Sunday Dinner Sicilian-Style

Pretty much everyone has a version of Sunday Dinner, but the Italians have raised it to an art-form. Last Sunday we were just getting our bearings, here. Today, we decided to be artists.

We also decided since it seems to be the custom around here to eat one meal for several hours that we would do the same.

Phoebe has stated many a time that she doesn't like gnocchi - they're belly bombs and just not something she cares for. Victor took that as a challenge, since he makes a pretty good ricotta gnocchi.

He made gnocchi...

Ricotta Gnocchi

  • 1 lb ricotta cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
  1. Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
  2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  3. While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
  4. Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce over top.

As you can see, it's hand-on work. Dive in.

Once you get the swing of it, it's not that difficult. Really.

Gnocchi needs a sauce. Victor started off with some of the most delicious fresh tomatoes around - along with wine from our winery tour the other day. Local products. Gotta love it. Even the garlic was fresh out of the dirt. Awesomeness.

Ground beef for meatballs, fresh Italian sausage - not hot, not sweet. Just delicious.

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They cooked up really nice...

And then there was the plate of gnocchi...

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Light as a feather. Victor made a believer out of Phoebe. They had everything going for them - flavor, texture, and the unbearable lightness of being. Okay. They weren't unbearable. But they really were light.

But I just described the main course. We started off with a lot more.

Like roasted eggplant.

This was simplicity. Thinly-sliced and drizzled with olive oil, it was baked and then sliced and topped with tomato sauce.

Next came artichokes out of our garden.

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That lovely creature - and its brothers - became stuffed artichokes...

Finger-lickin' good.

And since I had picked up a fennel bulb the other day, I decided to make fennel and lentils. Another really simple dish I've made often over the years.

It's great as a side dish or as a room temperature salad. Great flavors that work with almost anything.

Lentils and Fennel

  • 1 cup lentils - brown, lentils du puy, or black beluga lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • pinch salt
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • splash red wine
  • 3 tbsp Italian parsley
  • 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
  • S&P to taste

Cook lentils in salted water until cooked through but not mushy – 15 to 20 minutes depending upon type.

While lentils cook, cut fennel bulb into 1/4-inch dice. Cook onion, carrot, fennel bulb, fennel seeds, and garlic until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add a splash of red wine and cook down.

Drain cooked lentils and stir into vegetables with enough cooking water to moisten and heat through. Stir in parsley, S&P to taste, and vinegar.

They totally rocked. And with all this good stuff, we needed bread.

I've been loving the breads I've had, but I knew at some point I'd have to bake a loaf of Pane Siciliano. I've baked many a loaf of it from Carol Field's The Italian Baker, but I actually bought a loaf the other day and knew I had to try my hand at it in the Mother Country.

It came out fantastic!

This was especially fun because I didn't have any measuring cups and the only liquid measure was in milliliters. I really wish the US had gone metric back when the rest of the world did, but... American politics are what they are...

I followed the recipe pretty close - I think. I did it all by hand and feel. I didn't have malt syrup so I threw in a teaspoon of sugar. I also used fresh yeast - it was in the 'fridge - which is really what got me thinking about making it in the first place. And semolina flour. The all-purpose was Italian "0" flour.

Pane Siciliano

Makes 2 loaves

  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp malt syrup
  • 1 cup water, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups durum flour or semolina for pasta
  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 to 3 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds

By hand:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the oil, malt, and 1 cup of water.  Mix the flours and salt and whisk in 1 cup at a time into the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Knead on a floured surface 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally slamming the dough down vigorously to develop the gluten.

By mixer:

Stir the yeast into the 1 1/4 cups warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the oil and malt with the paddle; then add the flours and salt and mix until smooth.  Change to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until; the dough is firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body, 4 to 5 minutes.  Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.

First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  The dough should be springy and blistered, but still soft and velvety.

Shaping and second rise. Punch the dough down, knead it briefly, and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Flatten it with your forearm into a square.  Rollit into a long, narrow rope, about 20 to 22 inches long.  The dough should be so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope.  Cut the dough in half and shape each into a loaf.  (The book shows 3 classic shapes and illustrations; Mafalda, Occhi di Santa Lucia, and the baked Corona.  I made the Santa Lucia.)

Place the loaves on floured parchment paper, peels sprinkled with corn meal, or oiled baking sheets.  Brush the entire surface of each loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds; pat the seeds very gently into the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Baking. Thirty minutes before baking heat the oven with baking stones to 425°.  Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal just before sliding the loaves onto them.  Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times with water.  Reduce the heat to 400° and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer.  Cool on racks.

 

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I put the formed loaves out on the back dining table -yes, we have an outdoor dining area for 10 or 12 separate from the other two dining areas in the villa - and headed off to the pool. An hour later, they were totally risen - I thought maybe a bit too much. They went into the oven on a sheet pan - we're slumming it without a bread stone - and came out perfect. Light as a feather.

It was seriously some of the best tasting bread I have ever made. I'd love to take full credit, but it really was the ingredients. Both of the flours were totally superior to just about anything I can get stateside. The feel was there from the moment I opened the bags.  It was the ingredients.

So... it was a long meal with lots of wine and lots of chatter.

And then we ate gelato.

 

 

 

 


Pane Siciliano

Last night I pulled out my beat-up old copy of  The Italian Baker by Carol Field.  I had planned on making her Pane Pugliese and it needs a biga, or starter.  It's  one of my most favorite breads.  I was pulling the ingredients together when I turned the page and saw a recipe for Pane Siciliano.  Something new.  I actually had the semolina flour (shock!) and decided to give it a try.

Pane Siciliano

Makes 2 loaves

  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp malt syrup
  • 1 cup water, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups durum flour or semolina for pasta
  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 to 3 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds

By hand:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the oil, malt, and 1 cup of water.  Mix the flours and salt and whisk in 1 cup at a time into the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Knead on a floured surface 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally slamming the dough down vigorously to develop the gluten.

By mixer:

Stir the yeast into the 1 1/4 cups warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the oil and malt with the paddle; then add the flours and salt and mix until smooth.  Change to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until; the dough is firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body, 4 to 5 minutes.  Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.

First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  The dough should be springy and blistered, but still soft and velvety.

Shaping and second rise. Punch the dough down, knead it briefly, and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Flatten it with your forearm into a square.  Rollit into a long, narrow rope, about 20 to 22 inches long.  The dough should be so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope.  Cut the dough in half and shape each into a loaf.  (The book shows 3 classic shapes and illustrations; Mafalda, Occhi di Santa Lucia, and the baked Corona.  I made the Santa Lucia.)

Place the loaves on floured parchment paper, peels sprinkled with corn meal, or oiled baking sheets.  Brush the entire surface of each loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds; pat the seeds very gently into the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Baking. Thirty minutes before baking heat the oven with baking stones to 425°.  Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal just before sliding the loaves onto them.  Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times with water.  Reduce the heat to 400° and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer.  Cool on racks.

The final bread came out excellent, but I had to play with the dough a bit.

First off, it was way too dry.  I know that there are a bazillion and one factors involved in making bread; the moisture content of the flour, the weather and humidity, yadda yadda yadda, but I had to add almost a half-cup of water to the dough.  I finally worked it into a close approximation to what was described "firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body" but it never really had the elasticity I think it should have had from the description.  Same with the forming of the dough.  It rolled out well, but didn't have the "so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope" texture.  It had some, but not what was being described.

Nonetheless, it came out great!  It had that rich semolina flavor and fine texture.


Pesce Fresco

I knew coming to Sicily we would be having some great seafood. What I didn't realize was how much we would have at one place!

Ristorante al Monaco. Victor's maternal family name is Monaco - like the country he should own.  And it was like dining with family with platter after platter of some of the finest seafood I have ever in my life consumed. And I've eaten a bit of fish in my life.

I'm not going to even remotely do justice to this feast - but I shall give it that ol' college try.

The first thing we had was an Octopus Salad. Fresh. Refreshing. Light and delicate. Flavors and textures that just blended so naturally together.

Oysters on the half-shell. The most tender, succulent oysters I've ever had. Rich and sweet - not rubbery or chewy - the most delicate texture. I didnt put a thing on them - no lemon, no nothing. Adding anything would have been sacrilegious.

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A fried fish, calamari, potato, carrots, and whatever whitefish dish. Can't quite describe it, but I wanted more and more. One of those things I'd love to be able to replicate, but I was having too much fun eating it to pay attention to what it was I was eating. Like a roasted vegetable, garlic - but not a lot of garlic - seafood mash-up that kinda knocked my socks off.

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Shrimp No BP Oil Spill here. Fresh. Succulent. I'm running out of adjectives. It's difficult to describe just how sublime they were.

Anchovies. OMG Anchovies.I seriously have never had a sweet - not salty - anchovy in my life. Pop into your mouth and pull off the bone. These were definitely not your pizzeria anchovies. I would eat these every day for the rest of my life. They didn't even begin to resemble their canned or jarred relation of the same name. OMG.

Fried Calamari. These were not your typical fried rubber bands. The perfect bite and chew. Tender. Delicate. Words I'm going to keep using over and over and over. No sauces, no nothing. They spoke for themselves.

Squid Ink Arancini! Okay. We've made arancini for years. Never like this. And we have squid ink at home. This is definitely one we can make.

Mussels in a tomato sauce. Again. I've had mussels all my adult life. Never this good. Served in more of a tomato broth than a sauce, it was secondary to the sweetest, most tender mussels I have ever eaten I was going to say "in my life" and realized I've already said that. A lot.

I's difficult to rave and gush over something like this. The words just start failing me. And words never fail me.

And then the pasta arrived. Fresh pasta. This stuff didn't come out of a Barilla box. Cavatelli in a simple clam sauce.  Clams, wine, a drizzle of olive oil. When you start with great ingredients, you don't need to cover anything up.

And then came the mixed grill...

San Pietro, shrimp, swordfish, and something else that I never learnd its name. How many times have I said sublime, best I've ever eaten in my life, fabulous, fantastic, and OMG?!?

Not enough times, because nothing I can say will bring justice to the meal we had, today.

It was seriously that good. I may never get to eat there, again, but i can die happy, knowing I've had some of the best seafood on the planet.

Oh. And it all cost 25 Euro per person - with unlimited liters of wine.

 

 

 


Handmade Ricotta

So... when was the last time you were in a rustic farmhouse in Sicily eating handmade pasta and handmade ricotta?

If you were us, the last time would have been this afternoon.

George, our landlord at Villa Modica is unbelievable. He arranged a luncheon for us today at a farm outside of Modica where the owners made homemade ricotta, homemade pastas - that's plural - plied us with drink, meats, cheeses, baked pasta hors d'oeuvres and antipasti, 7 or 8 courses of food that went on for hours.

Yes. Hours.

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I can't even begin to describe the day. But you know I'm going to, anyway!

When we walked in they were stirring the milk, heating it to the proper 180°F. Victor makes ricotta, so the process wasn't unfamiliar - but the final product was just unbelievable. It's the ingredients. They milk their cows and sheep and make cheese. No middleman. It's unbelievably good.

The pastas were a cappelini, a ravioli, and a stuffed fried dessert ravioli shaped like a priests hat. I don't recall the name, but that's the literal translation.

We started off with antipasto.

Olives, salumi, eggplant, fritatta, cheses - the cheeses made at the farm.

Then diffeent baked pastas - It looked like sheets of pasta spread with different fillings and then rolled and baked - in a brick oven, of course.

Small rolls made of semolina - a bruschetta of olive oil made at the farm - and garlic and herbs. All of it was a gastronomic delight.

And then bowls of ricotta curds fresh from the pot.

Again, a taste sensation you just can't experience elsewhere. Rich, creamy, with the slightest almost-hint of lemon. I ate a lot.

And then the food started to arrive.

"Wet Ricotta" with hunks of a semolina bread that just soaked up the liquid. It was like eating a bowl of chunky cream. I went for it and finished the bowl.

That was cleared and the pastas started arriving.

First the cappelini. Every one of those were make by hand. Perfectly made by hand. Again, Victor makes homemade pasta - and his pasta is stellar. But every one of these looked exactly the same. By hand. It was in a sausage and tomato sauce that was rich yet not overpowering. Simple and perfect.

And ravioli stuffed with the fresh ricotta. I've made ravioli and can't cut a straight line for beans. She cut every one of them effortlessly in perfect squares while talking and barely paying attention. Perfect squares.

And when we couldn't possibly eat anything else, the meats arrived.

Pork chops, bacon, and sausages grilled on a wood-burning grill. OMG!  A squeeze of lemon - just a simple squeeze of lemon - sent it over the top.

And while all of this was going on, liters and liters of wine, beer, waters and sodas kept arriving at the table.

Finally, when we just couldn't possibly eat another bite, dessert arrived. the simple fried priests hats - filled with a cinnamon and lemon ricotta that was to die for.

Along with the dolce came homemade lemoncello and espresso. Personally, I think Victor's lemoncello is better, but this was damned good And a shot of lemoncello in an espresso is a great way to end a meal.

Over three hours of eating and talking and having a great time.  And then we went to a winery for a bit of wine-tasting.

It was a really small winery - no idea how many cases they produce a year - but we tasted a few great wines and brought a couple of bottles back with us.

The had a no-sulfate wine named Rememorie della terra - Remember the Earth - that was excellent. I wish they could ship directly to our home and not have to deal with the sate system.

Five hours after leaving the house, we crawled back in and down to the pool to moan and groan and relive the fabulous experience.

No dinner tonight.

Just great memories of a once in a lifetime experience.

And... some great ideas for dishes when we get home. Some of the dishes are going to be replicated.

 

 


The Food! The Food!

I'm sitting in a gazebo by the pool, trying to put words to the gastronomic sensations we have had in just a few days.

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OMG! The FOOD!

What a difference between food that was grown down the street and picked at its peak vs food that was grown thousands of miles away and picked for shipping - not eating.

I wanna move.

To say we haven't had a bad meal, yet, is an understatement - every grape, peach, tomato - OMG the tomatoes - are just fabulous. And the cheeses! The mortadella! The breads! The pastries!

I'm in gastronomic heaven.

Our second night here, Phoebe made a papardelle with pancetta, onions, and red wine.

Stunning in its simplicity. And unbelievably delicious.

 

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George, our landlord at Villa Modica brought over olives he grew and cured, himself. Laced with hot peppers, they have a salty bite that you just won't find elsewhere. I'm eating handfuls at a time. Just fabulous.

 

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The fruit has been spectacular. The difference, here, is the fruit doesn't have that perfect look that we expect at the grocery store. But what it lacks in perfect looks, it gains in perfect taste. The food hasn't been bred for looks - it's all about what it's supposed to taste like.

 

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We had our first Sicilian Pizza last night...

 

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I made hand-spun pizza for many years and always thought mine was pretty good. This was better. The flavors just exploded. The version I got was called a Modicana. It had mozzarella, ricotta salata, onions, sausage, and arugula. What a taste sensation.

There are several fish markets along the street. Here, they're advertising fresh swordfish. It doesn't get fresher.

There are produce stalls everywhere. We've been going to one in particular where we can park the car. There is one guy there who is a total hoot - a real charmer and salesman. His English is about as good as our Italian - and we're communicating perfectly.

 

 

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And we've picked up some chocolate and some fun liqueurs. I see some really different biscotti in our future.

I knew coming in we were going to love the food. I had some pretty high expectations - and in just three days, they have been exceeded a hundredfold.

 

 

 


The First Meal Out

 

We woke up to a bit of a gray day, today. Since we had been following the weather, we knew we had a bit of a rainy day, today, so we didn't plan anything other than a bit of recovery from the crazy travel day...

Of course, we all were up by 6am due to time-zone changes, so by 11, we decided to go out and at least see a bit of the town. It had stopped raining, and while still overcast, was quite pleasant.

By 1, we were ready for a bit of lunch, so we wandered into a small trattoria...

We had a blast between the owner's lack of English and our lack of Italian. And the food was stupendous.

We started off with an anti pasti rustica - local salumi, a local cheese, local olives, local eggplant, home-baked bread, a fritatta, and a focaccia that more closely resembled what we would call a stromboli.

I have a feeling I'm going to be raving about anything and everything we eat. All of it was awesome.

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My secondi was a tagliatelle with beef, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms... with toasted bread crumbs on top. So simple. So fabulous. Victor had a fritatta that was divine.

 

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As we waddled around town and back towards the car, we found a paticceria. Cannoli. Filled to order as all cannoli should be.

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But they took it a step further. Not only were they filled to order, they were placed on a heavy tray and wrapped like a present. All for 18 Euro! (That's 2 bucks apiece!)

 

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If you're ever in Modica, it's Chantilly Pasticceria - http://www.pasticceriachantilly.com. Another place where English was not widely spoken, but we had a lot of fun communicating!

 

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And they're even better than they look!

Tonight we're going to stay in and eat light. We have two weeks of meals to get through - one at a time!

 


Sicily 2014

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After less than 24 hours here, I've already figured out I'll never be able to blog about food both here and on the Sicily site, so...

The unbelievably fantastic food has already begun. The cannoli above are from a small bakery in Modica. 12 HUGE cannoli - filled after we ordered them - were 18 Euros - 2 bucks apiece.

Trek on over to the Sicily site and see ya back here in June!


Birthdays and Mother's Day

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Today was Victor's Mom's Birthday. I remember the Mom' Birthday/Mother's Day combo quite well - my mom's birthday is May 13th and many was the year they fell on the same day. I always thought it funny that my mom and Victor's mom were born 2 days apart, 3000 miles away, in the same year - and were so totally different.

But since my mom is no longer here to spoil, I have to make sure Nonna gets her deserved spoils for the day.

Starting with a cheesecake. This is one similarity the two moms shared - a love of cheesecake. And the cake I made is a variation on Lucille's cheesecake - our old neighbor from 46th Avenue.

We had a ton of food, today - antipasto platters, baked pasta, homemade meatballs, sausages, salads - enough food for an army or two. Somehow, I only managed to get pictures of the desserts. Go figure.

A Variation on a Cheesecake

Crust

  • 2 pkgs graham crackers
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2/3 cup melted butter
  • 6 tbsp sugar

Mix graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor. Add sugar and pulse a few times.  Add melted butter and mix well.  Pack into 10″ spring form pan bringing it up on sides.  Place in refrigerator while preparing filling.

Filling

  • 4 8oz pkgs cream cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 tbsp vanilla

Topping

  • 16oz carton sour cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla

To make

Cream cheese with sugar.  Add unbeaten eggs one at a time.  Mix well, scraping down bowl, as needed.  Add unwhipped cream.  Stir in vanilla.

Pour into crust.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Allow to cool on rack for 15 minutes.  Spread on sour cream topping.

Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Cool completely and refrigerate.

I have to tell ya - it came out great. Nonna was thrilled with it - and there's going to be plenty left over for treats while we're away. I sliced up several pieces and put them in the freezer to be doled out...

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Since there were two occasions, we needed two cakes, right?!? Right!

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The second was a caramel cream roll.

Basic sponge cake with a filling of heavy cream whipped with a jar of salted caramel sauce. Yes. It was decadent.

Caramel Cream Roll

  • 1 1/2 cups pastry flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 cup nonfat milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup egg whites (approximately 8 large eggs)
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • pinch of salt

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Dissolve the ¾ cup of sugar in the milk. Add the vanilla. Beat the whites with ½ cup of sugar and salt until stiff moist peaks form. Gently add the flour into the liquid ingredients and fold in the egg whites. Do not overwork. Spread gently into a sheet pan  pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15-18 minutes until set and golden. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Turn cake out onto towel and roll cake. Allow to cool.

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 jar salted caramel sauce

Whip cream with caramel until thick. Unroll cake, spread with filling and re-roll. Top with powdered sugar.

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And because no party is complete without chocolate-dipped strawberries, Victor dipped strawberries!

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We had 5 mothers and 1 birthday, today. And seven mothers who I wish were here with us, today. My mom, my four sisters, and my two sisters-in-law.

Happy Mother's day to all of ya!

 


Getting Ready For Vacation

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Chicken breasts grilled and then stuffed with spicy salsa, avocado, and covered with jalapeno jack cheese

It's time to get things cleaned up around here before we take off on Friday. I have a lot of meals I never posted or talked about. It seems there just aren't enough hours in the day, sometimes - but in just a few days, that is going to change...

Vacation... Sicily... Two glorious weeks with nothing to do but decide whether to slip into the pool or drive down the hill and dip into the Mediterranean.  La Dolce Vita...

I'm pretty psyched about this. We've never been to Sicily, we're going with my big brother and baby sister, and we've rented a 4br villa with a pool in Modica - the unspoiled southeastern corner of Sicily. Dinner will be waiting for us when we arrive - along with 20 liters of local wine. The villa comes with an organic garden, also. I seriously cannot wait.

Veal Marsala - can't wait to get real Marsala IN Marsala
Veal Marsala - can't wait to get real Marsala IN Marsala!

I really have no idea what we're going to do once we get there. My only really need to is to see Mt Etna. It's a pretty awesome deal. There are a few want-tos, as well... Marsala, chocolate - Modica is a chocolate-lovers dream - and a couple of pieces of pottery. And some swimming-in-the-Mediterranean-time. Otherwise, it's 2 weeks of whatever.

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Flank steak and peas with pancetta.

I really was psyched to learn about Modica's chocolate - cold-ground just as the Aztecs did a millennium or so, ago. Part of the whatever-time will be exploring our town and sampling as much chocolate as I can. I'll need to sample a lot so I can write about it. Right?!?

Chicken and sausage risotto with carrots.
Chicken and sausage risotto with carrots.

And a few pieces of pottery... We need a salt bowl and a pepper bowl for next to the stove. All of my salting and peppering is done with my fingers. It's just the best way to do it and we have two small Ikea bowls that need replacing. Well... they only need replacing because we're going somewhere that is bound to have something worth replacing them with.

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Caribbean-spiced chicken skewers with coconut rice and pineapple.

I'd also like to get a new cake plate. And add a wing onto the kitchen to hold everything.

And eat. Fresh seafood. Little places off the beaten track. And I want to grocery shop and do a bit of cooking, m'self. Two weeks without thinking about time.

La dolce vita, indeed!