Pasta ca Norma (Pasta alla Norma)

350 g 3/4 Ib spaghetti, 4-5 ripe tomatoes,  1 clove of garlic, 1 onion, Fresch basil, Seasoned ricotta or pecorino cheese (for grating), Olive olil.Once sliced, thr aubergines are to be sprinkled with coarse salt, placed under a weight and left for the juices to run out.
Sautè the chopped onion, the crushed garlic and a few basil leaves in 4-5 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Toss in the tomatoes, roughly chopped, with a pinch of salt and reduce it alla gently (15 minutes).
Rinse the aubergine,dab dry and brown in 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Boil the spaghetti, drain al dente and stir into the tomato sauce, dredging with grated ricotta cheese. Add the aubergine, diced finely, a couple of basil leaves and another liberal sprinkling of cheese.

Preparation time: 15’ + 30'

Cooking time: 20’

Kcal (per serving): 584

Proteins (per serving): 31
Fats (per serving): 40

Spaghetti Trapani-style (Pasta cu pistu trapanisi)

350 g 3/4 Ib fluted sedani (pasta tubes), 4-5 ripe tomatoes,  1 clove of garlic, Fresch basil, Almonds, Skinned grated pecorino cheese, Olive olil. 

Skin and seed the tomatoes and dice them. Place in a bowl with a sprig of basil (chopped up with a handful of almonds), a trickle of oli and a handful of cheese. Set aside for half-an-hour.
Cook and drain the spaghetti al dente. Add to the bowl, stir and drizzle over a little more oil. Serve at once.

Preparation time: 10’ + 30'

Cooking time: 12’

Kcal (per serving): 644

Proteins (per serving): 25
Fats (per serving): 30

Pasta with Sweet Peppers - Pasta tuttu pipi

350 g 3/4 Ib fluted sedani (pasta tubes), 4-5 ripe tomatoes, 2 sweet peppers, 1 clove of garlic, Fresch parsley, Hot red pepper, Grated pecorino cheese, Olive olil. 

Wash the sweet peppers, discarding the pith and seeds. Divide into fillets. Grill one and half, leaving the rest raw for gar-nishing. Rinse, seed and dice the tomatoes.
Colour the crushed garlic in 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, together with a sprig of parsley, the tomatoes and half the hot red pepper, crushed.
Throw in the grilled peppers, roughly chopped and leave the sauce to reduce slowly (15 minutes).
Boil the pasta, drain while still firm to the bite and sautè briefly in the pepper sauce in the frying pan. Dust generously with grated pecorino and garnish with pieces of the raw pepper.

Preparation time: 20’

Cooking time: 30’

Kcal (per serving): 506

Proteins (per serving): 16
Fats (per serving): 17

Eggs with Sage

Serves 4.

4 eggs, 6 cloves of garlic, salted capers, parsley, sage, breadcrumb from 1 slice of white continental bread, vinegar.

Soak the breadcrumb in half-an-inch of vinegar for a quarter-hour. Blanch the garlic in water without any salt for 10 minutes. Hard boil the eggs for 7 minutes, allow to cool and shell them. Chop a tablespoon of rinsed capers, a spring of sage, the cloves of garlic and the breadcrumb (squeezed of excess moisture) in a blender. When the purée flows evently, season with a pinch of salt and papper. Pour the sauce onto a serving dish, lay the eggs cut into wedges on top and dredge with chopped parsley and sage.

Black Inkfish Spaghetti (Spaghetti al nero di seppia)

Serves 4.

350 g / ¾ lb spaghetti, 350 g / ¾ lb cuttlefish, 1 onion, 300 g / 11 oz tinned tomatoes, parsley, seasoned pecorino cheese, olive oil.

Clean the cuttlefish, remove the bone (discard) and the ink-sacs (reserve). Sauté the sliced onion in 4-5 tablespoons of oil, together with a spring of parsley, chopped. Add the cuttlefish, cut into strips, along with the roughly-chopped tomatoes. Cover and simmer gently (20 minutes). Take off the lid, add a couple of ink sacs and reduce the sauce. When the pasta is cooked, drain it al dente and sauté briefly in the black sauce in the frying pan. Dust with grated pecorino cheese and serve.

Preparation time: 15’

Cooking time: 25’

Kcal (per serving): 567

Proteins (per serving): 30
Fats (per serving): 19

Spaghetti with courgettes (pasta con le zucchine)

Serves 4.

350 g / ¾ lb spaghetti, 3-4 courgettes (zucchini), 1 clove of garlic, 100 g / 4 oz peppered pecorino cheese or salted ricotta (for grating), olive oil.

Trim the courgettes and slice into rounds. Fry the crushed garlic in 4-5 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan until golden. Remove and sauté the courgettes in the flavoured oil over fierce heat. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Boil the spaghetti and drain al dente. Dredge with lots of grated cheese, stir and dress with courgettes in their cooking oil. Serve immediately. A simple but delicious dish.

Preparation time: 10’

Cooking time: 15’

Kcal (per serving): 850

Proteins (per serving): 46

Fats (per serving): 35

Grilled Sword Fish (pescespada arrosto)

Serves 4.

4 sword fish steaks, 1 kg / 2 ¼ lb, oregano sauce.

Grill the lightly-oiled and salted fish (3-4 minutes each side) over red-hot charcoal. An electric grill may also be used. Serve immediately at the dinner table, together with the warm oregano sauce.

Preparation time: 15’

Cooking time: 40’

Kcal (per serving): 435

Proteins (per serving): 46

Fats (per serving): 26

Oregano Sauce (sammurigghiu)

Serves 4.

2 cloves of garlic, 2 lemons, fresh oregano, parsley, olive oil.

Pour a glass (half-cup) of oil into a saucepan. And half a glass of hot water and the juice of a lemon, a little at a time, beating it all in with a fork or metal whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Then add a full tablespoon of fresh oregano, a small bunch of chopped parsley and the crushed garlic.

Simmer the sauce in a bain-marie (water bath) for 8- 10 minutes. Transfer to a warmed dish and take to the dinner table. It is ideal to accompany baked fish. If you prefer something richer, amalgamate the pulp of 2-3 grilled tomatoes from which the seeds have been removed and which have been blended in the electric blender.

Preparation time: 20’

Cooking time: 10’

Kcal (per serving): 144

Proteins (per serving): 1

Fats (per serving): 15

Cauliflower Fritters (Cavolfiore in pastella)

Serves 4.

800g / 1 ¾ lb cauliflower, 2 eggs, flour, anchovy paste, oil for frying.

Blanch the cauliflower in plenty of lightly salted water, drain and divide into bite-sized pieces. Beat the eggs in a bowl, sprinkle in the flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Finally, mix in a teaspoon of anchovy paste.

Coat the cauliflower pieces in the batter, leaving them in the bowl for a few minutes. Fry in plenty of boiling hot oil. Season with salt and serve them nice and crisp.

Preparation time: 20’

Cooking time: 35’

Kcal (per serving): 439

Proteins (per serving): 17

Fats (per serving): 31

Fried Salt Cod (baccalà fritto)

Serves 4.

800 g / 1 3/4 lb salt cod soaked, 3-4 ripe tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic, flour, oregano, olive oil, oil for frying.

Cut the salt cod into reasonably-sized chunks, coat lightly in flour and fry in pently of boiling oil, taking care that the pieces colour all over. Drain and season cautiously with salt. Clean, seed and roughly chop the tomatoes and put in a saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, a handful of oregano and the finely-chopped garlic. Leave to simmer. Serve the friend baccalà very hot with the tomato sauce.

Preparation time: 20'

Cooking time: 35'

Kcal (per serving): 605

Proteins (per serving): 54

Fats (per serving): 35

Spaghetti with a Piquant Sauce (pasta alla carrettiera)

Serves 4.

350 g / 3/4 lb
spaghetti (or bucatini - pasta straws), 4-5 ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, 2 cloves of garlic, hot red pepper, seasoned salt ricotta (or pecorino cheese) to be grated, olive oil.

Wash, skin and seed the tomatoes and cut into pieces. Chop up the garlic finely and mix with plenty of basil leaves and the tomatoes in a bowl. Dress with olive oil, salt and chopped hot red pepper. Leave to stand for a good hour.

Cook the pasta and drain while still al dente. Add to the sauce and dust liberally with grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 15'+1 h

Cooking time: 8'

Kcal (per serving): 507

Proteins (per serving): 18

Fats (per serving): 18

Orange salad (insalata di arance)

Serves 4.

6 oranges (preferibly not too ripe), olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper.

Peel the oranges and remove the white pith. Separate the segments one by one and cut to pieces, stripping them of the skin covering them. Arrange on a serving dish and dress the salad with a trickle of olive oil, vinegar, a little salt and a grinding of black pepper. This is a delicacy to accompany roast meat

.

Preparation time: 15'

Kcal (per serving): 210

Proteins (per serving): 2

Fats (per serving): 15

Stuffed squid (calamari ripieni)

Serves 4.

6 squid, dried bread crumbs, 1 clove of garlic, parsley, 100 g / 4 oz sicilian toma cheese (or any semi-fat cow's cheese), oregano, olive oil.

Clean the squid. Chop up the heads and tentacles, discarding the eyes, and sautè in a frying pan where you have cooked 2 good handfuls of dried bread crumbs in a trickle of olive oil.

Draw off the heat. Add the garlic and parsley, chopped up together, and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Add pieces of the cheese. Stuff the squid with the well-mixed filling and secure with a wooden toothpick. Arrange the pieces in a greased oven dish and bake in the oven at 180°C / 350° F / Gas Mark 4 for a half-hour, brushing them with a twig of oregano dipped in oil which has been seasonet with salt and papper.

Preparation time: 25'

Cooking time: 45'

Kcal (per serving): 382

Proteins (per serving): 33

Fats (per serving): 21

Sweet ravioli carnival (ravioli dolci di carnevale)

Serves 4.

For the pastry:

500 g / 1 lb 2 oz / 3 1/3 cup plain flour, 100 g / 4 oz / 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 80 g / 3 oz / 6 tbsp lard (or butter), 1 egg yolk, vanilla essence, icing (confectioner's) sugar, oil for frying.

For the filling:

450 g / 1 lb / 2 1/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese, 120 g / 5 oz / 5/8 cup granulated sugar, vanilla essence, half a lemon, ground cinnamon, candied pumpkin, plain (semi sweet) chocolate ( half a bar).

Mix the flour with half a glass of water, working in the sugar, the lard, the beaten egg yolk and a drop of vanilla essence. When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball and leave for half an hour to rest. To make the filling, use a spatula to combine the sugar, grated lemon rind, a drop of vanilla essence, a pinch of cinnamon, a tablespoon of diced candied pumpkin and the crumbled chocolate with the ricotta. Blend well. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into 6-inch squares. Pile a little of the filling to one side of each square, fold the other side over and trim the edges with the special instrument for making ravioli. Fry the pastry squares in plenty of boiling oil. When they have turned golden, drain them and dredge with icing (confectioner's) sugar.

Preparation time: 1h+30'

Cooking time: 30'

Kcal (per serving): 1790

Proteins (per serving): 27

Fats (per serving): 104

Potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate)

Serves 4.

1 kg potatoes, wheat flour, salt, a pinch of nutmeg.

Boil whole potatoes in plenty of water. Drain, peel and mash in the mashed potato masher knocking on floured pastry board.Mix the potato with two tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt and nutmeg and let mixture with cords by the diameter of about 1.5 cm. Cut into pieces 2 cm long and give them a cylindrical shape on floured pastry board. Bring salted water to a boil and pour the gnocchi. Take them with a wooden spoon as they rise to the surface and place in a serving dish. Season sauce to taste and serve.

Ricotta pie (torta salata di ricotta)

Serves 4.

400 gr ricotta 150 gr grated pecorino cheese, basil, parsley, 4 eggs, butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Strain the curd by dropping the past in a bowl, mix it with pecorino cheese (except land by a spoon), three beaten egg yolks, a little chopped parsley and basil, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and incorporated, stirring gently, four egg whites. Grease and flour a mold and pour the mixture. Smooth the surface, sprinkle with pecorino advanced bake in a hot oven at low heat for 30 minutes. Deformed when the cake has cooled slightly and serve.

Puffs of St. Joseph (bignè di San Giuseppe)

500 gr flour, 25 g yeast, milk, icing sugar, oil or lard for frying, salt.

Mix the flour in two cups of water and, stirring with a wooden spoon, incorporate the yeast dissolved in two tablespoons of warm milk and a pinch of salt.Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for an hour.With a spoon make small balls frying in deep fat or lard hot.Drain puffs and put them on a platter, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Sweet and sour onions (cipolle in agrodolce)

Serves 4.

gr. 400 onions, vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt.

Peel the onions and cook in salted water, removing them when they are still a lot to slightly underdone. Drain, put them in a pot with half a cup of oil. Fry a little, then sprinkle with half cup of vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. Cover and cook for about ten minutes.

Anchovies with lemon (acciughe al limone)

Serves 6.

1 kg fresh anchovies, garlic, parsley, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Clean the anchovies, removing head and viscera, washed them and dried them. Arrange the anchovies in layers in a baking pan greased with oil, sprinkling each layer with chopped garlic and parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper, thin slices of lemon, and olive oil. Put the pan in hot oven for 20 minutes, then serve.

Steak Palermo (bistecca alla palermitana)

Serves 4

gr. 600 slices of veal, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the slices of veal meat mallet, salt them, pepper them, grease the slice of veal with oil and mash in the bread crumbs. Press the slices in her hands because the bread crumbs stick well. Cook on the grill, turning once, and serve.