4th of July: Homage to American Sicilian cuisine

On the 4th of July, America's Independence Day, we want to celebrate Sicilian-American style with a recipe from Vincent Schiavelli's wonderful book "Bruculinu, America. Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, told in stories and recipes."

In his book he wrote a fantastic description of the fire works preparation in the Sicilian community in Brooklyn for the Fourth July celebration and explains how strange the American way of celebrating the day seemed to Sicilian immigrants: "The Fourth was the American holiday we undertsood the least in Bruculinu. We all knew, of course, what celebration commemorated, but the form was strange to us. in the first place, we knew of no special food associated with it. We could relate to Thanksgiving turkey, but for the Fourth, all we saw the Americans do was drink too much and make noise."

Why not trying his Sicilian Baked Mash Potatoes then?

2 1/2 pounds russet, Yukon Gold or yellow Finn potatoes
Sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
Black pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup grated imported pecorino cheese, preferably Locatelli
3 tablespoons unflavored fine dry bread crumbs, plus more for dusting the pan.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into large pieces of equal size.
Put them in a pot of lightly salted cold water over a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.
Meanwhile, parboil the peas for 2 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Drain the potatoes, put them in a large bowl and mash with the 4 tablespoons butter and a few grindings of pepper. Cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Generously grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and coat with bread crumbs.
Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl and mix them into the mashed potatoes. mix in the cheese. Gently mix in the peas, being careful not to mash them. Turn the mixture into the loaf pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and pour it over the top. Sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons bread crumbs.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown.
Let it stand for 5 minutes. Cut the loaf into slices and serve."

This is a version of a classic Sicilian recipe called Gateau di patate which can be prepared in various versions. I think the Schiavelli one is a great Fourth July Sicilian recipe, excellent also to absorbe beer and other drinks.......;)!
You can still buy Vincent Schiavelli book on Amazon and other websites. It is simply a wonderful book!