Caponata

For ➍
2 eggplants
½ celery
2 medium onions
2 tbs pine nuts
6 tbs traditional olive oil
400 g canned tomatoes
200 g green olives stuffed with lemon
5 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs granulated sugar
2 tbs raisins
2 tbs capers
15 g fresh basil

Cut the aubergine into 1½ cm pieces and sprinkle with salt. Leave standing for 5 m. Pat dry with kitchen paper. 
Meanwhile, cut the green celery and chop finely. Cut the stems into thin arcs. Slice the onion in thin rings. Heat a frying pan without oil or butter and roast the pine nuts 3 m golden brown. Let cool on a plate. 
Heat half of the oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry half of the eggplant golden brown . Remove from pan and repeat with rest of oil and eggplant. Put all the eggplant together in the pan, mix with the onion and celery and bake for4 m. Add the diced tomatoes, olives, vinegar and sugar. 
Stew with the lid diagonally on the pan over low heat for 30 m until done. 
After 15 m, add the pine nuts, raisins and capers. 
To prevent sticking, toss from time to time. Season with pepper and salt if desired.
Remove from heat and toss in the basil leaves and celery greens.

* Delicious with grilled fish, or / and couscous or ciabatta.
** You can also eat this dish as a starter.
*** You can eat the salad warm, lukewarm or cold.
**** You can make this dish two days in advance, but don't add the basil until just before serving. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

Pollo arrosto all'arancia, limone, e zenzero (Jewish chicken with orange, lemon & ginger)

For ➍
1 lemon
1 roasting chicken, about 2.5 kg
grated zest 1 lemon + lemon cut into quarters
grated zest of 1 orange + orange cut into quarters
3 tbs peeled & grated fresh ginger root
salt & freshly ground black pepper
5 tbs margarine, melted, or olive oil
4 tbs fresh lemon juice*
10 cl fresh orange juice
3 tbs honey
orange sections for garnish

Preheat an oven to 190°C. Cut the lemon into quarters. Rub the outside of the chicken with one of the lemon quarters, then discard. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon and orange zests and 1 tbs of the grated ginger. Rub this mixture evenly in the cavity. Put the lemon and orange quarters inside the bird. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. In the now-empty small bowl, combine the melted margarine or olive oil, lemon and orange juices, honey, and the remaining 2 tbs ginger. Mix well.
Place the chicken in the oven and roast, basting with the citrus juice mixture at least 4 times during cooking, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 h.
Transfer to a serving platter and let rest for 10 to 15 m.
Carve the chicken. Garnish with orange sections.

* Use 4 tbs pomegranate juice in place of the lemon juice.
**Roast in a Dutch oven for about 1 h /kg.

Ginger arrived in Italy with Arabic traders or North African Jewish immigrants, so it's likely that this is a Sicilian or Livornese recipe. Most Italians would use ground ginger.

Seared swordfish steaks with salmoriglio & tomato & pepper salad

For ➍
for the salmoriglio:
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs water
1½ tbs lemon juice
pinch salt
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tbs chopped fresh celery herb or celery leaves (optional)
1 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
for the swordfish:
4 x 200 g swordfish steaks (about 2 cm thick)
olive oil
peperoncini or crushed dried chillies
salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the salad dressing:
1½ tbs lemon juice
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-hot red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
500 g ripe & juicy tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed, chopped
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeds & stalk removed, cut into strips
1 small red onion, finely chopped
60 g preserved lemon, rinsed, flesh removed & discarded, skin chopped into small pieces
2 tbs chopped fresh coriander

Preheat a griddle pan until very hot, or preheat the barbecue, allowing the flames to die down (approximately 40 minutes).
For the salmoriglio, place the oil and water into a bowl and whisk together until thick and emulsified.
Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, to taste.
Add the garlic, oregano, celery herb or leaves (if using) and parsley and stir well.
For the swordfish, brush the swordfish generously with oil and season well with peperoncini or crushed dried chilli and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the swordfish onto the griddle pan or barbecue and cook for four minutes on each side, or until completely cooked through.
For the dressing, place the lemon juice and olive oil into a clean bowl and mix well.
Add the red chilli, garlic and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, place the swordfish steaks onto four plates and drizzle over the salmoriglio. Place a large spoonful of the chopped tomatoes next to each portion of swordfish.
Top each pile of tomatoes with a little of the sliced roasted peppers, followed by some red onion and a sprinkle of preserved lemon pieces.
Drizzle the dressing over the tomato salad and sprinkle over the chopped coriander.

Read a similar recipe for Sicilan swordfish and its salmoriglio.
Read tip on grilling and marinating swordfish.

Trapani couscous

For ➍
300 g couscous
1½ tablet fish broth
500 g prawns raw & unpeeled (thawed)
190 g toasted almonds
15 g coriander
20 g flat leaf parsley
10 cl extra virgin olive oil
250 g cherry tomatoes on the branch
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, cut into half rings

Put the couscous in a large bowl. Dissolve 1 broth tablet in 35 cl of boiling water. Pour over the couscous and stir. Leave covered for 10 m. Stand.
Meanwhile peel the prawns, saving the tails. With a sharp knife remove the gut.
Put the almonds, coriander, parsley and oil in a high cup and puree with a hand blender until pesto.
Stir in the couscous with a fork. Keep 2 tbs almond pesto apart and mix the rest with the couscous. Season with pepper and a little salt. Place the tomatoes on the stem on top*.
Heat 1 tbs pesto in a frying pan and fry the garlic for 1 m. Add the onion and cook for 4 m. Add 25 cl of boiling water and ½ tablet of stock. Bring to the boil and simmer 2 minutes. Simmer.
Add the shrimp to the sauce and simmer for 5 m or until done.
Put the sauce in a bowl and toss the rest of the pesto through. Serve with couscous.

*Or add to the pesto.

The Sicilian town of Trapani was founded bij Greek colonists, conquered by Phoenicians, Carthago and Rome. Under Muslim rule, it became an important port for the sale of salt. It is still very close to Africa and continues the culinary traditions. The pesto is adapted from Genuese sailors, coming to Sicily, using local products as tomatoes and almonds.

Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian almonds & tomato pesto) (pesto rosso)

For ➍
190 g toasted almonds
15 g coriander*
20 g flat leaf parsley*
10 cl extra virgin olive oil
250 g cherry tomatoes

Put the almonds, coriander, parsley and oil in a high cup and puree with a hand blender until pesto. Add the tomatoes, or serve on the dish.
Serve with couscous or with pasta like penne or farfalle.

*Or 35 g basil

Pomodori fritti (fried tomatoes)

For ➍
4 large, slightly underripe (or green) tomatoes
cornmeal
olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in thick slices.*
Roll in the cornmeal.
Have a finger of oul in a pean. Heat.
Fry the tomatoes until crisp and golden.
Drain on a paper towel.
Serve hot with sliced mozzarella and basil leaves.
Or serve as a side dish for grilled fish or meat.
Or serve on a baguette, covered with some mayonnaise and pesto.

*When you got enough time, let the sliced tomatoes rest for 30 m. Dry them with a paper towel. Roll them in flour, then in breadcrumbs. Grease the pan with a paper towel paper with some oil and bake the slices for a slightly lighter dish.
Or cut the tomatoes in half. Let the slices rest upside down for 2 h. Remove the wet inside. Dry the inside. Make a mix of bread crumbs, pepper, chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and oil. Put some capers in the tomato halves. Fill the cavities of the tomatoes with the mixture of breadcrumbs. Fry the tomatoes.

Pasta alla Norma (Sicilian pasta with tomatoes & eggplant)

For ➏
6 medium-sized eggplants, about 500 g, peeled if wanted
3 cloves garlic, chopped
500 g sun-ripened plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled & chopped*
6-8 basil leaves, shredded***
450 g spaghetti or rigatoni
60 g grated pecorino romano, salted ricotta or Parmigiano
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil (or corn oil) for frying**
1 small onion (optional)
1 tbs of capers (optrional)
½ ts hot pepper flakes (optional)

Peel and slice the eggplant into 1 cm slices, salt the slices, and let them sit in a colander for about 1 h. (Dice them if wanted). Rinse them, pat them dry (put on some weight to remove moisture), and fry them a few pieces at a time in hot oil, turning them so both sides brown, and setting them to drain on absorbent paper.**
Set water to boil, and while it's heating heat 16 tbs oil in a pot, sauté the garlic (and onion) briefly. Stir in the blanched, peeled tomatoes*. Season with salt and abundant pepper or ½ ts hot pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking the sauce figuring 15-20 m in all. 5 m before it's done, add the shredded basil***.
Keep an eye on the pasta pot while preparing the sauce, and as soon as the water boils salt it and cook the spaghetti.
(Meanwhile, pour oil into a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until popped open and crisp, 1–2 m. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.)
When the spaghetti are al dente, drain them and season them with the tomato sauce.
If you are bringing bowls of pasta to the table, divvy the spaghetti into four bowls and divide the eggplant slices among them. If you are instead serving a big bowl of pasta, season the pasta with the tomato sauce and them carefully mix the slices of eggplant into it.
In either case, sprinkle the pasta with much of the cheese, and serve it with the remaining cheese on the side.

* Use different types of tomatoes, sweet flesh tomatoes and tangy Roma tomatoes. Add ½ ts hot pepper flakes if wanted.
** To avoid the oil, bake or grill the eggplants.
*** Add a few stalks of thyme (optional).

'Pasta alla Norma' is a classic dish of Sicily. The lore of its origin goes back to a 19th-century opera composer Vincenzo Bellini, who was born in Catania, Sicily. As his fame grew, especially with 'Norma', a chef from Catania named his creative pasta dish after the opera.

Pollo Marsala (chicken Marsala)

For ➍
2 boneless chicken breasts with skin, halved***
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
200 g mushrooms, sliced thinly
10 cl (dry) Marsala*
20 cl chicken broth**
2 tbs fresh parsley leaves, minced

Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 ½ tbs of butter over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.
Discard all but 1 tbs fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until the liquid from the mushrooms is evaporated. Add Marsala* and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth** and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 m. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.
Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 10 cl. Remove skillet from heat and stir in ½ tbs of butter***. Salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter*** is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with fresh egg pasta, or with a fresh green salad or aspargus in season. And a glass of spicy white wine, or a fresh red Sicilian wine.

*Replace broth and Marsala with 20 cl Marsala and 10 cl dry sherry.
**Replace ⅓ of the Marsala with dry sherry or crisp white wine to cut the sweetness.
***Replace butter with heavy cream for a thicker, creamier sauce.
****Replace chicken with thin veal or even pork.

Marsala is a fortified wine from the Sicilian city of Marsala, similar to port. It was developed by the British trader John Woodhouse in the late 18th century. Being fortified, it could easily be transported to England and the colonies. It became popular as a cooking wine in, because it could be stored open for a longer time than other wines. Chicken Marsala is much more an American favourite than an original Italian dish.
Picture shows an ad from Ingham Marsala wine.
Read the chicken cooking tip.

Sicilian broccoli

For ➋
500 g broccoli, sliced in long portions from stem to floret
3 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ ts hot red pepper
¼ ts salt
5 tbs olive oil or enough to coat

Steam broccoli in a steamer until bright green. Or cook for 10 m in microwave oven.
Remove from heat.
Transfer to shallow dish. Cover with olive oil. Add garlic, pepper and salt to taste.
Marinate in refrigerator overnight.
Serve as a cold side-dish or at room temperature with cold chicken or cold white fish.*

*Marinate chicken pieces in mix of lemon juice and single-flower honey. Bake in oven or in microwave. Eat cool or lukewarm.

A battlefield for centuries, between Greeks and Romans, between Christendom and Islam, between Christian emperors from Normans to Bourbons, Sicily stayed the poor island it always was, with peasants and fishermen turning to the local Mafia for dearly paid help to keep some of their produce as own food. The invaders brought vegetables and fruit, never before grown in Europe, and influenced the simple cooking. Broccoli seemed to have arrived on Sicily with the Romans.
Read more Sicilian recipes: an almost Sicilian salad, tartar of shrimps & artichokes, Sicilian swordfish, Sicilian olive sauce, spaghetti with tomatoes, capers & mint.

Pescespada arrosto al salmoriglio (Sicilian swordfish)

For ➍
4 swordfish steaks (200 g each, 2 cm thick*)
olive oil
peperoncini or crushed dried chilies
salt & freshly ground black pepper
salmoriglio sauce

Preheat a griddle pan until very hot.
Prepare the salmoriglio sauce.
Brush the swordfish generously with oil and season with peperoncini or crushed dried chili and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the swordfish onto a griddle pan or barbecue and cook for 4 m on each side, or until completely cooked through*.
Place the swordfish steaks onto plates and drizzle with the salmoriglio.
Serve with good bread, or with roasted potatoes** and tomatoes. Or serve on a bed of freshly roasted zucchini.

*Or use thin slices, and bake lightly.
**Put sliced potatoes in an oven dish with 2 tbs oil, fennel seeds and salt and pepper. Roast for 30 m at 225°C.

Read a similar recipe.
Read tip on grilling and marinating swordfish.
Read more Sicilian recipes: tartar of shrimps & artichokes, a Sicilian salad, Sicilian broccoli, spaghetti with tomatoes, capers & mint.

Pesce all'acqua pazza (Naples fish stew)

For ➍
4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 l water****
2 tbs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
12 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ ts red pepper flakes*
1 ts sea salt
2 tbs fresh oregano
1 kg sea bass or red snapper fillets**

You need an ovenproof pan, deep and large enough to hold the fish in one layer and contain the boiling water.
Add the water, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper, oregano and salt to the pan. Put on heat.
Turn the heat to medium and allow the water to simmer for 20 m.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200° C.
Put the fish in the pan skin side down. Make sure it is covered by the water.
Put pan in the oven and cook for about 15-20 m.***
A few m before serving, add the parsley.
Put the fish on warm plates, with a little bit of the liquid and some tomatoes.
Serve with good tasty bread, that will absorb some of the liquid. A dry white wine, preferably South Italian or Sicilian, will make a nice companion.

*Use dried red peppers instead, or chop some peperoncini.
**Use any firm white fish, like codfish (merluzzetti).
***Another method keeps the pan on the stove, covers it and let the fish slowly cook for 15 m or so.
****Reduce the amount of water to get a thicker sauce.

The 'acqua pazza', meaning crazy water, is a method rather than a strict recipe. It is known all over the South of Italy as a kind of fish stew. (In Tuscany, a soup is called aqua pazza, but that is a different thing.) The name seems to be derived from a dish conceived by Neapolitan fishermen of the Isle of Ponza, before the coast of Naples. To avoid paying taxes on salt, an expensive state monopoly in the late 19th century, they went crazy and used salty seawater to cook fish. (No one uses seawater anymore, just add salt to the water...).
Depending on the kind of fish, the added ingredients might vary. Add fennel for instance or grilled artichokes. Replace some of the water with some white wine.
Try the posh gamberoni all'acqua pazza with shrimps, and fennel.

An almost Sicilian salad

For ➋
2 large naval or blood oranges
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
10-12 black & green cured olives, halved
fresh mint leaves
sea salt
1 tbs olive oil

Peel oranges, and cut into pinwheels, or slice into blocks. Discard the white skin. Save the juice.
Arrange orange and fennel slices.
Drizzle with olive oil and juice. Add mint leaves and salt*.
Serve with a handful of cold or lukewarm pasta, like spirelli.

*If the orange peel is edible, discard white skin, clean and cut into small strips. Add to the salad, along with some nuts, like walnuts or almonds.

Read more Sicilian dishes: Sicilian swordfish, Sicilian olive sauce, tartar of shrimps & artichokes, Sicilian broccoli, spaghetti with tomatoes, capers & mint.

Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes, capers & mint

For ➍
8 tbs salt
4 l water
400 g spaghetti
500 g small ripe vine or cherry tomatoes, skins removed, roughly chopped
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
pinch crushed dried chilies
1 tbs salted capers, rinsed & drained
2 ts fresh mint, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 l of water to the boil. Add the salt, the spaghetti and cook al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the crushed garlic cloves and fry over a low heat until they start to turn golden-brown. Remove the garlic.

Add the crushed dried chilies and chopped tomatoes and fry for 1 m, until the tomatoes release their juice.

Add the capers and mint, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the pan. Stir well to coat in the sauce.

Spoon portions into bowls and serve.

A basic Palermo dish.
Picture shows the Risorgimento fights in the streets from the Visconti epic Il Gattopardo, based on the Lampedusa novel on social changes in Sicilian 19th century Sicily.
Read more Sicilian recipes: Sicilian swordfish, Sicilian olive sauce, tartar of shrimps & artichokes, a Sicilian salad, Sicilian broccoli.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.

Salmoriglio (Sicilian olive oil sauce)

For ➍
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs water*
1½ tbs lemon juice*
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tbs chopped fresh celery herb or celery leaves (optional)
1 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Place the oil and water into a bowl and whisk together until thick and emulsified. ** Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.** Add the garlic, oregano, celery herb or leaves (if using) and parsley and stir well.
Drizzle*** over grilled swordfish.****

*Replace with another tbs of lemon juice to get a thicker sauce.
**Or put in a jar, close and shake until mixed.
***You can flavour the fish or meat with the sauce before searing. Or put in the sauce when done, and let it cook for a few m.
****Use grilled beef steaks or chicken, or any firm fish instead.

The salmoriglio takes its name from the Sicilian word for 'brine', 'sammurigghiu'. It is used all over Southern Italy in a multitude of recipes.
Picture shows the Palermo market.

Read a similar recipe.
Read more Sicilian recipes: tartar of shrimps & artichokes, a Sicilian salad, Sicilian broccoli, spaghetti with tomatoes, capers & mint.