Have you dreamed of a culinary vacation?  A time to harvest, to chop to cook and enjoy the food with the wine of an exceptional region?  Consider spending time with Fabrizia Lanza in Sicily. She was a guest on Dining Around this past November 24th - and sent me an update today.  I though I would share it with you.

From our friend Fabrizia Lanza www.annatascalanza.com 

The garden is bursting with great winter vegetables and the first peek into spring.  

We are still waiting for the artichokes but the cardoons, broccoli, fennel, citron, and salad greens are coming up great. Along the road, just outside of Case Vecchie, there are little fronds of wild fennel plants coming up everywhere!  

The flavor of Wild Fennel is so special that we harvest as much as possible then cook it and preserve for the whole year.  

It is the secret ingredient that makes our famous Pasta con le Sarde so tasty!  

It's always so much fun when Case Vecchie is full of guests!

I had a sweet group of incredibly intelligent students from Harvard spend a week with me in Sicily.
The course "The Cultural Anthropology of Sicily through Food" was tailored to the group and included cooking lessons and half-day trips to Agrigento, Piazza Amerina, Segesta, Erice, Mozia and two days in Palermo.

We are planning more student programs throughout the year and hopefully my dear friends from Harvard will come back. http://harvardsicilywinterbreak.tumblr.com

Wild Fennel Fritters

6 grams fresh compressed yeast
200 grams semolina flour (durum wheat)
200 ml sparkling water (or beer)
½ cup red onion, diced
¼ cup pecorino cheese, diced
Salt
Wild Fennel, boiled until cooked then chopped (or substitute fresh large sage leaves)

In a mixing bowl, put the flour into a mound and make a well in the center. In the well, put the yeast and the water. Gradually mix in the flour from the sides of the well, then mix in the red onion, pecorino and salt. Set aside and let rise until doubled in size (approximately 30 minutes, depending on the heat in the kitchen). Heat a saute pan with enough oil to deep fry. Squeeze all excess water from the wild fennel then mix it into the batter. Scoop up a small ball to fry then place into the hot oil. Fry both sides until golden brown on the outside. Repeat with the rest of the fennel, or alternately dip sage leaves into the batter and fry until golden brown.

Yoga Retreats We have two wonderful Yoga & Cooking Retreats planned for June 2013
Email info@annatascalanza.com to reserve your spot.

The retreats are June 3-9 and another on June 10-16.
A 6-day tranquil retreat, in the heart of the Sicilian countryside, will include yoga lessons with Sonja Appel, a highly certified instructor and founder of Sushumna Yoga in Goa, and hands-on cooking lessons by Chef Fabrizia Lanza. This relaxing program will give you a taste of Sicily while restoring your mind and body!