A traditional Sicilian dish, the cold soup with matarocco is a probable legacy of the century and a half of Spanish rule in our South. Not so much for the dish itself, that even in Sicily, as in the whole world, cold dishes are preferred in the warm months. But due to the fact that traditionally, that is, before the advent of refrigerators, with the expression “cold” we Italians have always meant “not heated” or “at room temperature”.
In this case, instead, when we talk about cold soup we mean “as cold as possible”, even with the addition of ice. And it is here where the influence of Spain is seen. And specifically in Andalusia, which is the land with the longest tradition of cold soups. As the Gazpacho, whose ingredients (tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery, cucumbers and yogurt) are cold crushed and then chilled with ice. But in addition to the well-known gazpacho, in Spain there are at least a dozen other cold soups. Some of which are even closer than gazpacho to our matarocco. I am thinking, for example, of the Salmorejowhich has exactly the same ingredients as the matarocco.
In all respects, however, this unusual cold matarocco soup is undoubtedly a traditional Sicilian recipe. And also of ancient tradition.
The term Morocco It is of uncertain origin. Some make it derive from the homonymous district of Marsala (Trapani). Which, however, seems somewhat unlikely. Possibly the opposite is true, because the term mataroccuIn which Sicily indicates a particular pesto typical of Marsala, certainly derived from ancient Greek. Searching here and there, in fact, I verified the definition of matarocco in an etymological dictionary published in Sicily in 1789. Where it is specified that the term derives from ancient Greek ματτω (crazy, crushed), with reference (in that case) to a dish of crushed pumpkin.
Therefore, the meaning of “pesto” seems correct. At first also called “Pesto di Favignana” and then generically understood as “Sicilian pesto”. In this sense, the matarocco (or Sicilian pesto) is made by crushing basil, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, celery leaves and tomatoes. All amalgamated with olive oil and then used only when cold, mainly to season pasta, croutons or even fried fish.
The other use of matarocco is exactly what we are proposing., diluted with ice water to form a cold soup. Unusual in the panorama of our gastronomy, but up to a certain point. In fact, there are numerous Italian recipes for pasta, soups, and stews that were expected to be consumed at room temperature, or cold, when there were no refrigerators.
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 2 large green tomatoes
- 4 slices of toasted homemade bread
- hearty basil
- Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Peel the garlic cloves, wash about twenty basil leaves and crush them in a mortar with a pinch of salt. Beat for a long time with a rotating motion until a homogeneous cream is formed. Remove the pesto from the mortar and put it in the serving bowl.
- Finely chop the ripe tomatoes and pour them (including the vegetable water and the seeds) into the still dirty mortar with the garlic and basil pesto. Beat again until a smooth tomato sauce forms. Alternatively, blend the tomatoes with the blender and add them to the bowl with the pesto. Add 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, season with a generous grind of pepper and mix well
- Dilute the mixture in the bowl with half a liter of cold water, so that it remains liquid. Mix, taste and season with salt. Then add the green tomatoes after they have been peeled, washed and coarsely chopped with a knife.
- Cut the slices of bread that you have previously toasted into cubes and place them in the serving bowls. If you prefer, simply cut the slices into strips and leave them available for you to soak as you like. Pour the matarocco into bowls and serve the soup chilled, adding an ice cube or two if desired.
