Sicily is an island of contrasts: the lively cities of Palermo and Catania, quiet villages among olive groves, the imposing Mount Etna and rugged cliffs. Here, the flavours of the sea, the smell of citrus fruits and everything that grows in the sun-drenched earth come together in a culinary experience that stimulates your senses.

UNIQUE FLAVOURS
There are countless unique, local products in Sicily. Bitter Romana almonds, deeply sweet Pachino cherry tomatoes, blood-red Tarrocco oranges, beautifully green Bronte pistachios and ancient, local wheat varieties with resounding names such as Timilia and Realforte. Grazing cattle, which feed on grasses and wild herbs, also produce fantastic cheeses. The typical Sicilian pecorino and traditional sheep's milk ricotta are but two examples of this.

Sicilians love the contrasts of their island. This is often reflected in traditional dishes that combine salty and sour with sweet. A typical side dish to fish and meat is caponata, a sweet and sour sauce of aubergine, tomato, capers, olives, olive oil and vinegar, with raisins and honey or sugar as sweet counterparts. This principle of agrodolce need not be limited to aubergine. You can apply it to practically any vegetable: cauliflower, carrot, courgette, pumpkin and more. Dessert? Sicilians specialise in sweets, and olive oil is often found in these too, such as in the traditional olive oil citrus cake. And of course: gelato! In all the flavours the island has to offer, from almond and orange to olive oil and pistachio.

During a typical Sicilian dinner – surrounded by family, friends and olive trees – the table features bowls full of ricotta, Pane Siciliano, grilled aubergines and courgettes, agrodolci, mountains of herbs and nuts, deep-fried sardines and calamari, fennel sausage and peppered pecorino. Accompanying this feast are glasses of Nero d'Avola and (of course) generous shots of Pantanello olive oil.

Peel one orange squash and cut it into slices just under one centimetre thick.

Add a dash of olive oil in a large frying pan or thick-bottomed pan and, once the oil is hot, fry the squash slices until tender. Give them room in the oil: fry only one layer of squash at a time and leave space between the slices. This way they will fry evenly and won’t cook in their own steam. Sprinkle some salt over the slices and fry until the squash is light brown.

Remove the slices from the pan and place them on kitchen paper to absorb most of the oil. In the same oil in which you fried the squash, fry one clove of garlic until fragrant and then add some oil and vinegar. For each two tablespoons of vinegar use about one tablespoon of sugar. This is just a guideline. You can adjust the recipe to your taste: sweeter or more acidic. For the whole squash, you will need about six tablespoons of vinegar and three tablespoons of sugar.

Place the squash slices in a bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over them. Finish with a wisp of freshly ground black pepper and add some torn mint leaves.

Taste to see if the squash needs some salt and let the dish sit for a few hours or even overnight.

Buon appetito!