Today [Easter Monday] has been one of the coldest I have experienced in Sicily and we even have hail!! There is not a soul about outside and Simi dragged me back from our walk tonight [she always did have more sense than her mummy!] The Pasquetta [Easter Monday] picnic has been ruined for many but I was intending to have a nice day at home with Simi anyway.
I still feel warm when I think of yesterday's wonderful feast at Chiara's:
To begin with, we had pizzette spoletine [recipe below] served with excellent prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Of course, you cannot have a festa in Italy without pasta, otherwise the revolution would have reached these shores, so here it is, in picture 3, as prepared by one of Chiara's many aunts. Chicken and two lamb dishes followed [the second one pictured being flavoured with delicate, wild thyme from the Cava.] Truly magnificent Sicilian blood oranges were served next and a great deal of discussion as to how they should be cut ensued: Sicilians do not segment their oranges as we do in Britain, but top and tail, then peel them spirally; if some pith remains, it does not matter, for it is thin enough and soft enough to be eaten too. Finally, Chiara had made this delightful ciambello. I think her idea of decorating it with fresh spring flowers is just perfect.
Here is Chiara's recipe for pizza spoletina, just as she copied it down many years ago. [I don't think she used these gargantuan quantities yesterday, though!]
40 eggs
5 kilos strong bread or type 0 flour
1 kilo grated cheese, such as parmesan, pecorino romano and groviera [gruyère]
500 gr strutto or white vegetable fat
a little lievito di casa [bread starter] - and I am assured it must be di casa, not bought yeast.
Make a dough from the the first 4 ingredients, then mix in the lievito. Mix well, knead and leave to rise. Shape into pizze, put on an oiled and floured baking tray and bake for c. 30 mins at 200 C.
Buon appetito.
11 comments:
I think Simi is so sensible ;-) and the thought of those oranges make my mouth water xx
Hi, cherrypie. Yes, she is! Oh, I wish you could taste the oranges!
Maybe one day :-) xx
Oh how gorgeous these dishes look! Happy little Easter! :)
I wasn't serious about your being mean to Simi and I sure hope you understand that. I was just being silly. Lucky you to have had such a sumptuous feast yesterday!
One day , indeed, cherrypie! Thank you, Maryann and I hope you had a good "Pasquetta" too.
Hi, Leslie. I didn't think you were but thought it best to clarify for others! x
Only have to close my eyes and its as if I can smell these dishes, mouth watering ;-)
I have friends who visited Sicily for Easter, I imagine they are very chilly too. Still, if there was a choice of snow in the UK or hail in Sicily, I know what I would choose.
Thanks, nunyaa. Hi, Ellee. I'm not sure about that. At least in the UK you are warm when you are inside. Your friends might have frozen in an unheated hotel room here!
Owww I must not visit on an empty stomach. I am drooling at the sight of such delicious food!
Thanks, jams. Chiara will be delighted.
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