What is in the bag in July!
U Sacchettu continues to change with the season. Here is some of the bounty:
Lumii (Lemons) – From my new house! I don’t know the variety but it is “everbearing” which means that it produces fruit and blossoms at the same time. My niece and her children had a lot of fun picking a small sacchettu.
Gelsi (Mulberries) – We call them “Cenzi” (pronounced “chen zee”) in Sicilian. They are also from a tree at my new house! The Cenzi are almost overripe but they are juicy and flavorful and very messy to pick at this stage. I have plans for Jams and Jellies with next year’s crop. If we can pick more over the next few days, I will serve over Lemon Granita.
Verdura pi Insalata (Salad Vegetables) – Large underripe tomatoes and cucumber. The cucumber is round variety that looks like a small melon. It has a great Sicilian name – Battagliuni (pronounced “bah-ttah-liuni”) It is sweet and crispy with small seeds. We will make our favorite summer salad: Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Onion, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Oregano.
Pumadoru (Tomatoes) – This Tomato variety also has a great Sicilian name – Pizzuteddru – for the little point on the end. This small tomato is the used to make Sucu (Sauce) It is pulpy with few seeds.
Persichi (Peaches) e Millingiani (Eggplant) – The peaches continue to improve, they are ripe, juicy and smell wonderful. These particular eggplants are the prettiest I have ever seen!
It is blazingly hot these days. So Rose will not be turning on the oven, she will make Peperonata for Dinner. This Peperonata is a one pot meal cooked on the stove. It will include today’s Eggplant, Peppers, Potatoes, Cucuzza, Onions, Tomatoes and Oregano. She will serve fresh crusty bread to dip in the vegetable juices. It is one of our favorite meals, looking forward to Dinner!
Sicilianissimi in America 
Jo – My mouth is watering. Everything looks so good. My mom used to make something like this. Brings back happy memories. Thanks for sharing.
Colleen
It was a favorite dish for my parents too. It was delicious. Angelo, my brother-in-law bought fresh warm bread to accompany the Peperonata! Yum!
dinner sounds delicious! You are lucky to have such an abundance of fruit and veggies at your house. How are the renovations on your house coming along?
We have great produce in California as well. I believe the quality here is superior; it is seasonal, locally grown and picked at its peak. The trade-off is that we don’t find fresh broccoli…
My house is progressing slowly. All the walls that were coming down are down and the new walls have gone up. The flooring is on order as well as my kitchen. As you know, Italy and most of Europe closes down in August for vacation. We are at a stand-still until the “ferie” are over. Construction will resume around the 22nd. In the meantime I am practicing patience. Hope all is well with you. I still follow St Barnardine on the internet and look for you in the congregation when I catch the mass online.