Hors d’oeuvre nei bicchieri. Raffinatezza e gusto sulla tavola delle feste

Si approssimano le festività natalizie e siamo tutti in fibrillazione per la scelta dei menù e la preparazione di pranzi, cene e cenoni. Ho, dunque, pensato che vi avrebbe fatto piacere avere qualche suggerimento in merito.

Bene, vi propongo tre antipasti facili da realizzare, molto buoni e anche molto eleganti, adatti alle tavole imbandite dei prossimi giorni e non solo.

Queste ricette sono dedicate anche a chi segue una dieta senza carne: infatti, nelle coppette è contenuta un'insalatina di sedano e carote in agrodolce; nei tumblers, crudités con salsa allo yogurt greco e crema di barbabietola rossa alle noci; nei calici, invece, crema di avocado e gamberone.

Baked eggplants with oregano

It is not necessarily that the preparations must be very elaborate to be good; rather, in truth, I have a preference for the simple dishes in which is able better to appreciate the taste of the ingredients. The kitchen for eveyday, moreover,must be suitable besides to the contemporary style of life that asks for a moderate quantity of calories, considering that our days develop sedentarily.

In this article, I propose you a recipe that sees how protagonist the queen of the Sicilian summer tables: 'a mulinciana (the eggplant in sicilian language).

I have made the Guacamole in the South of United States...because I like the difficult challenges!

To prepare the Guacamole, recipe hailing from Mexico but very diffused and appreciated in the whole South of USA, to Jacksonville Beach (Florida) for my American friends, it has been an hazard, an irresponsible choice made on the emotional wave of the desire to cook something that reentered in their alimentary habits, however without to consider that the parterre "judging" it had good knowledge of the dish. But here as it has gone...narrated in third person (better maintaining the anonymity and to take the distances, one never knows...hihhihhi).

That morning she woke up soon, well soon relatively to the time to which they had gone to bed. That morning was not an wichever morning, it was the 4^th of July, the Indipendence Day, the day of the Stars and Strips pride. The day in which, on the contrary than can be believed, the national identity becomes the pretext to turn everything into a great anarchic circus, where there are not rules and commandments with the exception of the respect for the others.

Honeydew melon jelly with raw ham

Before beginning the story and to propose you the recipe I desire to make a short linguistic aside. In Italian "honeydew melon" it is said "melon", instead in Sicilian "mellone." Out of the Trinacria people shiver earing the double consonant in that word but, detaining to reflect me on the diction, I have realized that the sound of the headword becomes full, the tongue, in the pronunciation of the double “l”, de facto, is sharpened on the palate tickling it and prefiguring the sweet taste of the fruit that actually reigns on the Sicilian tables since the end of August to January.

But banishing to the “lexical gossips”... A dear friend, some time ago, told me: But why do you not create any recipe with the white melon, the fruit of this season? I answered him that already something I had in my mind and I would have wanted to experiment it as soon as possible.

The occasion happened after a little time, when the owners of a place of Menfi asked me to organize a culinary evening. The small center, located between the territories of Trapani and Agrigento, is famous for its meaningful vine and wine production and for its tract few contaminated from the cement, with the sweet hills covered by vineyards and olive trees  that decline to the sea, so much enchanting to have deserved in the last years the denomination Menfishire.

After having thought of that for a few days and to be compares me both mine "prompter" and with other dear friends gourmets, I have elaborated a menù in which one of the hors d’oeuvre have seen how protagonist exactly the sweet yellow fruit. I have in fact realized a revisitation of the classical appetizer "melon and ham" proposing the fruit in a "jelly” version.

I served it as appetizer but, naturally, eliminating the sausage can be eats as dessert at the end of meal or in any other moment of the day.

Here is the recipe, similar in the ingredients and in the realization to the most known gelo di mellone (watermelon jelly).

Marinated anchovies

The kitchen is tradition and, as such, culture. A lot of recipes of the local kitchens are impregnated with history and they have been being handed down for centuries for generation in generation. Some typical products, in many cases, also become symbol and media protagonists of a territory for their rituality, their content artistic-manual and the aesthetics that express them.

In Sicily the whole food is symbol and the island traditional kitchen shows all the characters of its people: from that more "aristocrat", of the baroques and opulent dishes left each other by the Monsùs; to the more "plebeian", that it finds again in the dishes of the agricultural and seafearing custom.

Today, luckily, in the society don't exist anymore social barriers due to titles and to honors and the same revolution has been transferring in the vision of the gastronomy. So many gods, considered in the past a dime a dozen, have been rehabilitated by the dietary and nutritional point of view and recognized as of the delicacies, thanks also to their territorial exclusiveness.

Among these we find all the "blue fish": mackerel, needle-fishes, longfin tuna, sardines, alaccie[1], anchovies. This type of fish has been being for centuries the fruit of the island fishing and we have many recipes in which it is protagonist: fried, roasted, all’acqua pazza[2], in bittersweet, marinated, with the onion, with the tomato sauce.

Mine prefer are the anchovies, then if they are marinated I find them irresistible. Greek and Romans were teachers in the maintenance of the fish and, possibly, the recipe of the "marinated Anchovies" comes us from them. Here I propose you that of my family.

The Panelle

Today it does so much "cool" to go around for the world to try the street food, natural father of the most modern fast-food. Needless to say you that in Sicily, where we are ahead always, we have been serving it for centuries: we have invented fast-food, practically. I know, you will be thinking that I am a flag-waving terrona[1], an extremist of the terrone’s thought. Well, a fund of truth there is perhaps, the certainty however it is in the fact that I madly love my earth and above all my city Palermo, an old stretched out lady between a mountain (Monte Pellegrino[2]) and the sea, noble, indolent, magnificent despite the marked signs of the time, that it still emanates a strong aura, memory of her shines of Liberty époque and of all of her ancient history.

Carciofi alla "Villanella" - Artichokes at the "villanella" (farmer mode)

Ogni famiglia siciliana e palermitana ha la sua ricetta. Io l'ho imparata da mia nonna Nella, madre di mia madre, la quale, dopo averli nettati delle foglie più dure e delle punte, li faceva spaccati a metà e messi in un sol strato in una padella, conditi con aglio a pezzetti, prezzemolo, sale, pepe e abbondante olio extravergine d'oliva e circa mezzo bicchiere d'acqua. Io ho apportato una piccola variante: spolverata di pangrattato tostato ("muddica atturrata" in Siciliano) e li lascio cuocere coperti per circa 20 minuti, o fin quando non risultano morbidi infilzandoli con una forchetta, senza mescolare.

In Palermitano, il carciofo diventa femmina: "a cacuocciula". L'"abitudine" linguistica di declinare alcune parole al femminile è un'eredità lasciataci anche in questo caso dalla dominazione araba. In Arabo, infatti, si dice "Al Kharsuf".

Artichokes[1] to the "Villanella[2]" (farmer mode)

Every sicilian and palermitan family have their own recipe. Well, I have learned it from my grandmother Nella, my mother's mom, which, after to have eliminated the harder external leaves and the extremity, did them broken to half and envoys in a only layer in a frying pan, seasoned with bits garlic, parsley and abundant extravergine olive's oil and a half glass of water. I have brought a small variation: dusting of bread crumb toasted ("muddica atturrata" in Sicilian language) and I let them to cook covered about 20 minutes, or until when they don't result soft pierced them with a fork, without mixing.

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[1] “A cacuocciula” in Palermitan language. Many of the palermitans’ words are inflected to female. This linguistic "habit" drift from the Arab language. For example, "a cacuocciula" derives from "Al kharshuf."

[2] U viddanu (villano, in Italian), he who worked the earth and he generally lived in small villages. It was a simple person and without culture. In the common language the word has become synonymous of "boor".

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[1] U viddanu (villano, in Italian), he who worked the earth and he generally lived in small villages. It was a simple person and without culture. In the common language the word has become synonymous of "boor".

Caponata of Artichockes

"I Have some American guests to House 500g. what they would want a typical palermitan supper for Thursday 13 February. Are you free for that date?". "I don't remember, it waits for control the diary. Yes, ok, I’m free."

And so, in fibrillation and some embarrassed, position of food and wine I have presented that day to the family Grunewald. There were all the generations: the founder, their sons, a nephew and an aunt. Relaxed, who on the couch, who around in the room, they have welcomed me with joviality and funny smiles.

I have started throw out the provisions from the packages: Sardinians' meatballs, panelle, caponata of artichokes, salad of fennels and oranges with vinaigrette to honey and mustard, ragout to the Sicilian way - that with the touches of meat and sausage, to intend us - to serve with the fresh noodles done by me, parfait of almonds.

While I was being busy to organize me in the kitchen, I have realized that the guests had some hunger and I have asked: "formal or informal supper?". They unanimously answered me in almost choral way: "Informal."

Loosened the ice (very it also loosened in the glasses) and, that evening, a started as unexpected as extraordinary friendship with the "marvelous Grunewald".

To that point I have started to serve the appetizers and to chat with them.

I must confess that convict was the caponata of artichokes and therefore, wishing me that can have the same benefits effects for the one who prepares and offers it, here is the recipe.