Sunday, September 28, 2008

Gifts

There were three big livers in the Murray’s chicken I roasted yesterday. Gifts of the gods? Regalo is Italian for gift, and can also refer to the giblets, the gifts of richness for the poor, who were often stuck with the organ meats. Regale meanwhile, means regal. Regaleali is the name of the Sicilian estate of the Tasca d’Almerita clan, who host a cooking school that my mother attended. They make some damn good wines.* Break the name down and you get a sense of the history of Sicily, for Regaleali means “Gift of Ali” or “regal Ali,” either way referring to centuries of Arab settlement on the island. Some of the Tascas are tall and blue-eyed, hinting at the even earlier Norman influence.

We also made some tirmisu, which turns out to be great for breakfast. But then, what isn’t?

*Usually, you find their Nero d’avola (rosso) and Regaleali (bianco) in the stores. In a wine bar outside the wall of Florence, I had a glass of their Leone d’Almerita and became convinced they were hoarding the good stuff domestically.

4 comments:

amarilla said...

Tiramsu for breakfast? Well, I'm having a bonbon for lunch. That should really help me beat this nasty cold. Achew!

I wonder what a diviner would make of those three livers. Know any? I understand Dick Cheney can do that.

Matthew said...

Cheney would like us to think he eats the livers of his enemies, but he strikes me as nothing more than a man full of gall.

Sarah Milstein said...

Hey, what tiramisu recipe did you use? We made a batch the other night, and Tony's sister rightly said it was more like tiramisoup.

Also, if you bought ladyfingers, what brand?

Sarah Milstein said...

Weird--I have no idea why that last comment posted as "gmail time," but it was from moi (Sarah M).