Food of the Italian Islands: Recipes from the Sun-Baked Beaches, Coastal Villages, and Rolling Hillsides of Sicily, Sardinia, and Beyond
By: Katie Parla
 
Sicily and Sardinia are the most famous Italian islands, but in this adventurous tour author Katie Parla takes us also to the Pontines off the coast of Lazio, the Tremiti near the Gargano Peninsula in Puglia, and the Venetian lagoon, among other places.
Beautifully and evocatively photographed, the book introduces readers to regional Italian dishes which frequently take advantage of seafood, often have a rustic simplicity, and capture the Italian interaction with other cultures, including North Africa, Greece, France, and the Balkans.
Author Katie Parla, an American living in Rome, the author or co-author of several earlier cookbooks, and a trusted travel guide, seeks to share the sense of discovery that comes from stepping off a boat and walking down the streets of a village separated from mainstream culture. She has an eye for cooks and vendors who love their local food, whether it's a sandwich from the streets of Palermo stuffed with lungs and spleen, or a caramelized onion-filled puff pastry from Catania.
From Cagliari in Sardinia she offers a dish of pickled fish with walnuts, and from Linosa, situated between Tunisia and Malta, she presents almond-crusted baked swordfish. The caper leaf salad comes from Pantelleria, and the flourless torta caprese will work for anyone who loves chocolate and avoids gluten.