Made in Sicily - Giorgio Locatelli

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olive oil

      Put the salt into a clean, screw-topped bottle or jar, then add the lemon juice and leave for a minute until the salt dissolves. Add the oil and shake really well to emulsify. Use straight away.

      Chilli oil

      Like all the countries that face the Mediterranean, Sicily favours the chilli pepper, much more than the rest of Italy, especially the north. As well as fresh chillies, you will find little strings of dried ones that are often just crumbled into dishes.

      I like the kick of spice that chilli brings to a broccoli and almond salad (Insalata di broccoli, mandorle e peperoncino) or some green vegetables, simply blanched and tossed in olive oil with chilli and garlic. How hot Sicilian chillies are is a bit of a lottery; they can be quite gentle and sweet, or they can be explosive.

      Makes about 50ml

      ½ fresh red chilli, finely chopped

      ½ fresh green chilli, finely chopped

      50ml olive oil

      Mix together and leave for a day in the fridge before using. It will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. When you spoon it out, you should have about 75 per cent oil and 25 per cent chopped chilli.

      As I explained in my previous book, Made in Italy, there is nothing mysterious or special about this, it is just the label we used to put on the bottle of vinaigrette in the kitchen when I was cooking at Zafferano, to help out a young chef who otherwise could never remember which dressing was which. I like a high ratio of oil to vinegar, but you can vary it as you like. Naturally, since we started making our own oil in Sicily, that is the one we use, and now we also add some white wine vingar. You will find that Sicilian oils are generally very fresh, grassy, fruity and fragrant. Make up a bottle of this and keep it in the fridge.

      Makes about 375ml

      ½ teaspoon sea salt

      3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

      2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

      300ml extra virgin olive oil, preferably Sicilian

      Put the salt into a bowl, then add the vinegars and leave for a minute until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Pour into a clean bottle and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. It will separate out again, but just shake it well before you use it.

      Sicilians are not keen on heavy cooked sauces; however, light, fresh salsette and salmoriglio – a dressing made with oil and lemon or vinegar, plus garlic and herbs – along with pesto are at the base of their cooking and eating. I like the idea of putting a few of these out in bowls with the antipasti, so that they can be spooned on to vegetables or fish or seafood.

      If you say pesto to most people, they think of pesto genovese (named after Genoa), made with Parmesan, pine nuts and basil; but if you say pesto to a Sicilian, they think of pesto trapanese (named after Trapani), made with almonds and tomatoes (Pesto trapanese). The word ‘pesto’ comes from the verb pestare, which just means to crush or grind, and it simply refers to a sauce that is traditionally pounded with a pestle and mortar, so the combination of ingredients can be very localised.

      As well as working well with vegetables, meat or fish, the pesto-style sauces are obviously perfect tossed through pasta. Of course, you can make pesto by putting all the ingredients into a blender and pressing the pulse button, rather than working it in a pestle and mortar, but doing it by machine will give you a smoother, more refined texture than the more rustic sauce that is the result of using a pestle and mortar.

      Oil, lemon and herb sauce

      Salmoriglio is almost always on the Sicilian table, ready to spoon over vegetables, grilled fish or meat, and there are many different variations: sometimes chopped, sun-dried tomato might be added, sometimes lemon zest along with the lemon juice, or different herbs. You could vary the one below by using 40ml of white wine vinegar in place of the lemon juice, or substituting marjoram for the oregano. Marjoram is a herb that is used a lot in Sicily – our friends at Planeta grow it in huge pots on their terrace. It is the same family as oregano, but a little lighter and slightly more bitter.

      Makes about 150ml

      120ml olive oil

      juice of 2 lemons

      30g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

      1 garlic clove, finely chopped

      10g dried oregano

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and a dessertspoonful of warm water. Gradually whisk in the parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until thickened slightly.

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      Garlic, mint and lemon sauce

      This is another light sauce used for grilled fish, or traditionally for dipping boiled snails into, or spooning over grilled meat.

      Makes about 150ml

      2 garlic cloves, chopped

      sea salt

      50g mint, chopped

      3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

      6 tablespoons olive oil

      Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic into a paste with 2 pinches of salt, add the mint and continue to crush, then finally work in the lemon juice and the olive oil, a little at a time.

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      Green sauce

      Again, this is a great sauce for grilled fish.

      Makes 300g

      1 salted anchovy

      3 whole green olives in brine

      1 garlic clove

      100g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

      30g pine nuts

      15g salted capers, rinsed and well drained

      1 slice of good white bread, soaked in vinegar

      yolk of 1 large hard-boiled egg

      120ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

      15ml white wine vinegar, or to taste

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Rinse and dry the anchovy. Run your thumb gently along the backbone to release it, and you should be able to easily pull it out.

      Drain the olives and pat dry. With a sharp knife, make three or four cuts in each olive from end to end, and then cut each segment away from the stone as carefully as you can.

      Grind the garlic, anchovy and parsley using a pestle and mortar until you have a green paste, then add the pine nuts, capers and olives and pound for a few more minutes. Add

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