Sicilian Limoncello Recipes

I never understood that cheesy saying “If life gives you lemons make lemonade”.  What is so bad about lemons in the first place?!  If life gives me lemons Im a happy camper.  We have a lemon tree that we planted in our backyard here in Sicily and the thing has been struggling since day 1.  We even have occasional gardeners that have done their magic with it, but years went by without any growth let alone a single lemon.  Last year the tree had a breakthrough and finally produced!  We got 3.5 total lemons and they made me so happy that I didn’t even pick them at the proper time.  What was really funny is that all 3.5 lemons all showed up on the same branch, so that particular branch limb was awkward and weighted down.  Im sure that there is some scientific reason that the tree did that.. unless it was just trying to be funny.

We are surrounded by groves of lemon trees in our area ( which made our lame tree all the more interesting).  In Sicily there is a very good chance that every meal has a lemon involved somewhere. I have gotten into the habit myself, squeezing lemon wedges over grilled meats and sausages, pastas, and of course all types of seafood. Continue reading “Sicilian Limoncello Recipes”

Tomato Sauce Recipe – The Secret Sauce

How many tomato sauces have you tried?  I don’t even want to know how many different things I have tried over the years.  Its pretty crazy how there just isn’t a standard recipe for tomato sauce after centuries of practice. When talking food with my Italian friends, I like to bring up the fact that tomatoes originated in the Americas and were exported to Italy.  They never Continue reading “Tomato Sauce Recipe – The Secret Sauce”

Carciofi alla Brace – Artichokes Cooked on Embers Recipe – Sicilian Artichokes

Pronounced car-cho-fee, artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables.  I may call them Carciofi the rest of my life because its a lot more fun to say than ‘artichokes’.  During artichoke season in Sicily you will see big plumes of smoke wafting on the roadsides in Sicily. Local vendors set up a huge trays of coals with 50 or so artichokes cooking away. We roll down Continue reading “Carciofi alla Brace – Artichokes Cooked on Embers Recipe – Sicilian Artichokes”

Are Sicilian Blood Oranges in the States?!?

I think that I have written about the blood oranges of Sicily (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia).  They are one of my favorite foods in Sicily.  During the orange season we keep a regular supply and I eat at least one per day.  All of the fruit and veggie markets have huge containers full of them.  There are a few different varieties as well.  My favorite are the Tarocco.  The blood oranges of Sicily are IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta), which basically Continue reading “Are Sicilian Blood Oranges in the States?!?”

Help!!! Need a Recipe for Sicilian Cauliflower

Went to our local farmers market yesterday and couldn’t resist picking up one of these massive Sicilian cauliflowers.  They are in season right now and I have been too intimidated by them over the past few years because they are quite the commitment with their size.  What on earth can I do with this thing??  It has been sitting here in the kitchen for a day just mocking me.   Continue reading “Help!!! Need a Recipe for Sicilian Cauliflower”

Parmigiana Siciliana – Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe

If I had to choose a vegetable to represent Sicily it would be the Eggplant. They love this strange vegetable here. They have multiple varieties and for this recipe I prefer the “viola” which is a short and stout light purple eggplant.  You can see a picture of it below.  Im not sure if they have this varietal in the States …let me know!

In the States the slang is Eggplant “Parm” as in Parmesan.  Whats funny Continue reading “Parmigiana Siciliana – Eggplant Parmigiana Recipe”

Sicilian Recipe – Pasta alle Cozze – Pasta with Mussels

The seafood in Sicily is something a seafood lover dreams of. Fish markets are everywhere with huge varieties of fresh fish and shellfish. Almost every restaurant has a big display case filled with fresh selections for the day. I think Sicilians are born with a taste for seafood. Literally in the grocery stores you will find baby food jars of Spigola (bass), Salmon, and Tuna. We started Luca off with these and Continue reading “Sicilian Recipe – Pasta alle Cozze – Pasta with Mussels”

Top 5 Restaurants in Catania Sicily

This is dangerous territory that Im encroaching on.  People have very strong opinions when it comes to saying “The Top” in any category.  I hope that this does encourage some feedback so that we can all learn from each other.  Hopefully this is helpful to you and everyone can share some more ideas of spots to try.  We need all the help that we can get as Americans in Sicily.  Especially when some of the best restaurants Continue reading “Top 5 Restaurants in Catania Sicily”

Eat Pizzeria Catania – An Eating Let Down

I like to keep it pretty positive on Sicily Ciao here, but at the same time I think its important to point out disapointments as well.   We had a group of about 8 of us that were starving after a night at Teatro Massimo Bellini.  Luckily we were still early in “Italian time” for dinner and were able to sit down right away as we basically opened the place.  Eat Pizzeria is a place that I have been wanting to try because it is ranked as one of the top 3 restaurants in Catania on TripAdvisor.  I use TripAdvisor a lot and especially Continue reading “Eat Pizzeria Catania – An Eating Let Down”