A TASTE OF SICILY

Sicilian & Mediterranean culture, cuisine and travel.

Brought to you by Isabella Akshay.

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Crocchette di Miglio e Verdure (Millet & Veggie Croquettes)

This wonderful vegan, gluten-free recipe can be whipped up in 30 minutes with just a handful of ingredients. Perfect as a finger food, or...

Aubergine & Ricotta Rolls

These aubergine and ricotta rolls with cherry tomato sauce are a dish that you can serve either as a main course or as a side dish. A...

Busiate Pasta with Tomato & Cashew Pesto

I've spoken at length about my love for pesto in all its forms, and you may have noticed I've posted several recipes featuring different...

Risotto all Ortolana (Garden Veggie Risotto)

A few things in life give me more satisfaction than seeing all the beautiful colours on my plate. "Eat the rainbow", they say! With the...

Pearl Barley Warm Salad with Mini Mung Tikki

My love for barley started while living in Singapore, where I learned it is used particularly in Chinese cuisine in several delicious...

Piadina (Italian Flatbreads) with Grilled Aubergine Parmigiana

What smells do you remember from your childhood? And why is it that the sense of smell can bring back childhood memories that the senses...

Chards, Kale & Feta Fillo Triangles

Who doesn't love a crispy parcel filled with cheese and delicious veggies? Layers of crunchy fillo pastry, juicy greens and all the...

Grandma's Milk Cookies (Biscotti al Latte della Nonna)

This is such an easy recipe. In Sicily we call these "biscotti da inzuppo" (lit. "soaked biscuits") to describe a category rather than a...

Sicilian Cauliflower in Batter (Cavolfiore in Pastella alla Siciliana)

I should start this post by clarifying that the term "cavolfiore" (Italian for cauliflower) is hardly (if ever) used in Sicily, where...

Warm Bulgur & Lentil Salad with Herbs

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons", said American journalist Jim Bishop - and that's so true. Ancient...

Whole Grain Focaccia with Mixed Olives & White Onion

I love a classic focaccia, simply seasoned with rosemary and coarse sea salt. There's something just wonderful about the soft consistency...

Penne all'Arrabbiata di Porcini (Penne with Mushroom Arrabbiata)

We all know and love the classic Arrabbiata sauce. But how about this interesting variation to the classic? Let me introduce you to my...

Melanzane Piccanti Gratinate Al Forno (Spicy Oven-baked Aubergines Au-gratin)

Stuffed aubergines are a typical dish of our peasant tradition, and something you will find in many other Mediterranean cuisines, giving...

Busiate Pasta with Lupini Beans & Pistachio Pesto

Warning: this is not your usual pesto! I love pesto in all its forms and regional nuances. I've posted before some of my favourite pesto...

Pasta e Ceci (Chickpea Pasta)

There are few things more comforting than a steaming bowl of pasta and peas/lentils/beans, or as I like to call it, carbs-on-carbs. Pasta...

Summer Veggie "Chicche" (Small Gnocchi)

Delicious and tasty, "chicche" (pronounced kik-ke) are essentially small potato gnocchi, following the traditional classic gnocchi...

Sicilian Stuffed Eggplants "Milinciani Ammuttunati"

I know, I know - the Sicilian name "Milinciani Ammuttunati" may sound hard to pronounce, but trust me when I say this is an incredibly...

Pistachio Tiramisù (Eggless)

Three things you may not know about tiramisù: The name is actually made up of two words stuck together - tirami and su - and it literally...

Beer-Battered Stuffed "Fiori di Zucca" with Whipped Ricotta & Labneh

Zucchini flowers, or Fiori di Zucca as we call them in Italian, are a delicate and delicious ingredient. When stuffed and fried, they are...

Cooking Sicilian: Here Are Your Must-Have Ingredients

As I've said many times before, Sicilian cuisine is, in fact, the result of many influences, which have occurred over time - from Greek,...