Insalata Russa

This caloric bomb hardly counts as a salad, but "Russian Salad" is an antipasto staple, and frequently comes out at Christmas lunch with the Nonna Angela.

Boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, chopped prosciutto cotto (ham), and a jar of pickled mixed vegetables are tossed in an abundance of mayonnaise, and served along side sliced meats, cheeses, olives, mushrooms, and crunchy grissini. It can also be plopped into the middle of a large slice of prosciutto cotto and rolled up.

It's snowing in Sicily!

 

Ok, you may not be able to see it too well, but if you zoom in on the darker parts of the picture you'll see dust like flakes of snow. 

It only lasted a few minutes (the sun came out a second later, and the snowy cloud drifted away) and it didn't even make it to the ground before it turned into rain, but I can't tell you how excited these few ice crystals made me.

But to give you a vague impression of my behavior, imagine a maniac dancing on a balcony in big fluffy green pajamas, squealing with delight.

It's no white Christmas, but I'll take what I can get.

Crik, crok, and how to say "ow!" in Italian

One of the things that perplexed me when I first moved to Italy, is that not even sounds are quite the same. When I say "sounds" I mean those instinctive expressions of surprise, pain, or happiness that I had thought would be international.

The Italian word for "booboo" might be "bua", but I expected that any kid who suffered a minor hurt would still shout out "ow!" or "ouch!" regardless of culture or language. To me the verbal response to pain shouldn't be a voluntary reaction.

But, as I discover more and more frequently here, I was wrong. (Switching cultures is one of life's more humbling experiences.)

Gucciarduni

Gucciarduni, a.k.a. "sweet-goodness-that-I-never-want-to-know-the-nutritional-information-for".

A common pastry made in Sommatino, near Caltanissetta, which is why I really cannot fathom why I'm only finding out about them NOW after living here for three years.

In short: Cakey shortbread filled with sweet ricotta, baked, rolled in honey and toasted almonds, and dusted with powdered sugar.

 Result: crumbs and powdered sugar all over my face as I try to suppress moans of indecent enthusiasm.

Biscotti di San Martino

Ok, technically Saint Martin was this past Sunday, November 11th, and I did really want to post about these cookies then, but I only remembered on the actual day. I desperately wanted a picture, because the elaborate shapes are 50% of what makes Saint Martin Cookies so special, but naturally no self-respecting panificio in Italy would dare be open on a Sunday.

So I planned on going straight to the panificio on Monday and writing about them then... but they are so darn popular that they were already sold out. Then yesterday we caved into the ever present temptation that is the pizzeria and didn't go to the panificio at all... which brings us to today. Wednesday. Three days late. I'm sorry.

Io & Marilyn

As I have said before, one of the great tragedies of American cinema is how few Italian films are ever translated or at least subtitled. So I don't know how many of the films I recommend you will actually be able to watch. But even if it isn't available in English, watching them in Italian with Italian subtitles can also be a very valuable language learning tool. So even if you're not entirely sure what they're talking about, give it a shot anyway. It might give you a better appreciation for body language, which, luckily, the Italians use plenty of!

My first recommendation was actually on TV here last night, Io & Marilyn. Which I'm sure nearly everyone can guess means "Me & Marilyn".

Things you don't realize you need until you're in Italy

1. Mac&Cheese (I know, I know. The pasta looks like wet cardboard, and the "cheese" is about as unnatural as you can get. Still, there's something about that uniquely fluorescent orange macaroni that I can't resist. Sometimes you just need something cheesy and instant. I do like adding parmigiano grattugiato to it though, to dress it up a bit.)