Last Night's Regional Dinner: Sicily

Known as the basket of the Mediterranean, over its history Sicily was repeatedly raided for the bounty of agricultural products yielded by its fertile volcanic soils.

The cuisine of the region bears the influence of its invaders, with the Greeks and Romans bringing olives, grapes, and chickpeas; the Arabs, spices such as saffron and cinnamon as well as apricots, almonds and melons.

Tonno (tuna) is the fish of the region, and is prepared in a variety of ways including the air-dried musciama. The fish is seasoned with salt and fennel seeds and preserved for thirty days before being served in thin, translucent slices drenched with olive oil.

The traditional method of tuna fishing is the ritual slaughter known as the Mattanza, a bloody affair which serves as the occasion for a major event on the folklore calendar of the region.

The corralling and harpooning of the fish is carried out under the direction of the head fisherman, known as the rais, to the tune of ancient folk songs.

Another important Sicilian product is Marsala wine, which was discovered in the town of the same name in the late 18^th century by an Englishman called John Woodhouse.

The fortified dessert wine took the world by storm, giving Spanish sherry a run for its money. Marsala varieties range from the lighter Oro and Rubino to the more indulgent, 18 per cent proof Vergine Stravecchio.

Marsala has been used to season the thinly sliced veal in the scaloppine dish in this week’ssecondo. Sautéed and served in a veal jus, it is accompanied by that other typically Sicilian dish, eggplant caponata.

The Menu

Antipasti

Olives

Fava beans

Arancini

Sardines

Musciama

Zucchini flower salad

Primi

Fellini w/ braised eggplant & ricotta

Tomato & Basil Salata

Secondo

Veal Marsala

Caponata

Dolci

Cassata

Watermelon Granita

Our cassata sponge cake was filled with home candied citrus fruits and cherries, chocolate and amaretto. (Served with watermelon granita, the regional crushed-ice specialty.)