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Tasty Suitcase - Sicilia 2016
Tasty Suitcase - Sicilia 2016
Southeast Sicily
September 1-12, 2016
TastySuitcase, LLC
Chef Architect Cinzia Cripe, Tour Leader
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Trinacria
From Trinacrium, Roman for “Star with Three Points”
The symbol of Sicily. The Roman name refers to the triangular shape of this, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Note the stalks of wheat, which represent the fact
that Sicily was the granary of Rome. The head of Medusa reflects the protection of Athena, patron goddess of the island.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinacria
Welcome to Sicilia!
Arrival, Settling In, First Dinner Together
September 1, 2016
Room 11 – we
Eremo della Giubiliana had the most
entertaining
Lobby – greeting area door!
September 2, 2016
Gli Aromi
Gli Aromi’s products are sought out by fine restaurants all over Europe – including at Satra, where the farmer’s girlfriend is the chef!
Lunch in Scicli
September 3, 2106
Donnafugata and Donnalucata
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Our final cooking class this morning with Chef Giorgio Ruggeri of Zafran Ristorante was called "Reloaded Traditions: The Fish Experience." Allow me to understate that it
was, indeed, an experience, and it did not end at lunch with the fruits of our labors, but extended through dinner in Donnalucata, a fishing village on the southeastern coast of
Sicily, where Cinzia and her family have lived since the 1980s.
We learned how to make an eggless pasta dough rolled out and cut into squares about 4 or 5 cm each. The squares are placed in the palm of one hand with one point
toward the wrist. This point is then folded over and the square quickly rolled by passing the free hand over the palm with the pasta square in it. The shape is called strozzapreti.
While one group was working on the pasta, another chopped vegetables for the pink chickpea soup that would become a hummus-like base on which were placed sauteed
squid and a zucchini flower that had been blanched. The pink chickpeas had been soaking since the end of our class on Tuesday. More water was added and they were brought to a
boil to cook throughout our session. After veggie chopping, onion, celery, and carrots were sautéed until the onions were translucent, then finely chopped rosemary and sage were
added. This was followed by fresh tomatoes that had been blanched, peeled, and roughly chopped. All of this was then added to the pot of chickpeas and seasoned further. The
whole pot was simmered until the chickpeas were tender, then whole stems of basil and leaves were added shortly before it was removed from the heat and pureed. Salt and olive
oil were used liberally throughout the process, but the end product was neither salty nor oily, and perfectly balanced seasoning shone a light on all of the layers of flavor in the dish.
When it was plated, the chef placed two of the small calamaro, each halved, on top of the puree and a flower in the center, with bitter orange marmalade drizzled on top. The
combination was extraordinary.
For the pasta, we made a ragout of grouper with a wild rocket (arugula) emulsion. As excellent as the squid dish was, this was my favorite. Our lunch dessert was a lemon
granita with red fruits.
This wonderful lunch bolstered us (after a brief opportunity for a nap) for our trip to Donnafugata castle. Barone Arrezzo built this majestic-looking facade around a
grouping of farmhouses in the mid 1800s. It is an interesting place since its purpose was to enhance the reputation of the baron and his family rather than act as a real castle had in
previous centuries. There are many windows, but most of them have no rooms behind them. It is lovely and its grounds are also extensive and very interesting. We happened to be
there when an exhibit of 19th century lingerie was on display. These had recently been acquired by the city government as part of a collection that they purchased for use in this
museum. The city is constantly working to restore and maintain this cultural legacy of the area by adding details like the clothing and renovating rooms, as we witnessed walking
through.
From Donnafugata we traveled to Donnalucata for Caltagironean ceramics and dinner followed by a seaside stroll and gelato. Caltagirone is famous for its ceramics, but we
only had the opportunity this trip for the end product. Dinner was at a wonderful restaurant up one of the very narrow streets in the city. We ate in a gazebo under a cloudy sky but
the temp was perfect and there was no more than a sprinkle of rain once. Cinzia had arranged the menu in advance. We started with red shrimp and mantis shrimp, both famous
Sicilian varieties, dressed simply in olive oil and herbs and eaten raw. In addition, we had boiled octopus that had been sliced into sections, eggplant involtini stuffed with bread
crumbs, cheese, and herbs, campari-size tomatoes that had been cut into wedges and also served simply with olive oil and herbs, and their house bread. Everyone seems to have
their own olive oil that they serve, made from their own groves, and this was no exception. The appetizers were followed by a wonderful summer squash soup with savory broth
and sweet onions and zucchina [sic] that was very very very fresh! The main course was mahi involtini stuffed with eggplant (it is in season now and so is everywhere and is
wonderful), pine nuts, and other things that turned it into a spectacle of flavors and textures. It was accompanied by a boiled potato and Sicilian swiss chard, which is quite a bit
more flavorful than supermarket swiss chard we are used to. To finish we had a selection of three desserts; I chose an amazing blancomangiare (almond milk pudding) that had
been transformed, as our hostess described it, as like Robin Hood who took from the rich to give to the poor - the latter rarely had almonds and much less almond milk, so they
created a concoction that resulted in a richer and more delightful dessert than the original. The chef's interpretation of it was extraordinary for the blend of flavors, which included
a liqueur that can be made only by an order of nuns in Florence. Absolutely oustanding.
After such a meal, you can imagine we needed a bit of a break before gelato, so we strolled by a rolling sea, the tide coming in, a beautiful crescent moon hung out for us
Siracusa
http://romeonrome.com/2009/09/2009-sicily-siracusa-noto-ragusa-etna-catania-taormina/