When we were in Fiumefreddo in Sicily we walked up to the main “Via” (road) in the town after breakfast and had a coffee at Bar Elite. This like almost every other experience in Fiumefreddo is a family affair.  Isidoro, who is the manager of the bar is related to my husband who is also named Isidoro. Don’t get me started on how many Isidoros there are!  He is actually the double for my brother in law Bruno. I have this strange feeling of love towards him even though I have only met him twice, partly because he looks like my brother in law and partly because he is such a nice man. I am not kidding when I say like almost every other experience it is a family affair. Whenever we went for a walk someone would come up to my husband and embrace him and be introduced to me as yet another relative! If they aren’t a relative they are very good friends of the family. We would order a coffee and then try and decide what delightful dolce to indulge in. So many on offer, so hard to choose. It’s only a small town and yet all the Cafés or Bars are filled with dolce. I am not sure who eats them all? We ended up with a favourite called Toto. A spiced chocolate ball with a  glossy icing. When I returned to Paris I found a recipe and changed it a little and made my own. I had trouble getting the cookies to stay in the ball shape but they tasted just as good as the ones at Bar Elite.

Recipe for Italian Toto Cookies

 3 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

¾ tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp allspice

1/3 tsp cloves

½ tsp cinnamon

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup chopped walnuts nuts

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, allspice, cloves and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  In another bowl beat eggs.  Stir eggs into creamed mixture with vanilla.  Stir in flour mixture, then nuts.  Form into 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Prepare glaze.  Frost cookies while still warm.

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

¾ tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

Combine sugar and vanilla.  Stir in milk a little at a time until of spreading consistency. Put cookie into glaze and turn around until completely covered. Let rest somewhere cool until icing is hard.

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I was very brave on Sunday and even though I was not well I went to a lunch that I had pre booked ages ago.
It was held in Paris in this young artist/chef’s apartment. It is called Lunch In the Loft. I had already looked at the menu and knew that the husba would not enjoy the meal so booked it just for me! It was in an area next to the Marais. It has a Viaduct going through it and Paris has turned this into a park that you can walk or ride your bike through.
I arrived there and two Australians, husband and wife from Melbourne were waiting at the door to be let in. I was happy as that meant I didn’t have to speak French the whole afternoon. We went upstairs and were welcomed by Miss Lunch and her friend, who helped her serve the meal. Soon two Norwegians arrived, very pleasant newly weds and then four young American students from Newark. It was a fabulous afternoon with lots of wine and great food. The company was so interesting, especially as we all came from different parts of the world. We were charged sixty euros each and it was very good value.

The Apartment is small and welcoming and has many painting and other works that Miss Lunch has created on display. Even the bathroom has gorgeous tiles that have been painted with portraits of the famous

There is a large curtain hanging between the kitchen area and the dining room so the secret of how Miss Lunch creates her amazing meals is hidden from view. It was just like a restaurant with our own private area.

I think I would have liked it if Miss Lunch joined us for at least dessert, but I understand if she wants to keep the chef and clients apart.

This was the menu..

First there was a delicious parmesan cheese pastry in the shape of a crown on our plate, that we nibbled until the first course.

Homemade figatellu salad, which was pork sausage cut into pieces and a salad of celery, tomato, quail eggs and capers.

Turbans of sole and shellfish, This was especially delicious.

Aiguillettes of stuffed foie gras. The foie gras was the real thing and was like butter in your mouth.

By the time the quails and baked quince arrived I was really enjoying myself and forgot to take a photo! You will have to use your imagination, it was delicious.

Fondant of apple and almond, passion fruit coulis.

The meals were exceptionally good and the service was wonderful, if you are ever in Paris you should try and enjoy a Sunday afternoon with Miss Lunch.

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This is my second visit to Sicily. We were here seven years ago with two of my three children. That time is was late June and it was hot. This time it was colder and raining. Sicily is an experience that no amount of words or photographs can capture. Especially when you do as I do and stay in a small village called Fiumefreddo with relatives of my husband. Life is completely different.

Although there are modern cities in Sicily, in the smaller places time has stood still.

We stayed in my husband’s uncle’s house which he has lived in for eighty years. He has a simple routine everyday that fills his life. He works on the family farm in the morning with his brother Pippo, leaving the house at about 6.30am, if the weather is fine. Comes home and showers, has lunch and later goes to the piazza and meets with friends and then home for dinner. Almost everything he eats is grown on the family owned farm. He presses his own olive oil, grows his vegetables and fruit and supplements this with a little meat and bread that is bought. The bread they prefer is the bread that is baked up in the hills in a small village called Piedmonte. Here they still use the wood fired oven.

Uncle Pippo with the wood fired bread

The view from the farm.

Zio Torido with an olive tree that he planted on the farm

While I was there I was lucky enough to attend the Festa di San leonardo a Mongiffi Melia. Which is the Festival of Saint Leonardo that takes place in Mascali a little town next to Fiumefreddo.

This happens once a year where they take the statue of Saint Leonardo out of the church and place him in a special gold chariot that is guided through the small village streets. People send there children up to the Statue with offerings of gold. The gold is taken by the priest and placed in a bag and then the children are allowed to touch or kiss the statue. This will give them special protection.

Everyone attends the occasion, even people from neighbouring villages. I was delighted to see teenagers taking part too. There are stalls selling food and drink, rides and fireworks. A special treat is served on the night. It is called Crispellis or Crispelleria. This is a special dough that has an anchovy or some ricotta in the middle and is deep fried in big containers of olive oil. Zio Pippo was kind enough to line up and buy some for us. I could have eaten them all.

While I haven’t had time to cook since I returned to Paris, I was lucky enough to find the recipe. If you would like to enjoy a real Sicilian treat, I have included it for you to try.

Recipe for Crispellis
Ingredients:
2 cups very warm water
1 pound flour (or more to achieve desired consistency)
1 ounce yeast
1 ounce salt
1/2 ounce sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1 can anchovies
2 cups oil, or enough to deep fry
Confectionary sugar
Mix above ingredients except for the oil.
After the dough is made, let it rise for at least 45 minutes. You will have a very sticky dough that is hard to work with. For plain crispellis, you can scoop ping-pong ball sized dollops into hot oil.
For anchovy crispellis, take a handful of dough. Using lots of flour makes the job easier. Place an anchovy or two in the middle, wrap it in the dough to form a ball. Carefully drop into oil. You should have enough in the pan for the dough to float. Fry one side and then the other for a few minutes until they are a golden brown. Do not burn the oil.
Yields about 1 dozen.

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