On journey through Sicilia... the "timballo del gattopardo"

In the same way as in an overture of a theatrical presentation, the Home Food curtain rises this time over the Southern point of our boot, more precisely in the city of Palermo.

With a face for the most part Baroque, the Sicilian capital has known, over the centuries, a balanced mix of Arabic cultures and European tastes, as is testified by the characteristic lines of the Arab-Norman art, a hybrid of sinuous decoration, Moorish arcs and hemispheric domes which embellish the fundamental structure of the Latin and Greek cross.

This event, prepared inside the sunny and welcoming attic where Annamaria lives, is a unique occasion to discover the artistic and architectural wealth of the historical centre, living at the same time in the warmth of a true Sicilian family.

The love for her homeland and for good living has prompted our Cesarina to make herself an expert depositary of the culinary knowledge of the area, as well as a profound exponent of the many gastronomic expressions of the cookery of Palermo (from relatively simple notes that try to copy the Lords' table, successfully leading to tasty dishes, to the refined ancient Baronial symphonies).

The mixed fish appetizers are a tribute by Annamaria to her island with its fishing tradition.

The second course arrives at table, it's the Timballo del Gattopardo (timbale) : as widely described in a page of the famous novel by Tomasi di Lampedusa, it is prepared (strictly "sauceless" ) combining the caciocavallo from Ragusa and "abundant" quantities of chicken and veal meat.

The Caponata is served in its version with a basis of aubergine with apples and pumpkin , in which the Baronial kitchen foresaw the use, other than of vegetables and fruit, also of boiled small octopus or, in special cases, of medallions of lobster. It is all flavoured with a sauce of onion, celery, olives and capers, as in the aubergine variant.

The Cuscus di pistacchi , whose recipe is still now secret, was created in the monastery of the Spirito Santo of Agrigento and belongs to conventual cookery, almost exclusively devoted to sweets. The existence of three different types of Sicilian cookery gives reason to the fact that, before the advent of the Swiss pasticcerias, sweets were bought in the convents, through a revolving window that separated the buyer from the saleswoman, the nun!

In closing this not only just a culinary journey but also a trip through the history and the origins of an extraordinary and generous region, a rather particular meal-end is presented: the Pesche gelate di Brydone (ice peaches) , a very old recipe which recalls the 1770's "Journey through Sicilia and Malta".

Typical and Traditional Produce presented in this journey:

Capers from Pantelleria, Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Castelvetrano, Sausage from Sant'Angelo di Brolo,

pecorino cheese from Corleone, seasoned pecorino from San Giovanni, ricotta cheese of Valle d'Olmo

Wines :

bianco: Principe di Corleone-Pinot Bianco (Pollara Monreale) rosso : Nero d'Avola (Cusumano)