LA MADIA // 2 MICHELIN STAR // LICATA SICILY

Potato Foam Pizza

Whilst visiting Southern Sicily we couldn't miss out on La Madia, a Michelin starred restaurant which is tucked away in Licata, a small relatively unknown fishing village. Head chef, Pino Cuttaia, Licata is home and where he grew up. Where better to open La Madia, his 2 star Michelin Restaurant.

We managed to book ourselves a table for two before flying out to Sicily, via email. The response was in Italian, but my google translate informed me we were booked in for Wednesday night! The fabulous Silva at Mandranova booked us a cab (50 euros return) as we decided me driving on Sicilian roads at night would be a whole new level of mayhem (read previous post about Sicilian driving).

Arriving in Licata, our driver jumped out to ring the door bell of the restaurant before opening my door. Small thing I know, but this blew my mind! I could really get used to a lifestyle of luxury!
As we entered we were greeted by Pino Cuttaia himself, who shook our hands and introduced us to our waiter for the evening.

We'd done some research about this restaurant before and Pino the chef, so we knew what to expect when we entered the main restaurant. The interior itself is a little lack lustre and reminds me of a bog standard commercial hotel restaurant. The lighting is slightly to bright, the traditional white table cloths are too big for the tables and are trailing on the floor (this isn't done as a creative expression) and the art and photos on the wall look like they've been bought from ikea. However get past this. It is not about the restaurant's table cloths and with food like this they can afford not to worry. This however explains for the lack of photos of the interior.

We had two waiter's for the evening whose English wasn't great but considering we spoke no Italian work fine for us. It was a bot like good cop bad cop. One waiter was incredibly serious, never broke a smile at all, the other chap seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the food and would try to describe each course into English for us. Which we would nod excitedly at even if we had no idea what he'd just said.

The menu had a choice of three set menus or the choice of the individual dishes. We decided to go for the eight course Classic menu at 80 euros each. 

Bread basket: 7 different kinds of warm bread (I had a loaf with figs, pistachios and almonds and a square piece of a flat bread with onions (a specialty of Palermo)
As predicted these were delicious! Unfortunately when the waiter saw we'd eaten the majority he swapped it for a whole knew basket!?

Pizzaiola : Salted Cod, smoked by pine cones with tomatoes and topped with potato foam.
What looks like melted mozzarella is actually potato mousse. The crust was only a very crispy very thin round of dough, and underneath the foam was cod smoked on pine wood and some semi-dried tomatoes .

Caprese with Mozzarella Milk Mousse
This is reconstructed destructed mozzarella milk, I have no idea how they create this. It has the flavor of buffalo mozzarella, but with an mousse air like texture and it was served with a tomato coulis underneath. 

Spatola “a beccafico” con caponata croccante
Layered fish with pesto and .. courgette? I can't remember exactly what was in the layers but it was delicious

Rice balls with red mullet ragout and wild fennel
This has strong flavours! Watch this short film of how Pino prepares these rice balls. He has such a creative approach to the food and the amount of work that goes into each dish is remarkable.

Beef tenderloin with ashy olive oil
Melts in your mouth! Looks raw, which I believe it pretty much is except for the fact it has been marinated for a very very long time.

Granita al Beetroot & Mini Brioche
The granita was lovely, however considering Ben isn't keen on beetroot, he wasn't too keen. The mini brioche however was a bit of a let down. It was dry and stale. I've made brioche before, so this made me a little sad.

La cassata Siciliana & Apple Cake with Caramel Ice Cream
Pudding envy! I went for the Sicilian ice creams which wasn't that great, I've had a lot of cream in my time and the one on Ben's plate was delicious! As was his mini apple cake.

Coffee mini Magnum (Il ricoperto al cioccolato)

Such a superb touch and delicious, but it was at this point that I thought I might burst!

Pino the chef was present in the dining room a lot, inquiring on a regular basis whether everything was alright. He seemed a bit shy but incredibly sincere. The reason he is able to do this is because team of chefs in the kitchen. There is one chef catering for every four people. No wonder it's so slick!

Once we'd finally finished we ask about about organising a taxi and they informed us the same driver was waiting for us outside. We shook hands with Pino and our waiters as we left and drove back across the sicilian countryside to Mandranova. A superb evening.

Address

corso Filippo Re Capriata 22 I - 92027 Licata

Phone

0922771443

Fax

0922771443

E-mail

info@ristorantelamadia.it

Website

http://www.ristorantelamadia.it

Opening hours

Closing: tuesday. Contact the establishment to check this information.

SOUTHERN SICILY // TIPS & THINGS TO DO

After writing the first post on Mandranova I felt compelled to do another one and the things you can do and go see whilst staying there.

The first day of the holiday was spent sitting by the pool, reading and perhaps venturing down for a bit of lunch at the main house. Which is an impressive spread of salads, pasta, cheese, meats, cake, fruit and it's all delicious!

If you are looking for that time out, to read, rest and potter about Mandrandova and it's surrounding ground are perfect for just that. To help make sure you learn to switch off, they only turn the WIFI on during breakfast, from 9am to 10am, outside reception. It was quite amusing to see the majority of guest scrambling for seats near reception. As soon as it hit 9am all the IPads and smart phones were out & silence descended. Scary hey!?

Mandranova offer a few activities during your stay if you fancy.

- Guiseppe does an hour walk // talk about the production of their famous Extra Virgin olive oil. This is free and is well worth going on. He is a superb entertainer and will have your full attention for the entire time. You may even be recruited in a ‘role’ to help explain.

- Silvia’s cookery class (€60 includes evening meal) - Silvia will discuss the menu with you the day before and take you through all the steps in preparing it, sharing her culinary skills and using locally sourced ingredients and garden-grown vegetables. Didn’t end up doing this and really wish i had!

- Giuseppe also offers a ride on the Tornado (€70) - Mandranova's 38-foot boat - along the coastline, stopping for lunch which has been prepped and made by Silvia herself! We had planned a day out in the car that day so didn’t end up going, but heard great reports from the other guests. Sipping prosecco and eating delicious food. Also if you do decide to do this, I was recommended to try and get a seat in Giuseppe’s land rover, as that was an adventurer in itself!

DRIVING IN SICILY

FIAT 500 as modelled by Ben Pickett

During our stay at Mandranova, we found having a car vital for going on adventures further afield. We were both apprehensive about driving abroad and were quite happy not too! After falling for the Mandranova hotel on the Mr and Mrs Smith website we decided to just embrace the driving aspect.  (Ben embracing the car above)

Since I moved to london nearly ten years ago I rarely need to drive, finding the best form of transport is on bike or foot. So once in Sicily, having not driven much in my own country, I found myself jumping in the driving seat on the wrong side of the road! On top of this I had also read story after story about the crazy and sometime scary driving in Sicily. You know what... I was not just fine, but ended up loving driving whilst there. I think it may been something to do with Fiat 500 being so small, and feeling I was in a go-kart!

Oh that reminds me, here is a BIG TIP when you hire a car in Sicily hire the SMALLEST CAR known to man. Trust me anything bigger that a Fiat 500 will not survive the tiny narrow roads or the small gaps it between traffic you will be expected to get through. 

My recommendations for maps & directions whilst you are there is have a selection of sources!
We purchased both the TCI and the Michelin maps of Sicily, which are fine for a general guide to what direction to head in but a pretty much rubbish for driving around or through towns.
Before leaving the UK we printed off map sections off google maps and used Michelin Routemaster to plan our route from Cantania to Mandranova.

But best of all was the TomTom app for Western Europe that Ben downloaded before we left. At £54 it may seem a lot too pay, however it downloads all maps to your smart phone meaning that it isn’t completely reliant on 3G coverage (which you won’t have all the time) When getting lost down the back streets in Palma di Montichiamo, this was a complete life saver as was the fact that the Fiat 500 was so small - WOW who knew roads could be so narrow!?!

ADVENTURES OUT IN THE CAR

We new that the area of Sicily we were going to was the least touristic but not in the sense it was untouched more to the fact that there are a few industrial towns like Gela, that has descriptions like “the air tastes a bit chemically’ which doesn't pull the tourists over.

However that said there are some fantastic areas to go and visit. The coast of southern Sicily has some fantastic sandy beaches, such as those at Triscina, Selinunte, Porto Palo di Menfi, Sciacca, and Eracelea Minoa, and cliffs, including the remarkable white chalk ones of the Scala dei Turchi near Agrigento. Here are a few of the places we went and visited.

Naro via Palma di Montichiamo. Palma is worth a drive through, purely on the fact that it is very much a genuine, local town that is crazily hectic! Lots of cars, lots of people and very narrow roads. Don't be surprised if you go down one of the narrow streets and the in front decides to stop and to someone on the pavement for ten minutes, meaning you cannot reverse, get round but only wait. It's the Sicilian way. It’s actually quite good fun driving through as long as your map reader is on the ball! As I mentioned before, Ben also had the task of working out where the hell we were and finding a way out. He did, we did!

We drove onward up to Naro and had a little wander around, however by the time we got there is was Siesta time and it was pretty much a ghost town. However we did find this fantastic little cafe, cum patisserie/gelato at the top of town. 

Family run, we were served by a young girl who was directed by who seemed to be her Grandfather. He was so lovely and tried talking to us Italian hoping that we’d understand. He made lots of heart felt hand gestures and kept smiling at us. We had some delicious ice cream from there! I had Pistashio and Ben went fro Strawberry. The old man had such an effect on me that if I am ever in Naro again I will have to go back there! Just wish I’d got a photo of him.

The next time we decided to venture out in the car we decided to go a bit further! Starting off at the turkish steps, early, as we had heard they got incredibly busy and then up the coast to Sciacca, stopping off at Eracelea Minoa on route.

Sicilians on Scala dei Turchi

On arriving at the Scala dei Turchi (Italian: "Stair of the Turks") after a short 40 min drive the weather had started to turn and in the distance we could see a very large dark storm cloud heading our way. By the time we'd walked down the path, along the beach and started to make the climb up the white rocks, the sky had become an impressive blue, black and purple spectacle!

It was quite fantastic to be on such brilliant white rock whilst been surrounded by storm clouds. A storm that was just about start. Not only did it look fantastic in contrast to the surface of the turkish Steps but it also meant that the usually overcrowded site was reasonably quiet. But soon the storm clouds started to unnerve us so we decided to head back to the car. Perfect timing, as soon as we were back in the car, the heavens opened!

Info:
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, just outside Agrigento. It has become a tourist attraction due to its unusual white colour.
The Scala is formed by marl, a sedimentary rock with a characteristic white color. It lies between two sandy beaches, and is accessed through a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, whence the name. The latter part of the name derives from the frequent raids carried on by Turks.

Tips:
- Wear sunglasses even if it isn't sunny. You need protection from the blinding reflection of the rocks plus if there is a slight breeze, the sand that is whipped up into your face.
- Get there early as possible, we arrived at 10.30am and already thought it was busy. By the time we left it would've been near impossible to park.
- Parking is along the road near the entrance to a cafe "Scala Dei Turk". Walk down the steps past the cafe and onto the beach. Turn right along the beach and up onto the white rocks. You can't miss it!
- Keep an eye on the tide! Otherwise you'll find there is no beach to walk back along.

Sciacca; an hours drive from the Turkish Steps is Sciacca, a working fishing town that is well worth a visit. We went to Porto San Paolo on the harbour for lunch. Highly recommended! Amazing views, superb service and good food. Oh by the way you won't find any Sicilian pizzas at lunchtime, as it takes a long time to heat pizza ovens so are usually only served in the evening.

We shared a selection starter, it was delicious. This is what i put on my plate ;)

Seafood risotto. Might not look exciting but was absolutely delicious!

Lobster Fettuccine

So tasty So full, no room for pudding!

Eracelea Minoa

We planned originally to stop here for lunch on route to Sciacca, but due to some deluge of rain we decided to head straight Sciacca. Fortunately on the route back to Mandranova the weather was fantastic and the sun had begun to set. It was the perfect time to go, the beach was empty and the sky was stunning. We grabbed a beer at a wooden bar cum restaurant on the beach and just sat looking out to sea. It was one of those times you feel you need to pinch yourself. It was so peaceful.

Lido Garibaldi - Bar / Pizzeria / Restorante

20minutes later the euro pop was turned on and we headed back to the Fiat 500 to make are way back to Agrigento after deciding that we didn’t fancy hanging around for another 30minutes for them to open up the restaurant. So instead we nipped to Angel pizzeria, a fast food pizza joint 5minutes from the hotel, picked up two great pizzas (turns out that fast food pizza places in Sicily are as good as our good pizza places here!) and ate them back in our room with a bottle of Ice Cold white wine!

MANDRANOVA // SICILIAN OLIVE GROVE HIDEAWAY

This year I have been lucky enough to go on a second holiday to Agrigento in Sicily. After a bit of research I booked us into Azienda Agricola Mandranova, though Mr and Mrs Smith. Situated in the southern Sicilian countryside, this superb working olive grove farm is also a 13 room boutique hotel.

The Main House

The Fab Fiat 500!! 

After successfully driving our little fiat 500 hire car from Catania airport, missing on-coming Sicilian drivers on the wrong side of the road! Please note playing chicken with Sicilian drivers is not recommended however you will find you have no choice in the matter. We pulled up 2 hours later, parking the car in the shade of some olive trees and made our way up the main house. Both wearing straw hats and freckles on show, we spied three people relaxing on the bamboo chairs. One was Giuseppe, one of the duo that run Mandranova.

Introducing ourselves he walked towards us, arm out stretched "Emma, Ben!" "Ah beautiful. Beautiful!" I have never had such a wonderful welcome to a hotel in my life. It was like we were long lost members of his family! 

He then walked us across the grounds to our room. We were based in the station building, that I think has three rooms. Our room was Eritrina, which Giuseppe informed me was not biggest but his favourite room. I can't blame him, it was gorgeous! A four poster bed, a sea view from one window, the next a view of the gardens and the the main house and another looking out onto the swimming pool which was nestled inside the olive groves themselves. He left us to settle in and said that he'd let the kitchen know we'd be having lunch.

Fantastic.

Guiseppe giving us a tour of the Olive Oil process at the farm. So entertaining! 

Sitting in the bamboo chairs after breakfast.

The walk up to the pool

Healthier breakfast before tucking into the freshly baked cakes that were served every morning!! Divine!!

Walking down for breakfast. We'd usually eat outside with the lovely Bella at our feet.

"To stay at Azienda Agricola Mandranova is to be thrust into the heart of Sicilian family life - with its emphasis on conviviality and the cucina."Harpers Bazaar

Hotel restaurants
Eating at the Mandranova restaurant is like being part of the family. Tables are situated outside and are spaced so that you are able to have private conversations yet close enough to chat with the other guests. It has a wonderful relaxed atmosphere, candle lite and to top it off delicious food. Silvia, the other half of Mandranova's duo, serves up traditional Sicilian dishes which are brought over in large dishes and you decide on the portion you take. Don't be fooled the pasta dish is not the main, it's merely one of the starters!

TIP: Do not request balsamic vinegar! You will note that there is a small bottle always available, but don't use it. As it is believed that the mandranova olive oil should be enjoyed on it's own. Balsamic vinegar in Sicily is used on strawberries and ice cream not on your salad. A bit like asking for tomato ketchup in a Michelin star restaurant. Also the one they have on offer is purposely rubbish ;)

The ingredients are plucked straight from the olive tree-filled gardens, make the evening meal a focal point of the blissful day. Here are a few photos of the food, not from the same night. 

At the beginning fresh bread and Mandranova oil served into individual dishes like a fine wine - which since trying it is! This is then followed with the four courses of the evening! A starter like Aubergine croquettes or aubergine salsa followed by a pasta dish, then the main. Which was a meat dish served with grilled vegetables or salad and then ending with desert. Such great food. 

Orange segments, pistachios, scallions and extra virgin oil - Starter

Aubergine, courgette and basil pesto pasta - 1st Course

Not sure what this was but delicious!!!

Packing tips
It's more a case of what not to pack. Travel light as you'll want to bring home as much of Mandranova's homemade orange marmalade, pistachio pesto, and as much extra virgin olive oil as possible! But bring yourself a good book and learn to relax at your new home. Plus if you can find them, get yourself a pack of Sicilian playing cards! You'll see all the old guys in town playing Scopa! They'll be the ones shouting with their arms in the air. Learn to play and you'll end up doing the same ;D

Holiday Buys I bought for the trip that I found were great included A navy blue skater dress with sweetheart neck, that was ideal for a summer evening. Then, perfect for going to the beach or pool, a towelling Beach Playsuit. 

A pair of JOLLY Slingback Espadrilles which were so comfy!

A hardwearing Vintage Sisal n Leather Tribal HandBag to carry all my paraphernalia!

Hotel bars
There's no actual bar, but guests can enjoy aperitivi or digestivi in the two living rooms or on one of the stylish mint-green plastic sofas set in the gardens. Just nip into the kitchen and you are sure to find a smiling face to sort you out with a drink and some nibbles.

Silvia & Giuseppe

I just want to end this post to say a BIG thank you to both Silvia and Giuseppe. They were such a fantastic hosts. They genuinely seemed to love having guests come and stay and Silvia's food was fantastic, good tasty home cooked italian food, just wished we'd had time to have a go cooking with her! Also do go on the olive grove tour, Giuseppe is a fantastic guide and incredibly entertaining!

I could write so much about this place and describe all the little details that truly made it feel home from home but I'd end writing the longest post in the world! So if you have any questions about my trip to Southern Sicily or staying at Mandranova, just drop me an email or leave a comment below.

There are a couple more posts to follow about a few places we visited whilst there, so watch this space!