Browsing by Category: Sicily

After five days in the fatherland, I can officially say that I’m full. Palermo is a place where it is unthinkable not to indulge. There are fried things everywhere, the fish is amazingly fresh, and you just can’t duplicate those amazing ricotta-filled pastries off the island. (more…)

My nonno in front of the Cattedrale in Palermo

In 1899, my great grandfather Niccolo’ Cipollina was born in Palermo near La Cala. His father worked in the port as a steamfitter and in 1906, he packed up his big family and moved to New York City. Little Niccolo’s name was changed to Nicholas at Ellis Island. In 2007, years after
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Today, the premier issue of Southern Flourish Magazine, a digital publication all about life and culture in the American South, went live. When the editor asked me to contribute a piece about the Italian south, I naturally wrote about eating (more…)

My love of ricotta in all its sweet forms is no secret. I couldn’t turn down a cassata, crostata, or cannolo to save my life. My obsession with lo sfinge is no less intense. And while many are busy avoiding such things for Lent, I’m eating (more…)

For me, ricotta desserts are more than just rich, delicious temptations. They are slices of history that tell of Rome’s past. A sliver of ricotta crostata (tart), cassola (pancake), or torta (cake) brings two eras of Roman history to mind. The first (more…)