This post was supposed to be about how in Sicily you can find outstanding modern, gourmet cuisine. And you can. I have eaten at some of Sicily’s best haute cuisine restaurants like I Pupi in Bagheria, Bye Bye Blues in Mondello, Ristorante Cortile Arabo in Marzamemi, and others. And yes, these are excellent restaurants with eye-popping menus and artistic presentations. But you know what? I know you just want to eat traditional food, what we call “cucina povera,” because it’s what makes us feel good.

And so, today, instead of something with yellow foam and pink caviar, I present to you sficione (Sicilian-style focaccia), mignolate con salsiccia e cipolle (rolled bread with sausage, onions, and black olives), and a savory zucchini tart. These are just three examples of the infinite ways Sicilians make bread — for example, I could do a whole post on scaccia from southeastern Sicily or pane nero from southwestern Sicily … but today, we’ll just savor these.

Buon appetito!