Three Roman-Sicilian Treasures by Rachel Roddy – From Croutons to Crusts, A Journey of Bread, Flavor, and Memory

Cooking from the Heart: Discovering from “Two Kitchens” by Rachel Roddy

I had bookmarked Rachel Roddy’s recipes for years, mostly through Eiko-san (@thekitchenstoic), who shares not just what she cooks, but how and why—always grounded in seasons, stories, and thoughtful selections. Another dear Instagram friend used to post from Two Kitchens as well, but to my sadness, I realized today she’s no longer on the platform. It felt like the right moment to finally open this book.

Rachel, originally from England, somehow captures the warmth of Italian home cooking—its gentleness, its depth, and its grounded everyday magic. Her recipes don’t just instruct. They feel like letters.

Here, I’m sharing three dishes I cooked this week: each simple, each beautiful, and each marked by her way of folding memory into flavor.

1. A Juicy Harmony of Vines: Grape and Tomato Salad

Page 182 – “Grape and tomato salad”

This recipe caught my eye first—it felt like a conversation between summer fruits, guided by vinegar and olive oil. Two kinds of vine fruits meet: tomatoes and grapes. The result was not just a salad, but an experience in texture and layering.

Highlights from the recipe:

• Red onions are thinly sliced and soaked in red wine vinegar—this makes them mellow, tangy, and aromatic.
• Tomatoes (mine were almost overripe) are cut, lightly squeezed to release some juice, then combined with olive oil and the vinegar onions to form a luscious dressing.
• Grapes add sweetness and juiciness, while fresh basil adds fragrance.
• Croutons—my own, fried in a pan this time rather than baked—add crunch and warmth.

There’s an almost poetic beauty in how Rachel suggests squeezing the tomatoes. It reminded me of cooking intuitively, of not just cutting but coaxing ingredients into giving something back.

2. A Golden Crust: Cauliflower Wedges with Polenta or Breadcrumb Coating

Page 91 – “Cauliflower wedges with breadcrumb or polenta crust”

Boiled too long? Maybe. But this dish still came out beautiful.

What made it stand out:

• Instead of bread crumbs, I used polenta. I had never tried it before as a coating, and I loved it—light, golden, and with a gentle grainy crunch.
• After boiling, the cauliflower is cut into thick wedges, coated in flour, egg, then polenta (or crumbs), and shallow-fried until crisp.
• I served it simply with lemon and sea salt. It didn’t need more.

The recipe is written plainly but holds space for play. This is the kind of dish that makes me think of Roman markets and family lunches. My “piggy lid” pot might be small, but it got the job done.

3. Almonded Elegance: Fish with Almond and Breadcrumb Crust

Page 249 – “Fish with an almond and breadcrumb crust”

This dish began with a salad. I knew I wanted to make the grape and tomato salad, and that meant I needed bread for croutons. I thought—what else could I do with breadcrumbs?

I turned the page and found this recipe. It felt like the universe guiding my hand.

The breadcrumbs:

• I dried a leftover baguette overnight and blitzed it in a blender. The aroma alone was a world away from store-bought crumbs.
• Almonds: The recipe called for blanched almonds. I wasn’t sure what that meant but guessed correctly that I needed to remove the skins. I boiled them quickly, slipped off the skins by hand, dried them, and blitzed. (Does everyone go through this? I feel a quiet pride.)
• I added lemon zest, salt, and dried oregano to the crumb mixture.

The fish:

• I couldn’t find cod, so I used a small fish from the mackerel family, filleted carefully and deboned (as we often do in Japanese kitchens). The firm texture was a good match.
• Brushed the fillets with olive oil, pressed them into the crumb mix, laid them skin-side down on a tray, and baked in a hot oven.
• Just before serving, I squeezed a little lemon on top.

The result? A crust that was nutty, citrusy, and crisp—encasing a moist and flavorful fish. I already plan to use the leftover crumbs to coat chicken cutlets.

Visual Guide to the Recipe

1. Grape and Tomato Salad

2. Cauliflower Wedges with Polenta or Breadcrumb Coating

3. Fish with Almond and Breadcrumb Crust

Ingredient list & Steps in Text

1. Grape and Tomato Salad

(Insalata di uva e pomodoro – pg 182)

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for frying croutons)
• 250g red grapes
• A small handful of basil
• 2 thick slices of stale bread
• Salt

Process

1. Thinly slice the red onion and place in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar to macerate.
2. Cut tomatoes in half, remove the hard core, and squeeze seeds and juice through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Discard seeds.
3. Chop the tomato flesh and halve the grapes, removing any seeds.
4. Tear the basil leaves.
5. Whisk the tomato juice, vinegar, onion, and olive oil together in a bowl. Season with salt.
6. Add chopped tomatoes, grapes, and basil to the dressing and let marinate.
7. Cut the stale bread into chunks and fry in olive oil until golden and crisp.
8. Add croutons to the salad just before serving.

---

2. Cauliflower Wedges with Breadcrumb or Polenta Crust

(Cotolette di cavolfiore – pg 91)

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower (approx. 1kg)
• 2 eggs
• Plain flour, for dusting
• 100g coarse breadcrumbs or polenta
• Olive or vegetable oil, for frying
• Lemon wedges, to serve
• Salt and black pepper

Process

1. Cut the cauliflower into thick slices, discard the leaves and boil in salted water until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Beat the eggs in one bowl. Set out a bowl of flour, and another of breadcrumbs or polenta seasoned with salt and pepper.
3. Dip each cauliflower wedge in flour, then egg, then coat thoroughly in crumbs or polenta.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow-fry the coated wedges in batches until golden and crispy.
5. Drain and serve warm with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of salt.

---

3. Fish with Almond and Breadcrumb Crust

(pg 249)

Ingredients

• 4 fillets of white fish (e.g., cod or mackerel)
• A few slices of dried baguette or rustic bread (for fresh breadcrumbs)
• A handful of blanched almonds
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Dried oregano
• Olive oil
• Salt

Process

1. Blitz dried bread in a food processor to make fine breadcrumbs.
2. Blanch and peel almonds if needed, then blitz into fine meal.
3. Mix breadcrumbs with ground almonds, lemon zest, oregano, and salt.
4. Brush olive oil on the flesh side of each fish fillet.
5. Press oiled side into the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
6. Place fish skin-side down on a baking tray, drizzle lightly with more olive oil.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at high heat until the crust is golden and the fish is cooked through.
8. Serve with lemon wedges and a drizzle of olive oil.

Reflections

In just a few meals, Rachel Roddy’s book reminded me how simple ingredients—bread, vegetables, herbs—can become so much more when we listen to the seasons and the stories they hold. Cooking from Two Kitchens is like entering someone’s sunlit dining room in Sicily or Rome, where nothing is fancy, but everything is perfect.

Thank you again to Giorgio @whennonnocooks and Alba @albacooksnbakes for leading #onebookthreerecipes. What a joy to join.

If you try any of these, or have tips for almond prep and breadcrumb crusts, I’d love to hear.

Rachel Roddy （レイチェル・ロディ）さんのレシピ３品を楽しむ日

『Two Kitchens』という本から、ローマとシチリア、２つの家庭の味を楽しむレシピ。イギリス出身のレイチェルさんが、イタリアの家庭料理を丁寧に綴った一冊です。今回はその中から、心惹かれた３つを選びました。

１：ぶどう＆トマトのサラダ

トマトとぶどうという、どちらも蔓から採れる果実の組み合わせが印象的なサラダ。紫玉ねぎは赤ワインビネガーに少し漬けてから使用。トマトの果汁を軽く絞ってドレッシングのベースに。仕上げにオリーブオイル、クルトン、バジルを合わせ、果実味豊かなごちそうサラダに。

２：カリフラワーのフリット（ポレンタ衣）

カリフラワーは少し柔らかく茹でてしまいましたが、衣のサクッと感と合わせて美味しく仕上がりました。衣はポレンタ（とうもろこし粉）で。卵と小麦粉を使ってしっかりまとわせて揚げ、塩とレモンだけでシンプルに。

３：アーモンド＆パン粉衣の魚のオーブン焼き

自家製のパン粉（前日に乾かしたバゲット使用）と、皮をむいたアーモンド、レモンの皮、オレガノを合わせた香ばしい衣を、魚の身側に押し付けて焼くだけ。今回はタラの代わりにアジ科の魚を使い、骨を取り除いて仕上げました。焼き上がりにレモンをキュッと絞ると、豊かな香ばしさとともに爽やかな後味が広がります。