Sicilia, perhaps more than any other Italian region, wears its history on its sleeve, and this is especially true of its cuisine. Greeks, Saracens, Normans and Arabs all left their mark, meaning that today you can still find the ingredients and cooking styles they brought with them on their visits. Sicilians love their fish, their vegetables and their pasta, so expect to find dishes like pasta con le sarde, pasta alla Norma or pasta al pesto Trapanese, and also the island’s fabulous cous cous that can be eaten with fish, vegetable or meat sauces. Sweets and desserts are also sublime with good use being made of the island’s fine ricotta, almonds, pistachios and citrus fruits
Traditional dishes:
Caponata: Sweet and Sour Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 kg eggplant
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 450 g peeled, seeded tomatoes (or use tinned tomatoes)
- Handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed of salt
- 25 g sultanas (raisins)
- 50 g green olives
- 25 g sugar
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant and cut into a smallish dice.
- Heat 150 ml olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggplant until colored on all sides.
- Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- Drain off most of the oil (if there is any left), leaving only a few tablespoons.
- In this oil, fry the chopped onion until it is soft and transparent.
- Add the tomatoes and basil and cook over a medium heat until the sauce has thickened somewhat.
- Season lightly with salt.
- In another pan, heat a drizzling of olive oil and sauté the chopped celery along with the capers, sultanas and olives.
- Add the tomato sauce to the celery mix and sprinkle over the sugar, stirring until sugar has melted.
- Stir in the fried eggplant and serve warm.
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Sarde a Beccafico: Stuffed Sardines
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh small sardines
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 150 g homemade breadcrumbs
- 50 g sultanas (raisins), soaked and roughly chopped if large
- 50 g pine nuts
- 3 salted anchovies, rinsed and bones removed
- Handful of parsley, finely chopped
- 1½ sweet red onion, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed of salt
- Juice and grated zest of 1 orange
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Clean the sardines, removing the scales, the head and the backbone, but leaving the tail.
- Rinse and leave to drain on kitchen paper.
- In a frying pan, heat 100 ml of olive oil and add almost all of the breadcrumbs, leaving a handful to finish dish later.
- Sauté breadcrumbs until they are golden brown, stirring continuously.
- Place sautéed breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix with the sultanas, pine nuts, chopped anchovies, parsley, onion, capers, grated orange zest, the sugar and a little freshly ground pepper.
- Stuff the sardines with this mixture and roll them closed.
- Place rolled sardines in an oiled, ovenproof dish along with the crumbled bay leaves.
- Scatter remaining breadcrumbs over the top, drizzle with a little olive oil and cook for 15 minutes at 325 ºF.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with the orange juice and serve immediately.
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Pasta alla Norma: Baked Penne with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 400 g penne
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 600 g peeled and seeded tomatoes (or use tinned tomatoes)
- 10 leaves of fresh basil, torn
- 1 large eggplant
- 50 g salted ricotta, grated
Instructions
- Heat a drizzling of olive oil in a pan and add the clove of garlic.
- Sauté until the garlic has turned golden brown then discard garlic.
- Add the tomatoes and the basil leaves and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Salt to taste.
- Cut the eggplant into thin strips and fry in abundant olive oil until golden in color.
- Remove and drain eggplant on kitchen paper. Add eggplant to the tomato sauce.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in abundant boiling salted water and drain as soon as it is cooked al dente.
- Toss pasta into the pan with the tomato sauce and the eggplant, toss together over a medium heat and serve immediately with the grated salted ricotta.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Pesce Spada alla Griglia: Grilled Swordfish
Ingredients
- 4 slices of swordfish
- 75 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- Salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mint and a pinch of salt.
- Place the swordfish in a shallow dish and cover with the marinade, turning so fish is coated evenly.
- Leave for at least half an hour.
- Cook over a grill or barbeque until fish is cooked on the outside and opaque on the inside. (Don’t be tempted to overcook.)
- Serve hot, drizzled with remaining marinade and a final pinch of salt.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Sorbetto all’Arancia: Orange Sorbet
Ingredients
- 8 blood oranges
- 2 lemons
- 300 g sugar
- 600 ml water
- 1 egg white, well whisked
Instructions
- Remove the zest from one of the oranges and cut into julienne.
- Juice the oranges and lemons and filter juice.
- Place the sugar and water in a small pan with half the fruit juice and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the orange zest, remove from heat and leave to marinade for an hour.
- Filter and mix with the remaining juice and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Pour into an ice cream machine and when sorbet is almost ready, add the egg white.
- Once sorbet is ready, either serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.
Number of servings (yield): 6
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