
Cherry meter

The Lady of the Rings - 3 DI 3
Paglina onion of Castrofilippo: Sicilian sweetness
Agrigento's lady in yellow.
Where is

The yellow gold of Castrofilippo
Among the ancient varieties of onion being recovered we find this Sicilian onion, the Paglina di Castrofilippo, little known outside the production area, but highly appreciated for its organoleptic characteristics. A precious variety, which we may call the "lady in yellow" because of the coloring of its tunic tending to pale yellow, which distinguishes it from all others. Its important characteristics are also the large size of the bulbs (on average 400-500 gr and can even reach 2 kg), pleasant aroma, sweetness, crisp texture and white flesh. It is the indispensable ingredient for the success of some local delicacies such as "cipuddata," "cipudda mpanata," "cipudda a furnu," and "cipuddetti omelette."
Its lower acidity and absence of spicy notes also make it ideal for raw consumption in salads. It is available in June-September and has historically been grown in the Castrofilippo area, in the province of Agrigento, so much so that its inhabitants are referred to in neighboring towns as the cipuddari. The Paglina is now a Slow Food Presidium, and the production specification does not provide for any chemical treatment or weeding, allowing, when necessary, only treatments authorized by organic farming. Cultivation management is manual, with full respect for the soil and the maintenance of its fertility; the seeds are selected and reproduced by the growers themselves.

Flavors of the earth
Sicily is a kind of immense and generous vegetable garden, where the cuisine of the poor, that of the people who were forced to engineer with what they could find, has always been able to count on raw materials of excellent quality. The factor that had the greatest influence on Sicilian cuisine was precisely the land, its soil and its sea. Although it was the Arabs who brought, many centuries ago, oranges and lemons, sugar and spices, it is always the territory that determines what to grow, the quality of the products. In Sicily one encounters true simplicity: one consumes and offers, what is available, what one has.
An idea that is summed up in the term companatico, or "what you eat with bread." Vegetables are a great resource, they are a valuable companion, and the onion is certainly one of them, typical of the poor peasant cuisine. It is not uncommon to find at Sicilian bakers already cooked vegetables, prepared by exploiting the thermal inertia of the ovens used to bake bread. But now we give you the few directions that are necessary to prepare Castrofilippo pagline at home as well. Two quick and easy recipes to savor all the sweetness of these golden nuggets!
Recipe
Beer-battered onion rings
Difficulty
Easy
Preparation
30 min
Doses
4 persone
Ingredients
- 2 pagline onions from Castrofilippo
- 300 g of type 0 flour
- 1 whole egg
- about 150 cc of very cold beer
- 300 g of cornmeal
- extra virgin olive oil (also for frying)
- salt
- paprika
Preparation
- Clean the onions by removing the outer tunic, rinse and dry them with kitchen paper. Slice the onions into 1/2 cm thick rings. Separate the rings, reserving the very small inner ones for another use, and arrange them on a tea towel.
- Mix the flour with the egg, 2 tablespoons of evo oil, a pinch of salt and add the well-cold beer until you have a smooth but not too liquid batter. Then let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, pour the cornmeal into another dish and, at the appropriate time, heat the extra-virgin oil in a pan large enough to dip the onion rings for frying: the oil should be plentiful and hot enough (170°). To check the temperature of the oil, do a test with a small square of bread: when you dip it in and it browns in 10 minutes, the temperature is right.
- Pass each onion ring in the batter, drain it well and, then, coat it in cornmeal. Fry 4 to 5 rings at a time so you can check their cooking and browning. Using tongs, turn them once until they are golden brown and crispy (about 2 minutes per side). When they are cooked, take them out and arrange them as you go on a tray covered with paper towels. If you like you can sprinkle with salt and paprika. Good appetite!
Recipe
Cipudde a furnu
Difficulty
Easy
Preparation
1,5 h
Doses
4 persone
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 pagline onions from Castrofilippo (depends on their coarseness)
- extra virgin olive oil
- oregano
- salt
- lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar, to taste
Preparation
- Clean the onions, removing any traces of soil, but without removing their outer tunic, and transfer them to a baking dish (covered with baking paper, if necessary).
- Place them in the oven at a temperature of 180° and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven, let the onions cool and remove their outer tunic.
- Slice the onions and place them in a salad bowl dressing them with an emulsion prepared with oil, lemon and salt. A pinch of oregano doesn't hurt. You can eat them either hot or warm.Good appetite!
Collections
Discover places and related research
The Map thanks:
Index
INTRODUZIONE
The Lady of the Rings
1 di 3
Certaldo onion, queen of Tuscan-style soup
2 di 3
Andezeno onions...stuffed Piedmontese style
3 di 3
Paglina onion of Castrofilippo: Sicilian sweetness
Where is

Collections
Discover places and related research