Sicilian Drowned Broccoli

fx

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:39:45 GMT

Sylvia, do you have more details about this dish? Boiled or baked? Served in a sauce?

Sylvia (D'Anna) Drew

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:18:52 GMT

Dear Sir;
Last year my husband and I went on a tour of Sicily. Being American/Sicilian, I was with "my people". Needless to say the food was excellent, a lot of what I grew up with. While I was in Catania, we ate at a cafe in the square. We had this dish that was stuffed with tomatoes and cheese and I"m not sure what else. A sort of pastry I believe. I can"t remember what it was called. Can you help me out??? I"ve been racking my brain trying to remember what it was. Thank you so much if you can help me.

Mrs. Sylvia Drew

fx

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 06:15:16 GMT

Louise, I am so happy to learn my little recipe has become part of your regular homecooked meals! Definitely a healthy dinner. Do you use it as a side-dish or as a main course? What sort of cheese do you use? Any bread with it?

Louise

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 03:50:18 GMT

This dish is fabulous. My husband and I have made it about a dozen times over the past three months, using cheap Australian plonk and it is heaven on a plate. I am telling anyone who will listen about your divine website as well as this recipe in particular. Thank you very much for the wonderful suppers we have had.

fx

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:01:29 GMT

Fity, thanks for trying this and I"m glad it worked for you!

FITY

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:36:38 GMT

I made this the other day. It tasted so good I can"t wait to make it again! :)

fx

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:19:04 GMT

Cedar, good luck if you try this, with the proper pecorino you just can"t miss it.

Cedar

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:18:35 GMT

Your photography is amazing, and the color of this dish blows me away. Hopefully I can find some good pecorino and try this soon.

fx

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:32:43 GMT

Ark, thanks for trying this! Don"t worry, you"ll find better cheeses someday and that"ll just be an opportunity to do it again!

ark.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:31:48 GMT

Even with mediocre ingredients (cheap French red past its prime, pre-shredded American pseudo-Parmesan) this worked out well for me. I added too much wine, I think, and found I wanted rather a lot of salt once it was on the plate. With better cheese and wine this would be excellent. Thank you.

fx

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:08:23 GMT

Stephan, thanks for visiting and I"m glad you decided to actually try one of these recipes! There are dozens of pecorino cheeses in Italy, each rather different from the other. All the have in common is to be made from sheep milk. The main axis to compare one pecorino to another is how pungent they are (piccante or dolce), how hard and whether there is extra flavoring such as peppercorns or truffles in the cheese. So if you got one pecorino that cost an arm and a leg and didn"t melt, it doesn"t mean the shop took advantage of you. You should ask if they have a not-too-dry pecorino, and have a look to see if the cheese is soft enough to dry. Depending on the shop I visit, they just don"t have the right pecorino for the dish I have in mind, so no worry, just cook something different or use good quality Monterrey Jack Cheese as a substitute. I hope this helps!

Stephan

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:34:33 GMT

I have been looking at your website for the past two months and I have to admit that the illustration of each of your recipes are transcending your experience of cooking and picturing. Anyway, after testing several of your dishes I realized I wanted to, in one sense, acknowledge all the efforts, and then take the opportunity to explain the problem I faced for this dish. I fortunately (well this is not what may think my wallet but that is another story) found some Pecorino from Italy but surprisingly the cheese was difficult to melt and didn"t bring much of flavor. I was disappointed since the cheese by himself is quite flavorful so perplex about the results. What would be your recommendation ? Is it possible to add some fresh peppercorns to the dish to bring some character ?
Again wonderful dishes and pictures.

fx

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:25:02 GMT

Thanks Ben, have you looked at my Sicilian Broccoli Pasta, very much like what you describe. Such a treat! Let me know if there are other cult Sicilian recipes I should make and show on my website.

Ben

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:15:46 GMT

Bella, bella. I braise broccoli this way, but without the cheese. I add a little minced garlic after the onions, then add golden raisins or currants, stir a couple of minutes, then I add the broccoli, then water and vino, salt and pepper, sometime crushed red pepper. Sometimes I add toasted pine nuts at the end, just to make sure I get is Sicilianisssssssimo enough. I like how the flavors and textures blend: savory, sweet, tangy, crunchy, soft. Great before pasta. Sometimes I can get the Sicilian flowering broccoli or the purple or lime-green varieties. My Nonna would add a little sugar, but never tell anyone. I bet the leftovers would be fantastic on pizza with some romano or gran padano. I don"t think we have Kenwood machines in the U.S., but all those macaron" pictures are beautiful. Maybe I will get a pasta extruder for my KitchenAid mixer.

fx

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:25:43 GMT

John, thanks for trying both the Drowned Broccoli and the Bolognese Sauce, an unusual match but good products can"t make bad dishes!

John

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 19:48:48 GMT

I"m making this right now for a light dinner. One of your few recipes that can be made with stuff I usually have lying around the house. I love it.

It went very well as a dish to your bolognese sauce.

fx

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:51:33 GMT

Luke, I"m sure you"ll get fine results with Malaga and Sicilian farmers would certainly have no problem using it. But I"d stick to a dry wine if you get the choice.

fx

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:40:36 GMT

Gary, thanks for visiting and I hope you get to try this recipe! Choose the cheese carefully, that"s what gives the character to this dish.

fx

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:25:14 GMT

Lyra, good luck with the buckwheat crepes and drowned broccoli!

Luke

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:14:38 GMT

Hmm. I borrowed some semi-dry Portuguese red wine from a friend, and attempted this again with some pecorino pepato. The flavors did mesh better, but it lacked the magic of my first attempt. The rich, velvety sweetness of reduced malaga really made everything stand out the first time around. Dulce really is the way to go. The problem is thus not the wine, but the cheese. Something that works well sweet, but melts beautifully. Manchego viejo, perhaps? With malaga, it might be an interesting Spanish twist.

Luke

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:02:26 GMT

Ah! The cheese. I used pecorino siciliano and a little bit of grana padano for my first attempt. Both finely shredded rather than shaved. Turned out beautifully. One question, though: how dry was the wine you used? I only had some M�laga on hand, and while I loved the result, I wonder if perhaps something with less sugar might turn out better.

Gary

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:49:58 GMT

Francois this looks delicious. My wife"s grandmother used to make something similar to this. I am passing this on to my wife and I am sure it will be a huge hit on our house! Anything broccoli and cheese. We are truly enjoying your website!

Lyra

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:12:58 GMT

This sounds good and easy. I am planning on making buckwheat crepes soon following your tips-maybe I will have to do some broccoli too!

fx

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:47:53 GMT

Julie, thanks for visiting and go ahead with the truffle pecorino, this is a godsent! I loved your post about Tsukiji.

fx

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:37:05 GMT

Janine, thanks for visiting!

fx

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:24:19 GMT

Elizabeth, I"m glad you like this simple dish! I do all sorts of cooking but am always drawn back to Italian cuisine for various reasons. Here we get fairly decent original Italian ingredients and today I just got a bag full of traditional Italian regional recipes. Since most are relatively straightforward to make, this explains the large number of them Italian dishes on this here blog.

fx

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:13:25 GMT

Jay, italian recipes do not always give very precise quantities. I suggest you start with one bunch of broccoli (1-2 lbs) and one onion, then add 3 oz / 100 grams cheese and taste. If not cheesy enough, add more.

fx

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:11:49 GMT

Luke, thank you for trying this recipe! I am so glad that you liked it. What cheese did you try it with?

julie

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:47:07 GMT

Incredible! There is a cheesemonger in the essex market on the lower east side of manhattan that sells a delicious black truffle pecorino. I can"t wait to try it in this!

Janine

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:13:51 GMT

That looks fantastic! I am enjoying your website immensely!

Elizabeth

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:29:07 GMT

I like simple meals :-) Glad you decided to post it ~Does FXcuisine focus on southern Italian recipes? I was just curious. They all look and sound wonderful! My father"s parents are from southern Italy (Calabria and Naples) so I"m particularly fond of food from this region.

Jay

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:17:02 GMT

How much broccoli and cheese does one use for this recipe? It looks amazing.

Luke

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:45:38 GMT

Wow. I just finished this recipe moments ago, and I"m compelled to remark just how amazing this dish is.It was surprisingly filling (I could hardly finish a small bowl worth of broccoli), but vibrant enough to keep me out of a food coma. I"m absolutely floored. Let"s just say that if l"d have gotten this at a resaurant it would instantly be cemented to my favorites list.Thank you oh-so-much for sharing such a great idea as this. I"ll definitely try some other recipes on this blog.

fx

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:41:19 GMT

Thanks Elizabeth, actually I made this recipe 6 months ago and was not sure whether to post it - too simple perhaps!

fx

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:40:44 GMT

Donald, thanks for visiting and I wish you good luck with this dish - very simple indeed!

fx

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:29:28 GMT

Gary, thanks for your visit!

Elizabeth

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:24:03 GMT

Delicious! I"m craving the flavours of this dish and will have to make this soon. Your photos are spectacular!

Donald

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:10:18 GMT

Wow Francois! Finally a dish of yours that even I can make well and it doesn"t take eleventy hours.This looks excellent and we in the Orph house love anything with broccoli and cheese. I could see adding a little pork to this and calling it dinner.

Gary V

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:48:42 GMT

Looks yummy. My stomach is growling now.