Catania, Pasta Norma, Mount Etna, and my first swordfish auction

Catania, at the base of Mount Etna, is a vibrant city bursting with life. The Catanian motto is apparently Carpe Diem (seize the day), very apt if you are living at the base of one of the world's most active volcanoes.

From the cafes surrounding Piazza Del Duomo (a UNESCO world heritage site), which serve incredible lemon-scented cornetti, wild strawberries and ricotta-filled canolli, to the bustling La Pescheria (the daily fish market), Catania's warmth, friendliness and spirit is intoxicating.

La Pescheria is something that cannot be missed. The catch of the morning is paraded by the local fishermen in front of the locals and restaurateurs. Whole swordfish are gutted and filleted in the square and auctioned off by weight. Clams, mussels, oysters, eels, prawns, squid and the largest selection of fish I have ever seen is on offer.

As well as the sights and sounds of the fish market, we were told not to leave Catania without tasting a traditional Pasta Norma - a dish that is meant to symbolise Mount Etna; tomatoes resemble the molten lava flowing down the sides, the dark skins of the aubergine are said to be the solid pumice, the snowy peaks are represented by crumbled, salted ricotta and the basil on top is the grassy slopes.

We ate Pasta Norma at Trattoria di De Fiore. A family run restaurant that served the most incredible homemade pasta I have ever eaten. A must if you are visiting the city. No photos of this I'm afraid. It was devoured too quickly.

Next post... discovering Taormina and my arrancini obsession

The first taste of Sicily... Palermo

Palermo, the first stop on our European adventure. This city is hot, dusty and - despite being the grandest city in Europe in the 12th century (thank you Lonely Planet) - its grandeur has now faded. The splendour of its past now decayed and crumbling.

However, despite the crazed motorists and, from what we saw, a lack of the cafe culture we were expecting, this city does have its charms. You just have to search a bit harder for them.

We stayed in a run down palazzo, with twin beds and a shared bathroom, just off the main street - Via Maqueda. Our room overlooked the tail end of the Mercato Ballero... a crowded, bustling market selling Pecorino, peaches and whole swordfish - decapitated and sliced for customers on the spot. My favourite place in the city.

While Palermo does have its charms, especially for the architecturally-aware (which is not me), we were glad to get out of the relentless heat and on to our next stop... Cefalu and the coast, our tent and a Sicilian BBQ recipe... to be continued!

Spaghetti Il Nero di Sepia - with sea bream, Indonesian tiger prawns and black garlic

I've been looking for a bulb of black garlic since visiting Ferdie's Food Lab at the end of last year, and sampling Simon's prawns with fermented garlic. It's sweet, sticky, and unlike anything else you will taste (although it is slightly reminiscent of blackened, burnt onions, but much much sweeter and without the bitterness).

I finally managed to track it down and paired it with spaghetti Il Nero di Sepia (squid ink spaghetti), which we brought back from Priano last year... in keeping with the black theme.

Sea Bream fillets, giant Indonesian tiger prawns (absolute beasts), thinly sliced radish and plenty of lemon to add a sharp tang to the sticky sweetness of the garlic...

http://iblog4.me/

Sea bream with fennel, crispy tentacles and caramelised kumquats

Kumquats are an unusual fruit. A sharp, lemon-like citrus centre, encased with a distinctly orangey casing that, instead of having a bitter outer rind like an orange, is sweet and fragrant.

Citrus always compliments fish well so, when I spotted these kumquats at Borough market, I thought they would make the perfect pairing with a pan fried fillet of sea bream and sauteed fennel.

The kumquats were caramelised until sticky and the sea bream was topped with crispy garlic tentacles from baby squid.

Pan fried scallop with beetroot, lemon and pink peppercorn risotto

Sometimes, only something pretty for dinner will do. Scallops and beetroot, both naturally sweet, with a sharp tang of lemon, fragrant pink peppercorns and earthy red amaranth leaves.

Not quite filling enough for a hungry husband, but enough to whet the appetite...

A very fishy Devonian Christmas and easy cranberry sauce for leftovers

Christmas came early in North Devon this year. A week early in fact, as I planned to visit my in-laws up in Yorkshire to celebrate the real Christmas day.

Our first stop for our pre-Christmas weekend was the farmer's market at the Big Sheep, in Abbotsham - the perfect place to pick up veg for Christmas dinner and some last minute Christmas presents (sheep's wool mittens for my niece and brother-in-law). 

The Big Sheep's farmer's market also has an incredible selection of locally sourced fresh fish - crab cakes made with Lundy Island crab, sea bass from the coastal waters, herring from Clovelly and mussels from the estuary. As a proud part Pole (my Mother's side is Polish) we of course had a traditionally fishy (and huge) faux Christmas Eve supper, including some of the crab cakes we picked up at the market.

My Mum also made an incredible open lobster and spinach lasagna with fragrant, aromatic lobster and star anise bisque. The lobsters (of course) were also local... that's one of the things I miss so much about living in Devon - the access to so much fresh seafood on a daily basis. 

Right, I promised a simple cranberry sauce recipe for your leftovers (if you still have any!)...this one, which accompanied both our faux and real Christmas day dinners, is so easy to make and encapuslates traditional Christmas flavours perfectly. I made a batch as soon as I got back to London to jar up and wrap prettily... the perfect Christmas present. It also goes amazingly well with any leftovers you have... perfect in sandwiches, with a ploughman's or just with cheese and crackers.

Makes two 8oz jars, plus a little extra. 

350 g) fresh cranberries(chopped)
1 large cooking apple (cored, peeled and chopped)
Zest and juice of 1 large orange 
1/2 tsp ground ginger 
3oz caster sugar 
1 Cinnamon stick
4 cloves 
4 tbsp Port

Add all the ingredients (apart from the Port) to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer with the lid on for five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Port. Place in jars while still hot. 

See, I told you it was easy!

I'm in The Alps at the moment, drinking vin chaud and eating lots of cheese... more on my Alpine adventues to follow soon... Happy New Year everyone!