There are certain recipes that feel like an embrace from a place you’ve never lived, yet somehow know by heart. Scicli’s beloved Priest’s Caps - or cappeḍḍi di parrinu - are exactly that sort of sweet. These little semolina parcels, traditionally prepared during the grape harvest in the Ragusa countryside, capture the scent of autumn in Sicily: sun-warmed vineyards, almonds toasting in family kitchens, and the citrus notes that linger in the air long after the season’s last oranges have been picked.

Think of them as gentle, rustic cousins of filled pastries - soft, fragrant bundles simmered not in water, but in sweetened grape must, which paints them the colour of late-afternoon light. Inside, a simple but enchanting filling: toasted almonds, sugar, orange zest, and a whisper of cinnamon.

They are the sort of sweet you serve warm, perhaps on a chilly October evening, letting the steam mingle with the perfume of fruit and spice. One bite, and you’re transported straight to the Iblean hills at harvest time.