This document provides recipes for traditional Sicilian dishes that the food editor learned while travelling to Taormina, Sicily. The recipes include: 1. Caponata, a sweet and sour Sicilian stew made of sautéed eggplant, celery, garlic, onions, tomatoes, olives, and capers simmered in vinegar and sugar. 2. Stuffed globe artichokes baked with a breadcrumb stuffing of Parmesan, lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. 3. Homemade tagliatelle pasta served with a fresh pistachio pesto and ricotta cheese. 4. Pan-fried seabass with caramelized lemon slices,

1. 48 49
Serves 2
l 6 large vine tomatoes
l 100ml light olive oil
l Handful fresh basil
l 2 Natoora Italian round
aubergines*
l 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
l 1 small white onion, diced
l 3 garlic cloves
l 3 tbsp vinegar (white wine
or balsamic)
l 2 tbsp brown sugar
l 1 handful green olives, pitted
and halved
l 1-2 tbsp salted capers
l Handful of fresh parsley
to serve
*If you can’t find round
aubergines, swap for 2 large
normal aubergines instead.
1 Cross cut the large tomatoes
and simmer for 5 minutes in a
pan of water. Drain the tomatoes
and cool before carefully peeling,
discarding the skin. In the same
pan, heat up 1 tsp of olive oil
from your 100ml, and add the
tomatoes back in, with 4 fresh
basil leaves, sea salt and half a
glass of water. Simmer gently
for 10 minutes.
2Cuttheaubergineintomedium-
sized cubes (approx 2cm).
Heat up the olive
oil in a medium-deep
saucepan, leaving approx
10ml to add in later. When oil
is sizzling add in the aubergine
and celery. Sauté for 12 minutes
until both have turned golden.
3 Add the remaining olive oil to
the pan and sauté the garlic and
onion for a further few minutes,
before adding in the vinegar,
sugar, olives, capers and tomato
sauce made previously. Season
well with salt and pepper. Let it
all simmer on a medium heat for
15 minutes before serving with
fresh parsley and crusty bread.
Serves 2
l 4 artichokes
l 2 slices of wholemeal bread
l 100g Parmesan cheese,
finely grated
l 1 lemon
l 5 cloves of garlic, minced
l 50mlextravirginoliveoil
l Handful of fresh flat-
leaf parsley, chopped
l Sea salt and cracked
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven
to 200°C/400°F/gas
mark 6. Carefully cut off
artichoke stems to create a
flat bottom (a serrated knife
is best for this). Cut the top
third off each artichoke and pull
off the tough outer leaves. Place
each artichoke on to a medium-
depth baking tray. Open out the
leaves on each artichoke to make
room for the stuffing.
2 Whizz up the bread in a food
processor or NutriBullet
until you have coarse
breadcrumbs, then
add them into a
bowl with the
Sicilian cooking is all
about using simple, fresh
ingredients to create
beautiful, flavoursome
dishes. Food Editor
Emma Winterschladen
travelled to Taormina
in Sicily and learned
how to cook the real
Sicilian way. From
homemade pasta to
traditional aubergine
stew, she shares
her take on these
time-tested
Sicilian classics.
Sicilian òeast Parmesan, lemon zest, garlic,
salt and pepper. Stuff each
artichoke with the breadcrumb
mixture, working it down
between the leaves. Squeeze the
lemon over each artichoke and
drizzle with a generous glug of
olive oil.
3 Pour boiling water around the
artichokes, so an inch is covered.
Oil a sheet of aluminium foil and
cover the artichokes, moulding
the foil securely around each
one. Bake for around 45 minutes
with the foil on, until the base
of each artichoke is tender.
Remove the tin foil and sprinkle
the remaining cheese over the
artichokes and cook for a further
10-15 minutes, or until the top is
bubbly and golden brown.
4 To eat the artichoke, open
out the leaves like a lotus flower
and pull off a leaf at a time,
scraping the juicy flesh off with
your teeth and picking up the
stuffing as you go. Once you
have eaten all of the leaves,
cut the heart of the artichoke
into chunks and eat with the
remaining stuffing on the plate.
Stuffed globe artichokes with breadcrumbs,
Parmesan, garlic and olive oil
Caponata: sweet and sour Sicilian stew

2. 50 51
Serves 2
For the pesto
l 150g pistachios
l 120ml olive oil of choice
l 4-5 leaves fresh basil
l 30g Parmesan
l 1-2 clove of garlic
l ½ lemon, juice and zest
l Salt and pepper
Blend all the ingredients
together in a food processor,
adding more olive oil to loosen
the mixture if necessary.
For the pasta
l 250g durum flour
l 125mlwater(30°C/85°Ftemp)
l 1 tsp salt
To serve
l 70g ricotta cheese
Serves 2
l 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
l ½ lemon, thinly sliced
l 3 cloves garlic, chopped
l 1 large red chilli
l 2 salad onions
l 1 tbsp salted capers
l Handful of green olives
l 1 bay leaf
l 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
l Glug of red wine
l 2 seabass fillets
l Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1Heat the extra virgin olive oil
in a pan, and add in the lemon
slices, cooking them until they
start to caramelise and turn
golden. Add in the chopped
garlic, whole salad onions and
whole red chilli and let them sauté
for a further 5 minutes. Now add
in the capers, olives, bay leaf and
cherry tomatoes, followed by a
glug of red wine. Bring it up to the
boil and add in half a cup of water.
2Place the sea bass in the juices,
lower the heat and cook for 8
minutes until the fish is tender.
3Take out the salad onions
and red chilli, and chop thinly,
before adding them back into the
pan. Season well with salt and
pepper. Serve and scatter with
fresh parsley.
Fresh pistachio pesto with homemade tagliatelle pasta
and ricotta cheese
1 To make the pasta, dissolve
the salt in tepid water in a
jug. Into a large bowl, add the
flour and pour in the salted
water. Mix with a fork until it
just comes together and then
start to knead by hand (or use
a dough hook, which will take
less time) for 10-15 minutes
until you have a smooth
dough. If you prefer, you can
turn out the dough on to a
floured surface to knead.
2 Shape the dough into a
block and place back into the
bowl (if you have taken it out),
then cover with a damp cloth.
Let it rest for at least 2 hours.
3 To check if it’s ready to use,
press your thumb firmly into
the dough and the imprint
should not start to spring
back. When rolling the
pasta, work on a cool, floured
surface and keep the dough
you’re not using covered
with a damp cloth to prevent
it from drying out.
4 Roll the pasta out thinly.
If it’s sticky let it dry for 5-10
minutes. Using a sharp knife
and a straight edge, cut 1cm
strips out of the dough. You
can experiment with different
shapes of pasta, just try not to
work the dough too much.
5 To cook the pasta, boil
some salted water and put
the pasta in for a few minutes
until it’s cooked through.
Mix the pistachio pesto
through the freshly cooked
tagliatelle and crumble
over the ricotta cheese.
Pan-fried seabass
with chilli, olives and
caramelised lemons
WiththankstoourfriendsatRistoranteNettunodaSicilianoinTaormina
forsharingtheirsecretsandexpertiseincookingrealSicilianfood.