Sicily has an amazing food scene. I have to admit that I had some preconceived notions going into this trip as I pictured every restaurant to be a small, Italian, dark, wood paneled restaurant with an accordion player. Ya know something straight out of Lady and the Tramp. However, I have to say that the Sicilian food scene was actually quite modern and quite diverse and I could have easily found anything from sushi to McDonalds, if I so desired. However, what I was really looking for was a feeling...ya know that feeling when you walk into a place and you just feel at home and that is what I found at Boccaperta.

Boccaperta, which means "open mouth," is a small family run restaurant in Linguaglossa. It is a husband and wife team, Rosario and Cetty, who are in both the kitchen and the front of the house. They are both so warm and welcoming and they are committed to creating a fresh and local menu that reflects both regional and seasonal ingredients.



 The restaurant also has a wine list that specializes in local wines that are produced in the Mt Etna wine region. It was at this restaurant that I learned about the volcanic elements in the local wines and I also learned that for red wine produced in this area you want it to be at least 2 years old. I also have to say that they allowed me to taste an Italian rosato which made my day as I had been trying to find a rose varietal throughout this trip. All of the wines we tasted were excellent and had very unique flavors.


Our meal started with an incredible antipasto. This was my first time trying baked ricotta, which is a slice of heaven. The ricotta is a much smoother consistency than we are use to in the states and in the US when we think of baked ricotta we think of an almost fondue or dip type of concoction. In Sicily it is sliced and baked giving it a contrast in textures between the outer and inner layers and it is just more firm, in general.  They served the ricotta with a cherry sauce and the contrast was out of this world. They also had stuffed zucchini, fresh meats, olives, sauteed greens and a variety of cheeses. I was seriously so happy I could scream!


The second course consisted of a fava bean minestrone type of soup. And although this was probably the simplest dish I had during my 12 day stint in Sicily it was truly one of the highlights for me. The flavors popped and every ingredient was so fresh and created an individual celebration that danced within the soup. I had never had fava beans before and I have to admit I was slightly afraid since I hate lima beans, but they are subtle and almost remind me of a large cannellini bean. The soup also had a hint of fennel which added a nice herbaceous contrast and the pasta was cooked perfectly. I also fell in love with the fact that they drizzled fresh olive oil over the top of the soup so it had a pungent and fresh olive finish in every bite. This is definitely a tip that I am going to steal and I plan on doing this every time I make soup in the future.


This restaurant was definitely one of my favorites. The owners provided an explanation before everything we ate or drank. They were passionate about what they did and you could truly tell that everything they served was made with love. If you are ever in the area definitely check it out: http://www.ristoranteboccaperta.com/about_us.htm

There were a few times during my trip to Sicily that I felt like I had stepped into a different world or that I was living in someone else's life. From the moment we drove up to Barone Di Villagrande, a winery that had been in Sicily since the 1800's, everything felt surreal. This winery is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Etna, an active and majestic volcano.


And it is this volcanic soil that lends itself to incredible wines, with additional mineral elements and depth of flavors. This winery is incredibly beautiful, as if you stepped into the book, Under the Tuscan Sun (yes, I know I was in a different geographic area, but it just looks so Italian). It is ripe with history, elegance and sophistication and there was just a warmth in the smiles of everyone we came in contact with. Sure they work in a winery in Sicily, of course they are happy, right?



The tour started in the cellar, for lack of a better word. We stood in this old stone barn type building surrounded by giant barrels. And when I say giant barrels, I mean GIANT barrels. The building was actually built around the barrels, that is how big I am talking about.


The barrels were over 200 years old.  The building is naturally cooled and from the moment you step onto the stone stairs you get the smell of wine and oak which I swear is an aphrodisiac for me ( a little too much information huh).


Barone Di Villagrande uses French Oak, however they also use some chestnut barrels, for their white wines, which is unusual. Their property is ripe with chestnut trees and so they send them to a local cooper who in hand turns them into barrels for their wines. They use chestnut wood because it has a lot of tannins in the wood and so they describe it as being a "perfect marriage" between the wood and the wine. I do have to say I loved their white wine and it does have a nutty and oaky flavor which is incredible. I love buttery oaky California chards, but their white wines took these flavors to another level.

Our tour guide was a lovely Italian woman, who married one of the wineries owners sons. She made me realize that I had seriously made poor choices when getting married. I have been married to a Fireman and a Cop....hmmm why the hell didn't I marry an Italian winery owners son? That was pretty dumb on my part! I digress...the winery is one of the oldest in Sicily and they have vines that are between 20-100 years old. Talk about taking "old vine" wines to another level!

After our tour we were brought to this private dining room for dinner and wine tasting. Everything about the winery, hell the whole country, screamed simple elegance. The white wines were paired with antipasto that included bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, fresh cheese with peppercorns, salami and the best roasted peppers I have ever had. Sure I eat roasted peppers all of the time, but these were sweet and had the right combination of charred flavor and they were served with lemons that really brought out the essence of the wine. Heaven!


The first wine of the night was the Etna Bianco, which had the more nutty and woody elements. It was light and smooth, but it still had layers of incredible flavor. This was by far my favorite white of the evening!


The night white reminded me more of a viognier or pinot grigio. It was just a little bit more acidic in my opinion, still an incredible wine, but just not the varietal that I normally drink.


The meal was designed to go with the red wines. So it included zucchini pasta, fresh sausage, meatballs, grilled eggplant, salad and potatoes. I was constantly amazed throughout this trip how the Sicilians would take simple ingredients and turn them into something magnificent. It was truly a testament to the use of fresh ingredients, especially fresh herbs, cooking with love and embracing the natural flavors of the food. I can't even tell you why, but this was the best sausage I have ever had!


 Just as a reminder in Italy the salad is usually used as a palate cleanser. Also just loved this bowl!



 My favorite red of the night was the Etna Rosato. It reminded me of a California Pinot Noir, with a light texture, a light fruit forward flavor and just a very smooth finish.


The next red we tasted was the Sciara, which they called their "meditation wine." Let me just say that I suck at meditation, but if I could drink this wine before meditation, well it might just make me a believer. This wine was more robust than the Etna Rosato and you could taste more of the mineral content from the soil. It had flavors more similar to a Merlot or a lighter Cab, it was more intense and more in your face.

However, in general I was amazed with Italian wines. They were light and not filling. They were all incredibly smooth and they left you with a pleasant buzz that never led to obliteration or a hangover. Let me just say I drank a lot of wine during this 12 day trip and I never woke up with a headache, feeling slow or like I wanted to die. We asked about the alcohol content and they are comparable to the wines in the states. The only thing we could think of was the fact that they don't use the sulfites we do and most of the wines we drank were organic, but it was incredible how different I felt after drinking Italian wines.

The evening came to a close with the dessert wine and a panna cota with a citrus sauce. I am not a dessert wine fan however both the dessert and the wine had citrus flavors and truly were perfect together.




 We asked about getting the wines here in the states and they mentioned they just started distributing them in California through a company called Palermo Wine Distributors, however I can't find their web page. It does look like you can purchase the wines directly from the winery, but they are quite a bit more expensive. However, they also have a resort at this winery that looks absolutely breathtaking and I have already decided I would kill to stay here. Here is their web page: http://www.villagrande.it/en/
I did find that if you go to Wine Searcher the wines are available through a distributor in New Jersey and another one in New York. They also had the wines available on eBay, however I have never purchased wine via eBay so I can't recommend that method. http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/baron+villagrande+rosso+etna+sicilia+italy/-/-/-/a

What I can tell you is that these wines are definitely worth the effort of tracking them down and when I return to Sicily I will definitely be returning to this villa. Cheers!

So I just came back from a 12 day food and wine tour of Sicily and I swear my head is still swimming from the sites and sounds. It is truly like stepping into a different world and the experience was Earth shattering. From a food perspective, I loved how fresh everything was.


 It was a challenge to find a grocery store as there were so many open air markets, neighborhood butchers or bakers or even just guys with carts selling fresh fish that came straight off the boat.


 I loved the pleasure and pride that everyone had in their food...the multi-course meals that were true productions of love. I loved the wine-it was light, it was smooth, it was simple and it did not give you a god awful hangover the next day. I loved the cheese and salami...layers of flavor, nice and salty and perfect in every way!


I loved the simplicity of the food, that really encapsulated the flavors of each ingredients. It wasn't about the latest and greatest food trends, it was about tradition, quality and cooking with love.

Love the old architecture of the buildings

One of our first food experiences of the trip occurred at the open air market in Palermo. I have been to some pretty amazing farmers markets between Santa Monica, Portland and Hollywood, however this market was insane...and I truly mean insane in every sense of the word. In my experience in the US, farmers markets are these zen experiences in which people talk softly, meander around and purchase ingredients at their leisure, often times carrying flowers and a latte to look more Bohemian. This market was nothing like that.


This market was a true food frenzy.


It was packed with people, however there were still motorcycles trying to drive up and down the aisles. I kept waiting for a herd of sheep to come through or something else crazy like that.

Every vendor was yelling...offering their products, bantering with the other vendors, haggling and just talking loud.


There was everything for sale. Sure there were the flower stands, vegetables and fruits, but there were also fish mongers, butchers, olive stands and every other food product you could think of. Plus in addition to the food products I swear there were several vendors just selling random stuff that screamed, "Made in China." Oh sure you need a Hello Kitty purse and some squid...you got it!!


I loved the sense of community that came with the market. The neighborhood ladies who would stop in the middle of the crowds and share gossip, exchange cooking tips and just talk about their days. I loved the fact that everyone knew each other and I loved that everyone was dressed in "going out" clothes as this was their outing for the day. I also loved that everyone bought the ingredients for that days meal and they weren't worried about a 7-day menu plan or stocking the fridge for the work week...refreshing!!

I loved the diversity of the ingredients. There was every type of product known to man-salami, fresh vegetables, live snails, eels...you name it!

Yup those are eels!

Live snails...they were tiny and I am not sure what you make with them...but cool.

Fresh oregano on the left and rosemary on the right

Sardines packed in salt...a very popular fish in Sicily

Fresh squid...some of which were still moving

Fresh huge tuna!

 I loved the history. Not only the food history, but also the history of the market and the history of the buildings and the history of the people. I loved wandering through the aisles of foods, knowing that these vendors had been on these same streets, selling to the same families for generations. I loved that everywhere I looked I found elements of a diverse history. Sicily is one of those places that truly had been taken over by everyone-Arabics, Greeks, Romans, etc and they all left their mark...on the buildings, in the food, in the traditions, in the acceptance of others. It was incredible!


 This trip really made me reflect on what is important and what we as Americans have forsaken as we chase the mighty dollar, the promotion and attempt to keep up with the joneses. I want to be able to shop for the day, cook a daily meal for those I love, take a siesta from 1-3 every day, spend 3 hours at the dinner table sharing stories with those that make you happy and cherish the pleasure in food, wine and life. Cheers!