What is it about a place that makes you fall in love with it? For me, Sicily has all the magic, all the allure...
I'm here in Sicily, leading a Culinary Journey through the Catania Region, and I'm remembering the first time I came here years ago. Fresh out of cooking school with bright eyes, an insatiable urge to travel and a hunger for foods so rich in flavor, I thought my heart would burst.
This is my third trip to this amazing island in just one year and each visit has been filled with new adventures and discoveries. From the lively fish market of Catania, the heartbeat of Taormina, the beauty of the ancient island of Ortigia and the extraordinary hand-painted majolica pottery of Caltigirone, Sicily is a feast for the senses. Plus, we’re staying at an over-the-top villa, Rocca delle Tre Contrade. With views of the majestic Mount Etna and plenty of the delicious wines of her valley, this place is heavenly.
And I love cooking with the plethora of fantastic ingredients that this volcanic soil yields, not to mention quintessential dishes like arancini, caponata, pasta alla Norma and can you believe, a frosty granita for breakfast?!
I love the smiles on the faces of the people I meet along the way, and most of all, I love the soul of this extraordinary island which keeps me coming back again and again. Wish you were here and in the meantime, how about opening a bottle of Sicilian wine and trying these dishes:
With love from Sicily,
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