The loveSicily Spring and Summer cookery courses have now come to an end. It is far too hot to stay in the kitchen so break until September is in order.

This year classes featured some of the classics we keep presenting in our cookery courses like scacci, arancini, sweet and sour rabbit or pasta with a fish sauce. Among the new recipes we introduced the most popular ones were baked ricotta with citrus flavours, pasta with broccoli and sausage, beef carpaccio marinated with zibibbo wine and Sicilian herbs. But what was probably the most successful one was the "Sicilian grandmothers’ almond nougat".

Baked ricotta flavoured with orange or lemon zest was appreciated for its simplicity and versatility. The chef presented it as an antipasto served with local honey and orange marmalade on the side, the guests also thought it would be great for a buffet dinner party served with a variety of marmalades presented in individual bowls.

Pasta with broccoli and sausage is a classic of Sicilian cuisine. Reactions to this dish were interesting as even those guests who do not eat meat found they could still get an excellent result even without using the sausage - the overall dish had a more delicate taste. Alternatively, if strong taste is something they still wanted they could compensate the lack of sausages by adding more chilli and Caciocavallo Ragusano cheese to the sauce retaining part of the strong flavours of the original recipe.

The beef carpaccio was probably the recipe that required the highest degree of faith! We prepared it at the beginning of the course and let it marinate for five days, so for the entire week our guests were left in expectation (and quite a bit of doubt!).

The recipe uses zibibbo wine, lemon zest and local herbs to infuse the meat with the flavours of Sicily in bloom. Once we tasted it, everyone confirmed that it was worth the wait! Some of the guests also suggested the use of different wines and herbs that would reflect the flavours of their place of origin.

Finally, the almond nougat, Torrone di Mandorle! We cannot say much about this wonderful recipe as it is actually the Chef’s grandmother secret recipe that he generously shared with the loveSicily guests. All we can say is that the result is fantastic! With a thin and light crunchy consistency, the flavour of toasted almonds enhanced by “other” spices…… it was just too hard to stop having some more!