Year-end treats in Sicily
Apologies again if you're snowbound somewhere but it's December, often one of the best months of the year down here in Sicily.
Cold? By Sicilian standards I guess, they say your blood thins out so it seems cold even when it's 50+ F outside. That means cycling wearing at least knickers and long-sleeved jerseys but (so far) it's not cold enough for full-fingered gloves or ear coverings, though we've seen some local riders already dressed up like it's ready to snow!
But the cooler weather brings some of our favorite things: Novello wine for one - think of the French Beaujolais Nouveau idea...fresh, clean, grapey and delicious, perfect for that turkey dinner at holiday time. We get ours from a place just off the island at a shop Zio calls "Wine-Boy" as it's now run by the son of the owner (his mother) who passed-away not too long ago.
Next up: Oranges, which are a winter fruit after all and the novellini (new ones) are coming into the market now, with the blood-red ones coming soon. We don't much bother with fresh-squeezed juice until the oranges are fresh, fresh, fresh...like now!
Finally: Olive oil. Look how green that is! Another fresh-squeezed thing here this time-of-year. This bottle was filled by "Spice-boy" who runs a little shop here selling spices and products his family produces at their farm. Zio Lorenzo passed by the farm one day and saw their olive trees and asked if he could buy some of the oil. They sell oil produced and packaged by others as well, but agreed to share theirs with us. Needless to say, it's really good.
A five-liter can of freshly-squeezed oil was also purchased from our friends at Caseficio Borderi since "Spice-boy"s won't last long. When we lived here only during the winter we'd bring back one of these cans and share it with friends in Iowa. Packing this in the checked luggage was always a challenge!
Mangia bene!
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