Colors of Italy

Italy is officially represented by the national colors on their flag - Green, Red & White. Some may think this trifecta suits this country well as many of their dishes involve green herbs, red sauces full of fresh tomatoes and white pasta and breads.

I however will always associate Italy with the most beautiful melding of green and purple. This vibrant complementary color scheme is seen often in nature and I have noticed the striking combination in many of the fruits and vegetables, many of which I have had the great fortune to taste immediately after picking.

OLIVES

Olives in Puglia, naturally turning from light green to dark purple

FIGS

Figs come in two colors here in Italy, a green variety and a purple variety. Both varieties start out with green skin. The deep purple color sets as the fig matures. 

Even on the inside, a fig has a beautiful color transition from light green to purple. 

 RAMASIN

A sweet fruit, similar to a grape but with one large seed, only available in the summer and also turns from green to purple. Looks especially vibrant when placed next to these green beans at the market. 

 GRAPES

Red grapes at the end of July, turning from green to "red" and will later become a deep purplish-black color. 

ROSEMARY

Even rosemary has a combination of green (needles) and purple (flowers).

ARTICHOKES

The beautiful yet painful spiny artichoke of Sardinia. They are the epitome of the green-purple gradation.

Like figs, artichokes continue this complementary color scheme on the inside of the vegetable too. 

 Each artichoke has it's own depth of colors changing from light green to deep purple.

EGGPLANT and RADICCHIO

Both have exceptional contrasts of green and purple coloring.

UNCERTAIN VEGETABLE

From spring green to deep purple to kelly green, this green vegetable has the entire color package. Now, if only I knew what it was! 

CAPERS

A broad range of colors in each caper as well as differing from plant to plant, capers have it all- from reddish purple to electric green.

PURPLE CAULIFLOWER

A picture says 1,000 words

PURPLE BEANS

These beautiful beans start out as green, mature into a deep purple and then turn green again when boiled. 

For me, I will forever associate all of these beautiful foods with Italian cuisine not only because of their delicious flavor but also for their exquisite colors and lovely memories. 

Capri (Capers)

The Caper Bush thrives in hot, rocky environments such as Sicily. The plant grows naturally all over the landscape here and grows directly in the rocks. 

From May-July capers are ready to be picked. What we know as capers are actually the buds of this flowering plant. Capers are pickled in salt or a salt and vinegar solution. They are deliciously salty and have a slightly acidic and slightly spicy taste.

 Three stages of capers- the baby bud, the medium sized bud ready to flower and the beginning of the flower opening. 

  A flowering caper with other buds ready to be picked. Capers can range in color from bright green to deep purple and in size from a piece of rice to a large pea. The best color and size depends on your personal preference. 

The beautiful caper flower. 

After flowering, the caper berry develops. It is basically the fruit of the caper plant and can also be harvested, pickled and eaten. 

We spent 3 hours a day finding and picking wild capers. We would heavily salt them in the morning and evening, tossing them all together to be sure each caper was receiving the salty solution. 

A range of salted capers. From Left to Right... salted for 1 day, salted for 4-5 days, salted for 2 weeks. Capers are an important part of Sicilian cuisine and along with olives, often provide the salty component to their delicious foods. 

I love capers any way you give them to me! But my favorite preparation is also the simplest- salted capers, drizzled with robust Sicilian olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice on a slice of bread. 

Another great southern Italian recipe to try with capers ...

(all measurements are approximations- so experiment to your own taste)

Spaghetti con Tonno
3-4 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Small White Onion, sliced
2 each Bay Leaves
1 C Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 C Kalamata Olives
1/4 C Capers
2 cans Tuna, broken up in to large chunks
1/4 C Parsley, chopped fine, to garnish
100-125g Spaghetti per person

1. Cook spaghetti to al dente in salted water (8-11 minutes depending on the brand).
2. While spaghetti is cooking, in a separate pan, heat oil, onions and bay leaves until aromatic.
3. Add in tomatoes, olives, capers and tuna and lightly simmer until all are just heated.
4. Drain pasta and immediately add to "sauce", tossing well, allowing the flavors to meld and the pasta to absorb some of the flavor and liquid to finish cooking.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley.

Buon Appetito! 

Aeolian Islands

I typically like to keep this blog food-focused. However, after experiencing the Aeolian Islands, located off the north coast of Sicily, I HAD to dedicate a post to this beautiful paradise. 

The island of Stromboli, a "perfect" triangle with a single volcano in the center. With a group and a guide, we hiked to the top of the volcano (at 920 meters in elevation ) and watched it erupt just after sunset. It was challenging, but also one of the most amazing experiences I have had in Italy.

 Nearing the top, we were above the clouds. 

We hiked the narrow ridge to the top and watched the eruptions from above the crater. It was very cold and windy on the top, with ash particles flying around. These are the "islands of wind".

 Lava

 Beautiful Salina island with Filicudi in the distance.

 Wild purple poppy with Panarea and Stomboli in the distance. The color of the water is intensely blue!

 There are 7 islands in total. This is the view from Lipari to Vulcano.

 Vulcano is known for it's stinky sulfur mud baths. 

 The Aeolian Islands

 Vulcano island also has an inactive volcano. This hike is much easier and faster than stromboli, but also rewarding!

Paradise

Dolci di Sicilia (Sweets of Sicily)

For those of you who know me well, you know I will order cheese over dessert any day of the week. In Sicily, I might have to order both!

Sicilians do not take their pastries lightly. I mean this literally and figuratively. It's a good thing I do not have a serious sweet tooth or I might be leaving this island with a few more kilos than I came here with!

Cannoli Siciliani

A fried pastry dough, filled with fresh sheep's milk ricotta cheese and speckled with chocolate chips, dusted with powdered sugar. The cannolis in Sicily are rich! Because the cheese is so fresh, you can actually taste a bit of the "barn" (in a good way). This photo is of me enjoying my cannoli while taking a rest while biking on Favignana island (Egadi Islands). I thought it was a good reward!

Genovesi

These pastries are a speciality of the hill town of Erice. The outer "shell" is made of flour, sugar, butter, eggs, cream and a hint of lemon. Hello ... delicious!

The center is filled with a rich vanilla custard.

Dusted with powdered sugar and served warm, Genovesi are a unique Sicilian treat!

Marsala strawberries

They are mini strawberries but packed with intensely sweet strawberry flavor. One of my favorite desserts I have had in Sicily was strawberries with sugar and drizzled with Limoncello. 

The gelato here is consistently some of the best I have had in all of Italy.

Sfoglie

It is literally puff pastry. Many layers of dough are folded together to form these airy delights. They are twisted and made into beautiful shapes, sometimes filled with jam and dusted with powdered sugar. 

Vino alla Mandorla (Almond wine)

This is a very sweet, dessert wine from the east side of Sicily in a town called Castlemola. It is served chilled, with a Sicilian lemon twist floating and is delicious when used for dipping almond biscotti!! Eating the lemon rind at the end is a citrusy and refreshing way to end the experience!

Granite

It is the Italian version of a slushy. Made from pure, seasonal fruits and nuts, these cold desserts are very refreshing on a hot day! The ice is pureed with the flavor of choice and made into a velvety iced texture. Most popular flavors are lemon, strawberry, coffee and almond. 

Paste di Mandorla

These almond cookies are to die for! They are essentially a marzipan cookie. They have a fudgy texture and are intensely sweet and almond flavored. The dough (paste) is made from almonds, sugar and glucose. No wonder why they are so sweet!

This one is also filled with a lemon gel. YUM!

Typical pastry shop in Sicily. The entire bottom 2 shelves are marzipan. The top shelf is entirely Torrone (nougat, mixed with almonds)

More marzipan fruit!