Eat, Sip, Travel: Sicily

                                   Ortigia island is part of the mainland city of Syracuse

Wine-Knows was to have begun its Sicilian food and wine adventure a few days ago, but COVID changed our course. To honor what might have been , I'm writing this Blog.

We were to have started our journey on the historic island of Ortigia (one of ancient Greece's most important colonies), where timeless beauty   abounds : dazzling squares flanked by majestic Baroque buildings with elaborate rot iron balconies, and a labyrinth of pedestrian only alleyways lined with palaces and simple fishermen's homes that wind down to the emerald Mediterranean.  Joined to the mainland by a short bridge,  Ortigia is a deeply atmospheric place of myriad architecture styles and a tapestry of cultures. 

                                  Capers are much more intense tasting than caper berries 

Capers are an important part of the Sicilian cuisine. The caper bush grows wild here and Sicilian capers are prized by gourmet chefs around the globe. Capers appear in some form or another on every menu (from antipasto to pasta, and from veggies to meat dishes). Yesterday we were to have visited Ortigia's market to taste the difference between capers and caper berries: caper, the bud of a Mediterranean shrub, is more intense, while the berry (which is the actual fruit of the caper shrub) are much more delicate.   T he island's most prized capers are not brined but preserved in salt. 

       Eggplant is used in Sicily's famous caponata, as well its other signature dish, Pasta Norma

Caponata is one of Sicily's signature dishes.   There's something magical in the mathematics of this sweet and sour stew of eggplant, peppers, celery, capers, onions and onions:   the whole is better than the sum of its parts.   Something special happens when the sweet tomato paste melds into the red wine vinegar and coats the veggies like a yummy blanket.

                                  Cassata, Sicily's hallmark cake, is studded with candied fruits

Candying fruit in Sicily is an art form and citrus is one of the most popular.   Catholic nuns, who sold sweets to support their convents, introduced the candying process to Sicily.   The island's two most famous desserts (cannoli and cassata) both use candied fruits.

       These arancini filled with ooey-gooey cheese were to have been one of the appetizers last night

Oranges are so popular that they have given their name to one of Sicily's most traditional foods, arancini ( “little oranges") .     T hese golf ball rounds (think meat balls), are filled mainly with rice but often flavored with chicken, beef, or even vegetables. 

                Pastry shops are filled with stunning miniature marzipan “fruit” such as these

Another important part of Sicily’s gastronomy is the art of marzipan.   A delicious paste made of ground almonds and sugar (Sicilian almonds are unsurpassed in flavor), marzipan is a serious business in Sicily.  In addition to fruit, marzipan also comes in the form of other food products such as ears of corn, tiny pumpkins, and even carrots.  Like cassata and cannoli, marzipan came from the culinary tricks of nuns in Sicily’s convents.

                         Feudi di Pisciotto is a jaw-dropping 18^th century wine estate

One of our stops for two nights was to have been Feudi di Pisciotto, a boutique hotel located on a historic 400 acre farming estate.   Producing some of southeastern Sicily’s best wines, this estate’s winemaker was to host us for a private tasting followed by this  dinner at Fuedi’s award-winning restaurant:

• Seafood Couscous (in homage to Sicily’s Arab rule for centuries). Served with the estate’s top wine, Cerasuolo (a blended light-tannin red)

• Grilled swordfish with grilled lemons & purple cauliflower, capers & estate olive oil.     Served with the estate’s Nero d’Avola named after Gianni Versace

• Minature house-made cannoli filled with local ricotta, chocolate & candied oranges.    Served with the estate's dessert wine named after another famous designer, Gianfranco Ferrè

The tour has been changed to next October, 2021. At the moment there are two spaces available: www.WineKnowsTravel.com

Long live Sicily!          

The Finest Capers are Sicilian

While capers have become an indispensable part of every foodie’s pantry, some may neither know that Sicily makes la crema de la crema of capers, nor how caper berries differ from capers.  For certain, few know of caper leaves.

Most caper lovers are aware that these culinary gems are actually edible flower buds of a bush.  Their wild bushes thrive in the Mediterranean, so it’s no surprise that Morocco, Spain and Turkey produce the bulk of the world’s capers.  While there are many countries from the tropics (where capers are thought to have originated) to Europe that produce the delectable buds,  the ones from Sicily are the most prized among the globe’s most sophisticated chefs.

Sicilian capers are packed in sea salt versus their briny counterparts from other parts of the world that are preserved in an acidic solution.   Packed in salt?  Don’t despair, as soaking them for five minutes in water will rid them of any salty taste.  Whereas a brine overwhelms capers, the Sicilian salt-cured technique produces delicately flavored morsels.  It’s no wonder in Sicily why their versatile, tantalizing capers appear in everything from antipasto, to pasta, and even gelato.

A few other important facts about capers:  less is more. The smaller the caper, the more concentrated the flavor.  Check out  the jar of capers in your frig or cabinet.  The label most likely will say “non-pareil.”  The smallest size of capers are called non-pareil.  Most capers sold in the US are non-pareil.  The general rule of thumb is the smaller the size, the better (and more expensive) the caper.

Another interesting note:  if the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and then produces a fruit called a caper berry.  Caper berries are significantly larger (the size of the average olive) and considerably milder in flavor.  They are also far less acidic.  One of the best salads we had on our recent Wine-Knows private yacht trip through the Greek Islands, was a salad made with caper berries.   The salad’s ripe tomatoes were acidic and the caper berries were the perfect match to downplay the dish's already acid profile.

But, hold on to your hat!  While Sicily may produce the best capers, Greece provides another addition to the caper's culinary prowess.  Greeks use caper leaves in many of their salads and fish dishes.  These tiny leaves of the caper bus, preserved in salt or a brine, are rarely seen outside of Greece so is you do spot a jar buy everyone you can.  They are the most delicate of all the caper bush's gifts and add an interesting, almost lemon-like component.  I would not be the least bit surprised if caper leaves don't become the next hottest gourmet product in the US.