Emirel it aint: but yet we created a fabulous meal

 Greetings dear Blog Readers

As Birgit edifies you on the ancient history of Sicily and Bryce regales you with colorful renderings of the flora and fauna, I am left with miscellany.  Today you will get a recounting of our cooking class.  Naively we signed up to learn how to prepare a typical Sicilian Lunch.  Little did we know it would take us 5 hours to eat it!  

The owners of the lovely rental house where we are staying offer this as an add-on option.  We selected the Mediterano Menue

We began with the Antipasto.  Octopus Salad.  While Birgit and Libby chopped veggies, i watched our host Nino plunge 2 small octopuses (octopi?) Into boiling water

The recipies for all these things will post later

After the salad was assembled and put in the refrigerator we began the pasta course:

Linguini with Squid Ink Sauce.  Imagine regular spaghetti sauce with squid ink added.

While the sauce was simmering we prepared Sea Bass in Parchment:

Essentially we stuffed tomato, garlic, lemon, parsley, salt and chili pepper into fish and wrapped them in first parchment paper and then foil.

Okay.  Are you keeping up here?  While Birgit and Libby stuffed fish I helped our hostess Dena get the dessert - Lemon Granita - ready:

Then it was time to assemble the Canole!

Not done yet

We had to get the calamari ready for Deep Fried Calamari!

Okay then   we sat down to eat about noon or 12:30 and finished late in afternoon.   I will post some photos from the meal: