Travels in Sicily

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If you’re following along from the last post, we have just left Reggio on the ferry to Messina. Sicily is at the top of my list of places to visit again, and yet somehow I have not managed to get back (yet). This is another place that my one visit was so long ago that I have no digital photos, but I do have some not-very-good snapshots from the point and shoot camera I had at that time

Let’s start with Taormina, and the amphitheater on the hill above the Mediterranean. This sad old photo does not begin to do justice to this spectacular location. If you search on line for photos of the Taormina amphitheater, the sea in the background is almost always brilliant blue, and not the dull grey of this old picture. https://www.welcometoitalia.com/sicily/taormina-between-history-and-enchantment/

The Greek ruins and remains of Greek structures throughout Sicily are truly incredible. The cathedral in Syracuse is built around the pillars of a temple of Athena. https://www.secretsiracusa.it/en/where-to-go/duomo-syracuse/ The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento has the ruins of multiple temples. https://www.visitsicily.info/en/valley-of-the-temples/

There are any number delicious dishes to choose from for Sicilian cuisine, but my first thought when I think of food and Sicily is swordfish. At least according to the Let’s Go guide book I had at the time, Homer wrote about Sicilian swordfish (if any classics scholars happen to know where to find a reference to Sicilian swordfish in Homer’s writings, I would love to know where it is). Naturally, I had to eat swordfish while there. The preparation should be simple and let the fish shine.

"Travels" in Sicily
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“Travels” in Sicily

Course: Dinners

Ingredients

  • Fresh swordfish steaks – about 8 oz per person

  • Kosher salt

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • Fresh oregano leaves – about 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped

Directions

  • Lightly oil a grill pan and heat over medium heat until oil shimmers. Salt each side of the swordfish steaks and place in heated pan. For think steaks, cook about 4 minutes per side. I prefer swordfish to be just cooked through, but be careful not to overcook it as you do not want it to dry out.
  • While fish is cooking, whisk a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the lemon juice until emulsified. Stir in the oregano.
  • Plate the swordfish steaks and drizzle with the oil/lemon juice mixture.

If you are not yet planning your own trip to Sicily, I leave you with one more picture of an old photograph – the Ear of Dionysius. This is a cave with acoustic properties that allow even slight sounds to be heard at the opening at the top. To give you an idea of how amazing that is, the red spot at the bottom of the photo is a jacket tied around the waist of an adult person who is in the photo for scale. The cave gets its name from a legend that the emperor Dionysius kept prisoners in the cave and used the acoustics to spy on them.