Rancho is a dish typical of Portuguese cuisine and originates from the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province where “Trás-os-Montes” translates to “behind the mountains”. It is casserole-type of dish consisting mainly of beef, bacon, chorizo, garlic, chickpeas and pasta, although there are many variations on this. Rancho is a rich, hearty dish and should be enjoyed on cold, winter’s days with a good wine.
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I think even the Italians will not all agree on the origin of puttanesca, but most will agree that it originated in Naples in the mid-20th century. “Puttana” which translates to “prostitute” led to the theory that the sauce was invented in one of the many “bordellos” in Naples. The twist, which I add to this dish, is the use of guanciale instead of olive oil.
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This is a creamy and wholesome Italian dish which is very easy and quick to prepare. The dish is said to originate from western Sicily in the 19th century with English families, where Marsala wine is produced. A heavy French influence is also suspected together with American influence in the modern version. This will probably explain why Chicken Marsala is more popular in the Unites States than Italy these days. See this article.
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This is a very easy dish which can be served as a main or a starter or a side dish.
Green beans or string beans, are at their best when picked young and tender for a fresh, crunchy texture. The guanciale can probably be replaced with pancetta or bacon, but it offers a much more complex and rich flavour.
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I managed to get my hands on a huge, whole deboned turkey breast and seeing that I’m trying everything out with my homemade guanciale, I decided to grill the breast, wrapped in guanciale over an open fire in a rotisserie basket.
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Arní me fasolákia is a Greek lamb stew with green beans and tomato sauce. Arní translates to lamb and fasolákia translates to green beans or string beans. As a twist I added baby onions, garlic and cumin which is not traditionally done.
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This chorizo and broccoli soup is one of my favourites because of the contrast between the spicy chorizo sausage and the smooth creaminess of the broccoli.
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This recipe is based on the very famous Amatriciana dish, but because of the pasta purists out there, I’ll will refrain from calling it that. It contains all four the necessary ingredients for an authentic Amatriciana dish…and some more.
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Carbonara has a very long and interesting history. There are many variations, even in Italy, but most Italians will agree there is only one way to make the authentic version.
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