were a television star as well
2016年03月07日
Vucciria market was recommended to me by my friend Judy to visit, then a local told me it was “over”, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to try to find it. Fortunately as we walked through the winding little streets and passages, all of the sudden, we came up on a nice little market square with folks selling sardines, bottarga (dried fish roe), salted capers, beautiful fresh and tinned fish, and, happily, more pancreas sandwiches.
I passed on a sandwich, but bought an old, metal gelato goblet for €2 and a horn for my bicycle for €1,50 made of green metal.
We had a final lunch at Trattoria Piccolo Napoli (Piazetta Mulino a Vento, 4), which was all I needed to feel completely better in the tummy department. Evidently some culinary luminaries had also recommended the restaurant, and I found out that Anthony Bourdain was there with Mary Taylor Simeti when he was taping a television episode on Sicily, and a few tables were obvious fans of his. And judging from the check, the restaurant knew they were a television star as well.
But it was still Sicilian with tables of men coming in for lunch. And locals definitely outweighed the two other tables of non-Italians. We had a tangle of wild greens sautéed with whole cloves of garlic, deep-fried artichokes, and sheets of fried chickpea batter, similar to panisses, but not quite as crisp.
Like the French, Italians also still eat in courses so after our shared starter, we dove into a platter of fried sardines with a delicious crust. Next up were bowls of pasta, I chose vongole (clams) because as a New Englander, I have a deep fondness for the little bivalves.
I slurped up the tangle of al dente pasta while a dining companion had squid ink pasta, which she pronounced excellent. (Although we both had a little bit of a tangle when I said I preferred dry pasta cooked, because it absorbs sauce better. I passed on tasting, but was intrigued when a man come in the door with a tray of goopy octopi.
