Struggling with Logistics: Cycle touring in the Interior of Sicily

Sicily's interior has so many treasures both natural and historic that it should be a perfect destination for a cycling tour. The roads are magnificent and largely free of traffic.  The terrain is mountainous, but the distances between towns are good. Gord and I are however struggling to find routes that have accommodation in the places where we need it. There are areas in Sicily without any options. Unlike Greece and Spain we are not seeing signs for rooms or being approached by locals with offers. We are also frustrated that even though it is low season the deals offered in the tourist places along the coast are certainly not available in the interior. Wild camping with a tent, like our friends the Sloths, would work much better. We loved our ride across Sicily between Palermo and Agrigento but to truly get lost on the back roads of Sicily we will have to bring a tent next time.

Food in Sicily

One of the real pleasures of travelling in Italy is the food, especially after a day of cycling. Within Italy Sicily is reknowned for it's unique cuisine, which mixes elements from the various groups that have occupied this land.

In Cefalu we tried a Margherita pasta served with a sauce of tomatoes, pine nuts, raisins, garlic and roasted bread crumbs. It was sweet and nutty and our number one favorite dish. Some of our other favourites have just been simple tomatoe, basil and ricotta sauces made wih the freshest ingredients.

Last night we opted for pizza and the pistachio, prosciutto, Gorgonzola combination was divine. When we get home we are going to break it to our housemate David that the pottery kiln is now a pizza oven.

I have already mentioned my love for cannoli and now Gord is raving about encountering the original fig newton.  In addition to dried fig, the filling included pine nuts, raisins and candied citrus.  Gelatto continues to be an important part of each day with new flavours like cinnamon and mandorla (a local fruit) to try. We found out a few days after writing this that mandorla is the Italian word for Almond.

When we are not eating we have been exploring the medieval core of Agrigento and the unesco designated Valley of the Temples below the city.

Spaghetti con salsa di Sicilia

Inspired by Cefalu

Ingredients:

·         olive oil

·         4 cloves of garlic, peeled and very finely sliced

·         2 big handfuls of pine nuts

·         A big handful of raisins

·         12 salted anchovy fillets

·         3 heaping tablespoons tomato purée

·         a large wineglass of red wine

·         1 3/4 cups stale bread crumbs

·         1 pound dried margherita pasta

Instructions:

1.      Puree in food processor raisins and tomato puree or use a hand blender in the pot.

2.      Heat a pan, add 6 tablespoons of olive oil, then add your garlic and fry slowly with the anchovies. As it begins to melt, add the pine nuts, raisin mixture.

3.      Add the wine and stir in well. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 3 minutes. The sauce should be quite thick, like tomato sauce, but if you think it needs thinning down, add a little water.

4.      Heat a little olive oil in a separate pan, add the bread crumbs and fry until toasted, crunchy, and golden. Leave to cool on paper towels.

5.      Meanwhile, cook your pasta in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and mix with the sauce.

6.      Check the seasoning and divide onto 4 plates, twizzling the pasta with tongs as you go. Serve sprinkled with the bread crumbs..

Reggio to Milazzo Sicily

We have broken our uninterrupted  bicycle route with a train and ferry so that we can explore Sicily for our last three weeks in Europe.

We crossed over to Sicily today and then biked up and over the north end to Milazzo, the departure port for ferries to the Aeolian islands. I was not looking forward to this ride and spent the morning grumbling that once again the motorway had the easier route and we had to pedal a longer and higher route. It was a delightful surprise to discover that our route was georgeous. Much greener and more forested than I had expected. We zig zagged up the volcanic ridges covered with umbrella pines until we made it to the top with views down to the sea.

We are staying at a lovely B&B in Milazzo with our own kitchen. Our self-catering is becoming quite an art form. Tonight's dessert was a combination of perfectly fresh pears, marscapone cheese and dark chocolate cookies. Yum.

We have neglected to mention gelato for a while when the weather was poor, but I am happy to report our new discoveries of fig, prickly pear fruit, and pear and ricotta .