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The variety and the richness of the Sicilian cuisine is undeniable. Its food is full of familiar flavours, but delivered in a language that clearly represents the sum of all the influences that Sicily has absorbed through the centuries. Cuisine is always an instrument of identity. Caponata, for the Sicilian region, is one of them. At first sight, you’d be forgiven for mistaking

Cream of tartar, known in Italy as St Antimo’s crystal, is an acid. It is a tartaric and organic acid, found naturally in many plants. It is also formed during the winemaking process: found in the sediment left behind in barrels after the wine has been fermented, it is then purified into the white powder we use

Did you know you could keep your tomatoes seeds for planting in the garden? Summer has nearly ended, but it could still be the right time to save some tomatoes seeds to keep and plant out in your garden or greenhouse in future. You should first select the variety, like “striped Roman tomato” for example,

The Aeolian islands are a small volcanic archipelago of seven islands in the Tyrrhenian sea. They are located off the north-eastern coast of Sicily and named after the God of the winds, Aeolus. The islands – thanks to their proximity to the mainland and a high level of trade with Sicily and the other islands

Nowadays we all grow up “eco-conscious” – we have to! And kids today start making lifestyle decisions at a very early age: my daughter – at 8 – has several friends that are already vegetarian or even vegan. For the rest… we do yoga at dawn, breakfast on organic avocado, drink green tea and avoid

I had forgotten how beautiful and fascinating Sicily was. I had been there ages ago, and just recently I went back. Its scenery, its history, its people: it is easy to be happy in Sicily. Sicily is sun, sea, arancini, cannoli, ice cream, espresso coffee, marzipan…. but in reality, to be truly at one with

‘Mango-peaches’ or perhaps ‘Clingstone’ peaches…do you know them? The real name of the variety, in Italian, is “percoche”, but as soon as my daughter tasted them, she renamed them “mango-peaches”. She was spot-on! They are a big, round, orangey peach; juicy but firm – and very much in season during the month of August. They

Known, all around the Italian peninsula as the town that was the birthplace of the acclaimed singer Domenico Modugno – author of the universally celebrated song “Nel blu dipinto di blu” (‘In the blue painted blue’..) – Polignano a Mare is a popular holiday destination for most people: Italians and foreigners alike. This astonishing white-washed

When I started to cook “seriously”…, making food from scratch and in big quantities, I had to begin every now and then to stock up on the essentials in my kitchen: flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and yeast. The fresh brewers’ yeast , is irreplaceable, a must, if you want to make an excellent bread

Last weekend I had a delicious  dinner at a friend’s house. We ate in her lovely garden. She introduced me to a new recipe, traditional Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, absolutely fantastic and quite easy to prepare. From Ottolenghi’s cookbook “Jerusalem”, roast chicken with clementines and arak is a dish I will certainly add to my repertoire.