Hi Everyone =)

Today my husband and I made “Cucche”(pronounced “coo-keh”), a typical eastern Sicilian dish native to the region where we live. They were absolutely delicious! So I wanted to share this recipe with you….are you ready? Let’s begin!

-500 grams (1 pound) of fresh sausages

-4 to 5 large garlics

-1\2 of a mozzarella ball (I used smoked mozzarella)

-2 cups of broccoli florets, cut in small pieces (fresh or frozen)

-700 grams (about 1 1\3 pound) all purpose flour (…in Italy use 500g farina rimacinata and 200 grams of farina 00)

– 1 Pkg dry yeast

– Olive oil

– Pasta machine

Put the flour, along with a bit of salt, in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small cup, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and let sit for at least 15 minutes (do not skip this step). It needs to get nice and frothy….

Next, cover the bowl with cling film, place a heavy plate on top, and cover the entire bowl in a clean garbage bag. Let rise for 1 hour.

In the meantime, smash the garlic in a pan.

….and squeeze out the sausage from the casing into the pan….discarding the casing.

Place a little bit of olive oil on top and cook the meat until almost done. Add the broccoli and cook, covered, until broccoli is tender. Note: If using fresh broccoli, add 1\4 cup of water to the pan to prevent the meat from drying. Turn off the flame and set aside.

Now, prepare to prepare the dough: Run an orange-sized piece of dough through the pasta machine set at “1” 3-4 times. Then switch to “4” and run through another 2 times. trim the ends and fill the center with the broccoli and sausage mix. Add pieces of cheese  and loosely pinch the center closed. Then starting at one end, wind up the dough.  (Here’s my husband working away!)

Brush the tops with olive oil and bake at 200°C or 425°F until nice and golden. MMMMMMM! (…..we had some extra dough, so we filled them up with cheese, oregano and tomatoes)

Buon Appetito!

Wanita =)

For more delicious recipes, be sure to check out my new eBook “Cucina Siciliana” filled with lots of truly authentic recipes given to me by family and friends here in Sicily….it’s only 99 cents!

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