‘Tis the season for foraging wild fennel in Sicily. Not to be confused with the bulb fennel we have in our supermarkets in the United States, wild fennel is mostly fronds (the fern-like leaves), and it contains the best flavor when it is young. One finds wild fennel in the mountains and countryside. A keen…
Tag: pasta con le sarde
Stirring Things Up In Sicily | Stirring Sicily, Day 1
Live from Sicily! Experience Sicily and Chef Antonino Elia of Zest Cooking School kicked off our cooking, food, and wine tour, Stirring Sicily, this evening with dinner at Don Ciccio in Bagheria. I love this place, which is under my cousins’ house! Si mangia benissimo qua! Traditional Bagherese cuisine including pasta con le sarde and…
Wild Fennel Makes For A Happy Spring
Happy Spring! Nothing says spring in Sicily more than wild fennel. And today, being the vernal equinox, I want to bring attention to this fragrant, flavorful plant that grows wild all over the island, and is the principal ingredient of pasta con le sarde (after the sardines of course!). Not to be confused with the…
Where Should We Eat?
You’ve just woke up after a nap you took to recover from your overnight, international flight. You are hungry. You only have so many dinners to enjoy in Sicily. Now, what? Planning an international trip can be daunting for many people. And Sicily specifically, is so rich with things to do–and food to eat!–and is…
A Little Sicilian Kitchen in New York City
Last night in New York City, my friend Dave and I enjoyed dinner at the latest iteration of Piccola Cucina by Executive Chef Philip Guardione, Piccola Cucina Estiatorio, at 75 Thompson Street. Guardione has three locations within a few feet of each other in SoHo, and at Estiatorio, he incorporates sensibilities from Greek cuisine into…
Giving Thanks on St. Joseph’s Day
Saint Joseph’s Day is a communal holiday. In addition to the altars created, which are an exhibition of abundance and a dialogue with God, local specialties are prepared and shared with members of the community, more specifically with hungry and poor citizens of the town. In addition to macco (the fava bean soup I wrote…
To Tomato? or Not to Tomato?
There is an argument among Sicilians–to put tomato sauce or not in the recipe for pasta con le sarde (Pasta with sardines). Usually, I am in the “without” camp, but this dish, which was what I ate for dinner on Wednesday night in Palermo, made me think twice. I loved how the waiter repeated twice…
Pasta with Sardines for Saint Joseph’s Day
Among the main dishes eaten for Saint Joseph’s Day, or La Festa di San Giuseppe, is Pasta with Sardines, or Pasta con le sarde. The legend of how this dish came about is another post. So today, I’m just focusing on its relevance to the upcoming March 19th feast for Saint Joseph, which falls around…
It’s Sardine Season
In winter and spring, sardines swim close to Sicily’s coast in order to mate. So, I guess you might call this time of year sardine season! As we approach Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19, I’ll tell you about some of the traditions of this major feast day in Southern Italy and Sicily. Sardines are…
The Difference between Fennel and Wild Fennel
Fennel, or finocchio, as it’s called in Italian, is an important ingredient in Sicilian cuisine. It grows wild across Sicily throughout spring and into summer, and is the principal ingredient after sardines for pasta con le sarde. But wild fennel isn’t the same as the bulb fennel that we are familiar with in the US….