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Shut Up and Mangia!, Issue #018= Great Sicilian Recipes
March 24, 2009

"Shut Up and Mangia!"


There is no such thing as a little garlic.  ~A. Baer


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Sicilian Cuisine

Welcome to the 18th issue of "Shut Up and Mangia!". In this issue we will focus on Sicily and Sicilian cuisine. Sicilian cooking is a mixture of complex bold flavors infused with aromatic spices and fresh fragrant herbs.

The flavors of Sicily are enriched by the abundance of produce, meat and seafood that is available all over this beautiful Mediterranean island. People visit Sicily to enjoy it’s rich history, beautiful landscapes and its food.

Recipes that were around hundreds of years ago are still around. Tradition is the mainstay of Sicilian cooking. Many of the dishes reflect the different civilizations that past through Sicily throughout the ages. Sicilian food has been influenced by the Greeks, Arab, Romans, Spaniards and the French just to name a few. It’s rich history has truly influenced it’s style of cooking. Sicilians are known for there love of life, food, art, culture and most of all family. Throughout this newsletter I’ll refer you to a few great Sicilian sites, a few books on Sicily, a few great authentic Sicilian restaurants here in Chicago and of coarse a some great Sicilian recipes you can try at home.


Site News

Great Chicago Italian Recipes is dedicated to adding new and traditional Italian recipes for your enjoyment. The site is getting bigger and better with the addition of “The Italian Grocer“ and the“The Great Italian Music Store“. Thank You for supporting this site.

My next site is exclusively for the webmaster. Within the next two weeks you can feature your recipe website in my new directory. My Recipe Directory.com will be a heavily promoted web directory featuring all the bells and whistles to help make your site stand out. This directory will be human edited ensuring that only high quality sites are listed.


Chicago‘s Five Best Sicilian Restaurants

Here are five of my favorite Sicilian Restaurants.

  • Da Luciano
  • is located at 8343 West Grand Ave. in River Grove, Illinois. The Libreri family’s old world recipes are as close as your going to get to Sicily. Delicious dishes like “Rigatoni Alla Toscana” and “Rigatoni Boscaiola” are always a favorite. For more information visit their website at www.dalucianos.com . For reservations phone 1-708-453-1000.

  • RoSal‘s Italian Kitchen
  • located at 1154 West Taylor St. is definitely one of my favorite restaurants featuring authentic Sicilian food. Since 1990 this place has been dishing out some delicious family recipes. For more information visit their website at www.rosals.com. For reservations phone 1-312-243-2357.

  • Fiorentino‘s Cucina Italiana
  • is located at 2901 N. Ashland Ave. in the Lakeview neighborhood. Authentic Sicilian dishes range from “Homemade Manicotti” to “Traditional Gnocchi”. For more information visit their website at www.fiorentinoscucina.com . For reservations phone 1-733-244-3026.

  • Mart Anthony‘s Italian Restaurant and Steakhouse
  • located at 1200 West Hubbard. This Italian restaurant has been serving traditional Sicilian dishes since 1981. Some of there menu favorites include “Veal Chop Marsala”, “Chicken Saltimboca” and “Steak Vesuvio”. For more information visit their website at www.martanthony.com . For reservations phone 1-733-244-3026.


    Great Sicilian Cooking Books

    Two of my favorite Sicilian cookbooks are La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio: Gangivecchio's Sicilian Kitchen by Wanda Tornabene and The Heart of Sicily: Recipes and Reminiscences of Regaleali A Country Estate by Anna Tasca Lanza.


    Great Sicilian Sites

    For more detailed information about Sicily you should check out Sicilian Culture.com or Best of Sicily.com. These two sites are packed with great information about Sicilian culture, food, travel and living.


    Great Sicilian Recipes

    Here are five of my favorite Sicilian recipes for you to try at home. The first recipe is a simple appetizer Roast Pepper and Tuna Crostini. The second dish is Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato Sauce. Followed by a delicious Chicken Francese with a side of Baked Cauliflower. And for dessert we have a decadent Chocolate Ricotta Pudding.

    Let me know how these Great Sicilian Recipes turn out. Enjoy!


    Final Thoughts

    If you enjoy my site please feel free to email this newsletter to a friend so they can Subscribe to "Shut Up and Mangia!" and begin to enjoy the many Italian recipes we have to offer.

    Mangia Italiano!

    Take Care,

    Phillip J. Speciale

    That's a discovery! That's Italian! That's
    Great Chicago Italian Recipes.com



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