an italian cook around the world
Chicken cacciatore, is one of the most popular Italian recipes. Named “pollo alla cacciatora”, this recipe is prepared with some little differences in almost all the regions of Italy. I like sear the chicken reduced into pieces before slowly cook it into a fresh tomatoes sauce. Garlic, rosemary and give at the meat a delicious flavor. Even if it’s possible braise the meat with white wine, I suggest baste with red wine in order to make the taste of the sauce bold!
This Easy tomatoes sauce is so tasty and fast to prepare! Tomatoes are cooked along with garlic and sweet basil, just the time to soft them. The more tomatoes are ripe, the more sauce will be delicious! To prepare this recipe a vegetable mill is not mandatory, but I strongly suggest to use it. A blender works fine as well, but the sauce texture will be not the same!
The most famous Italian pesto is “Pesto Genovese” (basil, garlic, cheese, pine nuts and olive oil): Its goodness lies in its simplicity! But Pesto Genovese is not the only option. In Sicily, for instance, pesto is prepared with tomatoes, cottage cheese and almonds. Today I propose you a rich but healthy pesto version with eggplant and mint. Eggplants are baked in the oven with no added fat. The mint leaves are crushed with garlic and blended with the eggplant pulp. The Tuscan pecorino adds flavor and a pinch of Italian tradition. Finally, the zucchini cut into chunks are a tasty surprise in the sauce. You can prepare the eggplant pesto also a day or two in advance, in order to have a quick and super-tasty dish ready to serve. For the pasta, I suggest caserecce, a typical south Italian specialty whose shape is perfect to hold the sauce!
In Alberta street in Portland, a great taste traveler a few years ago opened an Italian restaurant specializing in southern cuisine. His name is Enzo and his story is long, varied and flavorful as his signature dish: Italian meat sauce “Ragù alla Barese”.