How I Taught My Brother To Cook
Improvisational Tuscan-Provençal Cookery (and other good stuff to eat)
The Sicilian "pie"
No picture here - we have pictures of Sicilian pizza on the site already. But the story is I made one the other night for the kids. I used almost 3 batches of Patrick's no-knead dough and filled a pizzeria sized pan of 18" X 26" with a thick chewy crust.
Adorned with a fresh sauce made with onion, garlic and oregano - and covered with fresh mozzarella. Half was anchovy and caper (the most classic Sicilian recipe) and the other half with peperoni.
Surprisingly this was the kids' first Sicilian pie. Now, when I get requests for their favorite dish (Pizza!) it comes with an adjective - "Sicilian"!
I still think that this version of pizza is my favorite. I actually made some a few years back for a friend who started up a lunch business in his small grocery store. He bought a used pizza oven and heavy duty dough mixer. He sold standard pizzas well, by the slice and the pie. The day I made a couple of Sicilians - thick and chewy, dripping with sauce and stringy melted cheese, the slices flew out of the pan at a premium price for the local lunch crowd.
Nowadays, the fancy restaurant pizza is the Neopolitan version - round, thin, and crusty - with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil (and truthfully a great pizza that Patrick and I both make regularly). But for the real peasant "feel", make a Sicilian - and let the sauce drip down your chin.
Adorned with a fresh sauce made with onion, garlic and oregano - and covered with fresh mozzarella. Half was anchovy and caper (the most classic Sicilian recipe) and the other half with peperoni.
Surprisingly this was the kids' first Sicilian pie. Now, when I get requests for their favorite dish (Pizza!) it comes with an adjective - "Sicilian"!
I still think that this version of pizza is my favorite. I actually made some a few years back for a friend who started up a lunch business in his small grocery store. He bought a used pizza oven and heavy duty dough mixer. He sold standard pizzas well, by the slice and the pie. The day I made a couple of Sicilians - thick and chewy, dripping with sauce and stringy melted cheese, the slices flew out of the pan at a premium price for the local lunch crowd.
Nowadays, the fancy restaurant pizza is the Neopolitan version - round, thin, and crusty - with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil (and truthfully a great pizza that Patrick and I both make regularly). But for the real peasant "feel", make a Sicilian - and let the sauce drip down your chin.
-
Comment by Patrick on September 17, 2009 at 11:39am - Sal's in Mamaroneck, NY has the best Sicilian I have had. A decent one can also be found in town here (believe it or not!) which I happened upon by chance. Still, the best is in one's own kitchen.
-
Comment by Debbie on September 23, 2009 at 4:02pm
- The one here in town is the best I have had. Baked well done!
Comment
About
Buy our book now.
Visit "the Road Kill Cafe" - our virtual diner PLUS Visit Uncle Claude's Victory Garden
Latest Activity
I don't know why cilantro figures so prominently in Mexican dishes but it is one herb that I can't deal with and therefore turns me against many Mexican dishes. Maybe cilantro grows like a weed there. Of course, you can probably omit the cilantro an…
Interesting, verrrrrrrrry, interesting.
take some leftover bean soup and spread them on the bottom of a spring form pan. add a layer of pesto made from cilantro and pine nuts. cover with slices of roasted red pepper. finish with crumbled goat cheese. Pop in the oven for a few minutes to s…
throw dried black beans into a large heavy pot. add a peeled onion, some peeled garlic cloves, some whole chilies, cumin and coriander seed, bay leaf, cilantro, oregano, thyme, and a little tomato paste. cover with water and simmer for hours. serve…
daube ... I concede
Damn! But wait........is it "daube" or "doube"? CHECKMATE!!!!
perish
My horizon has already expanded to it's maximum of 3/4 of an acre. More than that and I might have to socialize. Parish the thought!
that's what I love about you, Patrick ... always ready to learn and grow and expand your horizons ... interestingly enough, southern France often uses pastas or rice (whereas the rest of France is usually potatoes)
ok. Then you have penne with the gravy from a southern France style beef pot roast. Tastes better now that I know what the hell it is.
Well that explains it. Your truth has set him free and he became lost in the moment.
Oui! Tres conveegial! (Laura, that's a word Patrick made up a long time ago)
I emailed John Briggs and complimented him on his improvisation. Here's what he replied:
"I consider this a honor I would not have tried this if I didn't sign on to your site for cooking
Thanks John"
well, it's more or less a stew, or just the process of braising some kind of meat in liquid (such as wine). It's just the southern French word for this type of braised meat dish
Now all we need is a butcher and a candlestick maker and we can set sail.
Laura wouldn't be Laura without her jam.
Badge
© 2009 Created by John Barrows on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of How I Taught My Brother To Cook to add comments!
Join this Ning Network