• Lepa on May 21, 2019

  I love leafing through cook books but I have never read one cover to cover until now. Roddy is such a wonderful writer. Her nuanced portrait of Gela taught me so much about its food culture and inspired me to cook! I am so sad to have finished reading this book but anticipate cooking my way through all the recipes so it will stay by my side for the foreseeable future.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Beans with tomato (Fagioli al pomodoro)

  • Lepa on October 29, 2020

    This is easy, comforting and delicious. I used dried barlotti beans and cooked the onions and celery in bacon fat. We ate this with polenta, which I highly recommend.

• Sweet and sour aubergine stew (Caponata)

  • FJT on August 05, 2022

    I really enjoyed this; it's not quite as good as the one I used to eat at Carluccio's, but it's close. Wishing I'd made more now!

• Pasta with aubergine (Pasta con melanzane)

  • Lepa on May 21, 2019

    This takes a lot of time- and oil- to fry all the eggplant so I don't foresee making this frequently but I thought it was a very satisfying plate of pasta. Total comfort food.

• Rice and peas (Risi e bisi)

  • Lepa on May 29, 2019

    This is pretty good. I had fresh peas and used a pork broth and pancetta. I was concerned that the final dish would be too soupy. It required more liquid than I normally use for risotto and I was surprised that it is all added at the same time. It took about 10 minutes longer than the recipe indicated but in the end I was happy with the texture.

  • Indio32 on May 17, 2021

    Had this as a 'home alone' supper last night. Very easy to put together but as noted below the rice and peas go in at the same time. I used frozen peas and a homemade chicken stock. Next time would add the peas closer to the end of the cooking time. Also used Spanish Bomba rice which is my favorite for risotto. Still a very tasty and easy supper. Recommended!

• Broad bean, fennel and mint salad (Insalata di fave, finocchio e menta)

  • Lepa on May 21, 2019

    This was okay. The fennel I had was a bit tough. With better produce I suspect the salad would have been better.

  • TrishaCP on June 17, 2019

    I had good produce but this was still just ok for me. For all of the work it takes to prep fava beans, I want them to really shine and this just didn’t get there for me.

  • Frenchfoodie on August 11, 2021

    I made this with edamame to save the shelling. Looked great and tasted fine but the dressing was not acidic enough for my tastes - a similar recipe she has has with added olives was better and it would be worth trying with feta as in one of the variations.

• Pasta with cauliflower, anchovies, saffron, pine nuts and raisins (Pasta chi vrocculi arriminati)

  • Lepa on November 07, 2019

    This sounds like a million other similar recipes in my collection but it really is outstanding. It was quick and easy to pull together when I had a mostly bare cupboard ("what can I do with one head of cauliflower?") and delicious. I added a bit of pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil at the end and was liberal with the salt. I will definitely be making this again!

• Cauliflower cakes

  • FJT on July 08, 2020

    These were very nice to eat but a bit of a pfaff to make, so only 3 stars instead of 4. I added substantially more capers than the tablespoon called for and a ton of seasoning otherwise these would have been very bland. However the result was a plate of very light, crunchy, delicate-tasting patties that we really enjoyed with a green salad and a lovely Riesling. A very good summer supper.

• Spaghetti with garlic, oil and lemon (Spaghetti aglio, olio al limone)

  • Margret on January 08, 2023

    I liked the addition of lemon to this traditional recipe very much and made it a few times in the summer.

• Tagliatelle with lemon and Parmesan (Tagliatelle con limone e Parmigiano)

  • Yildiz100 on May 05, 2019

    I wish she gave an estimate of how much lemon juice you should get from one lemon because mine vary wildly. I had an enormous and very juicy lemon so I only used half. Seemed about right. Was a lot of cheese, could reduce a little next time. Use the optional basil and plenty of it. Pretty good.

  • excurvatus on September 14, 2021

    made for a single guest for company. used roddy's fresh egg dough from a-z of pasta. really blew our minds, the flavour was so well balanced (yet very lemony), and a very easy thing to put together.

• Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake

  • a2cook on April 14, 2021

    So good! Used Cara Cara oranges, added 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, and 1/4 tsp Fiori di Sicilia extract.

  • FJT on March 21, 2025

    Fantastic dessert / cake. I needed a gluten- and dairy-free dessert for a dinner party and this fitted the bill perfectly. I used blood oranges and cooked them in a pressure cooker for 30 mins at high pressure rather than boiling them. So easy to make once the oranges are cooked. Served with a mixed berry coulis and some clotted cream (for those who could eat dairy). This was absolutely delicious and I will definitely make again as it was so easy.

• Chocolate and almond cake

  • a2cook on July 29, 2017

    Very good! Tastes even better the next day. Simple, no-fuss recipe to make. Used 72% dark chocolate (Trader Joe's), which was a little too intense, so the only tweak I would make is to use slightly milder chocolate or reduce amount of chocolate from 200g to 125 - 150g.

  • debkellie on October 11, 2017

    Agree with a2cook! Very nice cake, very easy & gluten free!

  • FJT on March 14, 2020

    Delicious! I'm fairly sure this will disappear in one day.

• Fish in spicy tomato sauce with capers and olives (Pesce alla ghiotta)

  • Lepa on June 17, 2019

    This was a nice concept that I will repeat but I'd make a few changes to this recipe. The whole plum tomatoes didn't cook down into a smooth sauce and I'd use crushed tomatoes next time. I also wasn't sure about the celery here. I might omit that next time. I'm almost tempted to make my usual puttanesca sauce next time, which is much richer, and add fish to it. In any case, this is a format I will be revisiting frequently.

• Summer salad of farro, eggs, tuna and capers

  • Lepa on April 24, 2019

    This was a huge hit with my family. I was a bit skeptical because there isn't any acid in the dressing but the various salty elements and tomatoes were enough. I used an Italian tuna packed in lemon and olive oil and I used that oil for the dressing. So delicious! This will make excellent leftovers and a great packed lunch.

• Ms Marmite Lover

  Rachel's recipes are very relatable; they look messy and homely... intimate and domestic with casual chiaroscuro photographs of family moments.

  Full review