As usual, I look forward to reading Richard Cornish’s regular column Brain Food in The Age on Tuesdays and today he is writing about Kohlrabi (September 7, 2021).
Just as listening to music has the power to bring up memories and reading about Kohlrabi brings up memories of Sicily.
Below are recipes from my blog that use Kohlrabi quite differently to the chefs that Richard mentions in Brain Food including David Moyle, the creative director of Harvest Newrybar near Byron Bay, and Rosalin Virnik from Anchor Restaurant in Melbourne’s Elwood.
Here’s my bit about Kohlrabi and a couple of recipes below.
Cavolo is the generic term for a range of vegetables n the Brassicaceae family. In Italian cavoli are cauliflowers, cavolo verza is a cabbage, there is cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), cavolo rosso (red cabbage).
Just to be perverse, Kohlrabi are called just cavoli in Sicily and in Italian it is cavolo rapa..
Just to confuse things even further, Sicilians call cauliflowers broccoli.
As well as the purple coloured Kohlrabi roots there are light green ones; the root is always sold complete with the leaves and the whole plant is eaten.
One way Kohlrabi is eaten in most of Sicily and Italy is boiled as a vegetable side dish with a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, but the preferred way is to cook it with pasta, as a wet pasta dish.
In Ragusa (Sicily) where my father’s family is from they cook it with homemade pasta called Causunedda.
The Sicilian recipe for rabbit – Cunnighiu a Portuisa as cooked in Ragusa includes olives, capers, wine, and herbs. This is one of my Sicilian aunt’s favourite ways to prepare rabbit, and it remains one of the most distinctive Ragusano dishes I cook.
In dialect, cunnighiu is coniglio in Italian and simply rabbit in English, but each Sicilian province has its own name for this recipe.
Ragusa, Sicily
When I began researching the dish, I discovered that two respected Sicilian food writers refer to it differently: Giuseppe Coria calls it Cunnighiu a Portisa, while Pino Correnti spells it Cunnighiu a Portuisa. (This demonstrates the variations in the Sicilian dialect).
In Italian the Portisa and Portuisa becomes alla Portoghese—“in the Portuguese style.” No one seems completely certain why the Portuguese are credited, but given Sicily’s long Spanish rule, the Iberian connection is clear enough. Portugal itself did not gain independence from Spain until 1640, and across the region olives, olive oil and capers abound—ingredients shared by both Sicilian and Spanish cooking.
SPANIARDS IN SICILY
Sicily was ruled by the House of Aragon (1282–1516), the Kingdom of Spain (1516–1713), the Duchy of Savoy (1713–1720), the Habsburg Monarchy (1720–1735) and the Kingdom of Naples (1735–1806).
Located on the southwestern tip of the European continent in the Iberian Peninsula are Spain, Andorra and Portugal. Portugal only gained independence from Spain in 1640. Olive oil, olives and capers are extensively used in Sicilian and Spanish cuisine.
ABOUT THE RECIPE
There are several variations of rabbit cooked alla Portoghese in Ragusa. Most versions include green olives and capers; some add white wine, others vinegar. Some cooks enrich the colour with a spoonful of tomato paste, while others add sugar or a little chilli. It’s a wonderfully adaptable recipe.
I recently cooked this dish for friends in Adelaide, and the photos say it all—golden rabbit pieces nestled with olives, capers, herbs and potatoes, the whole kitchen fragrant with wine, vinegar, wine and mint.
There are various versions of this recipe for rabbit cooked in the Portuguese style as cooked in Ragusa and most seem to contain green olives and capers. Some contain vinegar, others white wine. Some recipes suggest adding a spoonful of tomato paste (mainly to enrich the colour), some add a little sugar, others chilli.
I recently cooked this dish for friends in Adelaide, and the photos say it all—golden rabbit pieces nestled with olives, capers, herbs and potatoes, the whole kitchen fragrant with vinegar, wine and mint.
THE RECIPE
To make it, I sectioned one rabbit into about five pieces and browned them gently in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. Salting as I went,
I added green olives, capers (well-rinsed , soaked and in several changes of water if salted), 2–4 cloves garlic, fresh thyme, and, in true Ragusano style, a few fresh bay leaves.
Next came one glass of white wine mixed with ½ cup white wine vinegar, poured over the rabbit before covering the pan and letting everything simmer over low heat. A tender rabbit will cook by the time the liquid evaporates. If not, simply add a splash of water—or more wine—and continue cooking gently until soft.
For the final 20–30 minutes, I added partially cooked potatoes so they could absorb the juices. A handful of fresh mint finished the dish, providing aroma, freshness and a very typical Ragusano touch.
Browned rabbit pieces in olive oil with herbs for Sicilian Cunnighiu.
If the rabbit is tender and cut into small pieces, it may be cooked by the time all the liquid evaporates. If it’s not as young or tender as you hoped (wild rabbits are tougher), and you need to cook it longer, add water, cover with a lid, and simmer gently until soft. Keep adding wine and water.
Rabbit ‘a Portuisa’ with olives, capers and potatoes, cooked the Ragusano way.
What is sometimes referred to as a Sicilian torrone, one of Sicily’s most treasured traditional sweets is giuggiulena (also spelled giurgiulena, giugiulena or jujiulena), a sesame brittle that some Sicilians also call cubbaita.
Although it is sometimes grouped with torrone, it is quite different. Made with sesame seeds, honey, sugar and fragrant lemon or orange zest, it is crisp, aromatic and deeply rooted in Sicily’s culinary traditions.
In my family, the finest giuggiulena comes from my cousin Franca, who lives in Ragusa. Every Easter and Christmas, the extended family eagerly awaits its annual supply. Franca is the designated maker of giuggiulena, just as she is entrusted with preparing scacce. Other family members have their own special roles too—my elderly aunt, for example, is responsible for making the fresh pasta and ricotta ravioli for our family celebrations. These treasured food traditions have been passed from one generation to the next, with each recipe entrusted to the person who makes it best.
Sesame seeds
Because giuggiulena keeps well, it is not only made for Easter and Christmas but is also kept on hand throughout the year to offer unexpected visitors. Like many traditional Sicilian recipes, it varies from one town—and often one family—to another. Some recipes are made entirely with sugar, others only with honey, while many use a combination of both. My relatives in Ragusa add cinnamon, and I have come across versions flavoured with a pinch of cumin. Almonds or pistachios are sometimes included, perhaps explaining why this sesame brittle is occasionally referred to as a Sicilian torrone.
ARAB CULTURE
Sicilians generally regard giuggiulena as part of the island’s rich Arab culinary legacy, reflecting the influence of more than two centuries of Arab rule. This connection is hardly surprising, as similar sesame sweets are enjoyed throughout the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. In Lebanon and Egypt, for example, a comparable confection is known as simsimiyah, while in Greece it is called pasteli. Each country proudly claims the sweet as its own, but they all share a long tradition of combining sesame seeds with honey or sugar to create this simple yet enduring confection.
The variety and quality of the honey you use will make a difference to the taste of giuggiulena.
Different types of honey
I used this honey to make my latest batch:
have already written two posts about giuggiulena on this blog. One features my cousin Franca’s much-loved family recipe from Ragusa, while the other showcases the version made by Dolcetti Pasticceria in Melbourne. Its proprietor and pastry chef, Marianna, comes from a Sicilian family and continues this traditional confection with the same care and respect for its heritage.
Franca makes giuggiulena in large quantities – her recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1k honey, 1 k sesame seeds, 4 cups sugar, ½ teaspoon of each: cinnamon, cloves, grated orange peel.
PROCESSES
Melt the sugar in a large saucepan on very low heat, when sugar is melted add honey. Add sesame seeds and aromatics mix well. Remove the torrone from the heat quickly (or the sesame seeds my burn). Let cool slightly.
Pour mixture onto a tray with oiled baking paper or a marble that has been coated with oil. Spread evenly and quickly before the torrone hardens, cut into rectangular pieces before it cools and store in airtight containers. Franca often wraps pieces in cellophane paper before she distributes it.
INGREDIENTS
250gms sesame seeds
250gms orange blossom honey
250gms sugar
250gms whole raw almonds
zest of 1 orange (not too finely grated)
METHOD
Combine the honey and sugar in a pot and stir until it begins to melt and soften.
Add the sesame seeds and almonds and cook, stirring continuously until it begins to bubble.
Let it cook and darken to a dark golden brown colour.
Add the orange zest.
Pour onto a sheet of baking paper lined with a touch of oil or oil spray or onto a lightly greased marble or granite surface.
Flatten it slightly with an oiled rolling pin.
Let it cool before cutting it into pieces.
Keep stored in airtight container.
Pasteli and Simsimiyah: Variations on Sicilian Giuggiulena
These variations show how widely sesame sweets are loved across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Greek pasteli and Middle Eastern simsimiyah are close relatives of Sicilian giuggiulena, but each tradition has its own preferred balance of sesame, honey, sugar and flavouring.
In many recipes for pasteli and simsimiyah, the sesame seeds are lightly toasted separately before the hot sugar-and-honey toffee is poured over them and mixed through.
You will notice that Sicilian recipes often use equal quantities of sugar and honey, while some Greek and Middle Eastern versions use more honey than sugar. Sugar produces a harder brittle, so increasing the honey creates a softer, more chewy texture.
Greek recipes often include a little lemon juice in the sugar-and-honey mixture. Middle Eastern versions may use lemon juice, orange blossom water or vanilla; I particularly like this variation.
The sesame and toffee mixture is usually poured into a square tin lined with lightly oiled baking paper, or onto a lightly greased marble or granite surface. One recipe from Cairo suggested using a mixture of flour and oil to grease the surface, and I like this method as well.
Ragusani ( people from Ragusa) are very fond of local cheeses and over my many visits to Ragusa I have eaten large quantities of cheese.
I found an early post about Cheese and a visit to a masseria. Habits do not change very much in Ragusa.
See: SICILIAN CHEESE MAKING. A VISIT TO A MASSARO (farmer-cheese maker) IN RAGUSA. and with a recipe for pan fried cheese with oregano, garlic, a bit of sugar and vinegar. Formaggio all’argentiera.
In Melbourne we have La Latteria.…now called That’s Amore ……….worth a visit if you wish to eat cheese made by a Sicilian.
Gelatina di Maiale: Traditional Sicilian Pork Brawn from Ragusa and Modica
Gelatina di Maiale — Sicilian pork brawn — is a beloved specialty throughout south-eastern Sicily, especially around the attractive historic Baroque towns –Ragusa, Modica and Chiaramonte Gulfi. Whenever I visit my father’s relatives in Ragusa, this dish appears in butcher shops, local markets, and on family tables. Rustic, fragrant and full of character, it showcases the region’s tradition of making the most of every part of the animal.
Baroque balconies in Modica
What Is Gelatina di Maiale?
This is a gelatinous terrine made by slowly simmering pork head, tongue, feet and lean meat until the broth becomes naturally thick and rich. Once cooled, the broth sets into a firm, fragrant jelly that encases shredded pieces of meat. In Sicily, it’s commonly served as antipasto, but it also makes a refreshing summer main.
A Taste of Ragusa, Modica and Chiaramonte Gulfi
Ragusa and Modica are two of Sicily’s most atmospheric Baroque towns. Their golden stone buildings, dramatic hills and rich culinary traditions make them unforgettable.
In nearby Chiaramonte Gulfi, Gelatina di Maiale (also called Zuzzu) is especially popular — a dish rooted in farmhouse cooking, where pork, citrus and vinegar combine to create something refreshing yet deeply savoury.
In Gelatina di maiale the pork’s head provides the gelatinous component. Usually the tongue is included in the head and this adds texture and extra flavour.
Zuzzu or Gelatina, pig’s head
Meat also needs to be included and apart from half of a pig’s head, lean pork (cut into large pieces) and pig’s feet.
Over time, I have adapted this recipe and I include bay leaves and peppercorns to the mix.
Great as an antipasto or as a main, especially in summer. Gelatina is sold by most butchers in southeastern Sicily.
INGREDIENTS
½ pig’s head (with tongue, for extra texture and flavour)
1.5 kg lean pork, cut into large pieces
4 pig’s feet
Bay leaves
Whole peppercorns
½ cup white vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
PROCESS
1. Simmer the Meats
Place the pig’s head, lean pork and pig’s feet into a large pot. Add bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 3 hours, or until the meat falls easily from the bones.
2. Rest Overnight
Turn off the heat and allow the pot to cool. Leave it to rest in the fridge overnight — this helps the broth begin to set.
3. Prepare the Stock
Remove the solidified meat and separate it from the jelly. Add the vinegar and lemon juice to the remaining broth. Simmer and reduce the liquid to one-third of its original volume.
4. Shred and Assemble
Remove all bones and shred the meat coarsely, not too fine. Line a terrine with bay leaves, pack in the meat, and pour over the cooled, reduced stock.
5. Chill and Set
Cool completely. As it sets, any fat will rise to the top — scrape this off once cold. The layer of fat actually helps seal the terrine.
Serving Suggestions
Gelatina di Maiale is excellent: • as an antipasto, with crusty bread or pickled vegetables • as a summer main, served cold with salads • alongside Sicilian olives, capers and lemon wedg
Gelatina sold in butcher shops
Making ZUZZU, also Called Gelatina di Maiale, podcast and recipe:
Whenever I visit my relatives in Sicily they cannot do enough for me. They fuss and fuss over my well-being and happiness and like all Italians they are constantly preoccupied about food. For them, maintaining me in a blissful state has to include the constant preparation of food.
It is common for Italians in all parts of Italy to eat light cakes at breakfast and this light cake is a torta di mele (an apple cake). It was made by my cousin Franca who lives in Ragusa (in Sicily).
Cathedral in Ragusa in the photo below.
Franca made this in front of me and surprisingly on this occasion and for my benefit she weighed the ingredients (a bit of a rarity in an Italian/Sicilian kitchen where everything is done by estimation and touch, sight and smell.
The milk was not measured, but it was a splash, as she described.
When one encounters an Italian recipe for making cakes, listed as one of the ingredients is likely to be a proportion or a whole bustina of lievito. This is the leavening agent and each bustina (small envelope or packet) weighs 16g. In English lievito is translated as yeast, but the leavening agent in these packs is baking powder.
Italians use the same word (lievito) for yeast and baking powder – both are leavening agents but the way that they differentiate between the baking powder and dried yeast is that the packet of baking powder is likely to include a picture of a cake or/and include the phrase per dolci (for cakes). The bustina of dry yeast and will have a picture of bread or pizza on it or/and include per pane (for bread).
Fresh yeast is referred to as lievito fresco compresso (fresh compressed yeast) or lievitoindustrale (industrial) or lievito di birra (beer yeast).
The contents of each bustina di lievito is listed as being sufficient for 500g flour and for this cake Franca used a half of the packet.
Pears could also be used for this cake.
INGREDIENTS
250 g plain flour
8 g baking powder
150 g sugar – divided into three parts
2 eggs
75 g butter (melted)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 apples (she used Delicious apples)
grated rind of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt
a little milk (she says, as much as it takes)
icing sugar to sprinkle on top.
PROCESS
Peel and cut one apple into small, thin pieces, add the lemon rind and about one third of the sugar and set aside.
Mix the eggs with another third of the sugar, add the butter and oil and beat well – Franca used a metal spoon. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and a little milk to make a stiff batter. Fold in the pieces of apple.
Slice the other apple into thin slices – leave the peel, cut the apple in half, then into quarters and then into slices.
Pour the batter into a buttered baking pan (in Australia I use a spring back tin covered with buttered parchment paper). Place the apple slices in a radial pattern on the batter and sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.
Bake at 180C for 25 minutes and at 150C for about 20 minutes or so.
Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan, then sprinkle with a little icing sugar.
Ricotta ravioli and stone ground flour in Chiaramonte, South Eastern Sicily
This is Franco the miller who mills cereali a pietra – in other words he produces stone-ground flour from high quality wheat from ancient strains. He and his partner have an old water mill and they are experimenting with reviving old strains of wheat – so far so good! And there are farmers who are growing the old strains and buyers who are supporting it. Many of them are restaurateurs who are making pasta and bread in their restaurants.
The area of Sicily where this is happening is Chiaramonte Gulfi– I am so impressed and interested in what is happening in this south-eastern part of Sicily (see post about Massimiliano the Butcher).
The grain smelt wonderful and watching the stones grinding and the sifting process was an amazing experience. The flour needs to be kept in cool conditions or used quickly as it does not have any additives or bleaches, the germ of the wheat is maintained in the milling – flour that is good for us in other words.
Franco does not waste the by-products. The bran is sold as animal fodder and he has customers and supporters who are interested in using the finer bran in baking. We sampled some bran biscuits produced by one of his followers.
The photo below is of the water powered mechanism to power the grinding of the wheat.
There was another reason why I was interested in this mill and that is that my grandparents in Ragusa used to have an old water mill down by the river at the bottom of Ragusa Ibla. It no longer functioned as a mill and they used it as their get-away from the city, especially in the summer months, and grew their herbs and vegetables there. Being a regular visitor to Ragusa as a child I loved the mill (we travelled from Trieste and visited my grandparents each summer for two months each year).
I bought some of Franco’s flour home to my aunt, Zia Niluzza, who lives in Ragusa and still makes pasta by hand on special occasions. My visit this time was the special occasion and she produced her exceptionally good, traditional ricotta ravioli that are a specialty of this area of Sicily.
The ravioli di ricotta from Ragusa are usually served with a strong sugo (meat and a tomato-based sauce) made with pork meat and pork sausages. In Ragusa they add a little sugar (1 teaspoon per cup of ricotta; other local variations are to include a little orange peel or finely cut fresh sweet marjoram (Maggiorana). This herb is not common in Sicily but where it is used in Italian cooking it is added to delicate dishes.
My aunt also made her special gnochetti.Rather than eating one kind of pasta at a time, we piled both ravioli and pasta into the one plate and helped ourselves to more sugo – but I noticed that she now uses less pork and I did not detect any pork rind in this sugo. Rind is also a common additive in this part of Sicily. Even old school Sicilians are all health conscious these days. I did however note that she adds lard to certain pastries!
For the ravioli you will need fresh pasta sheets and strong sugo made with meat tomatoes and tomato paste.
Make the ravioli:
The most authentic and quickest way to cut the ravioli is by hand. There is no prescribed size – they can be either round or square (about 7cm/3in across) or half-moon shaped (a 9cm/4in circle folded over).
To make individual ravioli, cut pasta into circles or squares. Place heaped teaspoons of stuffing in the centre of each, continuing until all the stuffing is used. For half-moon shapes fold the pasta over the filling. For others, lay another circle or square on top, then moisten the edges with a little water and
press together carefully to seal properly (press hard on the edges and spread the pasta to a single thickness, so they cook evenly).
Set the finished ravioli on a lightly floured cloth. They can rest in a cool place for up two hours.
To make more than one raviolo at a time:
Cut the pasta into long rectangular strips about 9cm wide. Place heaped teaspoons of stuffing about 5 cm apart (beginning about 2cm/.in from the margin of the sheet). Cover with another strip of pasta of the same size.
Cut each raviolo free with a knife or serrated pasta wheel. Repeat the process, until all the pasta and the stuffing is used up.
Cooking:
Cook ravioli as you would any pasta. Lower them into the water a few at a time and scoop each out when it floats to the surface.
Dress them carefully with the sauce so as not to break.
This is Massimiliano Castro the best butcher in Sicily and I visited him in his butcher shop in Chiaramonte in the province of Ragusa. As you can see he is quite famous. And his praise is well deserved.
I sampled and bought small pieces of his different salami and salamini (small salami). Some are flavoured with Sicilian pistachio from Bronte or carob or wild fennel from the local area. Most were made with the prized meat of the black pigs from the forests of the Nebrodi Mountains. Their meat is of extremely high quality. The wild breed is diminishing but with the help of the Slow Food Presidium this indigenous breed and the products obtained from this pig is being preserved. Massimiliano sources his pigs from farmers who are breeding them on organic farms.
He is also making some with asina meat (female donkey). Do not be alarmed, donkey meat was eaten in most parts of Italy once and was also used in smallgoods. These donkeys are native in the region of Ragusa and were once used to carry sacks and bundles and were eaten once the animal was too old. Now they are bred exclusively for their meat. Just as there is a renewed interest in the native Nebrodi black pig the Slow Food Ark of Taste is also helping to preserve indigenous breeds of donkeys all over Italy and the products obtained from their meat. The donkeys are being bred in limited numbers on special farms.
Massimiliano vacuumed packed all of the bits I bought as gifts for my relatives in Ragusa. He does this for customers who order his smallgoods from other parts of Italy as well as overseas buyers. I also bought some Gelatinarenowned in this Southeast are of Sicily. I have written about this previously.
His reputation is certainly growing and he has been invited to conduct a smallgoods making workshop in Australia in the near future.
The visit to his butcher shop was kindly arranged by Roberta Carradin and Antonio Cicero who live on the outskirts of Chiaramonte have a restaurant called Il Cosiglio Di Sicilia in Donnalucata. They invited me to visit Massimiliano because they know I’m interested in the quality artisan produce that has developed in this area of Sicily, which has growing reputation for excellent artisan produce.
Roberta and Antonio bought the meat from Massimiliano’s butcher shop and we sampled the donkey meat which was tasty and maybe could be described as tasting of veal or young beef.
Jann Huizenga wrote about our fabulous lunch on her blog called Baroque Sicily.
Enjoying lunch al fresco with Roberta Carradin and Antonio Cicero and Jann Huizenga
The menu at Robert’s and Antonio’s restaurant features fish freshly caught by the local fishermen off the coast around the small and very attractive fishing village of Donnalucata in Southeast Sicily and dishes of smallgoods and meat from Massimiliano.
Thank you Jann for introducing me to such lovely friends, each one so passionate about Sicily and its produce.
There are so many wonderful things happening in Sicily and each one of you – a photographer, a butcher, a chef and a food critic, all contributing to preserving, developing and celebrating the culinary wealth of Southeastern part of Sicily.
Pork is widely eaten in Ragusa, where my father’s family live
The Sicilians from the southeastern corner of Sicily, especially from Ragusa, eat a lot of pork.
One of their signature dishes is Ravioli di Ricotta al sugo di maiale
These are ravioli stuffed with slightly sweetened ricotta and dressed in a strongly flavoured, slow cooked, tomato ragù (ragout) made with pork meat and most times pork sausage and some pork skins.
Another dish my relatives in Ragusa make are Causuneddi, which is aSicilian word with no Italian or English translation.
Causuneddi are gnocchi-shaped pasta cooked with what Sicilians call broccoli which are, in fact, young kohlrabi complete with leaves. Strips of pork skin are added for flavour. My aunt Niluzza is a champion at making both of these.
A coiled pork sausage, a popular shape in Ragusa
Pork Sausages are coiled
They are added to sugo (a meat tomato sauce used to dress pasta), but are also eaten fried or grilled.
I have included a photo taken when I was last in Ragusa of a length of coiled pork sausage being cooked on a rustic grill – the Sicilian version of a BBQ – in fact, an Italian BBQ.
The length of sausage has no links and it can also be cooked in a frypan. Done this way the sausage is poached in a little water, without a lid. When the water evaporates the coiled sausage begins to brown in its own fat.
A Sicilian Rustic Barbecue (BBQ )with a coiled sausage being cooked
Variations in the terminology of Costate, Braciole and involtini
Costate di Maiale are pork chops.
Braciole are thin slices of meat like involtini that are usually stuffed.
Pork chops are a popular dish in this region of Sicily. They are typically pan fried with fennel seeds or sprigs of wild fennel (when in season) or other wild herbs and glazed with a small amount of red wine.
Braciole are also popular. They are thin slices of meat and usually stuffed with breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, and local caciocavallo. They can be panfried or grilled.
Involtino is also stuffed rolled meat but this term is used more in northern Italy.
Costata, braciola, involtino and various dialect terms can overlap, while referring to quite different cuts and methods.
A recipe calling for braciole cannot automatically be assumed to mean a thin rolled slice. Historically and regionally, the term is associated more broadly with a portion of meat intended for cooking over an ember or grill. Consequently, a thicker cut, including a chop, can legitimately be called a braciola. And to make it even more difficult – in central and northern Italian usage, braciola di maiale is quite readily understood as a pork chop.
Costate di Maiale RIPIENE
The following recipe is for stuffed chops – The Costate are farcite or imbottite (words for ‘stuffed’) mainly with a mixture of pork liver and pork sausages and other fragrant addition.
You would have to ask your butcher to supply you with double pork chops with a slit in between them (as if you were cutting them into two chops) and then you can go home and stuff them.
Costata di maiale ripiena
My younger relatives (daughters of my cousins) would not dream of making them at home, they have a favourite butcher and he prepares the braciole for them. It was a different story for their mothers.
Stuffed chops can be braised or grilled. A thicker cut, including a recognisable chop, can be called a braciola because the term ‘braciola’ means a portion of meat meant for cooking over the embers- the Italian word for embers is brace.
Caciocavallo is a traditional Sicilian stretched-curd cheese, particularly popular in the Ragusa region where it is produced on farms. It is made from cow’s milk and derives its name from the historical practice of tying pairs of cheeses together and hanging them over a beam to age. Use mozzarella, the non wet mozzarella more common for use on pizzas.
HOW TO MAKE and COOK PORK BRACIOLE/ COSTATE RIPIENE
INGREDIENTS
pork braciole, (chops) 6 double
minced pork, 100g
pork liver, 100g, chopped finely
sausages, 100g, pork preferably made with fennel
pork salame, 100g, cut into very small pieces
caciocavallo fresco, 50g cut into very small pieces
fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon, crushed
white or red wine, 1 ½ cups
water or stock, 1 ½ cups
extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup
salt, and freshly ground pepper, to taste
onion, 1, chopped
PROCESSES
Mix liver, sausages (without skins) minced pork, salame, cheese, pepper, fennel seeds and a little red wine.
Stuff each double chop with some of this mixture.
Close the chops by sewing the edges.
Softened the onion in the oil, add the chops and sprinkle with the wine and water (or broth). Braise the chops (with lid) for about 30- 40 mins over low heat until cooked. You may need to add more water/wine – do not let them dry out.
Stuffed Braciole/ Costate
I have also eaten Costate di Maiale Ripiene cooked on the barbecue.
Those of you who have been to Ragusa Ibla will recognize these shots. The baroque church is that of San Giuseppe, a much loved saint in Sicily (not as much loved as San Giorgio who is the patron saint of Ragusa and has a church which is much larger Duomo- cuppola in photo above- more beautiful and not far from this one).
March 19 is the Feast of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph), which in the Northern hemisphere coincides with the spring solstice. This feast day is a major religious celebration in Sicily.
San Giuseppe is the patron saint of pastry cooks and among the many celebratory dishes are special breads shaped in varying shapes and sizes. On this day pulses are also eaten in many parts of Sicily; some of you may be familiar with maccu made with dried fava beans, which is especially common in southeastern Sicily. Several of these present day traditions have developed from very ancient origins – both legumes and wheat are considered to be seeds of life and are metaphorical foods from pre-Christian times.
In many parts of Sicily there are banquets to celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph, which coincides with the end of Lent, a period of fasting in the Catholic liturgy. But it is also a celebration of the end of the fast imposed by nature – this was more so before the days of fast travel and transport or refrigeration when the provisions kept from summer over winter were depleted by this time of the year.
In some communities especially in small villages large altars and tables are built and filled with large quantities of local cuisine: fish dishes, cooked vegetables, breads, many sweets, but no meat is prepared. Once, in many Sicilian towns and villages the food was also shared with the poor.
One of the recipes cooked on this day are the Sfinci di San Giuseppe. The translation to fritters doesnot necessarily sound very appealing, but maybe if I tell you that they are made from the same dough used to make Pâté à Choux or Bigné or creampuffs, you may be more enticed. They are fried rather than baked.
If you have ever made cream puffs you would know that the dough is cooked before being baked. For making the sfinci a little sugar is added to the mixture.
There are many recipes to make Choux Pastry and the following recipe works pretty well:
eggs, 4 large
water,1 cup (230 cc)
unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons (55 g)
salt, a good pinch
plain flour, 1 cup (140 g)
sugar, 1 tablespoon
oil, to fry the batter (I use extra virgin olive oil for everything- but not my best olive oil which I use to dribble on hot food or salads)
Place water, salt and sugar in a saucepan (large enough to hold all of the ingredients) and bring the water to a boil. Add the butter.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Beat the mixture immediately with a wooden spoon and work quickly. Stir till the dough is smooth – the flour and water will form a ball and no longer stick to the sides of pan. Allow the dough to cool for about 10-15 minutes, but stir it often to allow the steam to escape and to cool at a greater rate.
Add eggs one at a time, stirring each egg completely into the dough before adding the next. (The dough should be pliable but not be runny).
Heat some oil to frying temperature – there should be sufficient oil to nearly cover the level tablespoonfuls of dough, which will be dropped into it.
Fry only a few at the time or the sfinci will broil rather than fry. Turn each sfinci once or twice until they are golden brown and have swelled in size.
Variations:
Some Sicilians eat them warm and coat the sfinci with honey, others use a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon.
Some allow them to cool, split them open and fill them with pastry cream or with whipped ricotta flavoured with a little sugar and cinnamon. In some parts of Sicily they are called Zeppole.
If you have watched the Inspector Moltabano television series, you will recognize the building that was used as the police station; it is in Ragusa Ibla. To the right of the building you can see the corner of the Chiesa di San Giuseppe (church of). Some of my male Sicilian relatives are posing for the photo. They live in Ragusa.
