Sicilian Spinach Sauce Food

SICILIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. , Stir in the tomatoes, raisins, wine, tomato paste, sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through. , Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Stir parsley and pine nuts into meat sauce. Drain spaghetti; top with sauce.

SICILIAN BUCATINI WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking water, then drain. Reserve the pot.
• Meanwhile, put the raisins in a small bowl and add hot tap water to just cover; set aside. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil with the breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds; toast in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Wipe out the pasta pot and heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fennel bulb and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the pine nuts, turmeric and remaining 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until the oil is golden and the nuts and spices are toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the raisins and soaking water and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water; remove from the heat.
• Add the pasta, sardines and fennel fronds to the pot. Return to medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until coated, adding the remaining cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with the toasted breadcrumbs.

SICILIAN PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil and crushed pepper in sauce pan,add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent. Deglaze with wine, add tomatoes cushed and paste. Bring to simmer, continue to simmer for 45 minutes up to 4 hours. Add herbs, sugar, and season if needed.
• Toss with favorite pasta. Serve with grated parmesan romano and a glass of wine.
• Can also add meat/ sausage/ ribs before deglazing with wine. Or mix in a cup of ricotta and grated mozzerella and bake in 400 degree oven until bubbling and golden.

SICILIAN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water per packet directions, MINUS 1 minute. Drain. (Do this while sauce is simmering)
• Cook chicken: Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear chicken 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden, then remove from skillet. Shred while sauce is simmering.

SICILIAN GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Finely grind the almonds using a food processor. Add the garlic cloves, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper; process until the garlic and basil has been minced. Pour in the olive oil and diced tomatoes, and process again until the sauce has been mixed and the tomatoes are in small pieces.

SICILIAN SPINACH SAUTE

Steps:

• Combine spinach and 1/4 cup water in heavy large pot over high heat.
• Toss until spinach wilts but is still bright green, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer spinach to colander; press to release excess liquid.
• Wipe pot dry.
• Heat oil in same pot over medium heat.
• Add garlic; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add currants and capers and stir 1 minute. Mix in spinach, then cheese and toss until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Season spinach to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

THE BEST SICILIAN ARANCINI

Steps:

• Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the rice. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the broth is absorbed.
• After the rice is cooked, pour into a large shallow dish or pan and allow to cool. Once cooled, stir in the grated cheese and the eggs. Mix well.
• In a large sauce pan, on medium heat sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the olive oil.
• Add the ground meat and brown, stirring frequently. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute until it evaporates.
• Pour in tomato passata and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover loosely with the lid and simmer for 1 hour until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas. Set aside to cool.
• In a deep, heavy bottomed dutch oven, large enough to contain 7-8 arancini, add 2 litres of vegetable oil.
• Prepare two bowls with the breadcrumbs in one and the beaten eggs in the other. Transfer the prepared sauce to a bowl. Now you are ready to assemble your arancini.
• Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the rice into your hand and shape into a ball. Make an indentation in the centre of the rice ball with your thumb and add a spoonful of meat sauce. Close the rice mixture around the meat and shape into a ball.
• Dredge in the egg wash and then roll in the breadcrumbs. It is recommended that you prepare all of your arancini and have them ready for frying.
• In order to check if your oil is hot enough (if not using a deep fryer) place the handle of a wooden spoon in the pot and if the oil begins to bubble and fry around the handle, it is ready for your arancini. Fry 7 or 8 arancini at a time until they are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Serve hot.

SICILIAN TUNA STEAKS IN SPICY SAUCE

Steps:

• Set a skillet pan big enough to hold all four steaks over a high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• As the oil is heating, sprinkle a level teaspoon of the ground sea salt over both sides of the tuna steaks - that's one level teaspoon for all four steaks - not a teaspoon for each one.
• As soon as the oil starts smoking, cut the heat back to medium-high and add the tuna steaks. Let them sizzle away for two minutes, then turn them and cook for another two minutes. Turn off the heat and let the steaks sit in the skillet whilst you make the sauce.
• Heat three level tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-sized pot (that will take a lid) over medium heat. Add the sliced strips of red bell pepper, stir well to coat them with the olive oil and turn the heat down to low-medium. Cover the pot with its lid. The peppers need to soften, but not brown at all. So, keep them slowly cooking for 10 minutes with some regular stirring.
• Add the chopped cherry tomatoes, the sliced garlic, the sugar, and ground sea salt. Cook for another five minutes on that low-medium heat - stirring now and then - until the cherry tomatoes lose most of their body.
• Now add all the sauce's remaining ingredients (including those chili peppers), stir it all together, and let the sauce gently simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Done.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size pot over a low heat and add the sliced garlic and sea salt. Stir the pot and let the garlic release its flavor into the butter - about 3 minutes over a stirred low heat. The garlic must not brown.
• Add all of the spinach. It'll be a bit of crush to get it into the pot - that's ideal - pile it in and put the lid on. After two minutes, stir the spinach so that it all picks up a coating of the buttery garlic. Put the lid back on and let the spinach cook for another two minutes. Then stir the spinach again, put the lid back and let it cook for another two minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the lid on so the spinach retains its heat as you finish cooking the tuna in the sauce.
• Put the skillet with the seared, partly cooked tuna steaks onto a medium heat and pour the sauce over them. Lift the steaks a little so that they sit in the surrounding sauce as it heats. As soon as the sauce starts to bubble, turn the heat to low and let the steaks finish their cooking for about six minutes at a very gentle simmer in the sauce. They'll then be ready to serve - straight from the skillet, with the emerald green spinach presented alongside.

PENNE WITH SICILIAN SHEPARD'S SAUCE

Steps:

• Mince together the celery and carrot, adding the herbs towards the end to chop only coarsely. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salami and cook to release a little of its fat. Stir in the minced celery blend, the onions, a little salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and saute to golden brown.
• Stir in the garlic and hot pepper, cooking a few minutes. Add the wine and slowly simmer the mixture until it is almost completely reduced, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as they go into the pan. Cook, uncovered, at a lively bubble (turn the heat up if necessary), stirring and scraping down the sides of the pan with a spatula. Cook 10 minutes, or until thick. Taste for seasoning, cover, and remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in rolling boiling water, stirring often, until slightly underdone. Drain in a colander.
• Add the pasta to the sauce and toss together over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tasting for hot pepper and salt. Spread about 1/3 of the pasta in a heated serving bowl and daub with a third of the ricotta. Layer in more pasta and ricotta, then the remaining pasta, finishing with a few spoonfuls of ricotta. Serve hot.

SICILIAN SPINACH SAUTé

Steps:

• Combine spinach and 1/4 cup water in heavy large pot over high heat. Toss until spinach wilts but is still bright green, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to colander; press to release excess liquid.
• Heat oil in same pot over medium heat. Add garlic; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add currants and capers and stir 1 minute. Mix in spinach, then cheese and toss until heated through, about 1 minute. Season spinach to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

SCACCIATA SICILIANA

Steps:

• In mixing bowl, mix together flour and 1 teaspoon of salt; set aside.
• In a separate small bowl, stir together water, sugar and yeast and Olive Oil. Let sit for several minutes until foam forms on top.
• In an electric mixer, with dough hook attachment add flour and gradually add in liquid and knead for several minutes until dough pulls away from the sides and has an elastic texture.
• Add a bit of olive oil to large bowl. To that same bowl, add the dough and roll to coat dough in olive oil.
• Cover top of dough with plastic wrap and then cover the top of the bowl with a towel.
• Let rise for a least 90 minutes, until dough has doubled in size.
• Punch dough down and break in half to form two dough balls.
• Divide each dough ball into two, and roll out...size and shape are not critical, but we thinly roll into oval shape, 1/2 dough ball bottom, an 1/2 for the top.
• Once bottom dough is rolled out, add whichever combination of filling ingredients you decide, we start with vegetable ingredients, dollops of tomato sauce, onions, a generous drizzle of olive oil, peperoncino, salt and pepper, then add cheese last.
• Place second rolled out dough on top, seal by crimping edges, a fork, or if you have perfected a hand method.
• Prick holes on top with fork for ventilation while baking. Brush top lightly with olive oil, and bake @ 400F for 30 minutes.