Each of Sicily's nine provinces has its own representative dish that reflects the produce of the region. In Enna, for example, which is known as the granary of Sicily, you'll get frascatula di polenta di grano con verdura, a maize that's cooked like polenta, left to cool and mixed with vegetables. In Catania, meanwhile, you'll find pasta alla Norma, with its famous aubergine and fresh tomato sauce, and in Trapani they serve up spaghetti Trapanese, which is made with a very simple, fresh tomato sauce and the local Pecorino.
My favourite of all Sicilian dishes, however, and the one I always look out for, is pasta con le sarde, the trademark dish of the province of Palermo. The most memorable version I've ever had was in Bagheria, at a tiny and unassuming roadside restaurant. To serve six, you need: two onions, chopped; olive oil; 250g fresh sardines, filleted; six anchovy fillets; 250g finocchio selvatico (a wild fennel abundant in Sicily), though you can use dried wild fennel instead; a generous pinch of saffron strands (not powdered); a splash of dry white wine; salt and pepper; 400g dried bucatini, perciatelli or spaghetti; 75g sultanas; and 50g pinenuts, toasted.
Start by softening the onions in oil in a large frying pan, then add the sardines and anchovies to soften/melt, add half the fennel, the saffron and the wine, season, cover and cook very gently for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with cold water, add the remaining fennel and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook until al dente, strain, then tip into the sauce. Add the sultanas and pine kernels, mix gently and serve.
In Palermo, toasted breadcrumbs are sometimes sprinkled on top and the whole lot is put in a medium-hot oven for five minutes to crisp up. It's delicious.