Fennel: A Mainstay of Sicilian Cooking!

Finnochio, or fennel as it is known in English, plays an important role in Sicilian cooking. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew of fennel because it grew wild in the Mediterranean basin during  their times.  The ancient Greeks called fennel "marathron"which means to grow thin and the great ancient Battle of Marathon was given its name because the field where it occurred was filled with the revered plant. According to Greek myths, knowledge was delivered to humans by the gods at Olympus in a fennel stalk filled with coal. 


The Greeks and the Romans used fennel for its medicinal and culinary properties. Roman men ate fennel to maintain good health and Roman women ate it to manage their weight. Pliny recommended the herb for "dimness of human vision" because the Romans believed that serpents sucked the plant's juices to improve their eyesight.


Fennel was one of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons, and in 812 CE Charlemagne declared fennel essential in every garden for its healing properties.

Medieval Europeans hung fennel from the rafters for good luck and stuffed it in keyholes to keep ghosts and evil spirits out of their homes. They also chewed the seeds during church services to stop their stomachs from rumbling.

I decided to make a dish with fennel, zucchini, lemon, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. I sliced the vegetables as you can see on the right, then mixed them with the olive oil. I put them in a pan and warmed them in a 300 degree oven.


Fennel is an good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, and molybdenum, niacin, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. 

I heated the vegetables just enough to warm them and allow the flavors to blend.


Fennel has a sweet, mild licorice taste, and combined with the salt, pepper, onion, and citrus...the dish was quite delightful. 

My Sicilian Roots: Semolina Bread!

My blood flows with remnants of many lands, but my heart longs for Sicily. My mother's father's parents immigrated from Sicily in the early twentieth century and settled in Tampa, Florida.

Their journey fascinates me, from a craggy island rich with the remnants of ancient civilizations, across the vast Atlantic, through the crowds of Ellis Island...then finally settling near Tampa Bay. What fears did they have as they left the familiar semi-arid, rocky, volcanic land of tradition, and settled in a sandy, humid, lush land. At least both lands caressed them with a warm climate and and fertile seas.


Durum wheat, which yields semolina when milled, produces well in semi-arid regions such as Sicily. It is a hard wheat with a very high gluten content and a high ratio of protein to carbohydrate. Semolina makes pasta as well as a flour with a distinctive nutty flavor. Semolina bread, a staple in Sicily, was brought to America by the immigrants.


Recipes for Semolina bread can be found at the following:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28217
http://www.ciaoitalia.com/mary-anns-blog/snow-bored-let-s-bake

The Omelettry: An Austin Tradition!

This weekend I met with friends at this popular Austin restaurant. We arrived for breakfast fairly early ... so we had plenty of space, but we had to left we had to navigate the crowd when we left.


The star of this unpretentious cafe is the egg.  We know that omelets were eaten during the first centuries of the common era because Apicus left us a written recipe. 

By concentrating on simple recipes and common ingredients, the owners have created a friendly gathering place for quick, inexpensive meals. The sense of humor shown in the murals delights the eyes as people wait to delight their tastebuds.


The image above shows the poor egg, captured in the frying pan as the flame licks the pan and the cruel chef looks on. Fresh vegetables view the scene from a cart and veggie-people dance around.

Perhaps the best mural is around back, where an egg is busy meditating on a mountain-top as other eggs walk along mountain roads. 

The other side of the building is the garden site, overseen by a vigilant egg in a police uniform. He looks like he has been through quite a battle, but he's persevering with strength.

Inside, an art gallery greets customers. As I walked in, a woman was walking out with an art purchase. The food was plain, but good...and the wait staff does not mind if you occupy a table for a long time. I hope sometime you have a chance to visit Austin and eat breakfast at the 

Omelettry!

Frito Pie: A Texas Tradition!

May in Texas...wildflowers scattered about, sunshine and breezes, mild days scattered among the hot ones. Sunday was one of those perfect, mild Texas days and the Texas Hill Country was gleaming after a nourishing rain...water so sacred during this time of drought!


On the porch of the historic Wimberley Cafe in Wimberley, Texas...basking in my springtime bliss...I spotted it staring up at me from the menu, a true Texas icon, the Frito Pie! I had never tried it so I ordered one, along with another Texas staple...sweet iced tea.

Soon, I was looking down at the concoction you see on the right. The "muffinette" on the right side of the bowl was made with sweet potatoes and spices. It looked safe, so I began with it as I admired the fritoes and gained enough confidence to try their chili coverlet.


The taste of the Frito Pie was actually pretty good. It is quick and easy to make...just put a layer of fritoes in a bowl, then pour canned chili over them, top it with cheese, then pop it in the oven to warm it up a bit. I was pretty impressed with my delicacy. It was a bit heavy on my stomach...but my taste buds were delighted. Of course, my taste buds are always delighted by food that punishes my body with a gazillion calories and artery clogging trans-fats! They are called my taste buds, but they are definitely not always my buddies!


This morning at work when I shared my Frito Pie story, I found out that Frito Pies are common at sports events here in Texas. The vendor opens a small bag of fritoes, then pours canned chili over the fritoes and tops it off with cheese, and maybe onions or jalapenos. You are given a small plastic spoon, and you have a simple, no muss, no fuss snack to keep your mouth and stomach happy as your favorite football team struggles in the field below.

Well, I had to see one of these snacks for myself, so I googled "Frito Pie" and found on Wikipedia this lovely image of one served in a bag. 


As I investigated further, I found out that Fritoes were "invented" in San Antonio, Texas. National Public Radio has an excellent post called "The Birth of the Frito" from 2007. It has delightful historical images of Frito advertisements, recipes, and the "Frito Fleet." You can even listen to "The Frito Twist!"