Scabbard fish cutlet

Silver scabbard fish (in Messina we call simply “spatula “) isn’t a fish that it is used to see often at fish market.
Above all for North Italian people.
Sometimes you can see it close to more famous mackerel and sea bass. It ‘a silver thin and long fish…for this reason in Italy we call it spatula.
It’s so good, that you can dress pasta with a special sauce too!

Ingredients:
1 Silver scabbard fish 500 g
2 eggs
Whole sugar-free cornflakes
Lemon
Olive oil
salt


My husband , the specialist for fish cleaning at home, cut fillets of scabbard fish with a sharp knife, sliding the blade along the fish bone.
I wash the fillets and I dry them using a sheet of blotting paper.
Apart I whip-up the eggs and I put the salt.
I take the fillets, I put one by one into the eggs bathing both sides and I cover with cornflakes previously chopped with a rolling pin .
I put them in a backing pan covered by a greaseproof paper lightly oiled.
I pour a drizzle of oil even on the fish and put also salt.
I bake at 200° for 20 minutes (up to making golden).

Served with  some drops of lemon juice ...they are a crunchy and tasty dish!

Biscuits with chickpea and coconut flour

I like testing new kind of flours...as chickpea flour.
Even if it isn't really new.
It was already used by our grandmothers to make panelle, panisse, farinate...very gorgeous street food.

I tried making biscuits, following the recipe aside the chickpea flour pack, but changing some parts so to create my version.
I can assure that every person has tasted it, has liked it a lot and  has been surprised that were made with chickpea flour.

Ingredients:

250 g  chickpea flour

150 ml sunflower oil

100 g water

30 + 20 g coconut flour

30 g hazelnuts cut in two

125 g sugar fruit

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Zest and juice of half lemon

I pour chickpea flour in a pan to make it lightly golden, stiring continuously for ten minutes. 

After toasted , I pour it in a bowl  and I add the coconut flour, the hazelnuts, the sugar fruit, the cinnamon and the zest of lemon. 

Finally I add to dry ingredients , the water and the oil previously mixed. 

I let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Then I roll it out and with a round cookies cutter I make the biscuits. 

I put on a pan covered by greaseproof paper and I dust it with coconut flour.
In the oven, at 180°, for 15 minutes so to keep them still soft inside.

Finally they became an agreeable office break for my husband and his colleagues...
Each one eating my cookies...what a satisfaction indeed!

Pituni missinisi (Sicilian panzerotto)

I know that the title of this post is unknown to most part of you …but I need to name this recipe with its name…that is in sicilian dialect.
This wonderful dish, I can swear that it is true…is a classic recipe of Messina’s cooking.
Ingredients for 4-5 “pituni”:

Dough:
300 g khorasan wheat flour
Salt
Cold sparkling water as needed
A pinch of sugar fruit
1 egg


Filling (it must be large):
1 head of escarole
10 fillets of anchovies in oil
100 g  kneaded paste (lactose free) cheese

I put in a mixing bowl the flour, the salt and the sugar fruit and I mix all together.

I start adding sparkling water up to have a dough like pizza.

At this stage, I add the egg and I continue kneading and adding flour as needed.

I put a wet dishcloth over the bowl and I leave it stand.

Meanwhile I start preparing the filling.

I take the escarole washed and dried before, and I cut it up.

I dress the vegetable with salt, extra olive oil and cut up fillets of anchovies in oil.

I roll out the dough as it is done for calzone.

I put the dress escarole and I add the cheese cut in small cubes.

I close the “pituni” and I put them on a dishcloth covered of flour.

In a pot with high edges, I let warm the oil (for fried food) up and I put  carefully the “pituni” inside for frying.

With a skimmer, after having made golden, I put them in a dish with blotting paper.

It’s simply divine eating “caudi caudi” that is hot and steaming!

But even the day after…rested…are an amazing brunch!

Tart for 2013 New Year

Welcome to New Year…in Italy, at least, we believe that 13 is lucky.
I spent my Christmas holidays with my family in Messina, Sicily… on New Year’s Eve I prepared a “two-coloured” tart , garnished with a big number 13 of short crust pastry.
At midnight instead of lentils…that in Italy we are used to eat as lucky food…we ate a slice of this tart, as a slice of fortune!

Short Crust Pastry Ingredients:
100 g superfine corn flour
100 g  corn starch
100 g Khorasan wheat flour
50 g rice flour
2 eggs
150 g sugar fruit
150 g room-temperature margarine
half grapefruit juice

Custard ingredients:
a grapefruit juice
a clementine juice
two eggs
700 ml lactose-free milk
150 ml rice starch
100 g sugar fruit
5 tablespoons of lactose and sugar-free hazelnut cream
5 tablespoons vegetable cream

Preparation:


I knead all ingredients for short crust pastry by hand.
Apart I pour grapefruit and clementine juice into the pan with the milk and I mix well with starch and sugar fruit.
I put the pan on the stove and I cook over a low flame, no stop mixing and waiting that becomes a custard.
Finally I add two eggs  mixing quickly one by one.
Last some tablespoons of whipped vegetable cream.
I divide the custard in two parts.
In one , I add the hazelnut cream.
I roll the dough out in a tart pan and I pour the two custards.
With the remaining dough I make the 13 shape and I put carefully on the tart.
In the oven for 30 minutes at 180° (low temperature for tarts cooking).

I wish to everybody their own slice of fortune , health and serenity for this just starting New Year!