The Ragù alla Bolognese is one of the most important recipes of my own city, perhaps the most famous Italian dish in the world. Unfortunately, it is also the most mangling Italian recipe! For the Bologna’s people, ragù is a very serious matter, more than can be expected! The preparation of this great recipe is very easy but needs time, right ingredients and a very good thick-bottomed heavy pot. So, take your time and be prepared to taste something different than the ordinary international “Bolognese sauce”.
GARAM MASALA CHICKEN with fresh ginger and beer sauce
This Garam masala chicken stew is one of my preferred Indian style recipes. To prepare this tasty dish I used traditional spices adding a personal touch: before stewing, the meat is braised into pale ale beer. This little exception to the traditional rules will give a special flavor to the meat: I’m sure you’ll love it as I do!
SLOW COOKED EYE OF ROUND STEAKS with pizzaiola sauce
Slow cooked eye of round steaks cooked with pizzaiola sauce are a classic Italian. The meat is very tender and the taste of dried oregano mark out the tomato sauce. As many of the traditional Italian stews, On Sunday feasts is usual prepare pasta tossed with the meat sauce.
PORK BELLY STEW Shanghai style
Pork belly stew Shanghai style! I love so much this recipe since my last travel in China. The pork belly is cut into big dices, then braised into Chinese cooking wine and caramelized with sweet and sour sauce. If you are planning a trip in Shanghai, go at Jian Guo 328, the restaurant where I taste for the first time this great dish. If you are not so lucky, follow my recipe and it will be like entering in a Shanghai restaurant 😉
VENETIAN SALTED COD (Baccalà Mantecato)
SALTED COD: legend and how to prepare before cooking
The salted cod is a specialty very popular on the tables of Potogallo, Spain and Italy. Bacalhau, or Baccalà, or Bacalao… whathever you call the salted cod, it is a true delight to enjoy all year long. To prepare a delicious dish with salted cod is indispensable follow properly the procedure to remove the salt. Below I explain a foolproof method to obtain a salted cod ready to cook!
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CHILI with black beans
Halloween is coming! For the most terrifying night of the year, I created a recipe, sweet, and spicy, and tasty at the same time. Try this particular pumpkin chili with black beans, it is monstrously good!
ITALIAN CHICKEN STEW WITH BELL PEPPERS – pollo ai peperoni
September, here we are … the stew’s season is starting! For these first days of Fall, I propose you a classic Italian chicken stew, winking to just gone summer time (yeah, I’m feeling nostalgic…), with bell peppers, black olives and pickled capers. This traditional dish, transmits all the flavors of the southern Italian farms. I fried peppers as Sicilian way, and I cooked the chicken in the same oil, with a tasty tomato and basil sauce. To prepare this recipe I strongly suggest a dutch oven with enamel interior: Your stew will be a resounding success!
PULLED PORK ITALIAN WAY with red wine and rosemary
Pulled Pork is one of my favorite American recipes! The meat cooked for hours at low temperature is tender and creamy, its flavor is intense and fragrant and it is really easy to do: it is a perfect dish for a party with friends in the winter nights! Today, I propose an Italian way to prepare the Pulled Pork: braised in red wine with juniper berries, mixed peppercorns and fresh rosemary. To recall even more Italian descent, I suggest to replace the classic bun with a creamy Polenta flavored with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and white pepper: it’s so tasty!
rigatoni with ragù barese – apulian meat sauce
The “Ragù Barese” (Apulian meat sauce) is a Southern-Italian typical pasta dressing full of history and tradition. Even though it has improve some changes over the centuries, has maintained an intense and antique flavor. A few weeks ago I ate this dish at Enzo’s caffè in Portland and loved it: For a few minutes I felt myself in Italy, so much that along Alberta Street looked like there were appear olive trees! I’m writing here the recipe, so that a little ‘olive trees can grow in your kitchen! As with “Bolognese sauce” or” Neapolitan Genovese”, the secret to this recipe is a long cooking at a low temperature. In Italy we use a traditional crock pot, left on the stove for many hours. Here in America I tried to make the sauce with my slow-cooker and the result was perfect!