Sicilian food

Cannolo Siciliano (Sicilian cannoli)

Cannolo Siciliano – Il Vero

“Leave the gun, take the cannolis” (The Godfather).

In our travels we encounter many cultures, and many local foods. That is way when it comes to food we try to use the term “BEST” very carefully. Cannolo – definitely deserve that title as one of the best desserts we have ever had. Traditionally is made from a sweet fried dough that is deep fried to a crispy perfection (which is pretty much the best ice cream cone imaginable). Into that crispy goodness, a fresh sheep ricotta cheese with chocolate chips (from Piana degli Albanesi if possible) is inserted upon order, and at the end a lite sugar powder is sprinkled on top.
In our 3 weeks in Sicily, we probably ate it every single day. There are several good ones in Palermo, but we were surprised to find the absolute best one in San Vito Lo Capo.

Il Vero – Via Regina Margherita, 43, 91010 San Vito Lo Capo TP, Italy

The kind lady at Il Vero opens her bakery every day at 8am and stays open till midnight (with a short 1 hour break between 3-4pm). She makes your cannoli fresh to order, and her ricotta comes from Piana degli Albanesi as it should. She also makes donuts filled with the same chocolate chip ricotta, and I guarantee to all food lovers that this is one of those places that no force in nature will keep you from coming back to it.

Cannolo Siciliano – Il Vero

Cappello – Via Colonna Rotta, 68, 90134 Palermo, Italy

The cannolis here are good. Not freshly made to order, but a good choice if you are in Palermo.

Cannolo Siciliano – Cappello

Alba – Piazza Don Bosco, 7c, 90143 Palermo, Italy

We came here for arancini, granita and cannoli, and we enjoyed it all!

The Cannolis were crispy and fresh, the ricotta was fluffy and lightly sweet – our favourite place for cannolis in Palermo.

Alba is a good segway for the next revelation we had in Sicily – Sicilian Arancini.

Arancini

Arancini with a beer & granita at Alba, Palermo

When you are thinking of a great food to have with a beer or when you’re a little drunk, what do you imagine? Fried? Cheesy? Crunchy? Salty? Well, it has it all and then some.
Arancini are deep fried rice balls with numerous fillings that very around Italy, and you guessed it, our favorites were in Sicily.
In Sicily the typical ones are: prosciutto mozzarella, 4 cheeses, beef ragu & spinach. They are a great quick cheap lunch & should always cost around 2 euros each (2-3 are a meal for a hungry man).

Spinach on the left , prosciutto & mozzarella on the right

Have them where ever you go, just don’t plan on doing much after them since with the arancini also comes the “Arancini nap”.

Granita

Peach & watermelon Granita at Stromboli,

Granita is one of those things that in the first time you have it you think to your self: “Why doesn’t this amazing treat exists in every hot place on the plant???”

A real granita is simply frozen grounded fruit that is brought to a texture of a slushy. Sounds simple enough? then why oh why there are so many crappy fluorescent coloured chemically flavoured granita everywhere?

Gelso Granita

Where you go, ask if it is only fruit, and only eat it if it is.

Our favorite flavors were Gelso (mulberry), Watermelon & Peach.

Sea food

Trapani fish market

The marine life around Sicily are the best in all of Italy, and that is why you will find great fresh fish at the fishermen’s market and for great prices as well.

The fishermen’s market in Trapani is the best place to buy fish that we have found, with the biggest verity, lowest prices and the freshest produce.

Fresh local Tuna

Fresh local Swordfish

Our favorite thing in the summer is to buy the best local things we can find at the butcher / “Pesceria” (Italian for – fish store) and to BBQ it outside our caravan.

Green onions wrapped with Pancetta & Salsicha

If you can grill in Sicily, ask the butcher for “Salsicha con finocchio” (Sausage with fennel). Its a local common mixture of grounded meet that makes some addictive sausages! We enjoyed adding a little chili peppers and sugar to the mix.

Fresh sardines waiting to be grilled

Sardines, salsicha & vegetables

The sweetest & best shrimps we ever had

Grilling fish at the beach always feels right!

Ashlee is an adventures chef that loves to find the special local ingredients and to make the special local dishes. In Sicily, Ashlee made a brave attempt on a hole octopus. You can see the delicious results here: