I had an amazing opportunity to chat with two beautiful Sicilian girl friends this week. The live Facebook video is linked below. Check it out for some Sicilian memories, a few little recipes and our first experience of having aperitivo online!
Visit Orlando Berlin next time you are in town for their amazing hospitality, good vibes and Sicilian cuisine. Grazie mille to Sallier de La Tour and Tasca d’Almerita for the fantastic wines + Digital Makers Media in Palermo for getting us online.
RECIPE: Carciofi Fritti
gluten-free fried artichokes
Ingredients:
3 whole artichokes
2 lemons
100g (3/4 c) chickpea flour
Sicilian sea salt
sunflower/vegetable oil for frying
Process:
Start by cleaning the artichokes. Prepare a large bowl of water with the juice of two whole lemons. The artichokes will start to oxidize and turn brown immediately so while prepping, we want to get them into the water as quickly as possible to avoid this. Start by peeling off the outer leaves. They are very fibrous, tough to eat, and very difficult to digest. Remove as many outer leaves and discard. As you get closer to the heart of the artichoke the we will remove enough tough green leaves until the artichoke leaves will be a yellow/purple shade. Using a vegetable peeler or a pairing knife, trim off all of the extra green part from the base of the artichoke and peel the stem. Cut off the rest of the stem and discard, leaving only about 1 inch of stem attached to the heart. Slice in half, scoop out the furry “choke” and slice the artichoke halves into thin pieces. Place in the water bowl until you finish cleaning the rest of the artichokes.
Dry the artichokes on a kitchen towel then dust with chickpea flour until covered all over. Since we are using a dry frying method, make sure you get the flour all over the artichoke pieces and in between the leaves to have optimum crunchy bits.
Place a wide sauce pan over medium heat and fill with enough vegetable oil so the artichokes will be able to float while frying. If they sit in a small puddle of oil, they will absorb more and not be as tasty.
Start frying the artichokes by carefully placing them into the hot oil. They should begin to sizzle immediately but not brown too quickly. Try not to move them around too much, maybe only flipping over one time once they are browned on the bottom. The artichokes will be cooked when they turn a beautiful golden brown color. Strain out of the oil with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider tool. Blot on paper towels to remove any additional oil.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of Sicilian sea salt. Enjoy with a glass of Sallier de La Tour - Madamarosè syrah rosato.
RECIPE: Polpette di Pesce Spada
swordfish meatballs
Ingredients:
150g (5 oz) fresh swordfish, chopped
15g (2T) uva passolina palermitana small raisins or dried currants
15g (2T) pine nuts
fresh parsley, chopped
1 scallion, sliced
75g (1/2 c) breadcrumbs
1 whole egg
Sicilian sea salt
peperoncino
sunflower/vegetable oil for frying
1 lemon
Process:
Prep the swordfish, scallion, parsley, pine nuts and raisins for the polpette and mix together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the egg and then begin to incorporate breadcrumbs into the mixture until it comes together like a paste. You don’t want it to be too sticky or too dry. Season with Sicilian sea salt, spicy peperoncino or cracked black pepper. Form the mixture into small bite-sized meatballs and set aside.
Place a wide sauce pan over medium heat and fill with enough vegetable oil so the polpette will be able to float while frying. If they sit in a small puddle of oil, they will absorb more and not be as tasty.
Start frying the swordfish meatballs by carefully placing them into the hot oil. They should begin to sizzle immediately but not brown too quickly. Try not to move them around too much, maybe only flipping over one time once they are browned on the bottom. The polpette are ready when they turn a beautiful golden brown color. Strain out of the oil with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider tool. Blot on paper towels to remove any additional oil.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of Sicilian sea salt. Enjoy with a bottle of Sallier de La Tour - Madamarosè syrah rosato.
For additional Sicilian recipes and info on food/wine travel around the island, follow Chef Linda Sarris @thecheekychef @snacksicily and online www.lindasarris.com.