Saint Agatha’s Feast in Catania

February 3, 2011 9:00 am

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February 7, 2011 11:00 pm

Saint Agatha’s Feast is one of the most traditional religious events in Sicily. It can be compared to Seville’s Holy Week and Cuzco’s Corpus Domini. Saint Agatha is the patron saint of Catania. The procession lasts two days and is the world’s second largest. It is estimated that about one million people participate every year.

Save the Date: Fabrizia Lanza in the US again

February 9, 2011 7:00 pm

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February 15, 2011 9:00 pm

Fabrizia Lanza is returning to the U.S. for a quick trip in February. First, she travels to Chicago, where she will be cooking at Rhapsody on Feb. 9 and Pelago on Feb. 10. From there, she moves on to San Francisco, where she will host a dinner at A16 on Feb. 15.

About Fabrizia Lanza

Fabrizia Lanza is a cooking teacher, art historian and daughter of one of Sicily’s oldest aristocratic families. She joined her mother at the eponymous Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school, located in Vallelunga, site of the family’s renowned Regaleali vineyard. The cooking school celebrates Sicily’s traditional dishes, from the aristocratic cuisine of Palermo to the ingredient driven foods of the countryside.

To make reservations for the dinners, contact the restaurants directly!

Here is a recipe for buccelati that Fabrizia is sharing with us:

For the dough:

• 1 kilogram all-purpose flour
• 200 grams sugar
• 250 grams lard
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 15 grams ammonia
• Milk as needed

For the filling:

• 300 grams dried figs, minced
• 100 grams walnuts, chopped
• 50 grams pistachios, chopped
• 1 jar homemade tangerine marmalade
• 300 dl vino cotto

For the icing:

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons

Mix the dough ingredients together to obtain a soft and smooth dough similar to the one for fresh pasta. You should be able to knead and roll it on a work surface without it sticking.

Combine the stuffing ingredients in a large pan and cook for a few minutes until the figs soften and the mixture thickens. Cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll the dough into a large, very thin circle. Fill a pastry bag with the fig filling. At a distance of about four fingers from the dough’s edge, pipe a circle of filling, then fold the edge of dough over to enclose the filling. Cut out the “rope” that you have made and pinch to seal. Cut the “rope” into 3-inch portions. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Before baking, make little cuts on the edges of the cookies so that the filling can vent. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden. While the cookies cool, mix together the confectioners sugar and lemon juice, then glaze the cookies and decorate with colored sprinkles.

Art is the better life

November 28, 2010 11:00 am

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February 26, 2011 11:00 am

Art is the better life is the title of the upcoming solo exhibition of Swiss artist Urs Lüthi at the Fondazione Brodbeck arte contemporanea in Catania.

For more information:

Opening: November 28, 2010
Exhibition lasts: through February 26, 2011
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm

Fondazione Brodbeck
93, Via Gramignani
95121 Catania
Phone: (+39) 095 723 31 11
Fax: (+ 39) 095 59 27 33
Email: info@fondazionebrodbeck.it
Web site: www.fondazionebrodbeck.it