“The mums of the village” open up their homes and offer their visitors a special “travelling meal” in the alleys of Motta Camastra, one of the most characteristic medieval villages of north-eastern Sicily. Here, between narrow alleys and houses set closely together, a dozen women have decided to come together and cook local dishes giving birth to the first “So Lunch” project in Sicily. So, we will find mum Raffaella preparing a tasty appetizer right outside the front door of her home, or mum Mimma while cooking “maccarruni” with tomato sauce.
Other mums are engaged in roasting the meat in the oven or in preparing home-made bread and sweets. The visitor, after taking a ticket, begins a really curious tour, moving from table to table, strolling through the alleys and doorways in a sort of Street Food-style.
The most pleasant thing is that while walking, guided by the local children, people have the opportunity to socialize, make new friends and discover corners of this fantastic village with spectacular views on the Alcantara Valley. A heavenly atmosphere, made of unspoiled landscapes, genuine traditions and simple people, is still very tangible.
The dishes
“This initiative is having a great success – explains the project manager, Mariangela Currò, mother of twin girls and excellent pastry chef-. In addition to food, people appreciate being hosted in our homes and see how typical dishes are prepared: someone has even asked to participate in the preparation of home-made pasta and bread! The preparation of the dishes depends on the availability of the ingredients, which are exclusively provided by local producers. Among the summer dishes we offer a mixed appetizer with local cheeses, ricotta, and eggplant parmigiana. Then, visitors can taste “maccheroni alla norma” (typical pasta with eggplant and tomato sauce) served with savoury ricotta cheese, pasta with beans, baked lamb marinated in red wine, meatballs in lemon leaves. Among the sweets it is worth mentioning the ricotta cake and the typical pecan pie prepared with the local walnuts, for which our village is well-known. The winter menu offers yellow pumpkin with mint, maccheroni with meat sauce, ravioli with walnut pesto, roasted pork loin”.
In short, a truly tasty occasion for those who would like to live an original experience in Sicily and rediscover the genuine and traditional home cooking!
