Editor’s Note: This recipe comes from Mediterranea by Anastasia Miari (Quadrille, £28; photography © Marco Argüello), which includes recipes by and stories of nonne from all over the Mediterranean. In this Sicilian recipe, the green cedro (citron) becomes the perfect wintertime salad, with plenty of flavor bombs like anchovies, scallions, and chili flakes to complement the soft sweetness of the citrus fruit’s pith.

Nonna Concetta, or “Cece” as her family call her, is waiting for me in a sun-drenched courtyard under the shade of a lemon tree when I arrive in the morning at her home in Ragusa. Orange blossom drips on us as we dine on a feast of cornetti (croissants) filled with cream and pistachios and cannoli spilling out sugary ricotta with every bite. It’s a true Sicilian breakfast—a saccharine feast to fuel a mighty five-hour cook-a-thon in which Cece and her granddaughter show me how to make some dishes specific to the beautiful Baroque city of Ragusa.

The hilltop city where she grew up is on the southeast coast of the island and is almost fairytale-like in its beauty. It rises up from the landscape, built on wide limestone and undulating in varying shades of yellow, pink, and blue. Laundry blows above my head, strung up on ancient washing lines that run across the narrow alleyways. I don’t need to wonder what it might have been like for Cece growing up here, as very little has changed in the way of architecture. The city is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site and will be here long after we’re all gone—the thought is humbling, knowing that something of Cece’s youth will be here forever.

Made with thick-rinded cedro (citron), one of the original varieties of citrus, it is a refreshing, flavor-packed and perfectly balanced dish. The zing of the cedro flesh and the subtle sweetness of its rind combines with a salty kick of anchovy and the punch of chili to create the ultimate salad. I have also tried a summer version of this recipe (as cedro is ripe and ready over winter) using sweet honeydew melon and I loved the result.

Eat it on its own or, as Cece demands, with plenty of bread to mop up all that oil. This salad is the star of the show and needs no other pairing.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1–2 cedro (citron)
• 6 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1/2 bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped
• 2 spring onions (scallions), white parts finely chopped
• 1/2 fresh or dried red chili (dried chili/hot pepper flakes, in a pinch)
• 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or scant 1/2 cup) olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Using a vegetable peeler or a very sharp knife (if you’re as handy as Nonna Cece), peel the waxy skin from the cedro, leaving a very thick rind.
2. Chop the cedro into 2 cm (3/4 inch) chunks. The key ingredient here is the pith, so if your fruit has a lot of juicy inner segments, set those aside to use in something else and use the rind.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately.