Tag: Cucina povera

SQUID WITH BLACK INK SAUCE (Calamari al Nero)

Squid with Black Ink Sauce is one of those dishes that never fails to impress. With its glossy black sauce it looks dramatic, tastes intensely  flavourful and of the sea. But, despite its striking appearance, is surprisingly straightforward to prepare.

I recently prepared this dish for a friend’s first gathering. I sought a memorable, yet simple, dish that would feel generous and celebratory. It was the ideal choice.

Because I have included many photos and discussed the ingredients,  the process may look complicated. But it isn’t.

Calamari and Cuttle Fish, the differences

Calamari (squid) have long, streamlined bodies, ten tentacles (eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles) and tender, mildly sweet flesh. They cook quickly and are popular grilled, fried, stuffed or slowly braised.

Cuttlefish (seppie) are close relatives of squid but have broader, flatter bodies and firmer, sweeter flesh. They contain larger ink sacs than squid, making them the preferred choice for classic dishes such as seppie al nero, where the ink creates a rich, glossy black sauce.

Cuttle fish is more difficult to purchase, and in fact mostly impossible in the Queen Victoria market so I have used Calamari in this Recipe.

Introduction and background to squid or cuttlefish cooked in black ink

Over the years I have cooked calamari al nero many times, changing the recipe to suit the occasion. Because I know this dish well from both Trieste and Sicily, my version sits comfortably between the two traditions. It combines the rich black sauce of the northern Adriatic with the brighter flavours of southern Italy.

Calamari al nero, glossy and black and delicious!

Being winter in Melbourne, I served it with crisp baked polenta rather than pasta—a combination that always draws admiration before it is tasted. And of course polenta is northern Italian food.

A Dish Shared Across Italy

Squid or cuttlefish cooked in its own ink (calamari al nero or seppie al nero) is one of Italy’s most distinctive seafood dishes. It appears all along the Italian coastline, but each region prepares and serves it differently.

Veneto and Venice

Around Venice, seppie al nero is a classic. Cuttlefish are preferred because they have larger ink sacs. The cuttlefish is slowly braised with onion, garlic, white wine and just a little tomato until the ink produces a glossy, intensely flavoured sauce.

It is traditionally served with soft white polenta. . I used golden polenta and the contrast between the jet-black sauce and the golden polenta is as beautiful as it is delicious and perfectly balances the richness of the ink.

Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia

Across the northern Adriatic in Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia, the dish remains very much part of everyday cooking. In Italian it is called seppie in umido; in the Triestino dialect it becomes sepe in umido. It still appears regularly on the menus of traditional trattorie, especially in Trieste Vecchia, the city’s historic quarter.

Although Trieste has absorbed influences from Slovenia and the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, this dish remains unmistakably Adriatic.

Sicily

In Sicily the same dish takes on a different character. Squid is used more frequently than cuttlefish, and the sauce generally contains more tomato, fresh parsley, garlic or onion and white wine. The result is lighter, fresher and more aromatic, while the ink still provides its unmistakable depth of flavour.

Rather than polenta, Sicilians usually toss the sauce through spaghetti, sometimes serving the squid separately as a second course.

These regional differences reflect Italy’s extraordinary culinary diversity, but both result in a silky sauce with extraordinary depth and complexity.

Finding Squid Ink

Not everyone can buy squid or cuttlefish with the ink sacs intact. Most seafood is cleaned before sale and the ink is discarded.

Fortunately, nero di seppia (cuttlefish ink) is widely available from Italian delicatessens and specialist food stores. It is sold in small sachets, jars or tubes and is the same product used by many Italian cooks when fresh ink is unavailable, especially these days when the fish is mostly sold clean and cut. The ink has a long shelf life and delivers the same deep black colour and rich flavour.

If your fishmonger prepares whole squid or cuttlefish, ask whether they can save the ink sacs for you. They freeze well for several months. Simply thaw them, pierce the sac and stir the ink into the sauce towards the end of cooking.

Fresh ink has a slightly more delicate flavour, but good-quality packaged nero di seppia is an excellent substitute.

How to Clean Squid
  • Pull the head and tentacles from the body.
  • Remove the internal bone.
  • Peel away the skin and remove the fins.
  • Slit the body open.
  • Remove the innards, reserving the ink sac if present.
  • Remove the eyes and beak from the tentacles.
  • Rinse thoroughly and pat dry before slicing.
Cleaning and cutting the squid
For the polenta

Prepare your preferred polenta ahead of time so it can be baked just before serving. Information, instructions further down in this post.

Baked polenta with the compulsory crust

THE RECIPE

Squid with Black Ink Sauce (Calamari al Nero)

Ingredients

Serves 6–8

For the BRAISED squid
  • 2.5-3 kg small squid, cleaned and sliced
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 400 g tin of chopped or puréed tomatoes
  • 1-2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 4–6 sachets squid ink (4 g each), or about 3 tablespoons nero di seppia paste
  • 1 cup fish stock or water
  • Pinch chilli flakes (optional, especially if cooked in Southern Italy)
  • Fresh chilli, finely sliced, to finish
  • You can add peas – I used frozen, 2 cups. adds taste, nutrition and visual appeal.
Final addition – the fresh chilli

I also deseeded a couple of long red chillies, cut them into thin strips and put them on top of the black glossy contents.

Method

  • Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan and gently soften the garlic.
  • Add the squid in batches so it sautés rather than steams. Cook for about 15 minutes.

  • Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes.
Adding a can of tomato puree to the squid
  • Add parsley (and cilli flakes if using). Cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Adding the parsley to the squid
  • Stir in the squid ink and cook for another 20 minutes or until the squid is tender.
Draining the squid from the main saucepan into another and evaporating the sauce
  • Remove the squid  from the main saucepan with a slotted spoon. Reduce the sauce until thick, glossy, black and intensely flavoured.
  • Stir in the tomato paste if further thickening is needed.
Adding a little tomato paste to thicken the sauce
  • Return the squid to the pan.
Returning the squid to the reduced sauce
  • Add the frozen peas and cook gently for a final 10 minutes.
  • Once cooked, add the strips of fresh chilli. on top.
The squid with the peas and thin strips of red chillies

ABOUT POLENTA and Baked Polenta

Types of Polenta:

Instant polenta is usually made from yellow cornmeal that has been pre-cooked and dried, so it cooks in 2–10 minutes instead of the traditional 30- 35 minutes. It produces a smooth, creamy consistency but generally lacks the depth of flavour and texture of traditionally cooked polenta. It is ideal for quick weeknight meals and can be served soft or left to set before grilling or frying.

Yellow polenta is the most common type in Italy and is made from yellow maize. When cooked slowly, it develops a rich corn flavour and can range from soft and creamy to firm enough to slice once cooled. It pairs well with hearty meat ragùs, sausages, mushrooms, game, braised dishes and robust cheeses. This is the type of polenta I stock at home.

White polenta is made from white corn and has a milder, more delicate flavour and a finer texture than yellow polenta. Traditionally associated with the Veneto and parts of Friuli Venezia Giulia, it is often served with seafood, salt cod (baccalà), cuttlefish in ink, or more delicate meat dishes. It is cooked in the same way as traditional yellow polenta but has a softer, silkier finish.

Cook the polenta according to the packet directions (traditional polenta generally takes about 30 minutes).

Pour into a well-oiled baking dish or heavy ovenproof pan. Smooth the surface, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes until lightly crisp on top.

Serve generous slices topped with the squid and plenty of black ink sauce.

Leftover polenta is excellent fried the following day in olive oil until it develops a crisp crosta—a golden crust that Italians treasure.

The polenta waiting to be baked. It can be cooked and poured into a baking tin well before you bake it

Golden baked polenta provides the perfect contrast to the silky black ink sauce.

The polenta and squid in black ink sauce on the table, ready to be served

Finished dish with peas and strips of fresh red chillies

Serving the squid dish on each plate with the polenta
Calamari al Nero served on crisp baked polenta—a meeting of Sicilian and northern Adriatic traditions.
The squid with black ink sauce and polenta was immensely enjoyed by all

SEPPIE IN UMIDO CON POLENTA (Cuttlefish or Squid With Black Ink And Polenta from Trieste)

MONTALBANO’S PASTA WITH BLACK INK SAUCE

Polenta and its magic

NDUJA with SQUID, very simple

CALAMARETTI IN TEGAME; in Sicilian it is CALAMARICCHI ’N’TIANU (Small calamari braised with tomatoes and potatoes)

MONTALBANO’S FAVOURITE DISHES

RICOTTA RAVIOLI and STONE GROUND FLOUR

CECI (CHICKPEAS) IN SICILIA: Cucina Povera

Chickpeas — ceci, or cìciri in Sicilian — have been part of Sicily’s cucina povera’s cooking for centuries. Quiet, sustaining, and deeply rooted in the land, they belong to a cuisine of continuity rather than elaborate dishes.

Ancient Roots

Archaeological and botanical evidence places chickpeas among the earliest cultivated legumes of the eastern Mediterranean. When the Greeks settled Sicily from the 8th century BCE, they embedded ceci into an agricultural pattern based on cereals, legumes, olive oil, and wild greens — a pattern still visible in Sicily’s most subtle dishes.

During the Arab period (9th–11th centuries), chickpeas became even more central. Improved irrigation, crop rotation, and dry-farming techniques made legumes reliable in Sicily’s arid interior. Just as important was a shared culinary philosophy: slow cooking, few aromatics, and respect for the ingredient’s natural flavour and nourishment.

By the Middle Ages, ceci were firmly rooted in inland rural diets, where wheat and legumes formed the backbone of daily sustenance.

In later medieval history, ceci (chickpeas) took on an unexpectedly political role in Sicily. On Easter Monday, 30 March 1282, as crowds gathered in Palermo for Vespers, long-standing resentment against the rule of Charles I of Anjou erupted into open rebellion. According to tradition, the French were identified by their inability to pronounce the Sicilian word for chickpeas without a lisp. What began as a small incident became the spark for the Sicilian Vespers uprising, turning a humble legume into a linguistic marker of resistance and identity.

A Food of Continuity, Not A SHOWPIECE

Sicilian chickpea dishes are understated by design. They reflect cucina povera — not deprivation, but shaped by climate, season, and scarcity. Chickpeas often replaced meat, providing sustenance for households for several days.

On 13 December, the feast of Santa Lucia, chickpeas take on special meaning in Sicily, particularly in Palermo. According to tradition, during a medieval famine a ship carrying grain and chickpeas arrived in the port after prayers to the saint. Too hungry to wait for flour to be milled, people boiled the grains and legumes and ate them whole.

In gratitude, Palermitans vowed to avoid flour on Santa Lucia’s day. Chickpeas — eaten simply or included in cuccìa (dish traditionally made with boiled wheat berries, often mixed with chickpeas). It remain a tradition, a symbol of survival, humility, and collective memory rather than celebration.

Santa Christina Cathedral Palermo.

Growing and Harvesting

In Sicily, chickpeas are usually sown in late winter or spring and harvested in summer. The plants are left until the pods dry on the stalk, ensuring a dependable winter staple.

Before drying, some chickpeas were eaten fresh — a fleeting seasonal pleasure.

A Note on Fresh (Green) Chickpeas — Ceci Freschi

Before drying, chickpeas were sometimes eaten fresh. Harvested in late spring or early summer, they are pale green, faintly sweet, and closer to fresh peas in texture. Their shelf life is short — less than a week — and they are best cooked simply, as for ceci in umido (recipe below), or eaten straight from the pod while harvesting in the fields.

A fresh chickpea( ceci) plant with pods containing green chickpeas.

Their brief season reflects an agricultural rhythm that shaped Sicilian cooking for centuries: some foods were enjoyed only when the land allowed it.

How Chickpeas Are Traditionally Eaten in Sicily

1. Ceci con Erbe Spontanee (Chickpeas with Wild Greens)

A classic countryside pairing. Chickpeas cook gently while seasonal greens are added toward the end: Wild fennel, Wild Chicory, Dandelion, Borage.

Wild fennel sold in bunches.

Finished simply with olive oil — sometimes a squeeze of lemon.

2. Minestra di Ceci (Chickpea Soup)

Common in mountainous areas, monasteries, and farming households. These soups were cooked in large quantities and eaten over several days — practical, sustaining, and deeply comforting. Chickpeas simmer in their broth and are often poured over bread placed directly in the bowl. Sometimes broken spaghetti is added. Always finished with olive oil and rather than chilli, black ground black pepper.

3. Panelle

Palermo’s iconic street food: chickpea flour cooked with water and salt, spread into thin sheets, cut into small rectangles or squares, and fried until crisp. Simple, addictive, and unmistakably Sicilian.

4. Ceci in Umido (Stewed Chickpeas)

A dish shaped by restraint. Tomato — a later arrival — is used sparingly or omitted altogether inland. Onion softens slowly in olive oil, garlic perfumes briefly, and chickpeas do most of the work.

RECIPES

I research traditional Sicilian sources, and the most reliable versions of recipes I have found in my books is from Pino Correnti’s Il Libro d’Oro della Cucina e dei Vini di Sicilia. As with many Italian recipes, they are simple and written without measurements.

These dishes belong to an older culinary world, predating tomatoes. They are the kind of sustaining soups that fed farmers, monks, and households through winter.

I include two traditional recipes detailed, more modern Sicilian recipes for chickpeas that are more suited to contemporary cooks:

* Ceci in Umido (Sicilian Stewed Chickpeas)

* Minestra di Ceci (Sicilian Chickpea Soup)

 

Ciciri ca Pasta a Catanisa
Chickpeas with Pasta, Catania Style

An eastern Sicilian variation, even simpler, is pasta with chickpeas alla catanese. The chickpeas are cooked together with onion and, in the same cooking water, broken spaghetti is added and boiled. The dish is dressed simply with raw olive oil and freshly ground black pepper or chilli.

Ciciri ca Pasta Saccense
Chickpeas with Pasta from Sciacca

The version from the area between Sciacca and Agrigento is simpler. It uses cooked chickpeas mixed with about half a kilo of wild fennel, two cloves of garlic, and tagghiarini made fresh — small lasagne-style strips of dough rolled out by hand on the board just before cooking.

Facade of a building in Sciacca.

*Ceci in Umido (Sicilian Stewed Chickpeas)

A humble but deeply satisfying dish, served as a light main or contorno.

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 300 g dried chickpeas
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1–2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
  • 3–4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more to finish)
  • 2 tbsp tomato passata or 1 tbsp tomato paste diluted with water
  • 1 bay leaf or a small sprig of oregano
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Water or light vegetable broth or stock

Method

Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain and rinse.

Cover the chickpeas in fresh water and simmer until tender (40–50minutes). Reserve liquid.

Cook onion slowly in olive oil until soft, never coloured.

Add garlic briefly, then tomato and aromatics. Cook gently.

Add chickpeas with enough liquid to cover. Simmer until the sauce thickens naturally.

Finish with black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin, fragrant olive oil.

Regional notes

  • In central Sicily (Enna, Caltanissetta), tomato is often omitted altogether.
  • It is eaten with bread — bread here is the accompaniment.
  • This is a dish that reflects Arab influence not through spice, but through method: slow cooking, minimal intervention, and respect for the legume itself.
*Minestra di Ceci (Sicilian Chickpea Soup)

Cucina povera at its purest — chickpeas, aromatics, olive oil, and patience.

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 300 g dried chickpeas
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3–4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more to finish)
  • 1 bay leaf or wild fennel stems
  • Salt and black pepper

Optional: potato cubes or greens. In Melbourne, I am unable to purchase wild greens but can buy seasonal vegetables such as chicory, beets/chard and spinach.

Method

Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain and rinse.

Cover the chickpeas in fresh water and simmer until tender (40–50minutes).

Reserve liquid.

Gently cook onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until soft. Add garlic briefly, then chickpeas and liquid.

Simmer uncovered 15-20 mins, crushing a few chickpeas to thicken.

Add potatoes or greens if using.

Rest, season, and finish with raw olive oil.

Present the soup with: With crusty bread or garlic-rubbed toast or topped with wild fennel fronds

The soup is better the next day — flavours deepen with time.

Chickpeas (ceci),I almost always have jars in my freezer.

OTHER RECIPES

CHICKPEAS and simple food

MUSSELS WITH CHICKPEAS

PANELLE, PALERMO STREET FOOD-Chick pea fritters and the Antica Focacceria San Francesco

CHICKPEAS SOUP WITH WILD FENNEL (Minestra di ceci con finocchio, erba selvatica)

VESPERS and a celebration of chickpeas in BACCALÀ CON CECI alla fiorentina (Salt Cod with Chickpeas as cooked in Florence)

PASTA con cavolofiore, salsicce di maiale e ceci (pasta with cauliflower, pork sausages and chickpeas)

CUCINA POVERA – REDISCOVERING SOUP

Cucina Povera is steeped in culture and tradition.

I have a friend who once said to me “Soup is for poor people”. I must have looked stunned, so he clarified: “Only poor people eat soup.”

Coming from an Italian background, and he from a Brazilian, I understand where he’s coming from. In Italy, we refer to it as Cucina Povera, or poor cuisine/peasant cookery that is deeply rooted in heritage and customs.

Soups were traditionally the sustenance of the peasant class, utilizing what was inexpensive or accessible. The motto – In the kitchen, nothing is thrown away – resonates deeply with this tradition.

In the last decade soups and rustic cooking have made a remarkable comeback, evolving into main meals as cooks rediscover their versatility. Unlike in the past, when my parents served soups as the Primo (first course) and always followed by a Secondo (second course/main) today’s focus on minimizing waste aligns beautifully with the philosophy of  – fare qualcosa fuori di niente – making something out of nothing.

The ingredients for traditional Cucina Povera depended on local produce. As Patience Gray notes in Honey from a Weed: The fact that every crop is of short duration promotes a spirit of making the best of it while it lasts and conserving a part of it for future use.

The contadini, or peasants, often relied on less desirable cuts of meat, seasonal or discarded vegetables, wild herbs, grains, and pulses, the produce that they couldn’t sell. Despite their limited resources, these simple ingredients resulted in nutritious and flavourful soups. When cooking, they also had to take into account practical considerations, such as the size and number of pots and the methods of heating.

In many Italian households, it is still common to add stale bread to soups that originally was used for sustenance and as thickening. For example, Pappa al Pomodoro, a pureed tomato soup is thickened with bread. Pappa means pap. I also remember Pappa di Pane (bread), being a favourite and often the first solid food for babies.

A more perfect example of the ultimate zero-waste soup of Cucina Povera is is Ribollita, a thick, Tuscan soup made with cannellini beans, vegetables (including cavolo nero) and bread.

Ribollita means “reboiled” and the next batch of Ribollita sees the leftover soup being used to make the new batch. More vegetables are added, and it is once again thickened with stale bread.

Coastal regions also have a rich tradition of fish soups and many famous Italian fish soups originated from peasant cuisine, often made from discarded fish that were simmered to make a flavourful stock.

Elisabeth Laud highlights that: The limitations imposed by a single pot, a single heat source, local produce, and little or no access to imports are characteristic of peasant cooking, giving it a distinct identity.

Cucina Povera encompasses more than just soup, it includes a variety of regional pasta, polenta, and rice dishes, all made with frugal ingredients.

Growing up, my family enjoyed a multitude of Zuppe and Minestre. And you may wonder about the distinction between them.

A Zuppa refers to a soup or broth served over slices of bread, allowing the bread to soak up the delicious liquid. In contrast, a Minestra typically contains rice or pasta, making it heartier. The Oxford Companion of Italian Food by Gillian Riley notes that: a pureed vegetable soup is classified as a zuppa.

The term Zuppa is thought to derive from a Celtic word that translates as “slice of bread.” Historically, wealthy nobles would serve extravagant dishes on large pieces of bread, using the bread as a base for their meals. The leftover soaked bases of bread would often be given to servants, who would then cook the soaked bread with simple ingredients to create soups.

Minestre, on the other hand, comes from the Latin ministrare, meaning “to administer,” perhaps demonstrating what happened in family gatherings where a figure of authority (the father) would serve from a central pot.

The Minestra, therefore, could imply “a thicker soup” with rice or pasta or polenta or some other cereal as a thickener. So, what are we to make of Minestrone, which is signifies a big, hearty soup, implied by the ending –one as distinct from Minestrina, the -ina indicates a little light soup. Usually a Minestrina is fed to babies or young children, or sick people. It is never heavy.

And what about Vellutate? It derives from the word velluto – velvet. One could have a good time guessing.

The terminology has become increasingly ambiguous over time. There’s much more to explore, such as Brodo (broth) and wet pasta dishes that don’t fit neatly into the categories of soup or Pasta Asciutta – pasta dishes that are dressed but remain dry.

I consulted a number of resources and this book: Grande Enciclopedia Illustrata della Gostronamia. It is written in Italian and therefore it is probably not surprising that it has more clarification about Zuppa and Minestra.

I like this quote from this book:

Ma benché sia così radicata nella tradizione italiana oggi non è affatto semplice definire che cosa sia esattamente una minestra. (But although it (minestra and zuppa) are so rooted in the Italian tradition, today it is not at all easy to define what exactly a soup is)

I love the Italian language!

Moulinex for making vellutate (veloutés), baby food and Pappa al Pomodoro

CAVOLO NERO and three ways to cook it (Ribollita)

MINESTRA MARITATA, peasant soup from Calabria

Minestra Marinata is a peasant soup from Calabria.

What is Minestra?

Minesta in Italian means soup. But it does not stop there – minestrone is a thick soup and minestrina is a more delicate or thin soup.  All minestre (plural) may or may not have pasta (or pastina) or rice or grains added to thicken them.

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What is a Zuppa?

Then there is zuppa and this Italian word shares the common root with soupe (French), suppe (German) and sopa (Spanish and Portuguese).  These days the differences between a minestra and a zuppa are probably interchangeable and there are always regional and cultural variations (as the Calabrese minestra below), but a zuppa relies on an accompaniment of a slice of bread; usually this is placed in the bowl and the zuppa is ladled on top. The bread soaks up the juice and therefore no pasta, or rice, or grains (barley, wheat) are needed.

Traditionally, a zuppa has a broth base, whereas the liquid in a minesta is more likely to be water and relies on the vegetables, pulses, fish, meat (or smoked meat) for flavour. In modern times, recipes for minestra may include the addition of water, stock or broth as the liquid base .

IMG_0008
Beautiful Calabria

So why am I taking such an interest in the specific Calabrese minestra?

During my recent visit to Adelaide, I dined at Minestra, a small home-style eatery in Prospect. I ordered minestra with my pork and veal and eggplant polpette. The minestra was presented less soupy and more like a side dish for the polpette, but it could also be ordered unaccompanied as a one-course dish with a greater quantity of liquid and a more substantial soup-like consistency. 

This eatery is notable not only for its daily menu displayed on a blackboard, but also for its flexibility. The menu can feature locally sourced produce, as indicated by the sign inviting customers to bring their own.

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Minestra’s owner and head chef is Sandy Cenin, whose surname suggests a northern Italian heritage. His grandmother is Calabrese.

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Inspired by Sandy’s minestra, once home in Melbourne, I was determined to conduct some research and to make it.

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Calabrese minestra is a traditional peasant dish suited to the region’s agricultural heritage. Unlike other pasta-based dishes, this minestra is made with simple, frugal ingredients. It typically includes wild greens and dried broad beans or borlotti or cannellini. Occasionally, pork is also used. The dish is characterised by its austerity and is not sophisticated or complex. The combination of green vegetables and beans creates a thick, stew-like soup. Variations may include potatoes and pork can be fresh meat ribs or rind. Some recipes also incorporate the rind of grated pecorino cheese for flavour.

IMG_8057

In Calabria, as in Sicily, wild foraged greens are highly valued and not solely for necessity. In Australia, we may not be familiar with the range of edible plants available or have access to as many, but we do have some excellent green leafy vegetables that provide contrasting and robust flavours.

IMG_8051
Green leafy  green vegetables

The Green Leafy Vegetables – different types that could be suitable 

A mixture of three or four of seasonal, green, leafy vegetables, is sufficient –  I am using  endives (or escarole) and chicory, that are both bitter, cime di rapa (a brassica) for the mustard taste and sow thistle that was sold to me as milk thistle and tastes mild and grassy.

IMG_8055

I bought this mixture of greens from my regular fruttivendolo at the Queen Victoria Market (see photo below). If I had foraged for dandelions (bitter taste) or wild broccoletii (wild brassica) I would have used these instead of the more conventional chicory, escarole (bitter) or cime di rapa (mustard).

IMG_8070
 The green leafy vegetables ready to be wilted

There are many brassicas that could be suitable – kohlrabi (root and leaves), cabbage,  kale (not Italian, but who cares!), cavolo nero, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts (not a Calabrese vegetable)and cabbage.

Wild fennel, amaranth, nettles are also wild greens that could be accessible to you or you may be growing borage in your garden (photo below).

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RECIPE for The Minestra MaritatA

Ingredients

I am going to be Italian when I write this recipe. There are no measurements for the ingredients but my photos can give you an indication and it is ‘cucina povera‘- peasant cooking – that is, use what you can get, make it to your taste, add as much liquid as you wish, but keep it thick.

Use a variety of green leafy seasonal vegetables – whatever you can get – go for combinations of taste – bitter, sweet, peppery, grassy, aniseed taste (as in fennel).

Method

  • Soak, cook pulses (borlotti, cannellini, dried broad beans) … or buy tinned beans if that is what you do. In my photo you will see that i have used black-eyed beans – this is not an Italian bean, but it is what I had on hand at the time and I do not think that my breaking of tradition mattered. Drain the pulses you intend to use. Keep the liquid (broth) in case you want to add it as the liquid for the minestra.
  • Clean the greens, separate them from any tough stems but keep the softer ones.
  • Soften the greens – boil them in as much or as little salted water as you cook all your green leafy vegetables. Drain them but reserve some liquid for the minestra. I did not have to discard any because I did not use much water to cook my greens.

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  • Chop garlic ( I used quite a bit), sauté the drained greens, add  beans. My ratio was about 2/3 greens and 1/3 beans.

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  • Add chopped chilli at the same time as the garlic if you wish or serve chopped chilli or chilli paste separately (Calabresi a fond of pepper paste). 
  • Add as much liquid as you wish, dish it up, drizzle some extra virgin oil on it and eat it with some good bread.

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See recipe for the Sicilian Maccu – another of those peasant soups and this one has even more traditions than the Calabrese minestra.

 

ST JOSEPH’S DAY IN SICILY: SFINCI AND CRISPEDDI DI RISU

Saint Joseph’s Day in Sicily (Festa di San Giuseppe) is celebrated on 19 March with religious traditions, elaborate displays of food and an abundance of sweets, particularly sfinci and crispeddi di risu (Sicilian rice fritters).

san-giuseppe-188x250
A statue of Saint Joseph, a common sight in Churches

Throughout Italy, the feast also coincides with Father’s Day (La Festa del Papà), honouring Saint Joseph as the father figure of the Holy Family.

In southern Italy, saints’ name days have traditionally held particular significance. My father, who was born in Ragusa but lived in Trieste, always received telephone calls from his relatives in Sicily wishing him auguri on 19 March.

st joseph

Saint Joseph, Spring and Sicilian Food Traditions

Saint Joseph, traditionally regarded as a humble carpenter who cared for Mary and Jesus, is the patron saint of fathers, workers, carpenters and the poor. Interestingly, he is also associated with pastry cooks.

The connection becomes clearer when we consider the food traditions surrounding his feast day in Sicily.

Although Saint Joseph’s Day falls during Lent, traditionally a period of fasting and abstinence, it also coincides with the approach of spring and the renewal of agricultural life.

Long before Christianity, Mediterranean communities celebrated the changing seasons with rituals associated with fertility, regeneration and abundance.

Grains, seeds and legumes symbolised new life, and these ancient associations remain evident in Sicilian celebrations.

La Tavola di San Giuseppe: Saint Joseph’s Table

In many Sicilian communities, elaborate food displays known as La Tavola di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Table) are prepared to celebrate the feast.

Festive breads in a La Tavola di San Giuseppe in southern Sicily

Wheat (grains, seeds and legumes) were considered the metaphorical seeds of life and through germination and regeneration they invoke the powers of fertility. Decorative breads, often shaped into symbolic forms are sprinkled with seeds and occupy a prominent position alongside vegetables, legumes and traditional sweets.

Historically, these tables expressed gratitude for the harvest and provided food for the poor. Today, they continue to represent generosity, hospitality and community.

Sfinci and Crispeddi di Risu: Traditional Sicilian Sweets

Fried sweets are an essential part of Saint Joseph’s Day celebrations in Sicily.

Two particularly popular varieties are sfinci, made primarily with flour, and crispeddi di risu, prepared with cooked rice.

As with so many Sicilian dishes, recipes vary considerably between regions, towns and families.

Sfinci di San Giuseppe are especially associated with western Sicily, particularly Palermo, where they are often filled or topped with sweetened ricotta cream.

Simpler versions of sfinci are also prepared elsewhere on the island, sometimes with custard or without any filling.

Crispeddi di risu, also known as zeppole di riso, are particularly popular in eastern Sicily, including Messina, Catania and Syracuse.

These golden rice fritters are traditionally flavoured with citrus zest and finished with honey or sugar and cinnamon.

Two Traditional Sicilian Rice Fritter Recipes

I have selected two recipes from respected Sicilian cookbooks.

The first comes from Maria Consoli Sardo’s Cucina Nostra (1978), a book I particularly appreciate for its uncomplicated, traditional recipes.

Her preparations often reflect cucina povera, the resourceful cooking associated with rural Sicilian households, where inexpensive ingredients were transformed into satisfying dishes.

The second recipe is adapted from Giuseppe Coria’s Profumi di Sicilia: Il Libro della Cucina Siciliana.

Both recipes use rice, milk and flour, but their methods differ. The first contains no yeast, while the second relies on yeast to produce a lighter fritter.

Sfinci-2-465x252
The Crispeddi di risu, traditional Sicilian rice fritters I made
Recipe 1: Sfinci di Risu – Traditional Sicilian Rice Fritters

Adapted from Maria Consoli Sardo, Cucina Nostra (1978)

This is a particularly simple preparation, requiring only a few ingredients. The cooked rice rests overnight before being combined with flour, shaped into batons and fried.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Arborio rice
  • 500 ml water
  • 500 ml milk
  • 200 g plain flour
  • A pinch of salt
  • Lard or extra virgin olive oil for frying
  • Sugar and ground cinnamon for serving

My variation: Chestnut honey and cinnamon instead of sugar.

Method

  1. Bring the water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and the rice.
  2. Cook until the rice is approximately halfway done, then add the milk.
  3. Continue cooking gently, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. The consistency should resemble a thick risotto.
  4. Transfer the cooked rice to a bowl, allow it to cool and refrigerate for approximately 24 hours.
  5. Add the flour and mix thoroughly to form a firm mixture.
  6. Spread the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and leave it to rest for approximately two hours.
  7. Cut into short batons.
  8. Heat the frying fat in a deep pan and fry the batons in batches until golden and crisp.
  9. Drain on absorbent paper.
  10. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon while still warm.

My Variation: Honey and Cinnamon

I fried my sfinci di risu in extra virgin olive oil rather than lard.

Instead of the traditional sugar coating, I drizzled them with chestnut honey and sprinkled them with cinnamon.

I usually have Sicilian orange blossom honey in my pantry, but I had run out. The chestnut honey, with its distinctive, slightly bitter flavour, proved an excellent alternative.

Honey 1
My jar of Chestnut Honey
Recipe 2: Crispeddi di Risu – Sicilian Rice Fritters with Yeast

Adapted from Giuseppe Coria, Profumi di Sicilia: Il Libro della Cucina Siciliana

Giuseppe Coria’s recipe includes yeast and grated citrus zest, producing fragrant rice fritters with a different texture from the previous version.

Judging by the quantities, Signor Coria must have been accustomed to cooking for large numbers!

The original recipe makes a substantial batch, so reduce the quantities if necessary.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg rice
  • 1 litre milk
  • 1 litre boiling water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 500 g plain flour
  • 150 g fresh yeast, dissolved in ½ cup lukewarm water (see note)
  • Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
  • Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • Honey and ground cinnamon for serving

Note: The quantity of fresh yeast is unusually high by modern standards. It is reproduced from the original recipe and is worth checking before preparation. If using dried yeast, adjust the quantity appropriately rather than substituting it directly.

Method

  1. Combine the milk and water in a large saucepan. Add the salt, sugar and rice.
  2. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally.
  3. Continue cooking until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, resembling a thick risotto.
  4. Allow the mixture to cool until lukewarm.
  5. Stir in the flour, dissolved yeast and grated citrus zest.
  6. Mix thoroughly, cover and leave to rise for approximately 2–4 hours.
  7. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
  8. Using a spoon, shape portions of the rice mixture and carefully slide them into the hot oil.
  9. Fry in batches until golden.
  10. Drain briefly on absorbent paper.
  11. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Serve warm.

A Sicilian Tradition Worth Preserving

Saint Joseph’s Day is another example of how Sicilian food traditions connect religious celebrations with much older agricultural customs.

The decorative breads, communal tables and simple fried sweets express generosity, renewal and the importance of sharing food.

Whether called sfinci di risu, crispeddi or zeppole di riso, these traditional fritters demonstrate the ingenuity of Sicilian cooking: a handful of everyday ingredients transformed into something special.

Italy double dips and combines this ancient and religious tradition of Saint Joseph (19 March) with Father’s Day – La Festa del Papà – the feast (celebration) for father, the event imported from America in the early 20th century. In the USA it is held on the third Sunday of June.

FESTA DI SAN GIUSEPPE (SAINT JOSEPH) and sweets called Sfinci di San Giuseppe

SAINT JOSEPH’S FEAST DAY (La Festa di San Giuseppe) 19 March