We’re convinced that the best food show on television isn’t on the Food Network, or indeed on any of the cooking/eating channels born of the then-gutsy original’s success. The best food show on TV might not even technically be “on TV,” since the series in Italian with English subtitles is, of late, only on the international streaming service Mhz Choice.
Of course, there are lots of “Detective Montalbano” DVDs available starring Luca Zingaretti, and a spinoff called “Young Montalbano” that we wish had kept going. Not to mention the original bestselling novels by Sicily’s native son Andrea Camilleri
The thing is, as a detective based in the fictional Sicilian city of Vigata, Montalbano is paid to solve crimes, many of them involving murders. But what he really loves, even if he keeps getting interrupted while trying to do it, is to eat a crazy variety of Sicilian dishes. These are either ordered al fresco in restaurants wherever a case takes him, or left in the fridge for reheating at home by his usually unseen but often-thanked housekeeper Adelina.
With the launch of several new episodes, somebody at MHz hired a Greek-American chef (more logical a choice than you might think) to develop recipes for dishes we see Montalbano eating, or at least trying to eat. The most obvious of the recipes is for cannoli, but the most famous thing we can say about cannoli comes from “The Godfather.” You know: leave the gun, take the cannoli. The most famous thing we can say about pasta ‘ncasciata is that Detective Montalbano really loves the stuff.
Summer before last, as the world was just coming out from the pandemic, we also made the twice-delayed pilgrimage to Montalbano’s own Sicily. A highlight, as expected, was actually staying in the Casa di Montalbano in Punta Secca on the southeast coast. This is the house used for all the exterior shots of the detective “going home,” though the interiors are shot in a studio outside Rome. Perhaps the best dose of reality was the house’s famous balcony, where Montalbano has coffee before and/or after his swim in the sea each morning. The balcony is really there at the Casa di Montalbano, and we made sure to have our coffee on it every morning of our stay.
We ate in a number of restaurants around the old fishing village of Punta Secca, but none as memorable as Enzo a Mare. While there was all the usual talk about the eatery not “being what it used to be” before TV fame set in, it was worth every euro to enjoy dinner on the veranda over the water where Montalbano enjoyed innumerable meals – though most interrupted by a crime intruding over his telefonino. He always sits in the same place, in the corner (wise for either a Mafia boss or a non-corrupt cop) in front of the bright yellow railing with the tied-back yellow curtain.
We also booked the full-day Montalbano Tour by private car and driver, all handled by the Casa di Montalbano for easy one-stop shopping. We rode all over that section of Sicily visiting sites associated with the series. We visited the exterior of Montalbano’s questura (police station), which lets you pay to visit a show-like interior – but those interiors are actually shot in Rome., so we passed. Perhaps best of all, we got to visit a long-abandoned brick factory that’s been used in many different ways in many different episodes, all evocatively.
We started our Montalbano recipe development with the party line, the ‘ncasciata supposedly as cooked by Adelina, then checked out many other versions. One of the most profound takeaways (again and again, with all Sicilian food) is just how “Greek” the flavors remain, with a four-century side project involving Arab conquerors from North Africa. Either influence is more evident than anything from “foreign” Italy. After all, if you ask a Sicilian, the only thing Romans ever did in Sicily was steal everything worth stealing.
One note about our process: the MHz recipe deep-fries the cubed eggplant in oil and even crows about how much the eggplant soaks up while it’s cooking. This, we know from experience, is quite true. So that’s why we coat the cubes with a little olive oil, season them and oven-roast them. 1. You won’t notice the difference. 2. This eggplant is a lot better for you. 3. Oven-roasted eggplant is really delicious.
RECIPE: MONTALBANO’S PASTA ‘NCASCIATA
A cross between what we think of as Italian lasagna and Greek pastitsio, this baked pasta dish from Sicily gives clear voice to this “most Greek” of Italian cuisines. By the way, since Sicilian dialect swallows vowels like candy, the strange name is actually easy to say – Pasta IN Ca-SHOT-ah.
1 pound ground beef (or mix of beef, pork and veal)
1 large jar pasta sauce
2 eggplants
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups dry penne
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups shredded caciocavallo cheese (or Italian blend)
3 tablespoons grated pecorino, romano or parmesan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To prepare the ragu, cook the ground meat thoroughly, then drain off all fat through a strainer. Return the meat to a pot and add the Sunday sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, partially peel the eggplants, leaving enough purple skin to hold the flesh together during cooking. Cube the eggplants and toss in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread over a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes.
Bring salted water to a boil and cook the penne al dente, or a little short of it, since it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta, splashing with cold water to stop the cooking. Prepare the “besciamello” in a pot by melting the butter with the flour and stirring over a flame until a golden roux develops. Add the milk and whisk until the mixture forms a smooth, bubbly, thickened sauce. Sprinkle with the nutmeg.
Mix the cooked penne with the eggplant and about half the ragu. Form two (or three, in a deeper skillet or baking pan) layers, spreading pasta, then remaining ragu, then besciamello then shredded cheese. Sprinkle each layer with pecorino. Set the skillet or ovenproof dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the top turns crusty golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving, giving the pasta time to hold together. The dish can be served warm or room temperature, as it often is in Siciliy. Serves 10-12.
