all about me
Sicily sits at the true heart of the Mediterranean. As such, it is perhaps no wonder that the island’s cuisine is so richly diverse. It's the part of the world where I come from, where
all about me
Sicily sits at the true heart of the Mediterranean. As such, it is perhaps no wonder that the island’s cuisine is so richly diverse. It's the part of the world where I come from, where my family still is and where I learnt my first steps into cooking. The harmony that is created when people sit around a nicely dressed table and the magic that comes out of people when they are cooking, has always fascinated me and was probably one of the reasons I decided to become a cook. Thanks to my mum and her continuous help in mastering the art of cooking, that initial curiosity quickly became a strong passion that I brought with me when moving to England. When cooking “Sicilian style” be prepared to experiment with techniques not typically found on the Italian mainland, like working with various agrodolce (sweet and sour) sauces, frequently used with vegetables, fish or pasta; or with strong bitter flavoring that comes with the seasonal cultivation of ingredients such as wild greens, cardoons and artichokes. The island can rely on a lush variety of products like swordfish, tuna, anchovies, sweet olives, almonds and pistachios, tomatoes, capers, fennel, legumes, oranges and various cheeses including fresh and salted sheep’s milk ricotta, and its cuisine has evolved over the centuries to combine those and other ingredients into a long list of tasty recipes.all about my food
My speciality is Italian food and Sicilian in particular. Some of them are famous Sicilian "street foods" that you can only really find in Sicily, in bars offering "tavola calda"; others have hundreds of years of history and are still the main courses prepared for the Sunday family meals in many Italian homes. Italian recipes in general have usually just a few ingredients, but exactly for this reason, their quality and the preparation times can have a significant influence to the final taste. My cooking really start at the grocery, not at the kitchen: selecting the best possible ingredients is the first important step to achieving the perfect result.see more..
cptsimoneaccolla –
A small piece of Sicily in UK!
First of all, Gina is lovely person! We have had an excellent communication. We ordered Arancini and Pizzette which were simply amazing! All prepared with the original taste of the Sicilian food! Definitely we strongly recommend Gina if you want to have a Sicilian food experience. Thanks Gina!
nathalie.alpi –
Excellent!
We had the spinach pie, focaccia and tiramisu and it was all delicious. Gina was really nice and it was easy to order and collect. Overall an excellent experience!
Stephen Jones –
I really love Italian food, having spent several happy years living in Sicily and many family holidays trying and enjoying local dishes. Having tried (and failed) to make arancini myself, I ordered eight from Gina, with two different fillings, and they were absolutely wonderful. The order was accepted within an hour, and was ready to collect in under two days. The arancini were carefully packed in two boxes, one flavour being perfectly round and the other slightly pointed, just as I remember them. They really looked like something you would see in an Italian cooking competition, all the same size and shape and a perfect golden brown colour.After a few minutes in the microwave, they were just at the right temperature, and biting into them brought back the best memories of sitting in a Sicilian café and wishing we could enjoy these treats when we returned home. The rice was wonderfully soft, and just sticky enough to stay in one piece when you bite into it. The ham and mozzarella was creamy and had a delicious tang without being too salty. The ragu was rich and tasty, clearly home made and using good quality ingredients. Everything stayed tucked inside the arancini while we ate, and the consistency of the fillings, not pouring out, or mixing with the rice layer is a tribute to the care and experience that had gone into making them.It's really as if the chef wants to make the food perfect for you. Without doubt these are the best arancini our family have tasted and we will be ordering more from Gina, as well as trying out the other dishes she has available in the near future. Grazie mille Gina.