Risotto ai funghi dell’Etna
The mushroom risotto is a delicacy and the typical recipe of this area involves the use of porcini mushrooms of Etna. Mushrooms are fried with olive oil, garlic and onions, combine the rice and white wine, and cooking continues with the addition of vegetable broth, a little at a time. Etna mushroom risotto is served with parsley and grated cheese. This recipe is typical of autumn with fresh mushrooms, of course the mushrooms are also stored dried and you can enjoy a great risotto also in other seasons. With Etna mushrooms they also prepare many pastas, from tagliatelle to dumplings, or cooked in a pan with plenty of parsley, served as a side dish. The mushrooms are also stored in oil to use them in summer salads and during the rest of the year. On Etna there are some paths and routes for finding these tasty mushrooms, so in addition to taste the recipes in restaurants you could gamble into the research and have a nice walk in the nature of this beautiful mountain.
Mushroom risotto photo blog.giallozafferano
Maialino nero dei Nebrodi
The black pig of Nebrodi or Sicilian Black Pig is a native breed of Sicily having existed since the Greek period. The peculiarity of this pig is its small size compared to other breeds, but at the same time it has a strong resistance to diseases. You can taste some of the recipes prepared with this delicious meat. For example a great roast with marinade shoulder in red wine and then stuffed with pecorino cheese and pistachios, later cooked with a side dish of celery, onion and carrots and nuanced with red wine. Another tasty recipe is the black pig fillet with oranges. Oranges are another typical ingredient of Sicilian cuisine and in this case you will have meat marinated in orange juice for a few hours, put in the oven to bake and topped with a sweet and sour sauce of oranges. If you want to taste the black pig of Chiaramonte you’ll have stuffed ribs with a mixture of garlic, onion, oil, salami, tomato, parsley, bread crumbs, oregano and grated cheese of Ragusa, then baked in the oven. The meat of the black pig is also used to prepare excellent sauces and meat sauces for pasta, preferably fresh pasta such as maltagliati, tagliatelle or pappardelle. But often they prepare excellent rigatoni. The sauces are prepared with a long and slow cooking like in the past, using the rib with the bone where the fat will give flavor and texture to the sauce, then the fry with onion is added with white wine, then add the tomato puree and cook until the sauce is thick, dark and tasty.
