Busiate – One of Sicily’s most popular dishes

Sicily being the center of the Mediterranean has culinary traditions that blend different cultures and make it a tourist destination, not only for the sea, the temples and history but also for its gastronomic specialties.

Busiate – One of Sicily’s most popular dishes

We know all the rice croquettes, cannoli, cous cous, caponata, cassata, … but perhaps not many know busiate.
Busiate are a typical pasta from the Trapani area prepared with a dough made from durum wheat flour and water.
We “condiamo” here as we were taught in Trapani, in fact … with Pesto Trapanese.

busiate trapanesi

Busiate – One of Sicily’s most popular dishes

Ingredients Pre 4 persons:

400 g of busiate
2 cloves of garlic Nubia
150 g red tomatoes firm
50 g almonds
50 g basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Wash and blanch the tomatoes for 15 seconds. Cool in ice water and peel them. Remove seeds.
Put the almonds, garlic, basil and salt in a mortar marble. Crush all the ingredients until you get a cream. add a little ‘oil and the tomatoes and crush them.
Cook busiate in salted water. Drain and dress with the pesto, without heating.
Divide among 4 plates.

How to Make Fresh Italian Basil Pesto

The Ligurian pesto is one of those condiments that can be used not only for pasta, but also to combine with fish and meat. The recipe is simple, the important thing is to preserve the color and scent of fresh basil.

pesto di basilico

ingredients:
n. 32 basil leaves washed and dried (best of basil and ‘young)
100 g pine nuts (preferably Italian and not Pakistanis, even though they cost half)
one clove of garlic (not all like me)
extra virgin olive oil q.s.
Rock Salt q.b
Parmigiano Reggiano
pecorino
Method:

Put the oil and the blender jar in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, more is better. This is one of the most important details to get the best pesto.
Put in the blender the pine nuts, garlic, basil, chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo, (but I like it even without), salt and oil, which has to cover the other ingredients. Turn on the blender pulse to heat as little as possible pesto and not affect the scent of basil.
This is the modern method, the tradition is to use the mortar, as you can see on the site of the Consorzio del Pesto Genovese.

The pesto can be kept for several days in the refrigerator in a glass jar, keeping clean the walls and covering always with a little oil.

You can also prepare the mono portions and freeze them, as then pull out of the freezer a bit ‘of fear before using it.

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Hummus – Chickpeas cream

The Hummus is very popular throughout the eastern Mediterranean in particular Arab countries, Israel and Lebanon.

Do you know how to make Hummus?

There are minor variations, but the base is always the same: boiled chickpeas. The other ingredients are usually Tahini (sesame paste), lemon, extra virgin olive oil or corn, salt, garlic, parsley, paprika or chili. Among the versions proposed Expo 2015, the most appreciated was the Lebanese version, which does not contain garlic satisfied the taste of most people.

hummus

Here is our version:

ingredients:
150 g dried chickpeas or 500 g cooked chickpeas
30 g extra virgin olive oil
15 g cumin
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1 lemon
water
salt
50 g Tahini
2 cloves garlic (optional)
parsley (optional)
paprika (optional)
pepper (optional)

It is preferable to use dried chickpeas and not ones already cooked canned, because it tastier.
So start by putting the dried chickpeas to soak in plenty of cold water and leave for 24 hours.
Drain, wash them well; put them in a pot with cold water and cook simmering for about 2 hours.
In a large pan put olive oil and the garlic-plate, if you want to use and make it brown; add the cumin, leave over low heat without letting it burn and add the chickpeas. Leave in the pan 2/3 minutes, then put it in a blender, add the tahini, lemon juice and whisk adding boiling water until creamy with just the right consistency. Season with salt.

Serve the hummus in a bowl with chopped parsley, pepper or paprika.

The hummus as a traditional Middle East is accompanied by Falafel (meatballs usually made with beans) or unleavened bread, but it is also great with a nice array of home fresh vegetables.

Sfrappole

We continue with a recipe for carnival time. Today sfrappole!

ingredients:
500 g flour
50 g butter
40 g sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup brandy
a pinch of salt
Fry oil
icing sugar
alchermes
Mix all ingredients, except icing sugar and alchermes, who will serve only at the end.
Roll out the dough very thin and cut the strips with the wheel.
Fry in hot oil and drain on yellow paper.
Complete with alchermes and icing sugar.

Castagnole is here

Castagnole (carnival treats)

It’s time to think about the carnival treats. We begin with castagnole.

Ingredients:
500 g weak flour
160 g sugar
70 g seed oil
3 eggs
15 g baking
orange juice x mix
alchermes
Fry oil.

Mix all the ingredients. Form small balls and fry in oil. Drain and to absorb excess oil from the paper towel. Switch in granulated sugar and spray alchermes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Chiacchere , Sfrappe, Srappole, the recipe is here