Rosalia delle Vittorie

On my way back from visiting the Paulo Borsellino memorial tree, I found an open gallery under this roof in the Galleria delle Vittorie, housed in an abandoned villa on Via Maqueda. 

Noemi Priolo

Giuseppe Vassallo

Cooperativa NoE

The Cooperativea NoE (meaning no
marginalization)is based in Partinico, about 19 miles from Palermo. 

Founded in 1993,the Cooperative employs people with disabilities on organic farms that have been confiscated from the mafia under the La Torre Law. Under this legislation, land is allocated to cooperatives 'as they represent the communities and are founded to promote an economy of legality and solidarity'(Libera 2008).
Cooperatives such as NOE represent opportunities for civil growth and extend an agrarian tradition of collectively owned land reaching back to 1946 in Alto Belice.   

I visited the cooperative with Edo Zaffuto from Addiopizzo, two high school teachers from Turin and their students. One of the employees on the farm explained some of the challenges facing the restoration of NoE's farmland.   

She described how mafiosi often leave their land to fallow. Consequently, cooperatives like NoE face specific agricultural challenges in order to recover the land's fertility.  

 

  

To offer the students a taste of what the cooperative produces, coop members served their warm home-made bread, caponata, olive oil and fresh,sweet fennel sausage…  

 

A Recipe for a Sicilian eggplant caponata inspired by Cooperative NoE. You can think of caponata as a classic Sicilian aubergine stew… the key ingredients include fresh eggplant,tomatoes and vinegar.





Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup of virgin olive oil  
• large chopped white onion (1/2 inch diced)
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons currants
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 2 fresh medium eggplant, sliced thin for grilling
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar 
• 5 sprigs fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

__________________________

Creating the Caponata: 

1. Begin by slicing your eggplant and brushing the slices with olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste). 

2. Either grill or broil the eggplant until it's soft and tender. 

3. In a saucepan, heat about 3-5 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the  the pine nuts in the oil, add the onions,capers,  currants,balsamic vinegar,  tomatoes, brown sugar, seasonings and eggplant. Bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Lower the heat and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until the ingredients have melded together.  

5. Remove from heat and let sit until room temperature. 

6. Garnish with mint, basil and hot pepper. 

Serve: 

Serve the Caponata in a bowl with crostini on the side or as part of an antipasto.  

A Walk through the Ballero Street Market

The 1,000 year old Ballaro Market is a vibrant fusion of Italian-Arab flavors. Located in the Albergheria district of Palermo, 

tables are stocked with 
salted cod, 

  

 fresh bags of cumin and curry, mounds of ricotta,

sacks of chick peas & pasta, fresh garlic, blood oranges, lemons & liquors.

Resembling an eastern souq, the best way to experience the Ballaro is to eat your way through it… 

Below is a recipe for a simple lemon almond cake inspired by the Ballaro's abundance of citrus and Marcella Hazan's fine taste... I serve it with fresh whipped cream and berries.

Ingredients:

6 ounces, shelled, unpeeled almonds (about 1 ¼ cups)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
5 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons flour
butter or oil for greasing the pan

7-inch round springform pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously spray the pan with Pam.

Put almonds and sugar in a food processor and pulse to grind to a fine consistency.

Beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tarter until they form stiff peaks.

Sprinkle the ground almonds and the grated lemon peel over the egg whites, a little bit at a time, folding them in gently but thoroughly. The whites may deflate a bit, but fold carefully so as to keep as much volume as possible.

When the almonds are nearly incorporated, gradually shake the flour through a strainer over the mixture, continuing to fold it in as you go. Stop as soon as all the dry ingredients are mixed in.

Pour the batter into the pan, and gently spread it evenly around. Bake for 25-30 minutes Test the center of the cake by piercing it with a toothpick: if it comes out dry, the cake is done. If it does not, bake a little longer.

Let cool on a rack. After about 20 minutes, unlock the pan and loosen the cake from he bottom. Cool completely.

A taste of Genovesi

A couple from Germany came in last night after taking a tour of Sicily's bakeries. They were incredibly generous with their platter of citrus slices dipped in Madagascar chocolate, cannoli, torta Savoia, Buccellati and Torta Volo... it was quite an evening...You would think I had enough. But this afternoon, after one of the waiters at a cafe on Via Roma warned me that the stuffed squid might have some shrimp in it, I decided to extend my inquiry into Sicilian dolce and opted for a cafe macchiato and a pastry. 

Cafe macchiato topped with ribbons of frothy milk

I've never tasted a Genovesi. Traditionally from Eurice, this pastry is filled with ricotta and chocolate or a sweet vanilla cream. The outer layer of pastry tasted like a cookie and a cake - not too sweet, not too dense. One of the pastry chefs described the outer layer as a Sicilian style shortbread. The ricotta was made from sheep's milk. Depending on what is available, the Genovesi can be filled with custard, marmalade, or chocolate cream. 

Made in the shape of the Virgin's breast (St. Agatha's to be exact - another brutal story of torture),  the Genovesi is sometimes decorated with a red cherry to imitate an aroused nipple. Below is a variation of the recipe created  by the Monastery of the Virgins of Palermo as described by writer June di Schino in her essay, "The Waning of Sexually Allusive Monastic Confectionery in Southern Italy." Di Schino's beautiful book, which is hard to find,is called Disappearing Foods.

The traditional Genovesi,  shaped like the breast of the Virgin, is called 'minni di vergine.' 

                        The Genovesi 
 Prepare a greased baking sheet and set your oven at 430 F. degrees.

Ingredients( for the short crust pastry): 

• 2 cups of durum wheat flour
• 2 cups of all purpose white flour flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold
• 4 egg yolks slightly beaten
• A few tablespoons of cold milk
• 1/4 Teaspoon of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of one lemon
• Flour for dusting
• 1 egg, a dash of sugar and 1 egg white lightly beaten for the wash

Making the Dough: 
In a medium size bowl,mix the flours,salt and baking powder. Cut the butter into the bowl and blend. Add the honey, vanilla, and the lemon zest and egg yolks. Blend the dough until it holds together  Transfer the mixture onto a flour dusted work surface and knead for a few minutes. Add some water or milk if the dough is too tough to knead. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in wax paper  and let it rest in the fridge for about an hour. 

The Cream: 
2 lbs of ricotta 
1 cup of cane sugar
zest of one orange
2 pinches of cinnamon
1 drop of vanilla 
1/4 cup of chocolate chips or bitter chocolate shavings
 
Assembly: 
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and then divide each piece into 3 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Roll each piece into a 1/4 inch circle (about 6 inches across). Brush the edges with the egg wash.   

In the center of each circle, place 1 tablespoon of filling. Pull the edges of the dough together to form a crescent and then shape into a breast like form... Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until brown. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar. 

"Il Movimento Disoccupati"

On the morning of the 4th of July, as I crossed Via Maqueda,a procession of over 400 people walked in  protest against the  unemployment in Palermo.   




The bipartisan movement began a few months ago, according to what the police officers told me, with the spontaneous collective request by construction workers "to respect the protocols for the employment of local labor in Palermo." It appears that firms are hiring workers from Monreale, Bagheria and Partinico, but not residents of Palermo. 

A walk through the Orto Botanico (botanical garden)

To cool off, I took a late afternoon walk through the Orto Botanico garden housed on Via Lincoln.  

Spread out not far from the sea in Palermo,it's the oldest botanical garden in this part of Europe (first designed in 1785 - it now belongs to the University of Palermo). 

Literally an open air museum, the gardens are filled with a range of species, many of extraordinary size… like the magnolia trees below… 

This year, the gardens were dry and barren (these photographs were taken from my visit in March a few years ago). Then, I took photographs of the Magnolia trees, all knotted and haunting, exotic buds, flowers, orange and lemon trees, pineapples, small citrus buds hanging from vines, and birds of paradise. In the back yard of one of the orange stucco palazzos,were picnic tables covered with bowls of fresh mozzarella, baskets of hot bread, bottles of wine and an "amor bio" or digestivo  named Barcho.  Barcho is a thick liquor  infused with plants, herbs and fruits including Salvo… I remember having a small glass and tasting almonds and anise… 

The most vibrant images on display this year were sketches of the gardens made by high school students who had just finished up a study of medicinal plants.

  
  

Renato Gutusso (1911-1987), The Vucciria, 1974

A section of Guttuso's "Vucciria" hanging in the Steri Palace

A monk rings a bell (auto da fe- act of faith) to announce those doomed to die

Yesterday afternoon, I walked along the Piazza Marina looking for Renato Guttuso's iconic painting of Palermo's Vucciria Market. It's housed in a quiet room on the third floor of the Palazzo Steri where the Inquisition in Sicily carried out one brutal execution after another in the Phillippine Prisons below. The Inquisition has been described as a reactionary machine that  destroyed the freedom of expression of any independence movement that threatened the Catholic Church's grand design. Any movement that valued the principles of participatory democracy or equal rights among social classes was made a victim to this shadow state. Thousands of victims deteriorated in the prison cells of the Pallazo Steri as they awaited torture and death.Many were women accused of witchcraft. The prisoners etched elaborate human drawings,scribblings and graffiti into the limestone walls, leaving behind traces of the prison's horrors… and in some cases evidence of Stockholm Syndrome - expressions of absolute faith to the church.


And what of Gutusso's "Vucciria"? It seems oddly displaced in this fortressed palace. Gutusso was publicly anti-fascist, a devoted communist, and recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize.He was also seriously anti mafia and dedicated himself to openly  opposing the flagrant abuse of power he witnessed by the Cosa Nostra, Mussolinni and the Italian royalty. I was surprised to learn that Salvo Lima, remembered as Cosa Nostra's Ambassador to Rome, had a valuable preliminary sketch of Gutusso's Vucciria hanging on the wall of his villa near the beach in Mondello… Lima chose to hang this sketch near a photograph of himself with Bobby, Jack and Ted Kennedy.

Graffiti on the wall of the Steri prison

Apparently the mafia has expanded its markets. In 2009, a multi-million dollar archive of art was forfeited to the Italian government after a leading mafia financier, Beniamino Zappia was arrested for extradition for financial crimes and gangsterism. Among the confiscated art were paintings by Guttuso (and Salvador Dali, Boldini and Giorgio de Chirico). This seize is just one example of contemporary trends in crime syndicates. The mafia now extends its cutting edge knowledge of modern currency laundering to global art markets (perhaps with the hope of refining it's stereo-typic bad taste).