un small Sicilian menu. Angela, Carola, Caterina and Paola give it to us, the women of Casa Pellegrino (carlopellegrino.it), the family of the winery which boasts five estates covering 150 hectares in western Sicily, between the coast of Marsala, the hills of Trapani and the island of Pantelleria. To deliver the recipes of grandmothers and great aunts to the new generations (they are the fifth) the female “quartet” has decided to collect them in a lovely little book for friends.
Casa Pellegrino recipe booklet
Inside, many memories of palaces and vineyards and traditional dishes from the 19th century to today. From the daily snack of “pane cunzato” (i.e. bread stuffed with tomatoes, caciocavallo and olives) to the triumphant timbale of Cappellini, from “larded mackerel” to onion soup, because Marsala cuisine is often accompanied by French cuisine thanks to grandma Josephine , the French gentlewoman who arrived in Marsala in 1895 and married Carlo Pellegrino. The three recipes for the “winter caponata”, the white arancini and the gelo are exquisite, presented with love. Why not prepare them for a Valentine’s Day dinner “extended” for the whole family?
Fritteddra – Caponata in winter
by Paola Pellegrino
The “Sicilian Frieddra”, taken from “Home cooking, the traditional recipes of Casa Pellegrino”.
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE
200 g of shelled fresh (also frozen) fava beans
200 g of shelled fresh (also frozen) peas
100 g of tomato sauce
4 artichokes
2 onions
2 tablespoons of sugar
1⁄2 cup of vinegar
juice of 1⁄2 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
PREPARATION
Cut the artichokes by removing the stem and the toughest leaves, then peel them until you reach the tenderest leaves. With a knife cut the tip of the leaves, divide the artichokes in half and remove the internal “beard” from the artichoke hearts. So cut the hearts into slices and immediately immerse them in a bowl with cold water and the juice of 1/2 lemon, to prevent them from oxidizing. Then clean the broad beans and peas too.
Pour the sliced onions into a pan with a drizzle of oil and half a glass of water. As soon as they are slightly withered, first add the artichokes and, after a few minutes, broad beans and peas. Cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and add the tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar. Cook for a couple of minutes and finally leave to cool before serving.
White arancini with mixed meat
by Caterina Pellegrino
“Arancine di casa Pellegrino”, photo taken from “Cucina di Casa. The traditional recipes of Casa Pellegrino”.
INGREDIENTS FOR 12 PEOPLE (30 arancini)
For the risotto:
1 kg of rice (Roma type), 150 g of Parmesan, 150 g of butter, 1 liter of milk, 1 liter of water, 4 egg yolks, nutmeg to taste, salt to taste.
For the stuffing:
500 g of minced veal, 1⁄2 chopped chicken, 300 g of frozen peas, 250 g of sweet provola cheese, 500 ml of water, 500 ml of milk, 250 ml of bechamel, 1⁄2 glass of white wine, 1⁄2 teaspoon of baking soda, 4 thin slices of mortadella, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery, 1 onion, 1 sprig of parsley, herbs to taste,
extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg.
For the breading:
4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, durum wheat flour to taste, fresh breadcrumbs to taste, Parmesan cheese to taste, extra virgin olive oil, salt.
PREPARATION
Cook the risotto in salted water and milk, leaving it very al dente (consider 5-7 minutes before the expected cooking time). Season with the Parmesan, butter, nutmeg and egg yolks, adding them one at a time. Instead, keep aside the egg whites that will be used later for the breading.
Remove the risotto from the pot, arrange it on a plate or cutting board and let it cool.
The art of stuffing
Prepare the filling (you can also prepare it the day before). Prepare a broth with an onion, a carrot, a stick of celery, pepper, nutmeg and herbs and boil the chicken for an hour. Let it cool and cut it into small pieces. To prepare the white veal ragout, finely chop the onion, celery and carrots. Arrange the meat, oil and onion in a saucepan, trying to loosen the meat with a fork, for about 10 minutes until it is dry. Then add a glass of wine and let it evaporate. Then add the water and milk and cook very slowly for more than an hour. Finally, season with salt and herbs. As for the peas, finely chop an onion and fry it with oil and parsley for about 5 minutes.
Add the peas, a cup of hot water and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Cook for another 15 minutes and season with salt. Finally, arrange the chicken cut into small pieces, the meat sauce, the peas, the sweet provola cheese and the finely chopped mortadella in a pan. Also add the bechamel, previously flavored with butter, Parmesan and nutmeg, and mix everything delicately. When the rice has cooled, make balls the size of the palm of a hand, make a hole in the center and fill it with the mixture. After that, close them by giving them the classic shape of arancini and roll them in durum wheat flour.
Like a bouquet
In the meantime, beat the eggs and egg whites previously preserved and add a little salt and parmesan. Pass the arancini first in this mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Finally, fry in plenty of olive oil. After that, dArrange the arancini on a plate on laced paper and decorate with orange leaves.
Pomegranate (or Citrus) Jelly
by Paola Pellegrino
“Pomegranate jelly”, photo taken from “Cucina di Casa. The traditional recipes of Casa Pellegrino”.
INGREDIENTS FOR 10/12 PEOPLE
200 g of sugar
24 g of isinglass
1 liter of fresh pomegranate juice (or citrus)
chopped fruit to taste
whipped cream to taste
PREPARATION
Place the isinglass sheets in cold water and let them soften. In the meantime, squeeze the fresh fruit to obtain a liter of juice and filter it with the help of a sieve. Pour the sugar into a saucepan (the amount of which can vary according to the degree of ripeness of the fruit) and add about 200 ml of juice, put on the heat over low heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Finally add the remaining juice.
Take it now the gelatin sheets, squeeze them and put them on the fire using the same saucepan used previously and melt them over low heat. Once disbanded, add the gelatin to the juice, mix and pour everything into a specific mold for jellies or into a cup. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Then you can pour the mold into a serving dish or serve the jelly directly in the bowlgarnishing it with chopped fruit and whipped cream.
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