a foodie guide to sicily : evening standard

Sicily sits lonesome below the very boot of Italy. Italian of course but distinctively Sicilian where the locals celebrate island life and share a passion for the uniqueness of the region. Beautiful, wild terrain is never far from view and Mount Etna looms large on the east of the island sculpting much of the landscape. She is the beating heart of Sicily affecting the climate, the environment and most importantly for foodies; the produce!

Whilst any trip to Sicily should centre around the island’s cuisine where influences from Spanish, Greek and North African settlers to the island can clearly be seen, a tour to take in the historic landmarks is a must. With architecture as steeped in history as the food on offer, the island boasts impressively preserved sites throughout with the amphitheatre in Taormina especially worth a visit.

Sicily has two international airports. Fly into either Catania, situated on the central eastern coast, south of Mount Etna or Palermo, situated on the north west coast.

Beyond the tourist attractions lay beautiful villages all ripe for discovering. Here are just a few of our favourite places on the island

Donna Carmela –Contrada Grotte

https://www.donnacarmela.com

A modernised guesthouse with sensitively crafted, private lodges that come fully equipped with your very own hot tub, outside decking and plenty of calm and space to unwind amongst lush greenery. The lodges were impressive, spacious and artfully minimalist in design. Think poured concrete throughout and floor to ceiling windows letting in vast amounts of daylight. The restaurant is bustling and serves up incredible local fare which is proudly served by staff as passionate about the cuisine as the chef himself. Dining here is a must with both à la carte and tasting menus available.

Catania Food market - Mon-Sat 7:30am -12

The highlight of my entire trip!

Here Catania fish market proudly displays the morning haul and is worth a visit alone. Not to be missed are the endless streets running from it which house local fruit, vegetables and cheeses. Ricotta in its many forms is sold at almost every turn as are the famous Minne di Sant’Agata which if visiting you must try!

Whether or not you have plans to cook while staying in Sicily, a visit to the market offers a sense of the vibrancy of the city. The wealth of produce on display from the island is eye popping and this was a morning well spent.

In villa cookery class and market tour

www.cotume.it

We first head out to explore the street markets of Catania, where our chef takes us around her favourite vendors. We not only gather produce for the cookery class but can’t resist loading up for the rest of our stay.

Produce is wild, overgrown, ripe and heavily scented. On our return we cook up several dishes all local to the area, including homemade cavatelli.

As we cook up course after course, we build a feast that we finally sit down and scoff. All totally delicious, unique to the region and richly flavoured.

Café Sicilia

We of course couldn’t resist a day trip to visit celebrated bakery Café Sicilia to sample that famous almond granita with brioche buns as well as the plethora of artfully crafted confectionary the café is known for. If you’ve not watched the episode on netflix’s Chefs Table series, I’d highly recommend you watch prior to visiting. The town of Noto alone is worth a daytrip just to admire the impressive baroque architecture.

Benanti Winery https://vinicolabenanti.it

Benanti Winery is an absolute must for anyone that appreciates wine with a little geography lesson thrown in for good measure. The richly celebrated vineyards are positioned across numerous regions of Etna, reaping the benefits of the mineral rich terrain that dominate so much of this wineries key characteristics. Here we sampled the wines in a lavishly decorated dining room alongside antipasti. The perfect afternoon treat for those passionate about wine.

Al Duomo – Taormina https://www.ristorantealduomotaormina.com

Arguably the best spot to dine in Taormina. Here the restaurant sits perched over the main square and we dined on their incredible four-course lunch menu. Impressive sharing platters of raw seafood grace the table; a plethora of tuna, langoustines and oysters all remind us of our proximity to the ocean. Pasta comes in plentiful portions, freshly rolled that morning. It’s the perfect spot to experience all the island has to offer.

Osteria Frammento - Acireale - https://www.facebook.com/frammentoacireale/

For those who enjoy a more modern approach to traditional cuisine. The food here is beautifully presented, refined, richly indulgent and locally sourced. The octopus on a bed of chickpea puree was a highlight and this was a great find in this small town. Be sure to book ahead.