78 sicilian recipes

Orange and fennel salad shaves raw fennel over peeled orange segments, dressed in olive oil and red wine vinegar, finished with dried cranberries. A Sicilian classic done simple.

Cuscusu is a Sicilian shellfish and couscous soup with mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops in a saffron-tomato broth. Steamed couscous served in bowls with a rich seafood stew ladled over.

Ricotta and pignoli sauce tosses fresh ricotta, toasted pine nuts, mint and basil with rotelle pasta in a quick tomato saute. A creamy Sicilian-inspired meatless pasta dinner.

Spaghetti with shrimp and browned eggplant in a fresh tomato-basil sauce. A Sicilian-style pasta with sea and garden in one bowl, finished with parmesan.

Panelle are Sicilian chickpea fritters: simmered chickpea-flour dough chilled, cut into rounds, deep-fried golden, and dusted with lemon-zest-peppered almonds. Street food from Palermo.

Gelo di Mellone, a traditional Sicilian watermelon pudding thickened with cornstarch, studded with pistachios, chocolate, and candied citron, finished with cinnamon.

Pan-seared chicken breast sliced over a warm Sicilian caponata of eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, Roma tomatoes, capers, and currants. An elegant dinner for two in 35 minutes.

Spinach, chickpea, and golden raisin pasta brings Sicilian sweet-savory flavor to weeknight dinner. Garlicky olive oil, red pepper flakes, and a splash of broth pull it all together over penne.

Grilled Sicilian involtini with beef pounded thin, stuffed with Pecorino, pine nuts, currants, and parsley, then skewered on rosemary sprigs and grilled fast.

Caponata di melanzane with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, capers, olives, and anchovies. A bold Sicilian appetizer that improves as it sits at room temperature for hours.

Sicilian-style slow cooker cannellini beans simmered with hot Italian sausage, ripe tomatoes, herbs, and a surprising strip of orange zest. Hands-off comfort food that fills the house with warmth.

A layered Italian cassata cake with orange-ricotta filling, chocolate, candied citron, and vanilla frosting topped with pistachios. A Sicilian bakery classic you can make at home.

Cucidati, the traditional Sicilian Christmas fig cookies, with a rich filling of figs, raisins, nuts, chocolate and rum wrapped in tender pastry, shaped into slashed horseshoes and dusted with sugar.

Sicilian eggplant caponata, a sweet-and-sour relish of roasted eggplant, onion, celery, tomato, capers, and raisins. Vegetarian, low-fat, and a classic Mediterranean antipasto.

Marachichi pasta with anchovies, black and green olives, tomato, and a heavy hand of Italian herbs. Sicilian-style puttanesca riff with bold, salty Mediterranean flavor.

Traditional Sicilian fig cookies stuffed with ground figs, dates, raisins, walnuts, and orange, then iced and topped with colored sugar. Makes 10 dozen for the holiday cookie tray.