Anyway, back to my list, back in early 2021 I had two books show up on my recommended for you list on amazon.  Both were entitled Sicily, this one by Ben Tish and one by Cettina Vicenzino.  I agonised for quite some time about which one to get and eventually chose the Cettina one as her book Italia received such high praise.  Then roll on just a few months and the book of the month from the Great British Chefs cookbook club is the Ben Tish Sicilian book.  So here I find myself with two books on Sicily within a very short space in time.

I always buy the cookbook club book of the month.  Whether I like the idea of the book or not I always get it and I always learn so much.  So even though I already had a Sicilian book, how could I not get this one?  No, this book is no exception and I am really very glad I have both, they are so different. 

Last summer we really got into this book and cooked quite a lot from it, all of the recipes we have tried have been lovely, fresh and delicious and are meals we repeat.  Sicilian food is a little different from other Italian food because of the influences from past rulers and where it sits in the world, it makes such an eclectic interesting mix, especially the use of the dried fruits, nuts and spices, all of which I love.

One of the things I love about much of the rest of the world is how regional foods are.  The people in the North of Italy would for instance not cook food from the South of Italy and vice versa.  I love how different the food is and have really enjoyed getting into the food of Sicily.  The only downside is that there is a fair amount of offal which is not for everybody (mostly including me to be honest) but offal aside it is still a beautiful book full of lots of delicious recipes.

My favourite recipe so far (and certainly the one that stood out from my initial flick through) is a squid, pea and tomato dish, there are only a few ingredients but it really does pack a punch, it is gorgeous and so very quick and easy, perfect for a midweek al fresco meal.  The thing I have found is that lots of the recipes are 'simple' and so rely on good ingredients.  I have earmarked lots of recipes and long for the summer when we can break out the braai, I love how good these recipes taste cooking outside.

One that intrigued me was the Sicilian brioche, effectively a brioche bun with an ice cream centre.  The ice cream fiend Rhona could not see an issue but I thought it slightly odd.  We will see.

This is a gorgeous book and I am really glad I did get it.  If you like a meal to feel like summer on a plate and be very straightforward and easy to adapt to outside cooking/eating then this is the book for you.  Some of the recipes (such as the brioche buns) need some skills but mostly this is a good book for all abilities and the recipes work without any fussing. 

Recipes 8/10
Readability 7/10
Knowledge learnt 6/10
Total 21/30