Although we are more familiar with the French croquette, potato crocchè (crocchè di patate) – small parcels of mashed potato with egg and cheese, coated with breadcrumbs and fried – are of Sicilian origin.  The Monzu (a corruption of the French word monsieur) were the renown French chefs employed by the Sicilian aristocracy.  Many dishes […]

Calamari salad makes a great antipasto dish or side salad, served either chilled or at room temperature.  It is similar in flavor to octopus salad but much quicker to make.  Squid takes about one minute to cook, whereas octopus takes about one hour.  Chilling the squid for several hours helps to intensify the flavors.  I usually […]

Pasta frolla is a basic all-purpose Italian pastry dough.  I love pasta frolla because it can be used to make a variety of recipes such as Italian cheesecakes, tarts, pies, pastries, and cookies.  It’s super easy to make and I always have some on hand in the freezer.  Pastichiotti, a Sicilian cream-filled pastry, and cuccidati, […]

The humble eggplant, to the Sicilian cook, is like clay to a sculptor.  It can be molded, shaped, and interpreted in limitless ways.  Baby eggplants are cooked many different ways in Sicily but stuffing them is the most popular method.  Much to my surprise, my local grocery store had some Indian eggplants available, which is a […]