Sicilian blessings

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2015 (3787 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I was raised to believe God created everything. I always wondered about that. How could God have created everything? I have spent a lifetime trying to understand it.

After my first few hours in Sicily, on a guided bus tour of all things, it began to make sense.

“God has blessed Sicily,” explained our tour guide, Maria. “With fertile soil, with a shoreline filled with seafood.”

“I cannot tell you… it is unimaginable,” she said, reaching for words that could somehow capture her meaning. Like a priest delivering a mass, her eyes scanned the bus, catching and holding each of ours. Her pronunciation was poetic. Her dress was perfectly pressed.

“Sicily is the most interesting island of the Mediterranean, with a temperate climate, matched only to that of Southern California,” Maria told us. “Getting here means getting lost in its vast landscape and fascinating cities, in the sea shining in a thousand shades of blue and the coastal houses reflecting the golden light of the sun. All of it inviting you in, to a world rich in history, art and beauty.”

How was it, exactly, that I came to taste my way through this extraordinary Sicilian landscape? This is the question I still ask myself. It came at a time when I was looking for an answer.

One minute I was asking God to send me a miracle, the next I was in a crowded, noisy back-lane café, crammed full of Sicilians, sinking my teeth into fresh buffalo mozzarella, tangy tomato, plump capers and anchovies, strongly flavoured and fresh from the sea.

Ahhh… pizza, as it should be. Crisp, chewy, tart and salty all at the same time. Washed down with a strong, fine waiter-recommended Nerello. I found heaven.

Little did I know in the weeks ahead, this would become my daily ritual.

From Catania to Palermo, Marsala to Pantelleria, street food to elegant dinners, villagers to counts, time-honoured traditions to world-class wines. Brilliant people and beautiful people. An experience of wine and food that would change my life completely.

There is something about Italians, the way they strive to make everything they produce the best in the world. They have a way of making you fall in love with everything, including yourself. They welcome you, feed you, encourage you, embrace you. Words can hardly describe my experiences in Sicily, but I choose two: generosity and love.

Although pizza is not the flagship product of Sicily, it was my first experience. And it brought together the flavours and some of the finest ingredients of the island: flour, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, anchovies, capers and beautifully fragranced herbs.

Pizza with anchovies, black olives and capers

1 pizza dough, see recipe below

30 ml (6 tsp) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

125 ml (1/2 cup) pizza sauce, see recipe below

125 ml (1/2 cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded

10 anchovies

375 ml (11/2 cups) black olives

60 ml (1/4 cup) capers

Basil leaves, torn

Preheat oven to 205 C (400 F). Roll dough into two 25-centimetre (10-inch) rounds. Transfer each to parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle pizza with olive oil and top with sauce, cheese, anchovies, olives and capers. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crusts are crisp and tops golden. Top with basil leaves. Serves 6.

Pizza dough

125 ml (1/2 cup) warm water

10 ml (2 tsp) dry yeast

500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp) coarse salt

45 ml (3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil

Cornmeal, for sprinkling

In a small bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix flour and salt in food processor. Slowly add olive oil, yeast mixture and blend just until dough forms. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large, oiled bowl and coat with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until dough doubles, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 2 balls. Sprinkle cornmeal onto bottom of parchment paper before baking.

Pizza sauce

60 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

1 750-ml can San Marzano tomatoes

Coarse salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat; add tomatoes and reduce for 30 minutes.

Add salt and set aside.

Excerpt from Anna e-magazine’s Sicily, Issue 29. Get the magazine at everything-anna.com.

Mari Loewen is the founder of Anna Magazine now being delivered by email as a PDF for immediate download. Each subscription includes 12 downloadable e-magazines delivered on the first of every month. Get your subscription at everything-anna.com.