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Insalata Vastasa: Sicilian Potato Salad

My Sicilian mother always says that a meal isn't complete without a side salad. Her green bean, tomato, and potato salad remains one of my favorites. The recipe was inspired by my nonna's own insalata vastasa

 

In true Sicilian tradition, you worked with what you had; if you didn't have potatoes, you could still enjoy a green bean and tomato salad. Sometimes, we'd have it with just potatoes and beans. 

 

The recipe was so popular at family gatherings that I included a mention of it in my first novel

 

I was delighted to find a similar insalata vastasa recipe on A Quaint Life, a blog run by Roxanna Shadd. Roxanna and I recently chatted about her version of this classic Sicilian salad. She shared the right way to cook green beans and potatoes, her preferred potatoes, and what she hopes readers will take away from this recipe.

 

 

Tell us about your background.

I am not Italian; I am more of an Italiophile. Their lifestyle, food, and culture speak to me. Ethnically, I have a mixed background of Puerto Rican, Mexican, and caucasian descent. All of which have influenced me in different ways. But it was my travels to Italy some years back that woke something up in me. The slower-paced lifestyle and love for simplicity and food felt sacred in its own way. I brought back that feeling and decided to embrace it in my home, my work, and my lifestyle as much as a born-and-raised Californian can.

 

I am a full-time blogger and YouTuber who shares a simple life, is approachable in cooking from scratch, and loves homemaking. Life is beautiful; every day, there is an opportunity to engage with it. I want to share ways to fall in love with life, food, and the beauty of creating a home that feeds the soul.

 

How did you discover this recipe?

I like to cook authentically because, frankly, I want the real thing. Not the American made-up versions. So, I scour the internet for those wonderful nonnas who share what they are making and the history behind it. Once I feel inspired by something, I write my own version of it, making sure to include the traditional ingredients and not take away from its authenticity. This one I came across after trying to find a non-American mayo-based potato salad and found one that used only potatoes,  green beans, and olive oil, which caught my eye.

 

What makes this recipe Sicilian?

This is insalata vistasa, or an "eye-catching" salad, and that it very much is. It is a classic Sicilian potato salad that is made all over Sicily. I have seen slight differences in other recipes. Some call for anchovies, while others serve quite a plain version of potatoes, green beans, and olive oil. 

 

You recommend Yukon Gold potatoes. Why?

They have a nice creamy texture that works well with being dressed in olive oil. As a bonus, the peels are fine to keep on if you don't feel like peeling the potatoes. 

 

How do you ensure the potatoes and green beans are cooked perfectly for this salad?

Well, using potatoes that are about the same size helps for an even cooking time. You want to cook them until they are just done, not until falling apart. The green beans turn bright green and are ready fast, so I put them in to blanch last at the tail end of cooking the potatoes and make sure I don't walk away. Otherwise, they can overcook and lose the crisp texture that is so good in this salad.

 

What Sicilian meals would you pair with this salad?

This salad is so versatile that you could pair it with just about anything. A crisp, pounded-out chicken cutlet or a Sicilian salt-baked whole fish would work wonderfully. 

 

How and when do you typically serve it?

I like serving it at room temperature. Allowing it to sit a little after making it allows the flavors to develop. It is a great recipe whenever I am asked to bring a dish to a luncheon. 

 

What do you hope at-home cooks will take away from this recipe?

This recipe perfectly represents my food philosophy. Good cooking is about fresh, quality ingredients put together in a simple manner. They make the very best dishes. I think we need to remove the home cook's misperception that cooking from scratch is difficult or complicated. 

 

>>Get Roxanna's recipe here!<<

 

 


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Sicilian Roots and Jazz Rhythms: The Musical Journey of Daniela Schächter

Growing up in Messina, Sicily, greatly impacted Massachusetts-based jazz singer, pianist, and composer Daniela Schächter. Drawing from her experiences within a musical family and the Mediterranean views of her former home, her music has led her to prestigious jazz festivals and renowned venues, from the Hollywood Bowl to the Kennedy Center. Along the way, she has collaborated with acclaimed artists and won several awards for her contributions to jazz music. 

 

Daniela and I recently chatted about her musical influences, her decision to pursue jazz as a career, her role as an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, and more.



How did your experiences in Sicily shape your career?

I had a musical family. My father was a piano player. He didn't turn that into a career, but he played all the time, and my mom sang. So, I grew up with music around my house, and my brother, Davide, is a jazz guitar player. So I started studies in classical music, took lessons, graduated from the conservatory, and then started teaching and playing. I did lots of different jobs: accompanying singers, working for the Philharmonic Academy, and playing ballet pieces. Then, I started playing with rock bands and jazz groups. That was really fun. I had lots of friends and lots of concerts; it was beautiful.


There is lots of jazz still going on in Sicily; it's really a land full of talents. I was there until I was 28, when I moved to the U.S. I thought I would stay for six months, but then I decided to stay longer. 

 

What inspired you to pursue jazz?

That's probably because of my mother's influence. She listened to lots of Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, and all the great singers of the jazz era. She would take me to a little jazz club back in the day, and she would go there and sing with other musicians.


I loved listening, and then I took lessons in jazz piano. My brother started playing in little jazz groups, so there was a lot of jazz in the house.

I felt that jazz was closer to my soul in a sense and harmonically closer to the classical composers that I felt very attracted to.

 

When I was in Sicily, I was actually doing lots of different styles. But then, when I moved to the U.S., I just decided to marry the jazz world. I didn't really continue with rock groups. I still love lots of the music that I played, but I just don't play it anymore.

 

Which musicians or composers have the biggest influence on your work?

Well, classical, definitely Ravel and Debussy and also Bartók and Stravinsky. So lots of contemporary composers. But of course, I also love Rachmaninoff and Chopin. For jazz, I have lots as well. So, from Gershwin to more contemporary stuff. Of course, I love Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé; those vocalists are very dear to me. But, of course, great pianists like Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. They really made an impression, and probably, they're still in my sound.

 

From where else do you draw inspiration?

I am inspired by lots of different things. First of all, nature. My second album is dedicated to the colors of the Mediterranean Sea, so it's called I Colori Del Mare. And that is my favorite album that I recorded because it really brings me back to all the colors of Sicily, the sea, and the beauty of nature.

 

Nature is definitely my main inspiration, and everything related to the sea because I grew up in Messina, which is surrounded by sea. 

 

I-Colori-Del-Mare.jpg 

You've won several awards. Which is most meaningful?

I think of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition because that was the first. That was really promoting women and women in jazz. It was very competitive, and I felt that everybody really deserved it as much as I did. Everybody was really good, and I didn't really feel that I was going to get it, so it was a great joy when that happened. I was really happy that the judges found something a little bit different and something special in me. Pianists Geri Allen and Billy Taylor were among the judges, jazz legends for whom I have so much respect. Sadly, they are not with us anymore.  

 

You're an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music. What do you enjoy about your role?

I enjoy it when I have foreign students who come to me and need guidance. Most of them are super talented, but they need guidance in finding themselves in a place they don't know, which is new to them. I love helping them get used to a new environment and explaining my experience because I went to Berklee College of Music myself. So, I can totally understand what they go through, how they process things, and how overwhelming the whole system can be. 

 

How do you see your music evolving?

My music is going to evolve with my own person, evolving and finding more balance. I often go to Italy because I want to keep the connection. I want to remind myself who I am, what I love, and where I'm coming from. I want my daughter to feel the same. She actually feels Italian, which is something that makes me really happy. 

 

I want to find a balance between my professional life overseas and my professional life here. Since I have a 7-year-old daughter, she took a lot of energy, and I couldn't commit to several engagements. Between that and the pandemic, I've not really been performing as much as I love to. So, I would like to find myself performing more often, especially in my own country. 

 

What do you hope to deliver to your audiences through your music?

What I try to communicate is images of, for example, nature. So, the way I see it, and in many of my compositions, I describe a lake, pond, or leaves that fall. And I would like my audience to feel the way I feel.

 

I also write lyrics, and sometimes, the message is easier to understand through words. Writing more songs with lyrics will also help me in that sense. I love to write wordlessly, but at the same time, I have a few songs with lyrics, and I would like to continue with that and even include more lyrics in my pieces. 

 

 

 

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