. After 20 minutes, dry them and season them with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
2. Finely chop the fennel and red onion and place them in water and ice to make them crisp.
3. Season and serve on a bed of fresh winter salad sprouts.

 

Pasta with broccoli in a pan

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 500 g durum wheat pasta (bucatini or spaghettone)
• 700 g medium cauliflower
• 1 onion
• 50 g raisins
• 50 g pine nuts
• 2 anchovy fillets
• Saffron pistils
• 50 g extra virgin olive oil sea salt, pepper (or chili pepper)

Preparation:

1. Wash and chop the cauliflower, then cook it in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. Add a little salt towards the end of cooking, drain with a slotted spoon and set aside the cooking water.
2. In a saucepan, sauté the chopped onion with extra virgin olive oil and anchovy fillets, add the coarsely chopped cauliflower, raisins, pine nuts, and a little of the cauliflower cooking water in which you have dissolved the saffron.
3. Stir frequently and, from time to time, add a ladleful of the cooking water, taste and season with salt.
4. Meanwhile, toast some Sicilian durum wheat breadcrumbs in a pan with extra virgin olive oil and a few pieces of anchovy over a low heat.
5. Cook the pasta in the cauliflower cooking water and drain it al dente. Season with most of the sauce, using the rest to garnish the serving dish. A sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs will add the finishing touch.

Alternatively, you can serve the pasta au gratin in the oven.

 

Sarde a beccafico (Sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs)

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 300 g fresh sardines, cleaned but with tails intact
• 60 g durum wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 medium spring onion
• 1 anchovy fillet in oil
• 30 g raisins and pine nuts
• 1 clove of garlic
• 30 g extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Toast the durum wheat breadcrumbs over a very low heat.
2. Sauté the chopped onion with a clove of garlic and a bay leaf in olive oil.
3. Add the blanched raisins and pine nuts.
4. Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, orange juice, and lemon zest. Soften with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Open the sardines like a book, fill them with the mixture and roll them up so that the tail remains at the top.
6. Alternate the sardine fillets with bay leaves and orange slices in a baking dish.
7. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, drizzle with a little oil and bake for 8-10 minutes at 170°C.

 

Mackerel with red onion

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 600 g cleaned mackerel fillets
• 800 g red onions
• 200 g extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g brown sugar
• Whole wheat flour
• Orange zest
• Mint
• 1 dl red wine vinegar
• Sea salt, pepper

Preparation:

1. Sauté the onion slices in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil.
2. Add a tablespoon of sugar, season with salt and pepper and, when it begins to caramelize, pour in the vinegar.
3. Allow to evaporate and add the orange zest. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mint.
4. Heat the remaining extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan and brown the mackerel fillets dusted with durum wheat flour, seasoning lightly with salt.
5. Spread the onions in a baking dish and place the mackerel on top, cover with the rest of the onions and a few mint leaves.
6. Serve immediately or, if you prefer, leave to marinate for at least an hour.
7. Serve on a bed of fresh rocket.

 

Sardine balls

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 500 g sardines
• 100 g whole wheat semolina
• 80 g raisins and pine nuts
• 2 lemons
• 50 g spring onion
• Chopped parsley
• Caper pesto
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Clean the sardines, removing the heads and entrails, chop them coarsely and mix with salt, pepper, parsley, raisins, pine nuts and the grated zest of one lemon.
2. After carefully rolling the meatballs in the semolina, place them on a non-stick baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven at 200°C for about 8 minutes.
3. Serve hot or cold with lemon wedges. Accompany with caper pesto and seasonal salads.
4. For the pesto: desalt the capers and blend them with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, parsley, turmeric, and black pepper. Adjust the consistency with cold water or a few ice cubes.

 

Author: Progetto Amazzone

 

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