There are spots on tomorrow’s Cannoli Crawl, and still time to sign up! There is also availabilty on Saturday, April 8th’s tour. Register at link in bio or at https://cannolicrawl.com. Join me in New York City to know why this beautiful pastry from Palermo, pictured, is, well, the model for a memorable moment. *Stuffed upon…
Category: Food/Cuisine
Bread Loaves for Saint Joseph Day 2023
Today was our annual Saint Joseph’s ritual breadmaking workshop. This year, Experience Sicily partnered with National Organization of Italian American Women. This bread making practice is a form of prayer to San Giuseppe. The loaves, which are made in the shape of flowers, doves, fava beans, and carpentry tools, to name a few, are meant…
Eat What Is In Season In Sicily
Artichokes are in season in Sicily right now. They are everywhere. And so, what do you order? Artichokes! (And fennel too!). For an “insider” place to eat in Palermo: Trattoria Club Rosanero.
Wheat, Wheat Everywhere! Sicily’s Economic Engine
Wheat. Hard durum wheat. To truly understand Sicily, one must understand that the act of cultivating grains on the island has probably been the main economic engine of the region for millennia. The Greeks started it, but the Romans made it their main business in Sicily. They had an empire to feed, after all. From…
Family Lunch in Caccamo, Sicily
I was blessed to spend today, New Year’s Day, with my family in Caccamo. This is the view from the agriturismo where we had lunch (NB a three and a half hour lunch!). We ate local sausages and cheeses cultivated and created from these hills. We also celebrated my cousin Tanina’s 80th birthday, and of…
Santa Lucia In New York City 2022
Eyes on a plate: This is how one identifies Santa Lucia, the patroness of light, grain, wheat, and eyes. Legend is that her eyes were gouged out either to make herself unattractive to her pagan betrothed or upon her arrest when Roman soldiers could not move her from where she stood. She was a determined…
Easter Surprise (Put Your Phone Down)
Put your phone down and look around. As I stood at the bar at Don Gino enjoying my caffè macchiato and observing the comings and goings of the moment, I noticed across the pasticceria a tasting happening. The baker (pictured) had appeared from the kitchen and asked the cashier to come taste her new colomba…
Make Way For Sicilian Artichokes
It’s artichoke season in Sicily. That means on almost every table, this flower (Yes, it is a flower!) is served in many different ways. Here, it is roasted. There are different varieties of artichokes, one set is harvested in the spring (shown here) and the other in the fall. If you are traveling through Sicily,…
Visit The Dairy With The Locals
Witness the cheese making process at the local caseificio (dairy), when you’ll have an opportunity to taste tuma (the first or “farmer’s” cheese) and ricotta, still warm, just out of the cauldron, coupled with crusty bread from the village paneficio (bread bakery). Join me for Secret Sicily: Life in a Remote Sicilian Town, from July…
Let’s Have A Chat For Carnevale In Sicily
Chiacchiere di Carnevale, pictured, are a crunchy, sweet, fried dough garnished with powdered sugar. Leading up to Martedì Grasso or Fat Tuesday, the height of Carnevale, one will find these all over Sicily. The label “chiacchiere” originates from Naples, where this fried mixture of flour, eggs, butter, and some kind of sweet wine reached high…