Cooking with the Duchess

An invitation behind the doors of Palermo’s most storied palazzo, where history, hospitality, and glorious Sicilian food meet at the table. ‘This is not just a Sicilian cookbook, for it goes far beyond the kitchen. This is a sentimental journey through Sicilian cuisine and my life, a melding of the long and winding path which has brought me here...’ When the Duchess of Palma returned to Palermo from New York in 2007 with her husband – heir to the family of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of The Leopard – she found herself not only the guardian of a literary legacy, but of a culinary one. Within the frescoed walls of their sea-facing palazzo, she began to cook: first for family, then for friends, and for guests from around the world eager to experience Sicilian food and hospitality. In Dining with the Duchessa Nicoletta invites you into her historic home, offering dishes shaped by a melding of influences – Greek, Arab, Norman and Spanish as well as Italian – woven into recipes that are vibrant and simple. From almond and basil Pesto alla Trapanese to caper-flecked chicken, citrus salads and fragrant desserts, Nicoletta’s dishes celebrate Sicily’s sun-soaked produce. Telling stories of palazzo life past and present, visits to markets and gardens, and glamorous gatherings at the table of artists, writers and friends, Dining with the Duchessa offers a glimpse into a culinary tradition that has made Sicilian food renowned the world over.