Goat's milk - fresh from source

For those lactose intolerant there is goat's milk which is a suitable alternative and tastes just as good. Goat's milk is also the blessed white substance that creates the most delicious ricotta cheese which is used in my ever favourite cannoli. That is why they taste different in Sicily, it is the goat's cheese! Ricotta sold in England doesn't always state if it is made with goat's milk but I think it is usually cow's milk - boo. 

We visited this farm out in the middle of nowhere and got to see an age old style of milking goats using special gates for where the animals needed to stand, these gates were in a stone wall that must've been there for hundreds of years. 

Everything was super ancient and the view from the farm where we took these pics was spectacular. This farm is very hidden, even to the locals, and is situated atop a hill overlooking thousands of acres of vineyards -just beautiful. 

At the farm, we stumbled upon a barn with a hidden secret. It was a church in the 1600s. The inscription on the door said 1641 - how crazy is that?! Jake took some great photos in there of a horse and its baby and we got some great shots of the farmers for the project. I wish I could show you all of the pics but I can't just yet, they must go to publishers first! 

The centuries old practice of shepherding and milking the goats was great to watch and sooo old except for one thing.... the mobile phone rang (!) and the chief milker answered it. It was kinda funny but he went on milking with one hand and chatting away - classic! 

Cannoli and coffee

Eaten in front of an open fire, while some chestnuts are roasting and Christmas carols are on - perfect! A few more days until I am in front of a crackling fire, looking forward to it immensely. Another pic from Jake Green and Le Dolci's cannoli. We don't make coffee.

Photo shoot fun!

My wonderful friend Jake at Jake Green.co.uk was kind enough to host a photo shoot at his cool studio this past week. He usually does celebs and other fun stuff but he has a sweet tooth so the very cooperative subjects for the afternoon were cakes! Resulting phtoographs from the day are AMAZING.

If you ever need a photographer please call him and tell him I sent you (you may get a discount or a clever East End comment!) Jake has a creative eye and managed to make the cupcakes, cannoli and brownies look fantastic. More pics to be uploaded soon but for now enjoy these two and also read today's review of Le Dolci on Londonist.com written by the lovely Food & Drink editor Chris.

The greatest thing about starting a new biz is all of the interesting and kind people you meet, a lot of people are willing to help newbies and I am sure karma and time will allow me to help them one day too.  A big thanks to all of you who have pointed me in interesting directions and have offered me your time and advice!

x

CannoliBusy at work and will blog more soon but for now you will have to enjoy some food foties (that's how they say photos in South Africa) Bought this deliciously divine cannoli at a pasticceria in Palermo. Mmmmmmm

This is why I am 5 pounds fatter

This post is for Jono and Rexi - famous quote:
'I can taste the limone.'

I had gelato as much as possible last week in Sicily as I knew there wouldn't be any when I got back to the big, grey city. So now I am busting out of my trousers! I went for a run today and may have burned off at least one of my ice cream indulgences.

Bacio tastes just like Baci chocolates. Not sure if the pic above the bacio is caffe (coffee) and the one below is dolce latte. There were so many at this gelateria by the beach it was overwhelming. In the last pic you will see a flavour called Puffo - like the Smurfs, not sure what that one would taste like?!

I always choose the same few flavours though - limone (lemon, which is made without milk), caffe (made with espresso), nocciola (hazelnut - tastes like Nutella), banana & cioccolato (chocolate). TheI sometimes venture out a little bit more but usually stick to the devil I know.

The flavour below is cannoli - so there is ricotta in the ice cream and also some original Sicilian cannoli sticking out of the ice cream too....yum!



My tour guides, the Puzzo brothers enjoying their gelato.

Food glorious food...

The food we purchased at Pusateri's on Avenue Road was great especially the cannoli, lemon tarts and marinated fresh sea bass. The fish man seemed very knowledgeable about all the fish on display and they cut it in front of us off a whale sized carcass and also marinated it for us in some special sauce -yummy.

BUT the store is chaotic and hard to navigate, especially when busy, you can't get two buggies down the aisle. Everything seems over priced too. Need to compare with other specialty food shops as haven't done much grocery shopping here yet so don't really know what prices should be?

Mrs. Dolce & Mr. Quinn have been feeding me...and AK and I are waiting for Mrs. Quinn to whip up a gourmet meal soon too! Maybe chicken surprise?

I took no pics as we just devoured the bbq'd bass with fresh mango salsa and when desert time came around we again forgot to whip out the camera. We quickly put away the cannoli, fresh strawberries, watermelon, lemon tarts, chocolate mousse cakes and other treats....thx Mr. Q for lunch it was a special Mother's Day!

x

The big cannoli
So every winter my father goes to Sicily for two reasons only:

1) to visit his 85 year old mother and

2) to eat cannoli.

Cannoli is a Sicilian dessert pastry which my father swears can only be made properly in his tiny town of 4,500 people, Delia. These delectable desserts which originated in Sicily are filled with ricotta cheese mixed with lots and lots of sugar. Those who mix other ingredients, according to my father, are destroying the tradition.

The secret to these desserts is the outer shell of fried pastry dough. These tube shaped shells must be filled at the very last minute, otherwise the shell becomes soggy and losses all its flavor. Italian-Canadians have been trying to replicate this recipe ever since emigration started but, according to my father, no one in North America has been able to duplicate this delicacy.

My father’s desperation for this dessert results in my mother packing a suitcase full of shells and a frozen Tupperware container with ricotta cheese every time they return to Toronto. Canadian customs would have a feast (literally) if they ever opened up their luggage. As for this massive sized cannoli – according to my father, this too was destroying the original Cannoli tradition! But we ate it anyway.

xoClara

Ricotta -ree-kawt-tah
Ricotta is an Italian dairy product/cheese made from the whey which is left over from making cheeses such as mozzarella or provolone. The term "ricotta" means "cooked again" ("re-cooked") in Italian, referring to the second processing of the liquid to produce it. It is also great on toast with some sugar sprinkled on top!

In Canada and the UK it is usually made from cow's milk but in Sicily it is made from sheep and goat's milk. So when you taste a cannoli in Sicily it tastes very different from one bought elsewhere. It seems to have a different flavour and taste better, not sure if it is the atmosphere or that you are having it at the mecca of cannoli land.

So what is a cannoli? It is a tubular pastry shell stuffed with a sweetened filling of whipped ricotta, sugar and it often contains nuts (like pistaccios in pic), orange rind/lemon or bits of chocolate.

Here is a pic of a gigantic one that was served to dozens at a wedding in Sicily earlier this year. It is an easy recipe, most people who make them now buy the shells as they are easy to find and purchase. Some old-schoolers do make the shells which is a long process, includes deep frying and using special moulds.

A great xmas treat and sooo delicious -get one if you can at an Italian bakery or make it yourself. Below are pics of bite sized ones served at a b-day party in Sicily a few days after the wedding- ah food glorious food and Sicilan hospitality!