I Love Italian Regional Cuisine – Pairing Sicilian Cuisine With White Wine

Would you believe that almost half of Sicily's huge wine production is made from white grapes? Unfortunately not many of these wines are available in North America, at least not yet. So I am forced to suggest fine or sometimes fair to middling white wines that come from other regions of Italy. All the more reason to plan a trip to this great island. Please take my advice, don't go in the summer unless you love the heat.

If you like anchovies and you like fritters you may go for Crispeddi (Anchovy and Dill Fritters), a dish that also contains peperoncino, Italian hot peppers. Recommended wines include Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC from The Marches, a wine often paired with fish and seafood and Vermentino di Sardegna DOC from the island of Sardinia northwest of Sicily.

Sicily was once part of the Arab world. You can see the Arab influence in many dishes such as Couscous con Pesce (Fish Stew Couscous). Sicilians tend to make couscous with fish such as grouper or red snapper. In contrast North Africans usually prefer vegetables, mutton, or a lamb sausage known as merguez. Once again a good suggestion is Vermentino di Sardegna DOC but so is Fiano di Avellino DOCG from the Campania region of southern Italy. I am a real fan of Fiano but don't think of suing me if you are unhappy with it.

Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Rolls) are fairly tricky to prepare but are delicious. It goes very well with salmoriglio sauce, an Italian sauce that you won't find in many local supermarkets. Once you worked hard on the fish and the sauce, you'll want to be pleased with the wine. Two of the choices are Greco di Tufo DOCG or its close neighbor, Fiano di Avellino DOCG.

Some say that Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta With Sardines) is Sicily's signature dish. I'm not all that partial to sardines and even less so to raisins but lots of Sicilians eat it up. If you want to do it right, use Bucatini and cook it al dente. This is really a Sicilian dish and so let's not be surprised that the appropriate wines are probably not available here. Your best bet is most likely a Verdicchio di Matelica DOC. If you can't get this wine try your luck with its cousin Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC that most people put lower in the wine pecking (sipping?) order.

For dessert you may want to try Cannoli con Ricotta (Ricotta-stuffed Rolls) that are available in many Italian pastry shops. Otherwise making them is tricky but they can be delicious. It's also tricky to find an appropriate dessert wine to accompany them. Your best choice is probably Moscato Passito di Pantelleria DOC from the tiny island of Pantelleria south of Sicily. In 1971 this became the third wine to be accorded the once prestigious DOC classification. You might also try your luck with the once great and now trying to claw its way back Marsala. Take my advice; don't even think about going to a Marsala cooking wine, not even for cooking.