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Sicilian tuna tartare – tartare di tonno
What better way to celebrate the tuna season than with one of my favourite dishes, Sicilian tuna tartare. Unlike the indulgence, length and fervour of spaghetti with cuttlefish ink sauce, today’s offering is almost Buddhist in its simplicity, not that Buddhists probably get through boatloads of raw tuna. Expect it would wreak havoc with their karma. Not with mine, I’m glad to report. To say this is old-school Sicilian would be a lie. A modern classic maybe, insofar as that actually means anything. It only started popping up on menus here about five or ten years ago, although now any decent fish restaurant will offer it. Strangely, though, it’s not…
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pasta ‘ncaciata – hearty baked pasta
L’apparenza inganna, as they say here in Italy – appearances can be deceptive. Today’s offering, pasta ‘ncaciata, is a case in point. I mean, just look at it – rigatoni and cheese with a crispy crust. This is the sort of pasta dish you wouldn’t mind introducing to your parents. Reassuring, well-behaved, understated even. It’s not exactly a featherweight prawn salad, but neither does it look likely to beat you up and put you out of action for 24 hours. This, of course, is where you would be wrong. Prise off its pretty golden wrapping, and underneath you will find the Mike Tyson of the pasta universe. Pasta ‘ncaciata is…
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Trattoria La Sirena di Mancuso, Messina
Trattoria la Sirena di Mancuso is located on side of one of the two seawater lakes in Ganzirri, along the coast just north of Messina. This place is a local institution, a temple of tradition, pure and simple. This is where the locals will direct you to try mussels. This is where I myself first tried mussels in Ganzirri. And little seems to have changed since then. What’s the place like? The geographical location of Trattoria la Sirena di Mancuso is beautiful, as seen in the photo above. The restaurant itself almost completely lacks the charm of the setting, and has the bright, aggressive lighting you might find in a…
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Spaghetti with cuttlefish ink – spaghetti al nero
There are foods that we inevitably associate with certain people. If anyone mentions pasta with ragù, for example, I always think of my son, George, who must be one of the world’s leading experts on the dish by now, considering his vast hands-on experience in the field. And lemon meringue pie always brings to mind my sister. I’m not even sure why, although it might just be because her lemon meringue pie is so damn good. And when I see spaghetti with cuttlefish ink sauce on a menu, I can’t help but remember my old friend Nigel. I miss many things about him, but his penchant for spraying me with…
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