A TASTE OF SICILY

Sicilian & Mediterranean culture, cuisine and travel.

Brought to you by Isabella Akshay.

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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...

Sicilian "Maccu" (Cream of Fava Beans)

Fava beans or broad beans are a very ancient and precious legume and are used in various traditional Sicilian dishes. This very...

Black Olive Baguettes

These vegan baguettes are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside thanks to semolina - which is mainly used in Sicily for making...

Slow Braised Chickpeas with Crispy Paprika Polenta Crostini

This unassuming bowl of chickpeas will knock your socks off, I promise. It's vegan, it's gluten-free, but doesn't compromise on flavour...

Vegan Ginger Celeriac Mash with Tangy & Sweet Mushroom Stew

This dish has so many wonderful layers of flavour - the sweetness of celeriac, combined with dried plums, cinnamon and cardamom from the...

Vietnamese-Style Kohlrabi Salad

At home we eat salads almost every day, either as a main course or as part of a meal. So naturally I'm always looking for ideas and ways...

Vegan Spiced Holiday Wreath

This vegan sweet bread is full of spices and dried fruit, and doesn’t require any special equipment. It makes for the perfect gift or...

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto

I shared some tips for making an extra creamy, delicious risotto with you the other day. Here are a few more: 1. Most people think the...

Angioletti: "Little Angels" of Fried Pizza Dough. A Popular Neapolitan Street Food

Continuing on the theme of "Aperitivo", these scrumptious fried "angioletti" (lit. little angels) of pizza dough are usually offered in...

Tuscan Ribollita Soup

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that here at the Isa-Akshay home we honour and celebrate both Italian and Indian cultural...

Santra (orange) Burfi & Coconut Burfi

My vegan version of two Indian classic sweets. SANTRA BARFI 3 tbsp vegan butter 60g almond flour 2 tbsp almond milk, or other non-dairy...

Sesame & Yuzu Tofu with Samphire Salad

Experimenting with flavours. Sometimes a super simple dish can have the most sophisticated combination of flavours. Spicy, citrusy and...

Quince Jelly (Sicilian Cotognata)

The making of quince jam & quince jelly - both called Cotognata by Sicilians - were a family affair back home. Me, my sister, my dad...

Melanzane a Beccafico aka Sicilian Aubergine "Beccafico" (Vegan)

I believe food is always the best cure for homesickness, and I decided to cure mine by cooking lots of traditional Sicilian dishes,...

Vegan Ramen with Homemade Miso

One of my (very few) achievements this year was to make homemade miso paste - at home, from scratch. The process - consisting of mixing...

Fregola alle Verdure (Sardinian Fregula & Vegetables)

Fregula (often Italianised as fregola) is a peppercorn-shaped pasta typical of the Italian island of Sardinia. Made with semola and...

Cavoli Affogati (Sicilian "Drowned" Cauliflowers)

This stew evokes memories of late September nights and the sea. A perfect celebration of this end of summer and a welcome to the new...

Spaghetti in Vegan Ligurian Walnut Sauce, Red Chicory and Portobello Mushroom

Creamy, rich and with just a hint of nutmeg, this walnut sauce is one of my favourite vegan sauces. I posted a recipe for walnut sauce...

Homemade Tagliatelle with Vegan Roasted Pepper, Vodka & Gochujang Sauce

Raise your hand if you think Korean-Italian cuisine is a match made in heaven! I think the two cuisines complement each other and...

Vegan Thai Green Curry

My first time eating Thai green curry: unforgettable. Me and my then boyfriend (now husband) had just landed in Bangkok for the first...