Bigoli are very similar to spaghetti – long strands of pasta once made at home and later commercially made and extruded through a bronze die with a rough edge so as to trap the sauce better. It is from the Veneto area of Italy where they eat polenta and risotto and not as much pasta as in the south of Italy; Bigoli have now become an artisan product and most commonly dressed with a duck pasta sauce. Eggs are sometimes incorporated in the pasta dough.
Bigoli Nobili (noble) Bigoli suggests something greater and they are. The pasta is made with the usual durum wheat but has red radicchio in the mixture; the pasta is therefore darker in colour. The Bigoli Nobili are far less common than the plain Bigoli and I bought several boxes of Bigoli Nobili in South Australia; I have not found this type of pasta in Melbourne but will continue my investigations.
I usually cook Bigoli with red radicchio, borlotti beans and pork sausages, a recipe that originates from around Bassano which is about two hours drive from Trieste where I spent part of my childhood. In some households the borlotti are not the standard addition to this dish. Cooking the same recipe with Bigoli Nobili accentuates the taste of the radicchio. There are different types of Radicchio (differentiated by their shape and colour) and they were all originally grown in the northern part of Italy: Chioggia, Castelfranco, grown in the fact of Treviso, Chioggia, Castelfranco, Trieste or Verona. The best known is the red one from Traviso. Radicchio has a bitter taste and can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked in various ways. The radicchio loses its red colour when it is cooked.
I have cooked Bigoli Nobili many times for friends, but have not taken a photo. When the pasta is ready to be dished out it is not an appropriate time having to announce to the guests:
“Hold your horses… I need to take a few photos before we eat!”
When I took this photo I did not have enough Bigoli Nobili so I mixed it with plain Bigoli- no guests, just us. It tasted just as good. And really, a good quality spaghetti will also produce great results.
For 6 people
500 grams of bigoli (or spaghetti)
6 Italian pork sausages
2 medium heads of radicchio
2 cups of cooked borlotti beans – 1 cup soaked overnight and then cooked in cold unsalted water, covered and cooked until soft (or 2 tins, drained)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large lump of butter, to taste
1 onion, cut finely
1 clove garlic, minced
fresh rosemary, a few sprigs
½ cup chopped parsley
½ glass of red wine
salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and separate it into small lumps with your fingers.
Slice each radicchio into halves, then quarters, then eights.
Sauté the onion in the extra virgin olive oil; add the sausages and brown them gently.
Add the radicchio and gently toss it around it until it is wilted.
Add the red wine, rosemary, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, cover and braise the contents for about ten minutes.
Stir the beans gently through the other ingredients until warmed through.
Add the butter last of all – this will enrich and give a sheen to the sauce.
Cook the pasta in salted water and drain it when it is cooked.
Place the cooked pasta into the sauce and serve.
Spring in Sicily is welcomed ‘big time’ and spring produce is embraced.
Sicilians make a fuss about the preparation and eating of seasonal spring produce: asparagus, artichokes, broad beans, fennel and ricotta. It is the time when the island comes alive – flowers bloom, vines sprout and vegetables ripen.
The menu at Waratah Hills Vineyard was a celebration of Spring, and all who attended the class enjoyed all of that produce and the occasion in such a beautiful vineyard.
We ate local garfish rolled around a Sicilian stuffing (commonly used for sardines called Beccafico), stuffed artichokes and a pasta with a dressing made from sautéed spring vegetables, moistened with wine and stock and topped with nutmeg and creamy ricotta.
We drank excellent, matching wines with each course and used local, extra virgin olive oil made by Judy and Neil’s (proprietors of Waratah Hills Vineyard and organizers of this event) neighbours .
Cassata of course was the final culinary jewel; I coated it with not-too-sweet marzipan…..and I have my tongue out in anticipation…(I do not know what I was saying!)
A few dressed Sicilian Green olives at the start did not go astray (garlic, orange rind, chilli flakes, wild fennel fronds, bay leaves, extra virgin olive oil) and a fennel and orange salad as a palate cleanser eaten after the fish was a good choice .
Thank you to all those eager and friendly people who made the event a success.
On Saturday, 20 September 2014 I will be at Waratah Hills Vineyard conducting a lunch time masterclass of Sicilian cooking .
Waratah Hills Vineyard is located on the road to the iconic Wilsons Promontory National Park. It is one of the southern most vineyards on the Australian mainland. The cool, maritime climate wine region is acknowledged as one of the best Pinot Noir producing areas in Australia.
The owners are Judy and Neil Travers. They have a simple philosophy is to do everything possible to produce grapes of the highest quality. The artisan approach to detail involves hand picking by clones in small batches at just the right intensity of ripeness.
Waratah Hills Vineyard was planted 17 years ago in the burgundy style of low trellising and close planting.
It is a beautifully sited vineyard with two acres of Chardonnay planted on a north south slope and seven acres of Pinot Noir separated by a band of trees into two distinctly different areas of the property.
In 2012 Judy and Neil Travers we were delighted to receive the Victorian Tourism Minister’s Encouragement Award for New and Emerging Tourism Businesses.
This is the information on the flyer:
Culinary jewels of Sicily
On Saturday, 20 September Waratah Hills Vineyard is hosting a lunch time masterclass of Sicilian cooking conducted by Marisa Raniolo Wilkins.
Marisa has written two books on Sicilian cooking; Sicilian Seafood Cooking and Small Fishy Bites.
She is a vivacious fusion of cultures and experience. Her food is very much driven by a curiosity of exploring her cultural origins. The recipes and ingredients of Sicily reflect the influences of the Mediterranean from ancient times to the modern day.
Born in Sicily and raised in Trieste before migrating to Australia with her parents, she regularly visits her extended family in Italy and Sicily; each visit adding to her knowledge of first-hand wonderful food experience.
Places are limited for this hands on three-course cooking, eating and drinking experience at $120 per head. Course notes and recipes are provided for you to take home.
The 20th September is in Spring and the menu will feature Spring produce and recipes.
I hope to see you there.
What could be better than a very pleasant experience in this beautiful part of the world!
Check out their wines – you will not be disappointed:
My second book Small Fishy Bites is now translated into Dutch (Tapas Met Vis) and this set me thinking about my friend Lily and how the Dutch like potato croquettes.
The French call them croquettes, Italians know them as crocchette.
When I was in primary school and living in Adelaide I used to have a friend called Lily. She and her family were Dutch and her mother used to call them Kroket.
My mother also cooked crochette di patate (potato croquettes) and sometimes when we came home from school there would be a snack waiting for us if they had been on the menu and were left over from the night before.
Lily’s mum fried her croquettes in vegetable oil whereas my mum fried hers in olive oil so I could always taste a difference.
Sometimes my mum used to put a little ham or a cube of cheese in the centre.
In Small Fishy Bites, there is a recipe for crocchette di patate and being a book about fish these croquettes have anchovies or smoked eel in them; the fish can be spread throughout the potato mixture or inserted into the centre. Great with drinks!
In the photo above you can see the two potato ricers I use. The one on the right is very old and came from Trieste where I lived as a child.
To stop the potatoes becoming soggy, I boil the potatoes whole and then peel them once they are cool.
24oz/700 g potatoes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
4 anchovies, cut into small pieces (or 4 oz/100 g flaked smoked eel)
salt and freshly ground pepper
a little flour or breadcrumbs to coat the crocchette
extra virgin olive oil for frying
Instead of the anchovies you could also use 3½ oz/100 g of smoked eel.
Cook the potatoes until soft (boil or use a microwave). Peel when cool enough
to handle and use a ricer or a Mouli grater (a hand-operated cooking tool
designed for grating or pureeing small quantities of food) mouler to mash
them. Let cool completely.
Add the eggs, garlic, parsley and seasoning and the fish last of all.
Shape the mixture into egg shape patties and just before frying roll them in
a little plain flour.
Fry until golden and only turn once.
You may see a number of Italian recipes cooked al guazzetto. This is just another Italian style of cooking.
A little bit of Italian grammar here in case you are confused: you may be familiar with other Italian culinary terms like alla romana (cooking style originating in the region of Rome, ie Roman style) alla contadina or alla paesana (peasant style) or alla campagnola (rustic or country style) – The above words are all feminine words and therefore have alla in front.
Other common terms like al forno (cooked in the oven) or al vapore (steamed) – have al in front because they are masculine words.
Al guazzetto means that it is cooked in some liquid. To confuse you even further in umido is also a culinary term that means the same thing (poached or simmered or braised). Perhaps in umido implies that it may be more slow cooked or that the liquid is significantly reduced – but perhaps I am being pedantic here.
There are many recipes for fish cooked al guazzetto and less so for meat – most contain tomatoes and broth to concentrate flavours. However, in Foods of Sicilyand Sardinia and the Smaller Islands [Giuliano Bugialli, John Dominis] there is a recipe from Sardinia called Pollo o coniglio al guazzetto and this is the inspiration for the following recipe. I cooked pollo (chicken) rather than the coniglio (rabbit).
The recipe reminds me of a Sicilian way of cooking potatoes called Patati nno’ Tianu (Patate in tegame in Italian) that basically contains the same ingredients. In this recipe cubed potatoes (Italians would peel them, I do not) are placed in a heavy saucepan with a good lid. Add all of the other ingredients and cover with some water. Seal with the lid and let them cook slowly. They will absorb the water and be soft and fragrant.
The saffron in this braise is fabulous.
1 chicken (I always buy free range) cleaned and cut into pieces
1 onion, sliced finely
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup of parsley, cut finely
1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 splash of wine
2 large pinches of saffron
1 tablespoon of capers
salt and pepper
Method:
Brown the chicken pieces in hot oil. Remove it and set aside.
Sauté the onion and garlic.
Add the chicken and parsley and sauté it for a few minutes longer.
Add vinegar , saffron and wine, capers and seasoning.
Add a few tablespoons of boiling water or more white wine as it is cooking if necessary,
Serve hot and preferably with Fregola
* Fregula or Fregolona is uniquely Sardinian. It is a type of pasta/couscous from Sardinia and is similar to North African Berkoukes, Middle Eastern Moghrabieh, and Israeli couscous.It is also lightly toasted.
My recipe was published in the following publication:
Planet to Plate: The Earth Hour Cookbook is a collection of 52 amazing recipes from Australia’s biggest culinary names.
March 2015
In 2015 WWF, Earth Hour is about celebrating Australian food and farming.
It is a collection of the very best recipes from the country’s top chefs; Planet to Plate is full of information on how global warming is already affecting produce we enjoy in our everyday lives including fresh vegetables, cereals, bread and fruit.
Planet to Plate uniquely and beautifully incorporates first-hand stories from Australian farmers highlighting the impact global warming is having on their farms and the nation’s availability of fresh, homegrown food.
Sicily tourism – trip around the island with the best Sicily travel blogs
“All Things Sicilian and More can be considered one of the best food blogs about Sicily (if not one of the best Italian food blog in general) with appetizing pictures and recipes of the region’s delicacies. The author, Marisa, is an Australian of Italian origin.”
When I received this acknowledgement yesterday from Ville in Italia (Villas in Italy), I felt like I’d been kissed on both cheeks and hugged to the bosom of Sicily. I’m still smiling.
Ville in Italia is an Italian tourist operator based in Florence and it successfully operates in the short term tourist rental sector offering prestigious villas and apartments located all over Italy. It currently has over 500 properties on its books located by the sea, in the country, on the lakes and in the cities of art.
Here is the rest of the message from Ville in Italia:
Dear Marisa,
I am pleased to inform you that All Things Sicilian & More has been included in the personal selection of the most influential and interesting Internet resources regarding Sicilian lifestyle by Ville in Italia.
Ville in Italia has been a company specialized (and leader) in the selection of luxury villas for vacations in Italy for more than 20 years, and, therefore, primarily addresses an international audience, who loves the beauties and the culture of Italy.
This is the motivation that led us to include your blog in the list:
“This can be considered one of the best food blogs about Sicily (if not one of the best Italian food blog in general) with appetizing pictures and recipes of the region’s delicacies. The author, Marisa, is an Australian of Italian origin.”
We really hope that this news may please you and your readers!
Thank you and congratulations,
Costanza [Press Office Collaborator]
At the following link, you can find the full selection of the article (all ex aequo results): Sicily tourism – trip around the island with the best Sicily travel blogs | Ville in Italia Blog
When in Sicily eating Spaghetti With Sea Urchins (Spaghetti chi Ricci) is a must.
Pasta con i ricci di mare, a Sicilian dish, captures the essence of the sea in a single mouthful. Its delicate yet intense flavour is characterised by a combination of sweet, briny, creamy and unmistakably marine.
They are relatively unknown culturally in Australia and have been next to non-existent commercially.
Sea urchins are considered a delicacy in many parts of the Mediterranean, particularly in Italy, France and Greece, and they are also highly prized in Japan. In Italy they are known as ricci di mare – “sea hedgehogs”. Ricci also means curly – the spines of sea urchins are curly at the ends.
What we commonly call sea urchin “roe” is not actually roe in the strict sense. The edible yellow-orange lobes are the reproductive organs, or gonads, of both male and female sea urchins. “Roe”, however, remains the more appetising and commonly used culinary term.
Sicily
When I was a child visiting Sicily, I remember finding sea urchins under rocks on the beach — family and friends wrapped their hands in newspaper and went looking for them at low tide. Most of the time it was very easy to find 4 to 6 sea urchins for each of us to eat raw — the urchins were simply cut in half using a very sharp knife, revealing the yellow-orange roe that was easily removed with a teaspoon and eaten from the spoon with a squeeze of lemon juice.
The next favourite method of eating them was as a dressing for pasta.
In my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking there is a recipe for this. I had great trouble finding sea urchins to cook (and to be photographed) for my book that was published November 2011.
Fresh sea urchins, or ricci di mare, are prized in Sicily for their rich, sweet and intensely marine flavour.
Australia’s relationship with sea urchins
Australia’s relationship with sea urchins has changed considerably since then. In some southern waters, particularly Tasmania, the long-spined sea urchin has become an ecological problem because expanding populations can graze heavily on kelp forests, creating areas known as urchin barrens.
This has produced an intriguing convergence between environmental management and food culture: harvesting edible sea urchins can provide a commercial seafood product while also contributing to efforts to reduce pressure on vulnerable marine ecosystems.
I found it surprising that there are about 42 species of sea urchins found in Australian waters and although they can be found in many locations, only a few are good tasting. Most are exported to Japan. The market price for fresh, chilled sea urchin roe varies considerably depending on colour and texture.A creature once relatively unfamiliar on Australian tables has gradually acquired a much higher profile.
The Tasmanian sea urchin fishery is now the largest in Australia and I purchased Tasmanian roe from a specialist sea-food vendor (Ocean Made) who deals mainly with restaurateurs. I found some whole sea urchins at the Preston Market but when I opened them I found them very inferior in quality.
In the photographs (from my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking) you see the work of the photographer Graham Gilles and food stylist Fiona Rigg. I was the cook. The photo of the boats at Mondello (Sicily, close to Palermo) is by Bob Evans.
Pasta con i Ricci di Mare – Pasta with Sea Urchin Roe
Spaghetti are traditionally used for this recipe, but I also like ricciwith egg pasta, either fresh or dry — narrow linguine — a delicate taste, which in my opinion complement the sweet, fresh taste of the roe.
I ate my best ever pasta with sea urchins in a restaurant in Mondello (close to Palermo) and I am sure that this included lemon – grated peel and juice so I have included these in the recipe.
And one last thing — the sea urchins are not cooked and are mixed with the hot pasta at the time of serving. The aroma is indescribable. Bottarga is sometimes grated on top of the pasta and anchovies are commonly added to the sauce to accentuate the taste, but this is optional.
Ingredients
For 6 people
spaghetti, 500g. If I am using fresh pasta, I use 600g
sea urchins, 3-8 per person
garlic, 4-5 cloves, chopped finely
extra virgin olive oil, ¾ cup
salt and freshly ground black pepper or chili flakes
parsley, ¾ cup cut finely
anchovies, 3 cut finely (optional)
1-2 red fresh chilies cut finely
finely grated lemon peel of 1 lemon, and the juice
½ cup of your best quality, extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on top of the pasta at the end.
Preparing Whole Sea Urchins
If using whole sea urchins, handle them carefully because of the spines.
Using sturdy kitchen scissors or a short, very sharp knife, cut into the underside of the shell around the mouth opening. Open the sea urchin and carefully remove the edible yellow-orange roe with a teaspoon.
Discard the shell, internal liquid and other contents. Place the roe in a bowl and gently separate any larger pieces. It is very soft, so handle it as little as possible.
Method
Cook the pasta and while the pasta is cooking prepare the sauce.
Heat the ¾ cup of olive oil, add the garlic and over slow heat cook the garlic slowly until it becomes translucent.
Add chili and anchovies – the anchovies will dissolve in the hot oil.
Add this mixture of oil to the hot just drained pasta at the same time as the sea urchins and toss quickly to coat.
Add the parsley, lemon peel and the juice. Toss well to combine. Serve immediately and top each portion with a drizzle of your best olive oil – this is best done at the table.
*Do not return the pasta to the heat – the ricci should be warmed by the pasta, not cooked.
Final notes A Delicacy Worth Rediscovering
For me, pasta con i ricci di mare carries much more than the flavour of sea urchins. It recalls Sicily, childhood summers, people searching among the rocks, newspaper wrapped around their hands, and sea urchins opened and eaten almost where they were found.
It is also interesting that a seafood once so difficult for me to source in Australia has become part of a much larger conversation about our marine environment.
Yet the best way to understand why Italians prize ricci di mare is still the simplest: good pasta, excellent olive oil, a little garlic and parsley, and fresh sea urchin roe added at the very last moment.
Finally there has been some interest in eating Sea Urchins:
I was pleased to see that sea urchins will be featured in a dinner called The Delicious Pest at The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival on March 9, 2014.
An article in The Age (Melbourne newspaper). Date with plates sends chills down urchins spine:
Sea urchins, sometimes called sea hedgehogs, are the black, spiky creatures that lurk at the bottom of the ocean.They prey on the kelp beds that are a vital habitat for the rock lobsters and abalone of the north-east coast of Tasmania and are considered one of the state’s worst marine pests. But have you ever thought of eating them?
Diver and seafood exporter Dave Allen has helped pioneer the sea urchin export industry in Australia and, in the process, has set about saving the reefs from being stripped bare by these pests.
Laura Banks. From Sunday Age, March 2, 2014.
My friend called them Vanille Kipferl, I recognised them instantly as Chifeletti (‘ch’ sound is pronounced as k in Italian and ‘letti’ at the end of words in Italian means small.). Same recipe, different name. But it is not surprising that we share the same recipe – my friend is from Vienna and I came from Trieste and both cities were part of the Austo- Hungarian empire.
The Vanille Kipferl (or Chifeletti) are frail, crescent-shaped, little biscuits dusted with icing sugar. They are popular at Christmas time in Austria and together with her much-loved cherry cake they were my friend’s contribution to our shared Christmas eve dinner. I ate the last of the kipferl recently; they last well and the flavour is said to improve when stored well.
I have found slight variations in the different Triestine and Austrian recipes sighted, (for example some add egg yolks to the mixture), but the ratio of ingredients seems to be the same. In Trieste, rather than adding vanilla to the dough they use icing sugar that has been flavoured with vanilla beans.
Chifeletti in Trieste are also called Lunette (small moons) or Curabiè, perhaps from Kourabiès, which are the Greek version of these biscuits. Interestingly enough there is an eastern Greek Community in Trieste and when visiting this very pleasant Italian city, it is worth seeing the Greek Orthodox church – Church of Saint Nicolò. There is also a Serbian – Orthodox church called San Spiridione, but this is another story and very telling of the historical culture and racial mix in Trieste’s population.
In my mother’s pantry, the jar used to store her icing sugar always had vanilla beans buried in it. Vanilla infused icing sugar for dusting is optional but if you want the real deal: Place vanilla beans in a jar of icing sugar, seal it and leave it for at least a week.
300g plain flour
250g butter
80g sugar
100g finely ground almonds
vanilla (a little paste or essence)
1 pinch salt
icing sugar for dusting
Rub the butter into the flour, sugar, ground almonds and salt and form it into dough. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic film and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Divide and shape the dough into finger thick long rolls and cut each roll into 2 cm pieces. Curve each small piece of dough into small moon shapes.
Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a pre-heated oven at 150°C for 10-15 minutes (They should be pale golden in colour and must not brown).
Remove them carefully from the oven and from the baking tray and when they are still warm dust them with plenty of icing sugar (vanilla flavoured).
When they are cold store them carefully in layers, in a tin with plenty of icing sugar.
The photo of my friend’s Cherry cake is below. As you can see, the batter is like pastry and there are many cherries in the centre.
P.S.
Other pastries also called Chifeletti popular in Trieste are made with potato dough. These are fried and then rolled in sugar; my mother and Triestine aunts used to make these with the same dough as gnocchi…..gnocchi for lunch, followed by Chifeletti made with some left over dough.
There is a sense of celebration associated with eating fish and this recipe for rolled fish could be a good starter to a meal – great for any of these festive occasions.
It is Christmas eve and I intend making these as a starter tonight. It will be a menu of all fish in keeping with the Italian tradition of abstaining from meat; this is a left over practice from days when Catholics did not eat meat during certain days in Advent, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus.
These little morsels are fish fillets rolled around a light stuffing– only herbs, lemon peel and garlic are used. Fillets of small fish (with skin on) are suitable: anything from mild-flavoured whiting, stronger tasting flathead to even stronger oilier fish such as mullet or sardines. They can be pan-fried in a non stick frypan with a little butter or extra virgin olive oil and then eaten with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You may also wish to deglaze the pan with a little white wine or use orange juice (juice of 2 oranges), these will provide a ready-made sauce. For the orange juice option you could use fresh basil as the herb for the stuffing.
I have made these little rolls many times. Sometimes I have deglazed the pan with Marsala (dry), or white wine. I have also used tarragon as my herb and used vermouth. An alternative stuffing can be made using some breadcrumbs (made from 1 day old, sour dough bread), toast them in a frypan with a little extra virgin olive oil. To these add a little minced garlic, chopped parsley, grated lemon peel, a sprinkling of sugar and a little nutmeg. Pine nuts and currants can also be added to this stuffing.
Fish fillets rolled around a herb stuffing is one of the recipes is in my book, Small Fishy Bites.
INGREDIENTS AND PROCESSES
6 fish fillets from small fish, I used King George whiting
fresh herbs for stuffing (rosemary, parsley, oregano or marjoram)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter or a mixture of both
salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh bay leaves
grated peel of 1 orange or lemon
Flatten each fillet; if using large fillets, cut into smaller strips. Sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper.
Chop the herbs finely and leave a small sprig to insert at one end of the fish rolls (for decoration).
Mix the herbs, garlic and peel with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or soft butter- this is less Sicilian). Place a little of the stuffing at one end of each fillet and roll up. Secure each roll with a toothpick and place a sprig of herbs at one end.
Sauté fish rolls in remaining extra virgin olive oil and /or the butter.
Add a little seasoning and bay leaves and continue to cook the fish until it is ready.
