katiaANDronald

I think Chef Corelli has hit the nail on the head with this one. It's a fantastic insight into real life and in particular the realities of life in Italy. So my question is this: In the UK there seems to be a culture of supporting and mentoring cooks - the "big" name chefs take them under their wings and after nurturing them for some time they are send of to restaurants in New York, Melbourney, Sidnay, Hong Kong, Paris where they develop their skills further. Then when they come back they take over one of the many reastaurants that big names (e.g. Gordon Ramsay) have. Jamie Oliver's "fifteen" project is similar. Of course it's not all roses and benevolent "wiser" cooks - it is more about taking care of interests and having the need for good chefs. In Italy there doesn't seem to be this mentoring culture since there doesn't seem to be the need by one famous chef to handle many different restaurants. Is this really the case or am I missing something?

as a cypriot who grew up on youghurt i have to say that Total is good as many have posted and now that I live in the UK that is the one I buy. Recently, however, I've also discovered Rachel's organic greek yogurt which is almost as good as Total (waitrose). however, I hate to burst the bubble but Total is really just a chemical concoction. there is nothing to replace naturaly strained yogurt as I find in cyprus - we have dozens of brands and it is typically local yogurt made on farms - just a touch of sournens and perfectly strained - I carry two kilos back every time :-) and for a real yogurt lover like my grandmother the best yogurt (or "'oxino' = sour" as she calls it) is the one that has been in the fridge for a couple of weeks, has developed a nice healthy bioculture and is had with sugar or honey!

excellent recipes kevin - I am now hungry - very very hungry (or is it just craving- i never can tell...). i don't think there is a way to link pictures directly while typing a post unfortunately (perhaps alberto can check with the powers that be).

i can only back-up what alberto has already said - dried basil hardly ever used . dried oregano is used regularly often - both in pastas but also one of my favourites things when back in sicily a simple salad with tomatoes, dried oregano and olive oil - tasting real tomatoe like this after a steady diet of some plasticky version of a red ball that there typically is in the UK is a treat!

I am impressed with the use youghurt - so it does exist in Italian cooking I have to say that the one thing that Ronald of katiaANDronald misses terribly in Sicily is proper youghurt - coming from Cyprus where it is produced in all its wonderful forms I just cannot stand what is available in Sicily - runny, diet-focused chemical mixes that have nothing to do with youghurt.

Hat's off Kevin - I've never managed to stick to a one-week planned cooking regime - let alone a whole year! Hope you are not planning to leave Sicily out - remember we now know where you live... Of course one could argue that Sicily itself should be divided into regions since what they cook in Palermo/Trapani is quite different from what gets done in Siracusa/Ragusa/Catania - still that would be taking it a bit TOO far. Have fun and please keep us updated.

aubergines - while they are frying...

Have to agree with Albiston - most Italians I know just do with a coffee. In Sicily, Katia's father always, always has a bowl of latte di mandorla in which he dips bread (for winter) and in summer has just cold water in which he dips bread. My favourite breakfast in Sicily is undeniably granita (typically coffe or mandorla tostata) and brioche (the sicilian granita that is). Of course you only get that is summer.

i bow to the mighty force of the eGullet culinary intellect. a wealth of information! the watermelon vodka is an old favourite but surely you can even just top it up through a little hole - although I grant you that injecting it certainly adds to the whole party experience. next time I am in cyprus where we do something called souvla (typically pork or lamb on a spit) I might try injecting some "latholemono (oil and lemon)" during the cooking process rather than just brushing it on.

he he - good question. one takes one's hay and places it in water so that the hay is damp. one then take's one's blow torch and applies blow torch to hay until the smell of hay (via the smoke) is release. the hay is then placed in water with the potatoes! now how one comes up with such an idea to start with is a whole different story

Hello, last night I was watching a repeat of the BBC Full on Food programme and they attempted to recreate a heston blumenthal recipe for fried potatoes which included sizzled hay (in which the potatoes where soaked for the taste) and, most interestingly, injecting ketchup into the fries once done. Now, I don't think I will be sizzling hay anytime soon but I kind of like the idea of injecting food - any tips out there about what can be done... any bad/good experiences with it. Thanks! Ronald.

Dear Faith, We would be very interested to hear the opinions of a true expert on the current state of Sicilian food and wine. Talking to the locals, especially from the area of Ragusa (which Katia and I know best) there is very much the feeling of a revival - a rebirth. Producers are proud of their products, but not in a flamboyant way - rather a more calm and collected attidute. They are organising events, and getting some recognition. Especially the wine makers seem very confident with people like Planeta getting a lot of exposure. And some very innovative wineries, like COS are trying truly interesting techniques. However, I wonder whether this buzz is simply a localised phenomenon that you feel when in the bubble (i.e. when in Ragusa) or whether it is truly taking place. Looking forward to your reply, Ronald and Katia

Ours for one are pretty much the same wherever we are and are divded into two broad categories. A: If we are looking to be impressed by the ingenuity of the chef we probably already know the place we are going to - so wherever that is in the world its a place that is already in guides, discussed in egullet, etc because the chef is probably already famous or making a name for themselves. We would certainly not walk into any restaurant that claims to be fantastic (and has accordingly fantastic prices) without prior knowledge of the place (after all we are not paid-for food critics!) B: If we just want to have a great lunch in a place we've never been before (and therefore don't know much about) we look for something authentic. We take that to mean "a restaurant that serves local dishes to local people, has been around for many years and is not necessarily on the usual tourist tracks...". These places are hard to find, but when we did find them we also tend to stick to them. Now for case B the issue is that in Italy stumbling upon an "authentic" place is actually relatively easy. In Malta for example its not that easy at all (sorry Malta!)... in the UK its almost impossible (unless you are in the countryside...)

This is an interesting point... largely i agree wtih most of the comments although I have yet to be bored with normal every day italian food. i think there are enough ingredients, seasons, variations to keep us happy! Let me try to explain what I think. So in addition to the very good factors that others have there is perhaps one more element - in many European big cities you tend to find three broad classes of restaurants. Your basic, every day trattoria type thing, your trendy - trying to be trendy chabby chic, casual chic places (where anyone can walk in generally) and your elegant restaurants. I think the middle category in Italy is very unrepresented and when Italians go for elegant they tend to overdo it - which means that they may be somewhat intimidating for tourists that stuble across restaurants. So this means that tourists are actually left with less options. I don't think they would not go for restaurants I just think that there aren't any as tourists tend to know them there...

I think Hathor is absolutely right. I just got back from Barcelona and I can immediately relate to the comment about Spain possibly overtaking Italy as a restaurant destination. I think it is happening because the locals are actively seeking "trendy" places as a night out.... which perhaps is not happening as much in Italy with respect to eating. Even more telling than metropolitan Barcelona was Girona - a relatively small place but with very a disproportionate amount of restaurants trying to look trendy and sophisticated (with decidedly mixed results - since some were clearly trattorie trying to spice up presentation). That aside, I think it is also the case that you go to Italy to get the "real thing" whatever that is - Italy may set trends for clothes fashion but when it comes to food it is really a very conservative country. As ever a happy balance would be the best...

Excellent review thus far. I was always curious about Vissani's restaurant. He really does no favours for himself on TV, which is the way most people know about him as you say - however it doesn't really help when you only have five minutes to explain what is potentially a very complicated recipe with several people surrounding him that do not care at all (I am thinking of his daily appearances in the morning shows) However, the wider issue is that italians are simply suspicious of anyone messing with tried and tested recipes or ways of doing things - the "italian way" is almost always better. The most recent story I have is my mother-in-law, who after having been taught by us how to cook chow mein (which she loved), phoning to say that she had improved it... she removes the pieces of chicken from the noodles to create a pasta with vegetables as a primo and the chicken with some of the sauce as a secondo!! looking forward to the rest of the review...

Hello, a few more reccomendations to add to the mix especially with regards to the area of Ragusa, Siracusa First of Caffe Sicilia in Noto, where Corrado Assenza offers an interesting selections of sweet wines and cheese combinations. Also some great granita (but not this time of the year!). I am guessing that the Corrado Contanzo mentioned earlier is probably Assenza... but I may be wrong. A bit off the usual track but Palazzolo Acreide is just stunning (about 30 minutes from Noto) and they have what is possibly the best cannoli in a place called Corsino. Well worth the trip just for that! On the way towards Pozallo try the Poseidon restaurant. Unpretentious, just for locals, no fancy decor. But the best frutta di mare pizza you will have in the area and excellent value to (4 people, a bottle of white wine and it came to 35 euro). Also try their suppa di cozze - fantastic. In Pozzalo try the icecream from LunaRossa - again no fancy things around, just for locals but excellent. In Modica just wonder round the centre and try the various chocolates and chocolate type sweets. Most offer tasters. In Ragusa Locanda Don Serafino is usually very good and then there is always Ciccio Sultano at Il Duomo of which I talked here before. Hope this helps a bit, Ronald.

Absolutely, will try and post it at some point today or tomorrow, just a question of finding the time

Three weeks ago we had dinner at Il Duomo in Ragusa, whose chef is Ciccio Sultano. I think it deserves to be recognised for two reasons - 1. the food is excellent per se and the restaurant atmosphere is all about the food and the wine 2. its extremely brave to open such a restaurant in a smallish place like Ragusa, where there is not really a culture of such top-end restaurants. He has done untold good to the reputation of the region, whose food does deserves to get more widely known.

Far be it for us to enter a South/North debate but a general observation we've made is that plain (espresso) coffee is better in the South and cappuccino tends to be better in the North. Then again it might just be that when colder you would appreciate a cappuccino more The sicilian coffee is Moak, which I am becoming more and more attached to, and they have quite a nice website if you have some time to kill. http://www.caffemoak.com

i have to agree with vesnucia and franci - same holds in sicily as well. (and for that matter cyprus as well - where people also eat them a lot but you don't find them in restaurants). However, recently in Ragusa a snail farm has opened. I haven't had time to investigate whether the consumption is local or for export but it might be a si} if things changing and perhaps snail demand in Italy is on the increase :-)

All this talk of arancini made us nostalgic and although they are not our typical summer fair we had some last night, from Cappelo on the road Modica from Ispica (anyway the night was particularly fresh so it kind of worked out ok ) Cone shaped, minced meat, piseli and egg inside. Picture below.

Hello, so arancine or arancini, at least in Sicily, are cone shaped in Messina, Catania, Siracusa, Ragusa while in the West they tend to be round (like arance\oranges). Zafferano seems to be a more popular choice than not adding it for the traditional ones. The classic stuffing is a ragu with minced meat and piselli. In Catania you tend to find also a piece of cheese. In Enna, they do it with chicken liver, onion, white wine and tomato sauce (a soffritto). In Ragusa, its ragu, piselli and cacio but the rice is previously mixed with some tomato sauce (and no zafferano). Once the rice is stuffed and closed they are passed in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried. The rice can even be boiled (not necessary to do a rissotto) as long as it is removed al dente. Generally, the tendency seems to be to allow the rice to rest for at least a couple of hours or even use rice from the day before. Passing the rice from cold water seems a strange choice because it will remove the amido of the rice that can act as a bonding agent, still I guess this will vary according to the type of rice. A more modern variation are arancine in bianco with either spinach or cheese and ham (usually round shaped everywhere). We are aware this will not help a bit in clearing matters up but its some more info to through in the mix

OK, as promised some pictures of the cioccolato modicano. I hope you can see in the pictures the sugar crystals and the rough texture of the chocolate. This chocolates are from the Antica Gelateria Rizza, rather than Bonajuto (which seems to be the only one people visit in Modica). They are both excellent but differ somewhat, I tend to prefer Rizza. However, a point of note. There are two Rizza shops in Modica - the first one closer to Bonajuto is Rizza's cousin and does not produce the chocolate. If you walk further up, past San Pietro and then some you will find the Rizza we are talking of. They allow you to taste everything before buying it and do much more than just chocolate. Their icecreams are fantastic and they have a chocolate liquer (in the style of limoncello) that is absolutely amazing. Now, for the cup of hot chocolate. A quarter of a bar per cup. I place in a saucepan with a little milk and warm over slow fire then add the rest of the milk and warm it to the required temperature. Enjoy

Still didn't get the chocolate (since today we spend the day in Siracusa... mostly the fish market ) but a quick note on the promised wine festival report... well quite simply it was an absolute disaster Its the first time Ispica organised something of this sort and clearly they underestimated the number of people that would visit and also while they promised almost 24 different producers only 4 locals ones showed up. Worse still the pour someliers (just two) were assaulted by the many more people than was expected and there was hardly any wine left after two hours... people where walking away with glasses and bottles... Unfortunately sometimes Sicily does fail to live up to promises... So after thirty minutes we walked away disapointed. Thankfully there are some great restaurants and enotece where the excellent wine of the area can be tasted and we don't need to depend on such festivals, nevertheless I hope that next year they make a more concerted effort to get the organisation right... too often the excellent produce of Sicily misses out on valuable exposure because of bad organisation...