Sicilian Girl

Tweet   We know that lemon and chicken compliment each other, but add fresh and fragrant Limoncello to the recipe and your guests will compliment you ! Limoncello (lee-mohn-CHEH-loh) is an Italian lemon liquor, and is grown  along the lush hillsides of the Almafi Coast. Authentic Limoncello is made from Sorrento lemons. You will almost [...]

Tweet Granita Siciliana is Sicily’s famous “icy” treat. It has a texture similar to an American snow-cone but that’s where the similarity ends. What a granita is NOT is crushed ice covered in an artificial syrup. A fruit flavored granita is flavored with the actual fruit. The ingredients can be the same as those found [...]

Tweet Panna Cotta is simply a soft, sweet, silky-smooth, melt-in-your mouth Italian dessert. It’s similar to a custard (without the eggs) but with a creamier lighter texture. Panna Cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian and originated from northern Italy (Piedmont Region). This is the type of dessert that is perfect for dinner parties (can be [...]

Tweet Sauteed veal with lemon is fast food … really! Thinly-sliced veal quickly sauteed (don’t even have to dredge it in flour) and a sauce that practically makes itself is my definition of fast food. You could substitute chicken in most recipes that call for veal, however, you would have to pound the chicken breasts [...]

Tweet I grew up thinking pesto was basil and basil only. But I have tried many a restaurant’s version of pesto, (some tasty, others not so much) and have come up with a few versions myself. Pesto is basically a fresh uncooked pureed sauce. They can be quite versatile and are easy to make. A [...]

Tweet This is another one of those recipes that travels well. Whether you’re off to the beach or an extended road trip, salads prepared without mayonnaise have a longer “cooler” life. Although it takes only minutes to make, it does need to marinate for several hours (for all the ingredients to get to know each [...]

Tweet Sometimes I just want a little something sweet! Have you ever made a batch of pancakes on Sunday morning (or any morning) and had a little batter leftover? So, do you save the batter or throw it out? I rarely throw away food, so the next morning (with just enough batter to make a [...]

Tweet   Although there are myths to the contrary, it may surprise you to discover that Tiramisu (which means “pick-me-up” in Italian) was created quite recently (by European standards). Sometime in the 1930′s, a small restorante (restaurant) in Treviso, located northwest of Venice on Italy’s Adriatic coast, came up with this decadent dessert. Clients of [...]

Tweet   Capers are a small but distinctive ingredient in Sicilian cooking. The caper bush grows wild on the Italian Islands of Salina (Aeolian Islands, north of Sicily) and Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea and summer home of Giorgio Armani). It is native to the Mediterranean and some parts of Asia. The [...]

Tweet The first time I ever had lemon curd was also the first time I had a proper cup of tea. My mother and I were in Victoria, British Columbia, for a long weekend. (It’s a quick trip from San Francisco). We arrived by ferry at night, and were welcomed with the sight of the [...]