A cooking lesson in Sicily

Well, here I am, eating my way through another of my favourite places. I’ve been in Agrigento, Sicily for two days now, long enough to have forgotten airports, a plane full of crying babies, layovers that went on for way to long – and waiting four hour suntil everyone arrives and we can start our 2-1/2 hour drive to Agrigento. Anyway, all that is behind me.

The drive isn't so bad when the scenery is this beautiful

I’m at Fattoria Mose in Villagio Mose (just outside of Agrigento) and all is well in my world. Dinner is just over when we arrive but Chiara Agnello has kept the chicken with red wine and rosemary and risotto with mushrooms and eggplants warm for us. It would be wonderful even if we weren’t hungry – and we won’t be for the rest of our stay.

Pasta vongole - just another of the fabulous meals I enjoyed!

I’ve been coming to here for 5 or 6 years now and every visit is like coming home. The farm has been in Chiara’s family since the 18th century and she and her partner Ernesto are warm and welcoming hosts. The farm, organic since 1986, produces olives (and olive oils) almonds, pistachios, oranges and lots of other fruits and vegetables.

All smiles in the kitchen

During the week, Chiara (and Ernesto) will teach us to cooking Sicilian dishes – the fish is Ernesto’s department and Monday morning we drive 30 km to Porto Empedocle to the fish store. Sicilian food is simply prepared using only the freshest, in season ingredients. At the Casa del Pesce, the only fish and seafood available is that caught each morning.

Selecting the day's seafood at Casa del Pesce

Today we want ingredients for a seafood “stew” – octopus, baby squid, very small shrimp, mussels and clams. Each of these in cooked individually, chopped small, a few sliced green olives added and then drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. We also have a fabulous pasta vongole and a spada pesca – a lightly breaded swordfish. It’s all incredible and we leave clutching recipes.

Today's ingredients

Tomorrow we’ll do eggplant dishes with Chiara and Wednesday we’re on the road to Piazza Armerina to the Roman Villa and to Caltigirone – a town famous for ceramics.