Trapani / Lunch at Serisso 47
The first post of our trip is dedicated to my grandma, a wonderful woman that together with my grandpa, contributed massively to my education, both personal and culinary. She is originally from Trapani and I still have clear in my childhood memories the Sundays spent preparing #couscous (a typical Maghreb dish, imported in the the western part of Sicily during the Arabic domination), with its strong smell of garlic and fish broth.
Everyone at home had a defined role: my grandma was the one in charge of preparing the partly ground wheat (semola) - rigorously by hand ('incocciato a mano'); my father was responsible for buying the fish for the broth - and the unavoidable head of grouper; my mom for deboning the fishes used for the broth, meant to be served together with couscous. My grandpa was the one taking care of my brother and I, but most importantly, the one complimenting my grandma, even before tasting the result!
I guess Gaetano Basiricò, chef at Serisso 47, can share similar memories and its couscous is the prime proof!
P.s. My grandma had this particular dish with me and approved it!
Tip: If you are in Trapani, do not miss the pasta cu l'agghia (pesto trapanese): a pesto prepared with tomatoes, Nubia garlic (a red garlic particularly intense from Paceco area in Trapani), basil and almonds. It is a very old dish, created by the sailors who used to mix the products brought by ships from Genoa (basil and the tradition of 'agliata') with the local ones. A perfect summer dish!
