In classic Italian cookery, when something is cooked “alla pizzaiola” (pizza-style), it means it has tomatoes and origano (sometimes garlic too), as in the most basic topping for pizza.
Patate alla pizzaiola belongs to that army of homely dishes that are the backbone, almost the unsung heroes, of Italian cookery: simple affairs, often vegetarian, quickly assembled, generally rather economical and immensely satisfying.
This is not “a recipe”, just, I would say, “a way with” potatoes – once you understand the idea, you can really play with it. Continue reading
Rice is not immediately associated with Sicilian cooking, apart from the wonderful arancini, those glorious deep fried rice balls stuffed with meat ragù, peas and cheese.. I was therefore rather surprised when I stumbled across this intriguing sounding rice and chestnut dish from Messina, in Sapori di Sicilia, by Giovanni Coria, It is nothing more than boiled rice dressed with a (dry or fresh) chestnut and olive oil “sauce”, with some pecorino and boiled, chopped finocchietto (wild fennel), the signature herb of Sicilian cooking. It is an unusual and tasty dish and if you like chestnuts you might find it appealing. 