CHRISTMAS IS DECLARED!

Christmas in Modica always really starts, for me, with our multilingual carol service. This year's event took place on Saturday evening and I am happy to be able to say that many communities and languages were represented. Some songs and readings were religious whilst others were not, but all meant something special to their readers or singers at this time of year, which is just as it should be. Let's have a look:

Vive le vent - a French version of Jingle Bells

The British, American and Canadian contingent give their Joy to the World

A German carol is performed

A reading in Arabic

A reading in Bulgarian

A reading in Malagasy

 Yours truly reads Christ Climbed Down by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Gino, our loyal accompanist

 Poetry in Persian is read

 Time for a Spanish carol

There was food from all the countries represented and I made and took along these chocolate crunchy thingamies, a version of "Rocky road", I suppose. The recipe is in the November edition of Good Housekeeping UK and they are very easy to make!

Sicilian sfinci sit alongside Lebanese food and British mince pies - an indication of the international flavour [in every sense] of the evening.

I would like to thank the indefatigable Mr Douglas Ponton for getting us all organised, for conducting and for all his hard work.

MULTILINGUAL CAROL SERVICE, 2011

The ladies and several gentlemen of the "foreign legion" held their multilingual carol service at the Salesian Church of Maria Ausiliatrice in Ragusa on Saturday.  Italian, French, German, Bosnian, English, Dutch, Danish and Spanish were the languages represented this year and there was also a carol in Sicilian dialect.

The German ladies sang by candlelight

while enthusiasm made up for numbers as the British and American contingent belted out Hark the Herald Angels Sing:

I, as the only non-singing Welshwoman in the world, explained, in Italian, what an Eisteddfod is and read about an early, Christmas one instead [see details below]:

Denmark bravely contributed an excellent solo

and the Spanish speakers, who always choose a jolly carol, ensured that this year was no exception:

There was also a traditional accordion solo from accompanist Gino:

The service ended, as usual, with the singing of verses of Silent Night in Italian, French, German, Spanish and English.

This is the text I read from The Chronicle of the Princes:

"1176.  At Christmastide in that year, the Lord Rhys ap Gruffudd held a court with great splendour in Cardigan Castle, and arranged two kinds of contests there, one for bards and poets, and the other for harpists and crowthers and pipers and other musicians.  He had two chairs placed for the winners, and honoured them with lavish gifts.  Among the harpists, a youth of Rhys's own court was successful, and of the poets, those of Gwynedd were supreme.  All seekers of largesse obtained from Rhys all that they asked for, and no one met with refusal.  That feast, before it was held, had been proclaimed a year in advance throughout Wales, and England, Ireland and the other islands."

And now I'll let you look at the food that the" international ladies" had brought along:

My friend the artist Marjorie Morton is also an artist in the kitchen and for the occasion she had made this sumptuous cheesecake:

I had baked Nigella's white chocolate and [dried] cranberry cookies.  I know they are not shaped perfectly but neither, if you look carefully, are Nigella's.  Anyway, they were all eaten!

More goodies:

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There had to be Sicilian impannatighi!

There were even sausage rolls.  I hadn't had them for so long and I'm sure their calories don't count during festivities, just as those of chips cannot possibly count when you're out.

Next year it's Modica's turn to organise the service again!

PANE DI CASA

On Friday afternoon the ladies [and one or two gentlemen] of the Modica and Ragusa "foreign legion" held a very special gathering, for my kind friend Grazia, who is one of the best Sicilian cooks I know, had decided to show us how to make traditional Sicilian bread - the pane di casa that the housewife used to produce for her family at the beginning of every week. 

I hope you are all feeling energetic, as this is hard work!

Having made a yeast "starter", Grazia uses the "fountain" method to work the dough:  in this the flour is put in the centre of the work board - here a large wooden container with high sides, called a maidda in dialect - a "well" is formed in the centre of the flour and the starter is mixed in with more water as needed:

As you can see, every bit of flour is gathered into the bread:

Now the roll will be left under a teatowel for ten minutes.

But what is this?  Ah, this is the kneading table, the briula, with its briuni on the left:

Grazia sits at one end of the briula, from where she will turn the dough, and today she has no shortage of helpers to wield the briuni: 

Up and down goes the briuni, until Grazia is satisfied with the kneading:

Now she cuts off a tiny portion of dough and uses the knife to etch the shape of the cross on the cut edge of the rest. Then she cuts off pieces and begins to form them into traditional shapes:

Now it's time for the special effects!

The S-shaped forms are typical.  Now they are all left to rise under teatowels and blankets.  How long for?  For as long as it takes - pazienza.

After baking, the bread can be "dressed" with oil, salt, oregano, sundried tomatoes or local cheese.  Now it has become pane condito and it is delicious:

What else did we eat at our gathering?  Well.....

Tiralucci biscuits

One of Linda and Chiara's sponges

Candied orange peel, sometimes dipped in chocolate, appears at this time of year

But the star of the show was the bread.  Grazie per la lezione, Grazia.