Lasagne cacate

Towards Christmas, traditional Sicilian cuisine is enriched by several  recipes. I have chosen to suggest you a first course recipe to bring to the table during this holiday season. It's tipical of Modica's area, but fairly widespread in the rest of Sicily.
The original recipe calls for the use of "sugna", lard, but, if you can't find it, you can use olive oil, strictly extravirgin. Also you can use minced meat, instead to mice the meat after cooking.

Put in a saucepot a piece of meat of veal and one of pork and brown them in lard, fading all with a glass of red wine. When meat will be brown, remove it and put in the same saucepot a thin red onion chopped to fry. Now add tomato extract, diluited in a little water, put again the meat and season to taste. When meat will appear cooked, mice it and after put in the sauce, on fire off.

Meanwhile prepare the lasagne. Oil the bottom of a baking tin, place the first lasagne layer, then add ragout, fresh ricotta cheese and grated caciocavallo (kneaaded-paste cheese from Southern Italy). Continue to arrange in layers, for other 4-5 times. On the last layer abound with caciocavallo, so on lasagna will be a golden and crispy layer oh cheese.

I suggest you to combine the intense taste of this dish with a good full-bodied red wine....and Merry Christams !!!!

Doses for a baking tin (6 people):

- 1 red onion
- 100 grams/3,5 oz of grated caciocavallo (kneaaded-paste cheese from Southern Italy)
- 400 grams/1 lb of fresh ricotta
- 100 grams/3,5 oz of lard or, alternatively, extravirgin olive oil
- 1 glass of red wine
- 600 grams/1 lb 5 oz of lasagne
- 500 grams/1 lb 2 oz of meat of pork
- 500 grams/ 1 lb 2 oz of meat of vael

- 400 grams/ 1 lb of tomato extract

- salt
- fresh ground black pepper

We recommend for your shopping:
http://cocciudamuri.it/index.php/selezionati-da-cocciu-d-amuri/olio-extra-vergine-d-oliva.html

How to sterilize

You can preserve your homemade bottled  preserves safely and for a long time with few simple steps and, at the same time, contain scents, flavors and traditions.

1. Fill the jars with the prepared preserves and after seal them hermetically.

2. Wrap each jar in a clean cloth to avoid they can collide and crack boiling.

3. Put a towel on the bottom of the pot and set the jars. Add in the pot so enough cold water to exceed jars of  4 fingers, then close with the lid and bring to a boil. After boling  reduce to a minimum flame and from now on start to calculate half an hour of sterilization, or the time indicated for the selected recipe. I remember you that water must alaways exceed the jars, if the water decreases, add other hot .

4. Before removing jars from water, let them cool: sudden temperature changes can break those compromising the preserves.

Tools of the trade

To prepare the useful granny's preserves, you must use the righ kitchen accessories. Below, I indicate you few, but essential tools, you'll need to do the preserves.

- Wooden spoons of different sizes, long-handled to mix well

- A colander and a slotted spoon to drain

- A sieve and a blender to pass

- A pot, preferably a copper pot, to cook vegetables

- Casseroles and steel pains (stainless steel) in heavy bottom (the double bottom), to use for any preaparation and suitable to sterilize

- Glass jars with airtight lids new (screw or hook) with new rubber seals. Favorities vessels with a maximum capacity of 5 dl /3,38 fl. oz., so, once open, able to consume conserves quickly.

Stuffed peppers

Do you want to prepare a quick and tasty dish? Then, stuffed pepers are what you're looking for. For this recipe, I recommend you to use small and round peppers, because they cook faster than the big peppers. If you use all the three varieties colors of peppers: red, yellow and green, you will notice how the taste changes slightly from one to another, and you can bring to the table an explosion of colors which is a good thing, because the appearance is important too.

First, start to cut the top of the peppers, trying to stay near as close as possible to the green stem. Consider that the hole, you will open, must be sufficient baggy to permitt you to fill the peppers, but it should not be large or the filling may come out. I suggest you to set aside the top of the peppers, so you can use it as a decorative cork.

Now, start to prepare your "mollica" (grated soft part of day-old bread) seasoned. Season the "mollica" with oil, salt, ground black peppercon, 1 chopped clove of garlic and parsley and grated cheese (half Parmesan and half Roman sharp ewe's). Simultaneously wash basil leaves (it's preferable to use the small leaves quality) and dice mozzarella and tomatoes.

Now, fill half all your peppers. After add two cubes of mozzarella, two cubes of tomato and one or two basil leaves in each of them. End to fill the peppers with "mollica", press lightly filling so it becomes settled and, finally, add a little oil. After oiling the bottom of a heat-resistant dish, put inside the peppers, with their decorative cork on the top, taking care to place them very closed so they can't move and fall laterally. Bake at 180° C for about 40 minutes.

These peppers are ideal for everyone, even for friends who follow the vegan diet, and a glass of chilled good white wine will exalt the taste.

Doses for 4 people:

- 12 round peppers
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 1 mozzarella (125 grams/4,5 oz)
- 700 grams/1 lb 8 oz of grated soft part of day-old bread
- 50 grams/2 oz of grated Parmesan
- 50 grams/2 oz of grated Roman sharp ewe's
- 1 clove of garlic
- parsley
- basil (preferable small leaves quality)
- salt and ground black pepper
- extravirgin olive oil

We recommend for your shopping:
http://cocciudamuri.it/index.php/selezionati-da-cocciu-d-amuri/olio-extra-vergine-d-oliva.html

Stuffed aubergines

The stuffed aubergines is one of the most typical dishes of the sicilian cuisine, it isn't complicated to prepare but it will require a bit of time and patience. The result, however, is ensured. I propose a lighter version, with aubergines cooked in the pot with the sauce, but if you want you can fry aubergines in pan, shortening cooking time. I recommend the following version I am proposing because it's more simple to digest, the flavor is more delicated and you can enjoy best stuffing. For this recipe, I suggest you use small and round aubergines, not those elongated.

First of all, you have to prepare the "mollica" (grated crumb of dry bread) seasoned. 
Season "mollica" with oil, salt, ground black peppercorn, 1 chopped clove of garlic, leaves of basil and piquancy cheese. Personally I recommend "pepato" (typical Sicilian cheese seasoned with black peppercorns), but you can use also Caciocavallo (kneaaded-paste cheese from Southern Italy). 

After washing aubergines, you must cut the top of those and save it, because it will serve you as a cork to close your stuffed aubergines. Dig the inside part of the aubergines and save a part of it that you shall wash with water and salt, then you wring it and, finally, you will fry it in a pan with oil for a few minutes. Mixed, then, the "mollica" seasoned with the interior part of aubergines you have saved and start to fill your aubergines. When you have finished, use the top part of the aubergines as a cork pushing the "mollica" a bit' inside, in such a way that the mollica will not spill. If you want, to stop the cork you can use a small skewer, piercing the aubergines from side to side. 

Menawhile, brown one red onion in a pot. When onion will become blondie add the sauce, salt, ground black pepper and let it cooks. Now put the aubergines in the pot and let them cook for about 45-60 minutes, until the outside of the aubergines will seem soft. 

Oh I forgot, stuffed aubergines are perfect for a vegan diet and you can enjoy it drinking a glass of red wine but also white wine.

Doses for 4 people:

- 8 round aubergines
- 600 grams/1 lb 5oz of mollica (grated crumb of dry bread)
- 200 grams/7 oz of pepato (sicilian cheese seasoned with black peppercorns) or caciocavallo (kneaaded-paste cheese from Southern Italy)
- 1 tomato sauce bottle (500 grams/1 lb 2oz)
- 1 clove fo garlic
- 1 red onion
- basil
- salt and ground black pepper
- extravirgin olive oil

We recommend for your shopping:
http://cocciudamuri.it/index.php/selezionati-da-cocciu-d-amuri/olio-extra-vergine-d-oliva.html