Frascatula of semolina and broccoli. Frascatula, grandma’s recipe of Sicilian “polenta”. In Sicily there is a very humble recipe, belonging to the peasant tradition, that vaguely resembles polenta, but which in reality is not polenta. Made in many variations, frascatula goes by different names across the region — here in Misterbianco it is called “pulenta“, but in Sicily you may also find it called “mentarrimina“, sometimes “frascatura“, or “piciocia” or “piciocca” — and it is mainly prepared by cooking coarse wheat semolina in the broth of the vegetables, especially broccoli, but also wild chard and field greens. In some areas of Sicily frascatula is made with timilia wheat flour and in others with legume flours, such as the “patacò” of Licodia Eubea, which is made with grass pea flour and sausage. It is often enriched with the delightful aroma of wild fennel. Today, to make frascatula even tastier it is often enriched with pancetta or the more traditional sausage, but in reality the original Sicilian frascatula recipe is vegetarian, and at most includes the addition of ricotta or pecorino, then finished with a good drizzle of oil. When my grandmother would make frascatula — or as she called it, broccoli and semolina soup — I didn’t yet know how much history this delicious dish had, but I remember I loved it very much, especially with the addition of those two tablespoons of fresh ricotta that made it delicate and amazing. Making frascatula the way my grandmother prepared it, simple and with basic ingredients, is not difficult; in fact it is prepared in very little time. Besides, it is an economical dish with few calories that is very filling. Want to try it too? Let’s go to the kitchen and you’ll love it from the first spoonful, but first I remind you that if you want to stay updated on my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.

Also see: