Sailing to Byzantium - 11

A box of small fish from the Mercato della Ballaro

We are still in Palermo and will remain here until various parts of the engine finally come together. While the new engine has the same bolting pattern as the old engine, the block size is a little different and as a result some parts must be fabricated locally to accommodate these differences in dimensions. I am making a fiber glass box to house the main control panel, which needs to fit into a space where the main electrical boards are located. With the temperatures in the 20s centigrade the epoxy resins should cure quickly and the box can be completely quite quickly.

The old coffee mill

We also have time for other small projects on board. I am cleaning and restoring an old coffee mill which I bought while in France. It has been knocked about a bit and incredibly dirty, but was in working order. The coffee is excellent here as the beans are not over roasted resulting in a beautiful mellow but strong coffee flavour. We currently buy our coffee from the coffee shop close to the Mercato della Vucciria. The shopkeeper has a stylish old black and white portrait of himself at the Victor Emanuel monument in Rome hanging on the wall. He has five jars containingg different varieties of coffee beans and grinds the beans in a grand old electric mill which pushes waves of everchanging pungent aromas into the shop's still air.

The milled coffee beans heat up during the milling process and the wonderfully rich intoxicating scent is the result of the natural oils being released from the beans during this process. The hand mill does not generate heat as it crushes and grinds the coffees beans with the result that the fine grounds it produces should be far superior in quality retaining the esential oils of the bean, which normally evaporate off and are lost when an electric mill is used. This is the theory and in any event I am looking forward to milling my own coffee!

Saturdays always involve a shopping adventure to the markets and in particular the Mercato della Ballaro. I had been hoping to try the ricotta cheese made here and Palermo, which is very different to the feeble excuse for the chalky and dry ricotta sold in Ireland. In Palermo each ricotta cheese is individually stored in its own basket which in turn sits in a big bath of whey. The consistency of the cheese is dense and damp; very much like a mozerella but less elastic, and it has a rich and almost sweet taste.

The Palermo ricotta cheese with egg yolks and egg whites

Purchasing this wonderful ricotta seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try a recipe I found for gateau du fromage blanc from a book entitled "Bonne Cuisine d'Aujourhui", edition du Club du France Loisirs, 1989. It could be a possible sposa bene (good marriage) of Italian and French cooking. The published recipe is not perfect as it does not describe what to do with half the sugar allocated, but I think I have solved this mystery. Also some of the ingredients were not readily accessible here in Palermo and I have substituted the coarsely ground almonds for whole hazelnuts (I have no idea how the latter could have worked).

The whisked egg whites, blended egg yokes and bowl containing the remainder of the ingredients

The basic ingredients I used were as follows; 150 grams butter, 150 grams caster sugar, 150 grams ricotta cheese, 150 grams coarsely ground almonds, 6 eggs, zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt.

Egg whites being folded into the mixture

Firstly, cream (blend) the butter with hallf the sugar. After seperating the yolks from the egg whites, whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar until they are twice their original volume. In another bowl whisk the egg whites till they form stiff peaks. Mix together the ricotta, coarsely ground almonds, lemon zest, salt, creamed butter and sugar mix and the blended egg yolks. Then gradually and carefully fold in the whisked egg whites. Once entirely combined, the mixture can be spooned into a greased sprinform tin, and then placed into a moderate oven at approximately 150 degrees centigrade. The published recipe recommended cooking the cake for about 35 minutes. However, my cake took just over an hour. The tip here is to check it after 40 minutes and treat it like a sponge using a clean knife to test if tthe mixture is completely cooked.

Cooling on deck!

Once the cake has cooled it can be released from the tin and placed on a plate. Just prior to serving, I sprinkled two spoons of icing sugar on the top of the cake which seemed appropriate and it looked the part! The book, full of recommendations, suggested serving a rose Anjou with the cake. However, we chose the Italian option once again and served it with a chilled sparkling Lambrusco rose which was a fitting end to our comfortable afternoon meal. The cake was just moist and rich, yet remained light with gentle flavours coming from the combination of ricotta, almonds and lemon zest. We have not been too greedy over lunch, and despite a few approving comments from Italian visitors on board, a good portion has been kept to one side to be served with a chillled sweet Marsala wine [Malvasia Sicilia, Duca Di Castelmonte] to take the final heat from this hot day at sunset. The harbour is still and calm, and the lights have just illuminated the roads that lead up to the mountain villages and passes that hang over this great city. Ciao!