3/9 “Sicilia in Bocca”

3/9
“Sicilia in Bocca”
Yesterday I bought a Sicilian cookbook titled “Sicilia in Bocca”. The book looks like it was made out of brown paper bags and must have been originally published in the 60’s or 70’s. It is written primarily in Italian but has the most hilarious English translations. The beginning section of the text on Antipasti reads as follows; “We would much prefer to open this collection of Sicilian recipes with the hors-d’oeuvres section. On the contrary, not only the lacking of such a tradition prevents us, but also our reluctance to give our readers the image of a people that, in order to relish a meal satisfactorily, need appetizing hors-d’oeuvres to excite the gastric juice secretion and, briefly, to stimulate the appetite. In not far away times, here people used to think our genial expedients to “jump” lunch or dinner and surely not because they were overweight or suffering from liver disorder.” There’s nothing like a good introduction to whet the appetite. I don’t know about you, but that paragraph really makes my juices secrete!
I made a little progress connecting with some “town folk” today. I’ve been checking out and comparing all of the produce stands, bakeries and general stores (general stores have cheese, meat, milk, eggs, etc.) since I arrived. Most people are friendly but my Italian isn’t good enough to ask in depth questions and a lot of shopkeepers seem busy and don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of time giving me a free Italian lesson. The weather for the past 5 days has been unseasonably cold, rainy and blustery. So now, when I walk in the door, the first thing I do is mime dying of hypothermia and mention the bad weather “Bruto Tempo!” That seems to break the ice. Then I stroll through the shop and think of a question. Today, in my cavewoman Italian, I asked a taciturn shopkeeper (who I haven’t gotten to crack a smile yet) “What pasta goes with this Pistachio Pesto”? He responded with enthusiasm immediately. It seems that people here are more than happy to tell me EXACTLY what should go with what and how to put it together. I love it. Who needs cooking classes when you have opinionated shop owners!
Jeff Olson, a friend from Seattle, is visiting us now. My dear friend Amy, from Brooklyn, left early this morning. I’m happy to have another person to try out my bastard Sicilian concoctions on. Today we had a huge spread for lunch; antipasti with roasted red peppers, grilled pumpkin (haven’t figured out how the locals give it the sweet and sour taste yet), Buffalo mozzerella with ripe tomatoes, fresh ricotta, locally made pecorino with red pepper flakes, salad with raddichio, tortellini stuffed with beef and served with a béchamel sauce, breaded chicken cutlets stuffed with prosciutto and mozzerella, green olives, warm bread from the bakery 4 doors down the street, and some damn fine local white wine called “Grillo”. I wish I could take credit for all of the food, but the chicken and the tortellini came fresh and readymade from local shops (when I found the one local, fresh pasta shop I did a happy dance). Despite the fact that the Euro has been in decline…it is still expensive to eat out. If you stay somewhere with even a small kitchen, you can eat as well, if not better, than in some restaurants. I am very, very glad that I packed 2 pairs of pants with elastic waistbands…