tonno lesso con salsa verde – boiled tuna with mint and parsley sauce

Posted on January 20, 2018 by hungryenglishman — 1 Comment ↓

My journey through tuna has come full circle (yes, I have taken a journey through tuna; no, I haven’t sought psychiatric help yet). Like most of us, I first discovered this king of fish boiled and tinned, and indeed there was fat chance of getting it any other way in England at the time. But here I can get it fresh and locally caught, and have taken full advantage of the fact, having run the Continue Reading →

insalata di cedro – citron salad

Posted on December 9, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 1 Comment ↓

It’s the citrus time of year, as heralded in by my last post. This time it’s the turn of citrons to fall under the knife, but lemons and oranges beware, you may well be next in line for the chop…. I remember the first time I saw (read: gawked at aghast in disbelief) citrons. I presumed they were lemons, albeit lemons which were possibly the result of genetic modification or a nuclear incident. At the Continue Reading →

risotto alle clementine – tangerine risotto

Posted on December 1, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 2 Comments ↓

Before we start, I know the Italian and English versions of the title seem to be at odds, but that’s simply because here in Sicily clementines and tangerines tend to go by the same name. The fruit I used seemed to me to be tangerines, so that’s what I’m calling them. Not that it really matters – either can be used. Although we usually munch on these sweet shots of citrus in a half-hearted attempt Continue Reading →

salsicce e carciofi – sausages and artichokes

Posted on November 26, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 2 Comments ↓

The original plan was to do stuffed baked artichokes, but I have a nasty cold and just couldn’t muster the energy. I wanted something equally tasty but quicker and less fiddly. The solution was to use the ingredients for stuffed artichokes and to simply mix them together to create a one-dish meal. Same flavours, less work. Deconstructed rustic cooking. Could this be the birth of a whole new trend? The breadcrumbs in fact are not Continue Reading →

insalata di carne – beef salad

Posted on November 20, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 2 Comments ↓

Just saying the words “beef salad” makes me feel better about the world, or at least better about salad. When I was a kid, the Sunday evening salad was possibly the meal that depressed me most. Sunday afternoon was depressing enough anyway, but finishing it off with limp lettuce, ice-cold flavour-free tomatoes and salad cream struck me as adding insult to injury, like having Vogon poetry read to you before being flung out of a Continue Reading →

polpette di finocchietto selvatico – wild fennel rissoles

Posted on November 17, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 2 Comments ↓

You may be forgiven for thinking I’ve turned pescetarian or something. Judging by recent posts, people may rightly be doubting my carnivorous credentials. If I didn’t get through so much bacon, sausages and rare steak I’d start to wonder myself. I think it must have something to do with the fact that on the whole, Sicilians (at least those living near the sea) don’t understand meat. This becomes abundantly clear whenever I go to the Continue Reading →

tonno al forno con capperi e pomodori – baked tuna with tomatoes and capers

Posted on November 9, 2017 by hungryenglishman — 7 Comments ↓

This is a typical way of cooking tuna on the island of Favignana, off Sicily’s west coast. We find the classic island supporting act (the combination of capers, olives, tomatoes and oregano) alongside the omnipresent west coast breadcrumb coating. Breadcrumbs are of course popular everywhere in Sicily, but in western Sicily are often found as a topping, whereas in the eastern part of the island they are used more often as a stuffing, or to Continue Reading →