Subj : Authentics was: Taco Slop To : Ruth Haffly From : Dave Drum Date : Thu Jul 06 2023 06:02:00 -=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=- RH> Guess they just aren't into pork as much as their northern neighbors. RH> I've seen it on the menu but not nearly as much as beef or chicken. DD> In daily life there are lots of Latino recipes that use pig meat. DD> Just not so much at their restaurants in the USA it seems. RH> Maybe they think we only like it as ham, bacon or pork chops. Or sausage, or ribs, or pulled pork, etc, etc, Maybe they're Jewish or Muslim instead of being in thrall to the Pope and his minions. DD> 8<----- SNIP ----->8 DD> I've introduced him to various noodle dishes like pad thai and Bun DD> Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork & Rice Noodles) or Shrimp DD> Noodle Bowls. RH> Those would have never crossed his lips. We're visiting Steve's family RH> right now, last night Mom treated everyone to dinner at an Italian RH> place. It was a last minute sub because the place we'd had reservations RH> for, called an hour before and said they were not going to be open. DD> At least they letcha know rather than having you show up hungery and DD> find that they had "gone walkabout" (as the Australians say). RH> Yes, but it would have been nice to have gotten notice earlier in the RH> day. Did they indicate why they would be closed? It might have been a vital part of the place had been compromised - like, no air conditioning, or no gas service (for whatever reason) to light the stoves. If they could predict what happened it would not be an emergency. RH> Anyway, different ones tried to get hold of Steve's older sister RH> and husband to let them know of the change--finally did, just as RH> we again, on future trips to the area. DD> I have only one "Italian" place locally where I've seen gnocci DD> offered. Papa Frank's is owned by the same family who run the DD> eminomious "Saputo's" in down town Springfield. The problem there is DD> that one never knows with the downtown venue - one time everything DD> will be magnifico. Then the next go will be cattivo. Papa Franks is DD> consistently meraviglioso. RH> Our favorite Italian place here in town sold out to one of the RH> employees a while back. Owner was from the same region of Italy as RH> Steve's mom's family so it was "home cooking" for us. We went there a RH> good number of times pre covid, once during covid trued their take out RH> pizza & were less than impressed. Have only been back once since the RH> new ownership, need to go back and see if the chicken cacciatori (our RH> favorite) is still as good. Original owner had opened up another RH> restaurant in a nearby town; that one was taking all his time so he RH> sold out & supposedly sold his recipies to the new owner. First time I ever met cacciatore it was served to my by an old Italain gent who was a retired coal miner. He lived in an one room "efficiency" apartment in my friend's mother's transient hotel. When Dennis introduced us and I heard the guys surname I asked if he was related to two brothers known to "mobbed up". Sammy replied, "Yeah, they're my brothers but they are crooks. I don't have nothing to do with them." He served us pigeon cacciatore - which was appropriate as the dish is translated as "hunter's stew" and the flying rats were all that could be hunted downtown - unless you wanted real rats. Bv)=3 MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Dave's Chicken Cacciatore Categories: Poultry, Vegetables, Herbs, Pasta Yield: 6 Servings 1/4 c Olive oil 3 cl Garlic; pressed +=OR=+ 1 tb Garlic granules 1 lg Onion; diced on the large - plate of a "Viadalia Onion - Chopper" 1/4 ts Dried rosemary 3/4 ts Dried oregano 1/2 ts Salt 1/4 ts Hot red pepper flakes; (opt) 3 lb Chicken breasts, cut up in - pieces 1/4 c Red-wine vinegar 28 oz Can whole tomatoes w/puree; - crushed by hand 1/4 c Rough chopped basil leaves +=OR=+ 1 1/2 tb Dried basil; to taste 2 lg Bell peppers; cored, seeded; - diced on the large plate - of a "Viadalia Onion - Chopper" 1 c Sliced mushrooms +=OR=+ 8 oz Can mushroom stems & pieces; - drained 1 1/2 lb Pasta; cooked Heat oil, garlic, onion, mushrooms, rosemary, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and hot pepper flakes in a large shallow saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add to the crock-pot and turn it on high. Add vinegar. Meanwhile, crush tomatoes with your hands Add them and the 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. oregano. Cook until the tomatoes have reduced and thickened slightly, stirring once in a while, about 20 minutes. Throw in a pinch of sugar and stir to blend. Add to the crock-pot. Add basil, and peppers. Cook 2 1/2 - 3 hours on high or turn the crock-pot to low and go to work. The meal will be ready to eat when you get home. Adjust seasonings. Serve immediately over pasta. Serves 6 NOTE: This is as close to a recipe as I could get from my "by guess and by eyeball" preparation. You could add some wine and/or Gaeta (salt cured) black olives if you like. If you add the little salt bombs (olives) watch the salt very closely. - UDD Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen MMMMM .... "A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in." -- Fredrick the Great --- MultiMail/Win v0.52 * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105) .