Anecdotes from Palermo

Palermo Special - GT Giunca!

* I am about four days behind on my blog! A lot has happened and I was just about to update and fill you in when my blog froze and roughly 40% of what I had written was not saved...I cannot possibly re-write it, but I will give you an abridged less witty, less thoughtful version.

Cruising the Streets

Thursday February 7th

What a relic?! Of what, I'm not exactly sure...Palermo is full of hidden treasures. Each narrow street has a story to tell, the anecdotes written on the faces of fifth generation shop owners struggling through a waning economy. On one particularly occasion while Cassandra and I were on route through the city we stumbled upon a road crowded with bicycles and retired Vespas - pieced together like soldier's in the battle field. Scarred, but not defeated! The photo on the left is of a Vespa with surgical dressings from a what looks like a motorcycle graveyard and car boot sale! (Garage sale to the Americans and venditori ambulanti if you're Italian) haha are those bike handle bars? I love it! Why not? It works...Most Vespa's on the road aren't as makeshift as this harley, but many of them are carefully crafted together with various parts and pieces. This makes a lot of sense. The Vespa is a life line for people, here and for many, buying a new one if theirs breaks down is not an option. They get creative! They figure out a way to make things work. Anything. I'm not sure people from Southern Italy get enough credit for their ingenuity. Some praise is definitely over due. 

Now, if I'd been told I was going to be given a tour on hog with dirt bike suspension, mag wheels and a pair of handle bars (with basket) from a Schwinn cruiser, I would have gladly said hell yes! but I wasn't. Instead, I was offered a joyride through the city on the next best thing, a forest green, 1974 TS 125 Vespa Piaggio. Original paint. Original windscreen. Original high pitched horn that tapers off the longer you hold it down. Original EVERYTHING! Sadly, I don't have a picture, because its owner, Manlio keeps it garaged and rightly so. This particular model, in such good condition is rare. As Manlio revs the two stroke engine he proudly recants a story about the time he was at a traffic light and a guy in the car next to him offered to buy it for €5,000 cash! Manlio explains that his Vespa is worth more then money. He's never had to service it. It's never broken down. They simply aren't made this way anymore. Like an old pair of shoes, it fits him perfectly. He'll never sell it. And before I can respond to his heartfelt memory, he revs the engine one last time, kicks his baby into first gear and we're off, taring down the Via Schuiti, instantly joining the Vespa brotherhood and the swarm at large! 

The only words that come to mind as Manlio navigates through hairpin corners and afternoon traffic is "Wahoo!". Now I get it! Now I understand. Yes the Vespa is practical, but it's also damn good fun!  And being a committed plants-man, and a good host, Manlio kindly gives me the guided tour of Palermo's most important fauna, half in Italian and half in Italian English. Manlio doesn't realize, but I only have one eye open, because  I'm half terrified and half pumped up on adrenaline! At one point, Manlio passionately identifies a 40 foot Palm Trachycarpus fortunei (The one thing that unites us in a common language we both understand are the Latin names of plants!) he saved and recently transplanted in-front of a historic palace, with one hand on the gas, one eye on the traffic. He's a multi-tasker. A man waiting for a bus whistles frantically, waiving his hands at us "Ciao, Manlio!!". This happens a lot to Manlio. He's seems to know everyone. Many "Ciao's!" are exchanged. And feeling like this might be a good opportunity to practice my Italiano, I reply too, "ciao bella!!". Ok, enough about vespas! On to the food.

Friday, February 8th (This unfortunately is where the blog failed to save....)

Friday was my last day in Palermo. To celebrate or mark the occasion, Cassandra and I decided it would be a day of eating and boy was it. We stuffed our faces with Arancini's "little oranges" in Italian. They're risotto balls filled with ragu. Divine...

 I had no idea that this is what an Arancini was supposed to look and taste like. Unbelievably delicious. The soft crunchy texture mixed with a savory ragu sauce. Evidence of heaven if I've ever seen and tasted it.

Heaven....

Crisscrossing the city, we saw the Palazzo dei Normanni a famous food market called Ballaro where you can find almost ANY Mediterranean ingredient. And it's fresh! I snapped a photo of some broccoli I stumbled upon. They were the size of small planets! Italy's valley's are so fertile. They can grow anything.

From Ballaro we cruised down a number of narrow roads, through a bit of construction and ended up at a small Pasticcerie called Pasticcerie Cappello where they make some of the best pastry in Sicily.

Because we were on a mission and needed to be mobile, I bought a bag of freshly made cookies. Cassandra and I were supposed to split them, but she had an English lesson to teach later on in the day so was very kind in letting me eat ALL of them! Which I happily did.

Dinner was definitely the crecendo of our day. Manlio insisted I try a traditional Sicilian fish recipe before leaving Palermo, so he made his world famous squid-ink pasta! It was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. It was also the messiest!

The photo above shows a few of the steps taken in preparing the ink-pasta. Palermo is such a wonderful city and precursor to what's evolved here at Case Veccie, where I will be a permanent resident for the next four months! 

Case Vecchie

 I've been at Case Vecchie for the last five days and I can't wait to tell you about what it is that I do here, share stories about the food (So much food!) the history, the wonderful people that help make the cooking school possible and the wine...my goodness, the Tasca D'Almerita wine...words don't do justice. It's euphoria in a bottle. I promise to have a full update ready by Saturday evening - ish!

Ciao for now!