Slice half an onion and brown it in a pan containing 3 tablespoons of oil and a knob of butter. Add 4 oz (100 g) finely chopped lean veal and 6 oz(150 g) shelled fresh peas. After a few minutes, add a little tomato sauce diluted in a glass of hot water, chopped parsley, celery and basil, and half a crumbled stock cube. Season with salt and pepper, and cook. Put 12 oz (300 g) rice in a little water and bring it to the boil, adding a few tablespoons of boiling water from time to time (when cooked, the rice should have adsorbed all the water). Meanwhile, hard-boil an egg. When the rice is ready, add 2 oz (50 g) butter, a pinch of saffron, three table-spoons of grated parmesan cheese and an egg. With this mixture, form small pear-shaped balls. Make a small hollow in the centre of each ball, and fill it with a little of the meat sauce and pieces of the chopped hard-boiled egg, sealing it with a little rice. Roll the rice balls in flour, then in beaten egg and, lastly, in breadcrumbs. Then deep-fry in oil, drain on kitchen paper, arrange on a plate and serve.
 
 

Slice 4 large aubergines and leave them to soak in salted water for about an hour, placing a lid on top to keep them submerged. Then boil them for 5 minutes in salted water, drain, squeeze out any remaining water, chop and place in a bowl. Add 2 egg yolks, 2 1/2 oz (70 g) grated pecorino cheese, a pinch of oregano, a little grated nutmeg, 3 oz (80 g) raisins that have been soaked in warm water and squeezed well. Season with salt and pepper. With this mixture, make round balls, then flatten them slightly. Roll them in flour and a beaten egg, to which an extra egg-white and a pinch of salt has been added and then in breadcrumbs. Deep-fry the fritters in hot oil, drain and serve hot. They are also tasty when eaten cold.
 
 

Clean 1 1/4 lb(500 g) cuttlefish, taking care not to break the little ink bags, which should be put aside. Rinse the cutterfish in running water and cut them into pieces. Put some oil in a pan and brown 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Add the cuttlefish, chop a small bunch of parsley and add this, then mix well. Add pepper, cover the pan, and cook over a low heat for about 45 minutes. Stir 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce into a glass of dry white wine, then sprinkle this over the sauce in the pan. Continue to cook the sauce in the pan. Continue to cook the sauce for another 20 minutes without the lid. Add a little water, replace the lid and simmer over a low heat for another 30 minutes. Cook 12 oz (300 g) spaghetti in a large quantity of salted boiling water. Pour the ink from the bags into the sauce (all or part of it, to taste). Drain the pasta "al dente", add the sauce, mix well and serve. The black sauce is also sometimes used to flavour rice.
 
 

Finely slice an onion and brown it in a little oil with a clove of garlic and 6 oz (150 g) chopped swordfish pieces. Add a handful of chopped parsley and basil, 4 oz (100 g) toasted breadcrumbs and a tablespoon of capers. Leave the mixture so that the flavours have time to infuse, then put it through a mincer. Stir in 4 oz (100 g) cubed strong provolone cheese, 2 eggs and a pinch of chilli powder, then season with salt and pepper. Flatten 10 oz (250 g) small slices of swordfish, using a cutlet bat if necessary. Spread the mixture on these and make a roll of each slice, securing it with 2 toothpicks. Cook on a griddle and serve hot. The swordfish rolls should be served with sarmoriglio sauce. Pour 1/2 pint (2.5 dl) olive oil into a bowl and whip it with a small whisk. Continuing to stir, add half a glass of hot water, the strained juice of 2 lemons, a tablespoon of chopped parsley, a generous pinch of oregano and a crushed garlic clove. Heat the sauce in a bain-marie and stir well before serving.
 
 

Wash and dice 6 aubergines, put them in a colander, sprinkle them with salt and leave them to drain for an hour. Fry them in plenty of oil, then put them on one side. Blanch, peel and dice 3 ripe tomatoes, halve 8 oz (200 g) stoned green olives, and remove the salt from three tablespoons of capers. In a pan, brown 3 finely sliced onions, then add 2 sticks of celery and the tomatoes, olives and capers. Add salt, and simmer until the celery is well cooked. Add the aubergines and a few leaves of basil. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, mixing from time to time. Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in half a glass of vinegar. Sprinkle the "capunatina" with the vinegar, allow it to evaporate, then remove the pan from the heat. Serve cold, as an antipasto or as a main dish.
 
 

This New Year's pudding is one of Messina's most famous culinary specialities. Pour 2 1/2 lb (1 Kg) flour onto the pastry board, make a well in the centre and break 12 eggs into this. Add a little lard, and knead the ingredients together to make a smooth dough. Make small finger-breadth sticks with the dough, and cut them into pieces about 1 in (2.5 cm) in length. Brown the pieces of dough in hot lard, then drain them on kitchen paper, and arrange them in a heap on a plate. In a pan, melt 1 1/2 lb (600 g) sugar and 12 oz (300 g) chocolate over a very low heat, stirring continuously. Allow the mixture to cool, then pour it over the "pignolata" and serve.