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Published 2005
Pasta lies at the heart of Sicilian cooking today, and it was from here that pasta was to spread all over southern Italy, then to the north, then to the rest of the world. Macaroni and vermicelli were the first shapes, but anelli or anellini (ring-shaped pastas), also became popular. These are still used to make the Sicilian version of pasta pie, pasticcio or pasticciata, but they are seldom found elsewhere in Italy. Other Sicilian pasta dishes are sauced mainly with fish and vegetables, brought together in such a way that they can become quite rich. Pasta con le sarde, a speciality of the capital, Palermo, is a richly flavoured dish of short tubular pasta, fresh sardines and wild local fennel, generally with pine nuts and sultanas added. Herbs lend flavour to many pasta sauces, mostly fresh ones, except oregano -one of the few herbs that is improved by drying (shown above). Pasta, usually a longer type, is also served with a sauce of tuna, another Sicilian fish (as it is in Calabria), often with an added chilli kick. Another pasta dish common to both regions is con la mollica or muddica - fish and pasta with a final sprinkling of fresh breadcrumbs mixed with garlic, parsley and olive oil.
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