Our stories regarding food, travel and life in Sicily...
loveSicily Blog
Cooking? ........ just a family thing
Posted on Thursday 20th of May 2010 under About loveSicily | Ancestry | Food and Drink | General
Love and passion for food have always been part of my family culture and I am happy that my daughter has fully embraced this passion and discovered already the fun that food can offer.
To me, eating Nonna Elvira's food was always fun and a good lesson at the same time, but I also used to spend lots of time "playing" in the kitchen with her and my mom, and loved every minute of it.
Lovesicily's extra virgin olive oil tasting with olive oil "master" at Mastri di San Basilio
Posted on Wednesday 19th of May 2010 under About loveSicily | Cookery Course News | Food and Drink
Every season we like to update our culinary tours in the attempt to include always the best food related experiences this area of Sicily has to offer. Now, if you have been to one of our cookery lessons or are familiar with this blog, you already know about my respect for Mastri di San Basilio's work and my appreciation for their extra virgin olive oils, both Riserva and Due Sicilie. Nothing really new about that!
Spring nature's gifts: Sicilian wild herbs
Posted on Monday 17th of May 2010 under About loveSicily | Cookery Course News | Food and Drink
We are right in the middle of our spring culinary and cooking tours right now and I have little time to devote to the blog, but I just could not wait any longer to share with you the pictures of wild herbs which are essential ingredients in my cooking classes.
Turbanti ri Spatulidda: scabbard fish turbans with wild fennel
Posted on Tuesday 27th of April 2010 under Cookery Course News | Food and Drink | Recipes
I love this fish called "spatulidda" in Sicilian, "pesce sciabola" in Italian, "scabbard fish" in English. I like it simply grilled, baked in a parcel with herbs or "in umido", but the recipe below with bread crumbs, cheese and herbs is one of my favourites. We prepared this recipe in our latest cookery courses and it proved very succefful with guests too. It is simple but requires top quality ingredients, especially good extra virgin olive oil, fresh fish and herbs and great tomatoes. It is also very versitile and can be adapted to other kinds of fish.
Playing with traditional food for a modern Sicilian Easter lunch: Arancino
Posted on Thursday 01st of April 2010 under Chef it up | Food and Drink | Recipes
For a 21st century Sicilian Easter lunch I suggest a modern interpreatation of a classic of Sicilian street food cuisine: Arancino aperto.
There are many versions of arancini around Sicily, the main variations being: rice with or without saffron, ragù for the filling with or without tomato sauce, filling with or without hard boiled eggs and cheese, etc.
Here I took inspiration from the typical arancini you find in my area, the Modica and Ragusa area, with saffron, ragù, cheese and hard boiled eggs.
Easter Traditional Food in Sicily: Pastieri recipe
Posted on Tuesday 16th of March 2010 under Festivities | Food and Drink | Recipes | Traditions
Easter is a very special time in Sicily, a wonderful blend of religious celebrations and traditions. And food, as usual in Sicily, plays a central role even during these festivities with: "nfigghiulati" (ricotta's pies), "cassateddi", marzipan decorated lambs, "palummeddi", "sciuscieddu", "'mpanati ri agneddu", and many, many more.
Here you find a recipe for one of my favourite Easter Sicilian delicacies "Pastieri", typical of the Modica and Ragusa area.
My interview on Sicily Guide
Posted on Tuesday 16th of March 2010 under Events
I really enjoyed answering the interesting questions that Maria Tuttocuore of Sicily Guide sent to me few weeks ago. When she contacted me to ask if I was interested in doing an interview I simply answered: "How could an Amore say no to a Tuttocuore?". We laughed via email and one of those strange on-line friendship immediately sparked.
Sicilianità by Dolce & Gabbana
Posted on Friday 05th of March 2010 under Art | Fashion | General
World famous designers Dolce & Gabbana have recently been on the news for their return to Sicily as source of inspiration for their latest collections and for their interest in finding a direct way to communicating to people via the many possibilities the internet offers, like opening up the front row of their fashion show to bloggers or creating pre-show diaries on their website. I follow Stefano Gabbana on Twitter and love to see the photos he uploads, like the ones I used on this post.
Wild asparagus, shrimp and cocoa nibs risotto
Posted on Thursday 04th of March 2010 under Chef it up | Food and Drink | Recipes
Spring is in the air in Sicily and we celebrated with a very seasonal risotto we prepared during a cooking class last Tuesday. Risotto with wild asparagus, shrimps and cocoa nibs.
Prepare the asparagus and the shrimp.
Prepare the asparagus by breaking off the tough ends (the woody part of the spear) and cutting the tender part into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer). Clean the shrimp, deveine them and keep the shells for the stock.
Then make a wild asparagus and shrimp-shell stock.
A February weekend in Sicily: Etna or Agrigento Mandorlo in Fiore Festival?
Posted on Wednesday 24th of February 2010 under Etna | Events | Festivities | General | Journeys | Photography | Travel
When thinking about visiting Sicily, one usually thinks either about spring or summer as the ideal time to enjoy the island. However, every month of the year can offer special Sicilian experiences to visitors and Siciliani alike.
I must admit that last weekend (20th-21st of February) choosing what to do was pleasantly hard. "Shall we go to Etna or to Agrigento Mandorlo in Fiore Festival?
We went to have fun on the Etna slope while our friend Andrea went to Agrigento.
