![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Frying-panelle-4-768x1024.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So many civilizations came through\nSicily: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans,\nSwabians, Aragonese, Lombards, Spaniards, French, Albanians and English. Each\nleft its mark in terms of culture, architecture and design and, of course,\nfood. I had many wonderful experiences: two days at the Anna Lanza Cooking\nSchool where I had a beautiful, comfy room although some others did not; visiting an herb farm near Noto where the\nowner\u2019s wife hails from Brooklyn and served, among other things, deep fried\nsage leaves as part of our lunch (another item that won\u2019t be featured on my menu\nbut they were divine); wandering around Ragusa, a medieval town that has a\nDisneyfied air and is lit at night like a stage set; lunch at a wonderful\npizzeria in Syracuse where the actual pizza was preceded by arancini (rice\nballs around a filling, typically a little meat and some peas) and seafood\ncaponata and complemented by gallons of wine. Actually, everything was\naccompanied by lots of wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1681-1-768x1024.jpeg\")
Home since late October, I\u2019ve peeled off\nthe pounds with a diet of kale and yogurt (well, not quite). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a terrific trip complete with\nbeautiful weather except on the very last day in Taormina where it was pouring.\nRegardless, some of us donned slickers to see the Greek Theater which was entirely\nworth the rain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_2019-768x1024.jpeg\")
Inspired by the food we had, once home I worked out a way\nto serve zucchini because my typical way of cooking it (sliced and saut\u00e9ed\nalong with yellow squash and onion) is boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herewith, Zucchini a la Siciliana<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This serves two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One large zucchini cut in half lengthwise<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feta cheese, crumbled<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olive oil (not in a league with what we downed on the\ntrip- I\u2019m told that you can forget about \u201cEVO\u201d and cold pressed and the like.\nLook for a date on the label. The most recent is the best.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ripe tomatoes (no longer happening here in the northeast)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a baking dish.\nRub the zucchini in it so all sides are coated. Cook at about 350 until zucchini\nare soft enough to handle. Scrape out the inner flesh, chop up and put in a\nbowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add to this chopped tomatoes and the feta. Season to\ntaste with salt and pepper. Stuff this mixture into the zucchini halves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put them back in the oven (same pan) for another twenty\nminutes or so; the cheese should start to melt and the whole be on the soft\nside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/zuchinni-1-1.jpg\")
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Serve with a Nero d\u2019Avila\nwine, (it\u2019s red) a Sicilian grape I\u2019m betting my local liquor store doesn\u2019t\nstock. Or, a white from the Aetna region, ditto. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I bet I gained 5 pounds+ in Sicily. Of course I walked a lot: through old cites and wonderful markets; I swam in the glorious Mediterranean; I hiked the north side of Mt. Aetna (although even the die hard hikers … Continue reading