Notes about Recipes in this book

• Orange marmalade (Marmellata di arance)

  • milgwimper on December 03, 2018

    I made this years ago, and we loved it. I have made different recipes for marmalade and this is one of my favourites. It tasted like biting into a fresh orange.

• Stewed lamb with fresh mint (Spezzatino di agnello alla menta)

  • TrishaCP on September 14, 2014

    This was fine- lamb and mint are classics for a reason. I felt like something was off in terms of the amount of braising liquid called for- it was just too much so my lamb ended up tougher than I would have liked. Next time, I would start with half of the water the recipe calls for and add more gradually.

• Saffron stewed potatoes (Patate allo zafferano)

  • TrishaCP on September 14, 2014

    This made a fine side dish to the lamb stew with mint- all of the flavors combined worked well together. Having said that, I don't think it was the best use of precious and expensive saffron- it was mainly a coloring agent and when I did get the flavor of saffron it tasted almost out of place (except when a bite was eaten in combination with the lamb). This is a great recipe to bust out really good quality oregano though (the book calls for wild oregano)- I used Daphnis and Chloe Cephalonian oregano (tastes more like marjoram) and it was magical here.

• Kale and potato soup with fresh mint and parsley (Minestra di cavolo e patate)

  • TrishaCP on May 17, 2015

    I wanted to love this soup and I need to give it another chance because I made it in advance and that probably wasn't the best idea. I think it needed to be served day of to really appreciate the fresh herbs (mint and parsley)- without that lift it tastes a bit too austere. (Or, wait to add herbs until the night you serve it.)

• Pasta with sardines (Pasta con le sarde)

  • milgwimper on August 26, 2014

    This was fabulously rich and the topping gave it a nice crunch. Might add it to the rotation once a month or when guests come to visit.

• Lentil soup (Zuppa di lenticchie)

  • TrishaCP on December 15, 2018

    This was easy to throw together but pretty bland.

• Pesto with almonds and fresh tomatoes (Pesto alla trapanese)

  • TrishaCP on September 08, 2016

    This was a simple and delicious pesto, although I think I would prefer the almonds a little more finely ground than suggested. I used half a recipe with a pound of pasta, but I would have preferred more pesto.

• Tomato sauce (Salsa pronta)

  • TrishaCP on October 15, 2014

    I made this sauce with late summer tomatoes and the last basil from my garden. I used some on a pizza and I have frozen the rest- so I will have to report back later on how well it handles the freezer. Overall I quite liked this sauce- the bay is a nice touch. Since I was using beefsteak rather than plum tomatoes, I omitted water and added half a tablespoon of estratto, and that worked well for me.

  • TrishaCP on November 08, 2014

    As of almost a month later, the frozen sauce seems to be holding up well. Having said that, the onion flavor is much more pronounced than when the sauce was freshly made- something to consider next summer.

  • anniecc on September 26, 2022

    I made this sauce for canning, using tomatoes from my garden. I agree the onion flavour is quite strong - as with many recipes I wish the authors would specify a weight of onions rather than just a number. The technique is quite straightforward, provided you have a mouli.

• Anelletti with tomato sauce and ricotta (Anelletti con salsa pronta e ricotta)

  • TrishaCP on June 15, 2015

    I was hoping this would be a recipe that is greater than the sum of its parts, because it is very simple- pasta, sauce, ricotta and Parmesan. But it was insipid and bland.

• Pasta with cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes (Pasta all'isolana)

  • TrishaCP on May 18, 2016

    This was really good. The sun-dried tomatoes (mine were in oil) take care of any problems with watery or flavorless tomatoes, but otherwise, because the dish is so simple, it needs your best ingredients.

• Linguine with squash blossoms (Linguine con fiori di zucca)

  • TrishaCP on July 18, 2016

    This was a really lovely and light summer pasta dish. I increased the garlic (used a large clove for half of a recipe) and added some basil, and I was pleased with those additions.

• Grilled swordfish steaks with breadcrumbs (Pesce spada impanato)

  • TrishaCP on September 16, 2014

    A beautiful, subtle fish dish that is great for highlighting very fresh fish.

• Pan-roasted rabbit with vino cotto (Coniglio al vino cotto)

  • TrishaCP on January 18, 2017

    This was pretty good- but we did cut the vino cotto with some sherry due to the overwhelming sweetness. The rosemary is quite understated, and the onions are very nice. I used my own judgment on cook times rather than following the recipe because the recipe times are way too long for the lean rabbits that we get. We served with couscous.

• Spaghetti with wild greens and ricotta (Spaghetti con verdure di campo e ricotta)

  • TrishaCP on June 07, 2018

    Absolutely delicious. I made a half recipe with a large bunch of lacinato kale. I needed to cook it about 20 minutes to get it properly softened. In that time, the onions had time to caramelize nicely. The ricotta added a nice creamy pop at the end.

• Rabbit with olives and rosemary (Coniglio con rosmarino e olive nere)

  • TrishaCP on February 28, 2016

    This is a delicious and simple recipe but it needed tweaks. First, I recommend searing the rabbit and then cooking the onions to avoid burning the onions. Second, the recipe cooks the rabbit parts the same amount of time, but the white meat cooks much faster (like chicken). It simply can't cook as long as the recipe states without turning bone dry. I suggest browning the rabbit at the same time but only adding the white meat pieces halfway through (like the optional potato addition). Speaking of the potatoes, they were a wonderful addition and I would definitely include them again. The amount of wine called for is too much just for the rabbit but is perfect if the potatoes are added.

• Pasta with cauliflower, pine nuts, and currants (Pasta con i broccoli arriminati)

  • anniecc on November 28, 2023

    This was amazing. I wanted to try it because I was curious about the technique, in which the cauliflower is cooked slowly in a sauce until it starts to disintegrate. It’s a bit annoying that the author stresses the need to cook it really slowly but doesn’t give any indication of the time. I guess I cooked it for around 25 minutes. I halved the recipe which was fine, used a mix of cauliflower and broccoli because the cauliflower I had was really small, and substituted capers for anchovies.

• Palermitan pizza (Sfincione)

  • lean1 on December 05, 2025

    Re made this pizza twice recently. Used a 10 inch round pan which worked perfectly. Dough was very soft made in the Cuisinart. Omitted the cheese and red onions. Used a cooked tomato sauce. Pleasant reminders of my trip to Palermo and Bagheria which is actually a really interesting town.