My nonna Maria was born in Benghazi, Libya, where her parents had moved after the First World War. One of five siblings, she grew up in a nun’s orphanage but always spoke of Libya with affection. In her late teens she moved to Sicily, bringing a traditional couscoussier and a cherished recipe with her. Years later I found that recipe tucked inside one of her old books, faded and incomplete. When I cook this dish now, I do it her way, with heart and instinct.
