Andrea Bocelli's E Chiove

Benvenuti / Welcome!

My family has had many good cooks. I come from a line a great kitchen junkies, among them my great grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, and brothers and sisters. We are 100% Italian with origins from Campania (my dad's side) and Sicilia (my mother's side). Such a combination makes for great tastes and remarkable dishes. It was a pleasure to prepare food for my best friend and partner in life, Wally (in middle of picture above). He loved the many foods I prepared. Very sadly he is no longer with us and is sorely missed at the table. This blog is dedicated to him and to our friends who shared our company. One of our friends, Susan Arnold (seen in picture above), travelled with us to the Amalfi coast in 2006-2007. The picture was taken just after New Year's day at the ristorante Aurora (www.sorrentotour.it/aurora/) in Sorrento located at the Piazza Tasso.

My Father's Side of the Family: Campania



The Zeoli-Pozella families have their roots in Campania from the historic town of Benevento (which the Romans called Beneventum), Santa Croce del Sannio, and San Nazzaro just northeast of Napoli. It is nestled in the Appennini with fertile earth great for growing grapes and raising livestock. Some Italians refer to the Beneventini as montanari (the mountain folk), very hard-working people with unique ways, as seen in their culinary creations.

My Mother's Side: Sicilia



Our maternal ancestors (the Stornello and Tarantello families) are from southeast Sicilia, from the city of Siracusa and town of Pachino. The Ionian sea plays a major part in the cuisine of these locales. The Greeks, Romans, Turks, North Africans, Spaniards, and French influenced the culinary traditions of this ancient island. For those who prize seafood, legumes, nuts, grains, lemons, oranges, pasta, tomatos, cheeses, and zesty sauces, Sicilia awaits you.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Coniglio in Agrodolce

Sicilia on a Plate: Sweet and Sour Rabbit
The ancient world is evident in Sicilian coking. This dish shows the influence of the Saracens who invaded and occupied this island for two centuries beginning in the 700s. Whereas the ancient Romans imported Sicilian gastronomy into their culture, the Saracens exported their culinary attributes to the Sicilians. Lemons, oranges, raisins, pasta (beginning as couscous – known as cuscusu in Sicilian), and sugar were introduced – the first sugar refinery in Europe was established at Trappeto, and Sicilian pastries and confections grew to be an art. Marzipan became popular and was exported to other parts of the world.
The Arabs also affected the Sicilian language – the Sicilian wine, Marsala, is from the Arabic words Marsah – el – Allah, translated as Port of God. Outside of the gastronomic benefits, the Arab occupation of Sicily was a time of economic prosperity, peace, and religious harmony among Arabs, Jews, and Christians. Without the influence of the Saracens, many of the delicious foods we know today as Italian specialties would probably not be known in Western cultures, such as this savory and delicious coniglio in agrodolce that Wally and I had at a hotel restaurant in Siracusa.
Although you can purchase rabbit in the U.S. in supermarkets, albeit frozen, rabbit is frequently hunted in many regions – there is nothing like fresh! Perhaps one of your neighbors is a rabbit hunter – if so, you might be able to work out a deal – let the neighbor hunt, and you cook. If you do, be sure to keep all the unused parts for making a rich stock later on.
Ingredients for 4:
1 rabbit, cleaned, boned, and in 8 or 10 pieces
About 10-11 oz of celery hearts, chopped up in very thin slices
About 3½ oz of olives stuffed with anchovies
A handful of capers, washed and squeezed of brine
1 shallot
About ½ a glass of red wine vinegar
About ½ a glass of extra-virgin olive oil
1 T sugar
About 1½ T tomato paste
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Flour as needed for dredging
Preparation:
Dredge the rabbit pieces in flour. Heat a frying pan with oil and sauté the shallot. Put the rabbit pieces in the pan and brown them slightly on a medium-high flame. Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper. At this point cover and let the rabbit become infused with the flavors of the ingredients you just added. Dilute the tomato paste with a tablespoon of water. Then put in the diluted tomato paste, olives, and capers, and cook for about a ½ hour on a medium flame.
Serve with a good red wine, such as a dolcetto from northern Italy.
Buon appetito!
Posted by at 7/30/2009 01:42:00 PM
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