Searching for Italy: Discover Sicily's Best Recipes with Stanley Tucci

In the sixth and final episode of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, the American actor closes the hit CNN series in the sunny climes of Sicily - the picture-postcard Mediterranean island off the toe of Italy's boot, and home to a melting pot of cuisines and cultures.

In previous episodes, Stanley Tucci explored Rome, where he tried the Eternal City’s four famous pastas of amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe and pasta alla gricia; and he travelled to Emilia-Romagna, where he met up with Massimo Bottura and learned to cook tortellini in brodo. In Milan he mastered a golden risotto milanese, while in Tuscany he developed a taste for charcuterie and steak.

On this final stop, Tucci discovers an island so rich in local produce it's known as 'God's kitchen', where the door of hospitality is always wide open with the warmth of the Sicilian people.

From street food and traditional dishes with a twist, to home grown wines, Tucci tucks into all the local specialties, including spaghetti alla bottarga, pasta alla norma, arancini and sarde alla beccafico. See the recipes below.

Spaghetti alla Bottarga from Searching for Italy

In the coastal town of Bagheria, Tucci is welcomed by Tony Lo Coco, the Michelin-starred chef of I Pupi where he tries his signature dish, 'spaghettony' or spaghetti alla bottarga with the magic ingredient of colatura topped off with bottarga (fish roe), oregano and crispy capers.

Tony Lo Coco's spaghettony:

How to Make Spaghetti alla Bottarga

Make your own 'spaghetti alla bottarga' and re-live this elegant Italian classic at home.

spaghetti alla bottarga

Timballo from Searching for Italy

Tucci also goes on the hunt for the perfect timballo in the city of Palermo with Princess Stefania di Raffadali for company. The baked dish was also the centerpiece of his 1996 classic, "Big Night."

How to make Timpano from Tucci's Big Night

Find out how to make this labour of love in this Tucci-inspired timpano recipe.

Timpano_Tucci_Big Night

Arancini from Searching for Italy

Arancini, pointy balls of deep-fried rice with a choice of fillings, are the perfect handheld street snack, and a must-try on a trip to Sicily. Watch as Tucci tucks into a golden arancini on the open-top ferry, just as they are supposed to be eaten.

It may not be a good idea to tune in on an empty stomach. The new CNN Original Series, Stanley Tucci #SearchingforItaly is mouthwateringly good. Visit Sicily Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT pic.twitter.com/0uPp0QBeuN

— CNN (@CNN) March 17, 2021

How to Make Arancini

Making arancini at home is easy and a great way to use up leftover risotto. Check out our five expert top tips to making aranici too.

Sarde alla Beccafico from Searching for Italy

Tucci enjoys 'sarde all beccafico' with a local family in Lampedusa. Butterflied sardines stuffed with a combination of breadcrumbs, raisins and pine nuts with an aromatic orange-scented finish.

How to make sarde alla beccafico

Master making sarde alla beccafico at home, a surprisingly simple and rewarding dish.

Pasta alla Norma from Searching for Italy

'Pasta alla Norma' is on the menu at Michelin Bib-Gourmand trattoria, Me Cumpari Turiddu, in Catania, owned by Roberta Capizzi. It's a hugely satisfying dish capturing the big sun-soaked flavours of Sicily, with eggplant, tomato sauce and ricotta salata.

How to Make Pasta alla Norma

Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano presents his version of pasta alla Norma, the traditional dish from Catania.

How to Make Authentic Sicilian Cannoli

No trip to Sicily would be complete without trying the sweet Sicilian speciality in its homeland: authentic cannoli. Here's the original step-by-step recipe to making cannoli.

Sicilian Wines from Searching for Italy

Sicily is also a great wine-producing region, with a unique Mediterranean microclimate producing big, bold flavours, and some of the world's best sweet wines. Tucci takes a look at some more delicate vintages with female winemaker Arianna Occhipinti at Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti.

Producing wine in the shadow of an active volcano produces unique wines, as well as some unique challenges.

Here, Hugo McCafferty reports on a Sicilian couple making wine on the slopes of mount Etna, and the challenges they faced the moment the volcano recently erupted in fire and wine.

Fire and Grapes