When gluttony is not a sin. On Food Network digital terrestrial channel 33, tivùsat channel 53, the three are back Benedictine monks Sicilians from San Martino delle Scale - Don Salvatore, Don Anselmo and Don Riccardo - to share their secrets in the kitchen with the second season of "The recipes of the Convent", broadcast from Saturday 21 January at 18:15. The series will be available to stream on discovery+ immediately after the linear airing.
Le recipes kept within the walls of the convent are revealed every week by the splendid abbey in the mountains of Palermo, between Monreale and Palermo. Simple and traditional foods, prepared between a few anecdotes and sacred songs, such as the "finellina in fish broth" (thin spaghetti that smells of the sea), the Agostina omelette but also recycled recipes such as baked bread. Space also for desserts such as “biancomangiare” (vanilla milk pudding) or “cutumè” (cinnamon-scented ricotta pancakes), without forgetting some vegetarian recipes and some typical dishes of the Sicilian tradition.
"The recipes of the Convent": who are the three monks
The protagonists of this interesting culinary journey are: Don Salvatore Pellegrino, originally from Belpasso, studies at the Hotel Institute, in the convent in Nicolosi since 2016 (now following Theology in Palermo), and Don Anselmo Lipari, the dean, originally from Alcamo, professor of Theology, who helps in the preparation and tells anecdotes and historical or religious curiosities about the dishes. And finally the youngest: Don Riccardo Tumminello of Monreale who appears at the end of each episode, singing Gregorian chants and sacred hymns before tasting the dishes. A particular way to tell on television the good cuisine of this ancient convent, according to the motto that has always accompanied the Benedictine tradition, capable of synthesizing the spirit of the prescriptions of work and prayer, from the Latin "ora et labora" pray and work.
«Everything started by chance - said Don Salvatore - we were contacted and we thought it could be useful to make this ancient convent known to the community. A world that is not commonly shown. Many people have come to visit us above all to discover the monastic reality, what is done in the monastery, what the life of the monks is like. Then, once you get here, you are struck by the beauty of the place. Many Palermitans did not even know of its existence ». Being in front of the cameras wasn't easy at first. It was adventure. I felt embarrassed, there was the fear of making a mistake, there are times, shots to repeat. But many people have come to the monastery because they have seen us and this is a beautiful thing».
The abbey of San Martino delle Scale
The monastery, founded in 1347, is a splendid structure immersed in the woods with three cloisters, two courtyards and a basilica with an ancient organ. They live there 16 monks who strictly respect the rules of the past. Don Anselmo takes care of the refectory, Don Salvatore takes care of the vegetable garden, Don Riccardo welcomes the guests.
In the abbey there is also a guesthouse, explains Don Salvatore: “There are those who want to stay a few days with us, those who want to find comfort in prayer, those who want to make a spiritual retreat. Visiting groups come, scouts, parishioners. There is never a shortage of guests in the monastery."
Recently, the Abbey has produced a craft beer call Blessed hour, one dark and the other blonde (and the redhead is in the works), with which they have also won prizes. But to be able to taste the drink of the monks of San Martino you have to enter the monastery and visit the friars' shop. The product is not marketed but produced only for passion. “Our association contributes to the production of several hundred bottles every year – explained Carmelo Di Fatta, vice president of the Hora Benedicta association -. It takes about three months of work to find the finished product on the shelf, but we are sure that our product is genuine".
