Sicilian meals: at what time we eat?

Which is the time Sicilians eat? For instance, English people eat quite early, by contrast Spaniards eat very late. We are in the middle.

We have lunches that can vary from 13.30 until 15.00 (which is 3 p.m.), and dinners normally are from 8 p.m. to 9.30 more or less.
In my family at 13.30 and 8 p.m. we just sit on the table and start eating, but in another families they just start cooking at that time, so it depends on everyone's habits basically.


This is on an average normal day obviously, you may also find never-ending meals if there is a celebration or a special occasion like a festivity.

Beet Ravioli with Tofu Spinach Filling

Making pasta from scratch was one of the first large cooking endeavors I took on as a kid. Hours later the kitchen and myself would be covered in flour as dinner was finally served. The efforts were well worth it as the egg-y smooth texture of homemade pasta is often an ethereal experience.

Today I am a touch faster, but I give myself plenty of time to enjoy the process.
Pasta Makers really, really make life a lot easier, especially for homemade raviolis. I say this entirely from experience. For fettuccine and other egg pasta used in dishes such as Chicken Noodle Soup, I am fine using a rolling pin, but in the case of ravioli I draw the line. It once took three of us my roommate, her boyfriend and myself hours of determination to roll out dough as thinly as possible only to end up with what was thick, difficult to eat ravioli not exactly what we were looking for, especially since our upper-bodies were sore from rolling.

This time, I had a Pasta Maker and a few tablespoons of Beet Powder for fun color. If you don’t have beet powder, it is entirely optional, but I love the dark pink color of this pasta.

The filling is Vegan, because my visiting niece is dairy-free and her friend is a Vegetarian so we settled on this Vegan filling since rarely do they enjoy the Ricotta-Herb filled versions. The dough however is not Vegan- so sorry.

I am sure a few of you are thinking this pasta making stuff is crazy, but the filling is perfect... well, I have an alternative solution if you are looking for a faster and not-requiring-a-pasta-maker version try: Wonton wrappers! They are usually cut into the appropriate square shape and with a few dabs of water the wontons easily come together as ravioli. They won’t be bright pink, but at least they have the tasty dairy-free center!

What are your favorite ravioli fillings?












Beet Ravioli with Greens, Pine Nut, and Tofu Filling
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons Beet Powder
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-3 tablespoons water

In a food processor, blend together the flour and beet powder. Slowly add one egg at a time, blending to incorporate, drizzle in the olive oil to form a ball. If it doesn’t start coming together slowly add the water a few splashes at a time until the dough is a big roll-able ball.
Let the dough rest to relax for about 30 minutes. Wrap up in plastic and set in the fridge until ready to use.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

Greens & Tofu Filling
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of spinach or other dark leafy greens, finely chopped
10 ounces tofu, crumbled
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
5-8 leaves of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic into the olive oil, toss in the chopped greens and wilt slightly. Add in the crumbled tofu, sprinkle in the nutritional yeast, basil, salt and pepper. Toss and then cool slightly.

Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped/minced
24 ounce can crushed roasted tomatoes
½ cup chopped basil
1 pinch red chili pepper flakes, optional

Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic. As soon as you can smell the garlic starting to heat and sizzle add in the tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is to your desired consistency or flavor. Toss in the basil. If you like a smoother sauce, puree in a blender after you add the basil and then return to the pan to simmer slightly.

Put it all together:

Cut the pasta dough into at least 4 balls. Roll out the pasta dough thinly, using a pasta maker is ideal, but with some serious work a rolling pin can do the job.

Roll out two thin sheets and lay them next to each other. Dollop on 1 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches a part. When the sheet is full of dollops dab a little water around each pile of filling. Lay the second sheet of pasta dough on top. Lightly press the sheets together, pressing around the filling to ensure it is secure without air bubbles. With a pizza or pastry cutter, slice through creating even square raviolis. Set aside on a drying rack and continue making raviolis until you run out of pasta or filling.

Once all of the pastas are made and arranged on drying racks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in a few generous pinches of salt once it is up to a rapid boil. Toss in a few of the raviolis being sure to not over crowd the pan. They will float to the top when they are ready. Scoop off a few, sauce up with the warm tomato sauce and serve.

Make sure the ravioli have plenty of room to dance and cook in the boiling water. When they float to the top, scoop them off:














Have extra rolled out thin dough? We ran out of filling before we ran out of dough, so we just sliced them into noodle-sized pieces and boiled them after we boiled the ravioli. A little extra fresh pasta treat!

Sun Dried Tomato Caesar Salad

I feel I can reasonably mess around with Caesar to create my own version (you know such as removing the raw egg that makes so many nervous) but for me the quintessential flavor of Caesar Salad comes from Anchovies. I hear a few of you gagging at the thought, but bear with me and try it. I serve this regularly to anchovy haters (albeit fish eaters) and they have become believers. If you cannot get past the *idea* of eating flavor-packed fish paste in your salad dressing, try a splash of Worcestershire Sauce instead-- but be warned this also often contains anchovies. While you are reading the back of the label on the Worcestershire watch out for the now often included High-Fructose Corn Syrup. I find generic brands are sometimes 'safer'. If you have to avoid the anchovies altogether (Hi there Vegetarians!) Annie's makes a lovely Worcestershire without anchovies or HFCS.

This particular version of Caesar salad is inspired by a large jar of Costco sun-dried tomatoes marinating in olive oil and a Gluten-Free friend coming over. Toasted pine nuts replace the crunch provided by the usual croutons. Sun-dried tomatoes add just enough flavor to make this salad memorable.

Sun-Dried Tomato Caesar Salad
For the dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced
1 lemon juiced (about ¼ cup)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbls anchovy paste (or 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce)
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

For the salad:
4 cups romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pieces (marinated in olive oil)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts*

Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic and lemon for the salad dressing. Allow to sit for about 2 minutes as the acid from the lemon mellows out the garlic. Add in the Dijon mustard, anchovy paste and yogurt. Whisk until combined. Taste to see if you need more of any flavors. Slowly emulsify in the olive oil: while whisking rapidly, pour the olive oil in to the dressing in a thin, steady stream. Continue whisking until all of the olive oil has been added. Taste again. Fold in the parmesan cheese.

Drizzle some of the dressing on to the romaine lettuce. Toss lightly to coat. Add more dressing as needed. Toss in about half of the sun-dried tomatoes and pine-nuts. Garnish with the remaining sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts.

*To toast pine nuts, gently shake raw pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Shake. Repeat until evenly golden. Keep your nose involved. If you smell burning remove the pine nuts from the skillet as soon as possible.

Grilled Salmon with Herb-Yogurt Sauce & Warm Bacon-Beet Salad

Sometimes dinner comes together through the sum of the parts in the fridge and it ends up becoming this classic dish that you want to make again and again. As it turned out I had some leftover Turkey Bacon in the fridge, a beet in desperate need of attention, handful of spinach and salmon that I had just picked up.

I did not grow up eating Warm Bacon Salads, but when I discovered people did this to salad I was shocked and jealous. Bacon on salad? Fantastic. I have since make them from time to time, but the combination with beets was quite lovely.

Turkey bacon enhanced the sliced beets and the combo wilted the spinach. With a simple Grilled piece of Salmon an extra side seemed an order. Polenta comes together with ease and grace, needing just enough attention to require your occasional stir, but not so much you are trapped at the stove.

Of course the Grilled Salmon needed to compete with the Beet Salad without being overshadowed. So I mashed together some fresh herbs with lemon and whisked in plain yogurt. Drizzled on top of the salmon and viola! Weeknight dinner using up our fridge in all the best ways.

I started with the polenta, next the herb-cream sauce for the salmon, then the bacon-beet mess and as soon as I was able to let them beets steam, the salmon hit the grill.

Polenta
I soak my polenta in milk prior as it gives it an extra boost of creaminess.

½ cup Medium-Grind Cornmeal (aka Polenta or Grits)
3/4 cup milk (anywhere from non-fat to half & half, depending on your preference)
2 cups chicken broth

Place the cornmeal in a small pourable bowl, cover with the milk and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.

After the soaking, heat the chicken broth until just simmering. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the polenta with the milk, whisking rapidly until incorporated. Allow to come up to a simmer again. Reduce the heat if the polenta begins to sputter and spit at you (it is super itchy burning hot when it hits your skin- not pleasant). A low simmer is good for about 10-15 minutes until the polenta is to your desired thickness.

Warm Beet, Spring Onion & Turkey Bacon Salad
2 slices Turkey bacon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small beet, trimmed and peeled with a vegetable peeler
1 spring onion or leek, sliced thin
3 cups baby spinach
½ lemon
1 tablespoon Lemon Olive Oil (or 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil with 1 teaspoon lemon zest-combined)

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the turkey bacon and a slight splash of olive oil. Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side until it is your desired crispiness (I like my Turkey Bacon crispy as I find it to be dry & chewy otherwise- not a big fan of burnt though, so watch it!)

While your bacon is cooking, cut the beet into four chunks and then slice thinly- the thinner the slice the faster they will cook.

Remove the bacon once cooked through, add the remaining olive oil and sauté the sliced beets about 3-5 minutes tossing fairly consistently so there is an even flavor (aka fat) on each beet. Sprinkle with a slight pinch of salt, add in about ¼ cup of water and cover with a lid to steam slightly. Add more water, lid & steam until the beets are your desired tenderness. Once almost ready, toss in the spring onion slices and toss 2-3 minutes. Slice the turkey bacon thinly into pieces and toss in to the beets, tossing until just warmed and incorporated. Squeeze lemon juice all over it.

If enjoying separate from the Salmon & Polenta, arrange the Spinach Greens on each plate and toss the beets onto the greens until they wilt slightly. Drizzle the lemon olive oil on each plate, especially taking care for any spinach leaves untouched by the beets.

Basil-Mint Yogurt Sauce
1/4 cup basil (or about 6-10 leaves)
¼ cup mint (about 6-10 leaves)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons thick Greek yogurt

Rinse the basil & mint leaves and air dry. Tear into smaller pieces than place in a mortar with the lemon juice and salt mash them up with the pestle until shredded apart. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you mash it.

Alternatively, mince up the herbs and stir in a bowl with the salt and lemon juice, pressing the herbs against the side of the bowl to release the herbs flavors.

Once the herbs are minced or mashed into a lemon-salty-olive oil-y mess, stir in the Greek yogurt.

Simple Grilled Salmon
2 5-6 ounce pieces Salmon
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt and pepper, seasoned to taste

Rub the salmon with the olive oil or rub the grill with the oil where you will place the salmon. Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the grill to just below high heat. Place the Salmon flesh side against the grill. Grill for 2-3 minutes, loosen from the grill and rotate 90 degrees. Grill for another 2-3 minutes and then flip over sear skin side down for 2-6 minutes until the salmon is barely firm to the touch and slightly flaky.

To assemble the meal:
Place the polenta on one half of the plate. Arrange the spinach leaves on the other half, drizzle on the warm beets allowing the spinach to wilt and sigh slightly. Place the salmon in between and plop on the herb-yogurt sauce.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

There is this lovely time of the year, when summer vegetables start to make casual appearances, winter vegetables are still hanging out and spring vegetables boastfully grace us with their presence. I love this in between everything time as the produce options change almost daily. It is true spring, committed to several vegetables as a merging transition of the seasons.

I created this Primavera by abandoning the heavy cream sauces that occasionally are chosen for a light broth based sauce instead that merges the flavors together while allowing each to stand on their own. The vegetables could be easily changed depending on your garden or veggie drawer.

The chicken has a light crispiness from a brown rice flour coating and the finishing touch are toasted pine nuts. Enjoy and please share any variations you may try. This is a Gluten-Free option, but wheat flour and pasta can be subbed in if they are more readily available in your pantry.

Chicken Primavera over Brown Rice Pasta
1 tabelspoon olive oil
1 yellow onion
½ orange (or your favorite color) bell pepper
1 small zucchini, cut into thick pieces
8 spears asparagus, trim the ends &
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
½ bunch Purple Kale
¾ lb chicken thighs (about 3 thighs) or 2 small breasts cut into cubes
½ cup brown rice flour
2 cups chicken broth, room temperature to warm
1 cup brown rice pasta or whole wheat pasta
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a splash of the oil. Once it is hot, toss in the yellow onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden and add in the orange peppers. Sauté for 3-4 more minutes, add in the zucchini and asparagus and continue to sauté for 3-4 more minutes. Once the veggies are mostly done, lower the heat.

Meanwhile, set aside 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour and place the rest on a plate with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss and lightly coat each chicken piece in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat a separate sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once just hot, drizzle in another splash of the olive oil. Toss in the chicken pieces. Sear the pieces on one side for 3-5 minutes until golden on the outside, flip over and cook 3-5 more minutes until cooked through in the center. Add the chicken into the veggie pan and drizzle the remaining oil into the chicken saucepan. Once the oil is hot, sprinkle in the remaining brown rice flour to create a roux. Whisk/stir the flour and oil for about 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour flavor. Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking to incorporate until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the kale to the veggies, toss lightly and then toss the chicken, veggies and sauce together.

Serve on top of the hot pasta, sprinkle with the pine nuts.



Below is a Creamy Variation from the blog Foodista worth checking out...

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Strawberry Salsa

Strawberry season has arrived. Finally.

Previously, I lived just north of Santa Maria on the Coast of Central California. When you drove down Highway 101 this time of year, the smells permeate and strawberry stands are all around. Typically, I would buy a large crate at a time, eat half and share half. I love combining strawberries with savory dishes and here is one of my classic dishes.

The Strawberry Salsa could technically go on top of simply prepared fish or chicken, but I love pairing it with this Pistachio Crusted Chicken. One little secret to this dish is just a touch of ground rosemary powder. It gives a pine-y earthiness that balances nicely with the sweet berry salsa. A hint o' mint & zest of lime, give not only a lovely contrasting color to the salsa but a harmony of flavor.

This is truly is a dish I cherish. We patiently wait until baskets of strawberries are everywhere and then we can finally enjoy it as often as we choose.

Start with the salsa so the flavors have a chance to meld and mingle.

Strawberry Salsa
Just toss together the following:
1 pound strawberries, clean, remove stems and chop small, into little salsa size bits
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion
1 handful fresh mint (or basil), chopped up
1 lime, zest and juice
1 splash balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

The salsa is even better the next day, but will last up to a week if stored properly. Also, if your strawberries are not quite ripe enough add a pinch of sugar, honey, or agave until it is your desired sweetness.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken
If you do not have a blender/food processor available, chop the nuts by hand until fine.
2 servings

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Cutlets (about 5-6 ounces each)
¾ cup pistachios, finely chopped up in a blender or food processor or mince up by hand
tiny pinch of salt (omit if nuts are salted)
½ tbls ground rosemary powder or dried rosemary, chopped fine
1 egg lightly beaten
olive oil in a spray can (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425. Prepare the chicken by pounding it to an even thickness. This can be achieved with a mallet, but if you do not have one a heavy frying pan will work. The chicken will still be fairly thick about ¾ inch or slightly more, the goal is to have it be an even thickness, not paper-thin.

Toss the pistachios on a plate with the salt and rosemary. Dip each breast into the beaten eggs and then lay on top of the nuts. Turn over and gently push the nuts into the chicken. Place the breasts on a baking sheet lined with foil/parchment paper and place in the fridge for 10-30 minutes. This will dry the nuts onto the chicken. If you don’t have time, feel free to skip this step.

Remove the chicken from the oven and gently spritz each side with the Olive Oil mister. This will give the nut-coating a bit more golden color when baked without the need to fry it. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn over the chicken, spritz again if desired and continue baking for 10 minutes. Check the chicken for done-ness by pressing gently on the center of the breast. It should basically be firm but not a rock when ready. If you are still not sure, cut it in the middle to see if it has cooked through and is no longer pink in the center.

Crispy Crunchy Baked Fish with Lemon Caper Sauce

Recently we were at Breckenridge Brewery and I saw some oversized, shiny fish sticks resting on a pile of crispy fries walk by. Suddenly, I remembered my Pescatarian days when I opted for Fish Sticks at places where a Vegetarian menu was a foreign term. Not exactly healthy, but typically wipe-the-grease-off-your-chin tasty.

Now, I was craving the crispy coating around the moist fluffy white fish. However, my lack of desire to have a deep fryer and the obvious amount of fat oozing around an otherwise healthy piece of fish were preventing me from ordering a plate full. So, I worked out my own crispy dish o’ fish.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine from a couple years ago. While Panko breadcrumbs are fabulous for any breading I wanted a bit more crispiness and dare I say greasiness. A small bag of potato chips did the trick. I used the unsalted Kettle Chips so I could better control the salt. Mustard gives a bit more flavor and while I usually have a nice relish on hand for a quick tarter sauce all I could find were capers… and my Lemon-Caper Sauce was created to be the final touch!

I also have an obsession with Kale and noticed that it is a common decoration in the Seafood Department (what a waste!) so I quickly sautéed a pile of kale to balance out my crispy seafood feast.

Crisp-Crusty Fish
½ cup low-sodium potato chips, crushed into pieces
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbls grated parmesan cheese
1 tbls Italian seasonings
2 tbls mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb tilapia, cut into pieces that are even sizes, typically I cut through the center to create two long pieces
olive oil in a mister can

On a plate, toss together the potato chips, pankos, parmesan, and seasonings. Whisk together the mustard and beaten eggs in shallow bowl. Dip the tilapia pieces into the mustard egg mixture. Shake off the excess and place in the crumb mixture. Adhere the crumbs, pressing in slightly.

Preheat the oven to 475. Place the fish on a baking sheet lined with foil. As the oven heats up it will give the coating a few minutes to “dry” itself onto the fish. Just before placing in the oven, spray the fish with the olive oil spray. Flip over the fish pieces, spray again lightly with the olive oil. Roast for 5-8 minutes. Flip over the fish and bake for 4-6 more minutes until the fish is golden and flaky when broken. Or slightly firm when you touch it in the center.


Sauteed Kale
1 bunch Kale, washed and torn into pieces
1/2 teaspoon olive oil or a quick spray from the mister
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the olive oil and toss in the kale pieces. Quickly saute tossing the leaves until they crisp in some places and wilt in others.

Lemon Caper Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise
1/2 lemon juiced, about 1-2 tablespoons
1 heaping tablespoon capers
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the mayo with the lemon juice. Make it as tangy as you like it. Stir in the capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve alongside the Crispy Crunchy Baked Fish.

Cocoa Mint Roasted Lamb with Orange Roasted Asparagus

Lamb is my favorite Easter dish. It represents so much of spring and I adore serving it with Mint Sauce. I originally created this Cocoa Mint Rub when I found a small rack of Lamb in our freezer that we had managed to ignore for over a year. I knew they would need a strong rub in case the freezer had an effect on the flavor. While the main taste is Cocoa there is a bit of coffee in there to intensify the overall experience. We were all instantly hooked to the richness of the Cocoa with the lightness of the Mint against the tender lamb. This rub is now my favorite accompaniment to Lamb… and something about putting Chocolate and Mint on the main dish rather than in the Easter basket just charms me.

Of course, this Easter Lamb needs buddies and asparagus grabbed my attention- especially since it has been a long winter with out those sprigs of goodness. I prefer them roasted with an almost caramelized essence and orange seemed a great way to tie together the Cocoa, Mint and Lamb. And to officially bring them altogether I made an Orange Mint-Basil Sauce, which would be incredible drizzled on roasted vegetables, chicken or even as salad dressing.

Cocoa Mint Roasted Lamb

Cocoa Mint Rub
2 tbls raw sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup mint, washed, dried, torn into pieces
1 clove garlic minced fine
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tbls ground coffee

3-4 lb Lamb Shoulder or Leg, Boneless

Preheat oven to 450. Combine the Rub ingredients and pound with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, it could be blended in a mini-food processor or blender.

Lay the lamb on a cutting board. If the butcher wrapped it in strings to hold it together, leave the strings on. Sprinkle and press the rub onto the lamb until it is well coated with the rub. Place a wire rack inside of a roasting pan. When I don’t have a wire rack handy I will place long sticks of celery along the bottom of a baking dish. This allows the meat to be slightly elevated and circulate the heat.

No need for a lid or any moisture. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes at 450.
Reduce heat to 325. Stick a thermometer into the center. When the thermometer reaches 135 the lamb will be rare after resting and when it reaches 145 it will be medium after resting.

Remove the lamb, cover with foil or a lid and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Cut off the strings if necessary. Slice the meat about ¼-1/2 inch thick.

Serve with the Orange Mint-Basil Sauce and Orange-Roasted Asparagus

Orange Roasted Asparagus

1 lb asparagus
1 tbls olive oil
½ tsp kosher or sea salt
1 small orange

Preheat the oven to 425. Gently break off the tough ends of the asparagus by bending it about 2-3 inches from the bottom until it snaps. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and a pinch of the salt.

Slice the Orange into ¼ inch thick slices. Remove seeds if necessary. Toss onto the asparagus. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

Roast for 8-12 minutes until the asparagus is tender and slightly golden.

Orange Mint-Basil Sauce
Greatly influenced by http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Basil-Mint-and-Orange-Vinaigrette-12081

½ cup mint, washed and dried
½ cup basil, washed and dried
1 orange, zest and juice
2-4 tablespoons of orange juice (depending on the juice in the orange)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp orange vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup olive oil

Place everything except the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.