sicilian food

Arancini di Riso: Sicilian Rice Balls

all-purpose flour

eggs, beaten

breadcrumbs

tomato sauce, to serve (optional)

basil leaves,

Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

oz white wine

oz chicken or vegetable stock

salt

(15 oz) Carnaroli

meat sauce

mozzarella,

oz cooked peas (optional)

Make the risotto by adding the rice to...

Make the risotto by adding the rice to the heated oil in a large saute pan, and stirring quickly for one or two minutes. Quickly add the white wine while stirring. With the heat on medium high, begin adding the chicken stock a little at a time, and continuously stirring, until all the stock has been used and the rice is cooked, yet still al dente (I have a risotto recipe here on my blog). Taste; adding salt if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Add an egg to the risotto and mix...

Add an egg to the risotto and mix well, then refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.

To make the arancini:

Place some rice in your hand and flatten...

Place some rice in your hand and flatten it into your cupped hand, but don’t make it too thin, or the filling will ooze out. Place a piece of mozzarella, and/or a little tomato sauce (and peas, if using) in the center of the cupped rice. Next, close the rice around the filling and shape into a ball.

If you’d like to make conical shapes, flatten...

If you’d like to make conical shapes, flatten the bottom of the ball, and make the top more pointed.

Now, roll the shaped arancini in flour, then...

Now, roll the shaped arancini in flour, then roll them in the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Set aside until all of the rice has been used.

Heat some oil in a deep fryer, pot...

Heat some oil in a deep fryer, pot or wok until it is very hot. Add the arancini, and cook quickly, turning often so they don’t brown too much on one side. If serving immediately, fry for a few minutes, so the cheese will melt in the center. Remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate or tray. (If you’d like to serve them at a later time, remove them quickly after just browning; then, just before serving, place them on a baking sheet and re-heat in the oven at 400ºF for 5 to 10 minutes.)

Serve plain, or place on tray with a...

Serve plain, or place on tray with a little tomato sauce and garnish with basil. You can also serve them with a little extra sauce on the side, although this isn't done in Italy.

This traditional vegetarian Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta recipe is beautifully creamy, light and easy to make.  Perfect for summer and weeknight meals!

Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta

400 g occhi di lupo pasta ((140z)

pistachios ((7 ounces) raw kernels)

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Parmigiano cheese ((2 ounces) grated)

(for

black pepper (to taste)

Put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once the water starts to boil andbring to the boil again.

If your pistachios are unpeeled, put them into a bowl of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain them and wipe them with  a cloth to remove some of the skin covering them.

Save a few pistachios and put the rest in a blender or food processor, add the grated cheese and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend/pulse until you have a rough dense pesto. If necessary add more olive oil but as little as possible.

Cream the ricotta in a food processor or with a fork.  Put it in a large pan (big enough to hold the cooked pasta too)

Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Just before the pasta is ready, take half a cup of the cooking water and add to thericotta. Stir it in until you have a creamy sauce. Add salt to taste. Then addthe pistachio pesto and stir that in too until it’s totally incorporated in thesauce.

Save a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add it to the pan with thesauce.  Add some of the saved pasta cooking water if the sauce seems dry (although it shouldn’t be).

Mix the pasta and the sauce together well. Add ground black pepper. Serve immediately with a few whole pistachios and extra grated cheese if required.

Sicilian Lamb Patties Braised with Eggplant, Peppers, and Tomatoes Recipe

Sicilian Lamb Patties Braised with Eggplant, Peppers, and Tomatoes

breadcrumbs (from crustless French bread ground in processor)

water

lamb

pecorino cheese

egg,

mint

marjoram

coarse kosher salt

black pepper

cinnamon

eggplant (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

olive oil, divided

Coarse kosher salt

red bell pepper, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

onion

dry white wine

garlic cloves, minced

chopped seeded peeled red heirloom tomatoes

polenta (coarse cornmeal)*

Bon Appétit

Combine breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup water in small bowl. Soak 5 minutes. Squeeze all water from crumbs. Place crumbs in large bowl. Add lamb and remaining ingredients; mix gently to combine. Shape into 12 oval patties, each about 2 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch thick.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cubed eggplant and 4 tablespoons oil in large bowl and toss to coat. Spread eggplant out on rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Bake 12 minutes. Turn eggplant over and bake until soft, about 12 minutes longer.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb patties and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer lamb patties to plate. Add bell pepper strips to drippings in skillet; sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Transfer bell pepper to plate with lamb.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and chopped onion to same skillet. Cover and cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add wine and garlic. Cook, scraping up browned bits, until wine is reduced to glaze, about 7 minutes. Return lamb and bell pepper to skillet; add eggplant, tomatoes, and marjoram. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until lamb is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. If sauce is thin, simmer uncovered until thickened to desired consistency. Season sauce to taste with coarse salt and pepper.

Bring 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until polenta is very thick, whisking often, about 20 minutes.

Spoon polenta into shallow bowls. Top with lamb and vegetables. Sprinkle with pecorino cheese.

*Sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook about half as long.

A delicious and impressive looking baked pasta dish from Sicily, which will wow your guests!

Baked Sicilian Anelletti Timballo

400 g ground beef

glass red wine

g peas ((5 ounces))

carrots

celery

garlic (peeled)

Extra virgin olive oil

basil leaves

tomato passata rustica ((12 ounces))

salt and pepper

400 g anelletti ((14 oz))

breadcrumbs (as required)

g cheese

First make the meat sauce.

Chop the carrot, onion, garlic and celery finely.&nbsp;Fry the vegetables in olive oil until they start to soften. Be careful not to let them to burn!

Add the minced meat and cook until browned.&nbsp;Add the glass of red wine and stir well

When the wine has evaporated pour in the passata and mix it in well with the meat.&nbsp;Add the fresh basil and salt and pepper as required.

Cover the sauce and allow to simmer on a low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. If it gets too thick add some water.

10 minutes before the sauce is cooked, add the peas.

Put water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil. Cook the pasta 2-3 minutes less than instructed on the packet. Drain and add the anelletti to the meat sauce when it is ready. Mix the pasta and sauce well and allow to cool.

Grease the sides and base of a deep cake tin with olive oil (I use a spring form tin which makes getting the timballo out easier!)

Line the sides and base of the tin with breadcrumbs.

Once the pasta and meat mixture has cooled spoon a thick layer into the base of the tin.

Make another layer from the chopped ham and caciocavallo cheese and finish off with another thick layer of the pasta and meat sauce.

Press the mixture down and cover the top with more breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

Cook the timballo at 200 degrees in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

When it is ready, allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate and removing the tin.

While the sauce is cooking you can get on with the rest of the dish.

My Timbale turned out absolutely delicious. I left out the peas, I added sliced hard boiled eggs. I definitely will experiment further with this wonderful  dish. I think I will some egg to prevent it from falling apart next time. Thank you ❤️

Has anyone else had trouble with the sauce leaking out of the bottom of the pan? I used a springform cake pan (with no hole in the middle) and tried to cover the outside of the bottom with foil when I saw it leaking, but it still leaked (which made it a bit dry). I am wondering how to prevent this next time?

Wow this looks amazing! It has turned out so perfectly and the pictures look great, nice to read about this wonderful recipe.

I tried this for the first time tonight and it turned out great!! It does take awhile but consider it a labor of love. It is such an impressive presentation and the taste is amazing!! I will definitely make this again. I did have some initial trouble getting the bread crumbs to stick to the sides of the non-stick pan with the olive oil. 5 Stars All the Way!

the oven temp is 200 deg C, not F...I added a 1/4 cup of sweet chili sauce to give a faint touch of bite...

Top 4 sicilian food recipes from across the web

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Arancini di Riso: Sicilian Rice Bal...

Sicilian ricotta and pistachio past...

Sicilian Lamb Patties Braised with ...

Baked Sicilian Anelletti Timballo

Top 4 sicilian food recipes from across the web

The most viewed sicilian food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Arancini di Riso: Sicilian Rice Bal...

Sicilian ricotta and pistachio past...

Sicilian Lamb Patties Braised with ...

Baked Sicilian Anelletti Timballo

The most viewed sicilian food recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine