Hello this is my first post and I'm hoping I'm in the right place. My grandfather is Scilian and the cook of the family. He past away about 10 years ago and took a recipe with him that I want to make for my kids.

He made a cookie at Easter and called it a "bubblegala" (I know the spelling is wrong. I pronounce it as bubble-ga-la. This cookie had an egg in the middle of it shell and all. The cookie was wrapped around it. I believe it had anise in it. I have serached the internet still can't find it hoping someone knows what I'm talking about at least maybe the name of it.

This site could be worth a try http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m032401.htm

Hi Soonerboman,
Alot of Sicilian families make the cookie you are talking about. Both my wife's and my grandparents still make them - I just never knew what they were called.

They are made to resemble an easter basket, holding one hard boiled and colored easter egg, partially covered by a cookie cross. Is this the cookie you are looking for?

I don't know about the anise, but it does sound like the same cookie. The people I know make their cookie similar to Italian Christmas cookies - sweet but not too sweet and sort of dense with icing. I don't know if anyone has it written down, but I'll look around and see if I can find it.

That cookie what you describe does sound like it. It is a dense cookie. I'm not totally sure of the anise because it has been about 12 years since I've had one. I remember that they are really good and I want my kids to have them also. If you can find that recipe out there please post it. Now that I know that it is a Scilian cookie at least I can focus in on that.

Hi there,
Well I asked around and I got a recipe but I don't know if it's THE recipe. Some of the Grandmas I talked to were a little reluctant because everyone does it a little different and don't want to give up their "secrets".

Use this recipe as a base and tweak it to suit your family's tastes - make sure to hard boil and color the eggs ahead of time:

For the cookie:
1 1/2 cups crisco or shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
6 cups flour (you can experiment with different types: AP, cake, 00)
3tb baking powder
1tb vanilla
1tb almond
1tb lemon
Mix all together, shape the cookie and place colored easter egg in "basket"
Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

For the Icing:
about 1/2 bowl of confectioners sugar
drop of vanilla
drop of milk
tsp. crisco

Hope they come out good, I'm not a baker. Glad to see that you want to keep the old traditions alive and let us know how they taste.:)

Sounds good there Justin I will give it a try. I know we never had icing on them but maybe he didn't put them on for a reason. Being a family secret maybe that is why he never wrote it down. But I will use this and tweak away. Thanks again

I love to eat salads, does anyone have a simple homemeade italian dressing salad?

Hi Sandra,
When it comes it Italian salad dressing - stay away from the stuff in the bottle with all the dehydrated spices floating in it. In Italy salad dressing is no more complicated than extra virgin olive oil and a little red wine vinegar.

When I make a salad I use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine - a little salt and pepper and that's it. However if you want to make a dressing you can whisk the oil and vinegar until it emulsifies to give it more of a blended taste.

Like most of Italian food a salad is all about the freshness of the vegetables and not what you put on them.

One thing you'll never see in Italy: Creamy Italian dressing

This is such a good site!
I feel that I'm back in Noni's kitchen again!
The cookie that was discribed, the recipe used is how my grandmother made it at Easter! The hardboiled egg in the center.

As far as the salad dressing, good olive oil and red wine or balsamic vineger. I also add crushed fresh garlic. We all seem to be on the same page.

I agree with justindematri. Just olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice .
For a different salad try this: 1 sliced orange, some red radicchio (thinly cut), 4 or 5 walnuts. For the seasoning emulsify extra virgin oil, lemon juice and a spoonful of french mustard. Buon appetito

lemon and extra virgin olive oil..always!
0r- balsamic vinegar, a little honey and olive oil.

My Italian friend also swears by lemon and vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil:). Wonder where all those "Italian" dressings on salads in Italian restaurants come from?

:confused: [I][Hi I am new to this site. My Grandparents were from Sicily, and when I was a child for the St. Joseph's alter my Grandmother made a fig cookie that was called a cochadotti, My Spelling is probably wrong. But I would like to know if anyone can give me a recipe to make them, please./I]

Hi musicangel

My family still makes cochadotti, I dont' know the spelling either but in Gloucester, MA it is pronounced more like cocidatti - no idea if either is accurate but the cookie itself is basicaly the same recipe as for the easter egg cookie at the begginning of this post.

I've seen two types now that I think of it. one has a cake like cookie similar to the easter egg cookie that has fig filling in it (my wife's family does it this way). But my grandmother makes another type for christmas that is more filling than cookie but is probably the same dough just rolled thinner. For the filling - it's hard to get good figs in New England so everyone I know uses jarred fig filling from the supermarket.

Let me know if that sounds familiar.
Justin

Thank you I will try it and let you know.

Cuddureddi

Cuddureddi are the tipical Christmas sweets from the city of Grammichele, sound familiar?

One of my favorite Sicilian desserts is the Cassata with pistacchio\almond paste!!!! Its the best thing Ive ever eatten.


I think this is the name of it,, they are small little pies, green and dense

ah, my favorite - in fact my grandmother makes me one for my birthday (May 4th for those who want to send me presents :D )

In one of my pieces on Life in Italy I describe how Cassata derives from the Arabic al-qasat, which is a type round bowl, and also describes the traditional shape of the dessert.

only two more days until I get to eat mine!

Wait one minute! can you swipe the recipe,?????

Making a cassata is pretty easy, it all depends upon how "traditional" you want it. My birthday cake has grown as the family has grown and now is a monstrosity to feed us all. But the set-up is the same. My grandmother builds hers more like a layered sheet cake so we all can get a slice. When I asked her how to make one, I got instructions instead of a real recipe. But it seems cassata is flexible in what you put in it as long as it is built in layers and soaked in rum:

You need spongecake ahead of time, cut do desired thickness and size to fit in the mold - if you are forming a traditional cassata.

You need some sort of liquor, rum is the most popular - but is even better if you heat up amber rum, sugar and lemon zest to make a sweet syrup to soak the sponge cake.

When it comes to the filling my grandmother uses a layer of ricotta with candied lemon and layer of chocolate pudding or yellow custard. but you can use whatever you like - mascarpone or like you suggested one of the nut creams - wow that sounds great.

once you have all your pieces, you have to assemble them in the mold. It is built upside down first with a layer of spongecake that has been lighly dipped in the rum syrup (you dont want it to be too boozy in the top layers). The spongecake shoud act like a shell around the filling.

Then put in filling #1, typically the least dense, like custard. Then another layer of spongecake Then filling #2 - ricotta. Finally a layer of spongecake that has been liberally soaked in the run syrup. cover with a plate and
put in the refridgerator, after a few hours the the flavors will start to blend as the rum permeates all the layers. Once it is set, flip it over and ease it out of the mold. Some cassata topping are very ornate with designs or colored, I like fresh whipped cream, candied fruit or chocolate.


I want to try one with the pistacchio nut cream - I love that stuff.

please let me know when you are done so I can taste it ;-)

ciao

That sounds like it would taste absolutely divine, pero e' troppo pesante per me:) . I can just visualise the number of extra minutes I have to put in at the treadmill to work off even one piece of that Cassatta:p

But Justin could you at least post a picture or two so we can gaze longingly at it for a while!:D

I didn't even consider taking a picture - shame on me.

Oh well I guess I will have to wait till next year-but I do remember seeing some pictures of traditional Cassata on the web.

With any luck someone will make one for St. Peter's Fiesta in June then I can get another shot at a picture - and another couple of slices.

Justin

I know recipes for Italian vegetarian salads, sides, soups nd pastas, but can anyone suggest a dish that would work as mains, (intead of a lamb, fish or chicken dish) but would be vegetarian instead?


I have been thinking of inviting my friends over for Italian food, but problem is a few of them are vegetarian. Would be very happy if someone can tell me an Italian recipe for a vegetarian main dish:).