Gelo di mellone: our summer watermelon pudding

Do you know what the "gelo di mellone" is? It's the name of a very traditional summer pudding that is made in Palermo and its province. Mellone in Italian is a generic word to mean melon, but this dessert is actually made only with watermelon and has a delicate and delicious fresh taste. 

We like to eat it plain, just as a pudding but we also use it as filling in the pie, to have a more important dessert! You find it in all the patisseries of the Sicilian capital in summertime and you can also see the single-portions (mini-pies) as well as the big pie.

Ingredients & preparation for 8-10 people:
1 lt fresh watermelon juice
100 gr. starch
200 gr. sugar
50 gr. chocolate chips
a glass of jasmine water
*pistaches and cookies to serve (but not essential)

Before starting to prepare the "gelo" you need a couple of jasmine flowers. Wash them and leave them in water for 24 hours. 
Now you are ready to start:
1. Cut the watermelon and put the pieces in a blunder, having removed the green hard part. Blund until it becomes all liquid.
2. To strain the juice and remove the solid little parts we usually use a kitchen tool similar to the one we use to press the tomatoes for the sauce, it's also similar to a colander, but bigger, like the one in the pic below. When you have finished to strain the juice you can measure how much of that you've got. Usually a big quarter of a watermelon should be around 1 liter.

3. In a sauce pan mix the starch and the sugar, then, when you have obtained the proper amount of juice pour it little by little, stirring constantly with a spoon or a whip. When the ingredients are all melted together place the sauce pan under a low heat. 
4. Add the jasmine water and gently keep stirring until the liquid starts to boil and become as consistent as a pudding. As soon as it is quite solid (few minutes) turn off the heat and place it in little bowls for single portions or in a large mold or tin instead.

5. Let it cool down and after at least 40-45 minutes if it is not warm anymore put the chocolate chips on top and if you like also some pistaches as the one shown in the big picture above.
6. Place in the fridge at least two hours before serving it. Then, to finish up the decoration in the best possible way just stick two wonderful cookies or other kind of biscuits to accompany the pudding and you will enjoy it so much that you are definetely going to make it again and again and again! Happy Summer :-)))

"Biancomangiare", the Sicilian white pudding

Do you know how to cook Biancomangiare, the Sicilian white pudding? And why is it called that way? The origin of this delicious dessert is told by the expert journalist and writer from Palermo Gaetano Basile. The recipe dates back to the middle age period and the word "Biancomangiare" (literally white food) comes from the French expression blant manger, which meant mild simple dishes, something that patients in hospital or people with stomachache could eat: like rice and chicken.

However, when the recipe was imported here people started to call it blanc manger because of the assonance between bland (simple) and blanc (white) thinking that the name blanc manger was actually referred to the color of the dish. So in Italian the expression now in one word became: "Biancomangiare" and started to spread as a sweet pudding done with all white ingredients: milk, cornstarch and sugar... and we still prepare it this way!

Ingredients & Preparation: 1lt milk - 6 tbs cornstarch - 4 tbs sugar - cinnamon (both powder and bark) - grated orange zest - Use pistaches and almonds or orange leaves for garnish

In a saucepan mix the cornstarch with the sugar. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly better if using a whisk to eliminate possible lumps, then add a tea spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 or 4 pieces of crumbled bark. 

Place the saucepan on a medium heat, add the orange zest and keep stirring until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth and starts to boil. 

Then remove from heat and place it in a silicon baking tray or in small individual bowls. Let them chill half an hour (one hour if you pour the pudding into one big tray) and put them in the fridge. Once they are cold and firm you can transfer them in plates for dessert and garnish however you like: using chopped pistaches and almonds, just with some more cinnamon and orange zest on top or simply with orange leaves. In any case it will be absolutely yummy. Enjoy!

PS - It's good to know that there are some people who do a richer version of this recipe adding almond flour and fish-glue, but we never did it in my family. I definetely prefer this pudding because is lighter and easier to prepare. Hope you like it! ;)

Tea time with some friends, what dessert should I prepare?

On sunday I have some friends coming home for tea. One of my dearest friend has just celebrated his 35th birthday, so I was wondering what sweet I should prepare. A chocolate cake? A pie with jam or a pudding?
Suggestions are welcome... :)