Sicilian Girl

Tweet The flavor of Creole cooking in a jar, this mixture of spices makes it easy and convenient to prepare your favorite New Orleans dishes (Pasta Milanese). Depending on where you live in the country, you could purchase a ready-made spice blend (like Emeril’s Essence) or you can make your own. The spices below should [...]

Tweet   Saint Joseph, (San Giuseppe) was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. The beloved saint looks after children, unwed mothers, the needy and  is the patron saint of Sicily. To celebrate his feast day on March 19, [...]

Tweet San Giuseppe, (Saint Joseph) was the husband of Mary, the Mother of God and is the patron saint of the family. On March 19, in celebration of the Feast of San Giuseppe, elaborate altars will be filled with food all over Sicily and New Orleans. This tradition commemorates the relief Saint Joseph provided during [...]

Tweet This pasta dish is a classic for New Orleanians of Sicilian descent. It is the ritual meal (a cena di San Giuseppe) that is traditionally served on March 19th for Saint Joseph’s Day (San Giuseppe). This version is adapted slightly from John Besh’s recipe in his cookbook, My New Orleans.     Ingredients: 1/4 [...]

Tweet In Italy, the baking of bread is called l’arte bianco (the white art). Bread provides nourishment and sustenance through the life-giving, almost magical properties of yeast. Bread is to be respected. If you’ve read many of my posts in this blog, you know that I do not waste food, not even bread … not [...]

Tweet Passoli e pinoli (currants and pine nuts) are commonly used in many Sicilian dishes. Currants are black Corinth grapes that have been dried like raisins, only they are much smaller (not to be confused with fresh, red currants, related to the gooseberry). In baking, currants and raisins are generally  interchangeable. However, the smaller size [...]

Tweet The quintessential New Orleans sandwich, the muffuletta, is rarely found anywhere outside of the Crescent City. Pronounced “moo-foo-LET-ta,” this deli meat and cheese hero piled with a tangy olive salad is a New Orleans specialty but is pure Sicilian. Since the Super Bowl is being played in New Orleans this Sunday and I need [...]

Tweet The first house I ever lived in on my own was in Willow Glen (San Jose area of California), and what Realtor’s would call “cozy and charming” meaning it was small and had a few quirks. But it was in an established neighborhood of cute Victorians and other older homes, was very clean and [...]

Tweet The combination of pasta and eggplant is exclusively associated with southern Italy and principally Sicily, a combination I have been using for years. I love eggplant and I love pasta so this is a normal pairing that makes perfect sense to me. There are numerous versions of pasta alla norma, which I just assumed [...]

Tweet Every Sicilian I have ever met has a sweet tooth, we love our dolce (dessert), especially those with sweetened ricotta. Sicily’s iconic cannoli with it’s crisp pastry shell, creamy ricotta filling and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar is probably the most well known, followed by the elaborate cassata, a rich layered cake filled with [...]