Young Sicilian chef Rita Russotto, who runs Satra restaurant in Scicli, Sicily, is teaming up with Mario Schembri, head chef at Ta’ Frenċ restaurant in Gozo and his kitchen brigade for a themed dinner, A Taste of Sicily, on December 7 at 7.30pm.

Russotto has a great passion for cooking and is self-taught. She loves to use the humble ingredients that are linked to the territory of her province and the Sicilian region as a whole to come up with new interpretations of traditional cuisine.

Satra restaurant has received excellent reviews by the Sunday Times of London, Espresso magazine and Italian gastronomy agency Gambero Rosso.

Russotto’s favourite ingredient is the fava bean, which will feature in the first part of the six-course menu on December 7.

This will be served with ricotta quenelle, zucchini blossoms, wild fennel and fried baby calamari.

The first three courses will focus on fish, while the other two will feature langoustine with tagliatelle, cocoa beans and lentils, and red mullet with perennial basil, sweet and sour onions, pine nuts and capers.

The main course, which follows a sorbet of toasted almond milk, features lamb with mashed Jerusalem artichoke and caramelised pastinaca.

The dessert is just as eye-catching, with an almond and jasmine pudding with candied fig, grain of almond and prickly pear ice cream.

All the courses will be washed down with matching wines, courtesy of N.M. Arrigo Ltd.

In the past three years, Russotto has cooperated with Enrico Russino, whose olive oils and herbs can also be sampled during a tasting session at Ta’ Frenċ on December 8.

For more information, call 2155 3888 or book directly on www.tafrencrestaurant.com.