Pasta is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally only made with durum, although the definition has been expanded to include alternatives for a gluten-free diet, such as rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils. Pasta is believed to have developed independently in Italy and is a staple food of Italian cuisine, with evidence of Etruscans making pasta as early as 400 BCE in Italy.
Tomato sauce can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish, rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are common for meat and vegetables, but they are perhaps best known as bases for sauces for Mexican salsas and Italian pasta dishes. Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high water content, soft flesh which breaks down easily, and the right composition to thicken into a sauce when stewed, without the need for thickeners such as roux or masa. All of these qualities make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces.
Polish cuisine is a style of food preparation originating in and widely popular in Poland. Due to Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and shares many similarities with other national cuisines. Polish cooking in other cultures is often referred to as à la polonaise.
Carbonara is a pasta dish made with fatty cured pork, hard cheese, eggs, salt, and black pepper. It is typical of the Lazio region of Italy. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century.
Chicken tikka masala is a dish consisting of roasted marinated chopped chicken in a spiced sauce (masala). The sauce is usually creamy and orange-coloured. The origins of the dish are debated, with many believing it was created by South Asian cooks in Britain. It is offered at restaurants around the world and is similar to butter chicken.
Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish consisting of fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese, which melt and emulsify to form a rich cheese sauce coating the pasta. Originating in Rome in the early 20th century, the recipe is now popular in the United States and other countries. Outside of Italy, cream is sometimes used to thicken the sauce, and ingredients such as chicken, shrimp, salmon or broccoli may also be added when it is served as a main course.
Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish of penne in vodka sauce: a tomato and cream sauce with some vodka, and sometimes small meats and vegetables such as sausage, pancetta or peas. Sometimes other pasta shapes are used. The alcohol is said to intensify and accentuate flavors in the dish, the alcohol would normally cook off as in most cooking and the dish would not necessarily contain any alcohol. It is usually topped with grated Parmesan cheese in amount as desired, as with ground pepper.
Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce, with variations of the dish found in other countries near the Mediterranean Sea.
Eritrean cuisine is based on Eritrea's native culinary traditions, but also arises from social interchanges with other regions. The local cuisine shares very strong similarities with the cuisine of neighboring Ethiopia with several dishes being cultural to both nations as a result of the two nations having been unified for hundreds of years. It also has influences from Italian cuisine due to the Italian colonization of the nation, and minor influences from other cuisines in the region.
Koshary, kushari or koshari is Egypt's national dish and a widely popular street food. It is a traditional Egyptian staple, mixing pasta, Egyptian fried rice, vermicelli and brown lentils, and topped with chickpeas, a garlicky tomato sauce, garlic vinegar, and crispy fried onions. Sprinklings of garlic vinegar and hot sauce are optional.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times, and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize, and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most widely appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Gratin is a culinary technique in which a dish is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter. The term may be applied to any dish made using this method. Gratin is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is often served in its baking dish.
Chicken riggies or Utica riggies is an Italian-American pasta dish native to the Utica–Rome area of New York State. Although many variations exist, it is a pasta-based dish typically consisting of chicken, rigatoni, and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce. Many of the chefs from the Utica area seem to have a claim to the dish, yet there seems to be no clear idea who was the originator.
Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots that date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlled Naples and its kingdoms, such as that of Aragon and France.
Joanne Weir's Cooking Class is a cooking show airing on PBS. Each episode features a novice student who is shown how to prepare several related dishes. The program is presented by KQED, distributed by American Public Television and produced by A La Carte Communications.
Timballo is an Italian baked dish consisting of pasta, rice or potatoes, with one or more other ingredients included. Variations include the mushroom and shrimp sauce timballo Alberoni, named after Giulio Alberoni, and the veal and tomato sauce timballo pattadese.
Bolognese sauce, known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese or ragù bolognese, is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna. It is customarily used to dress tagliatelle al ragù and to prepare lasagne alla bolognese.
Spaghetti all'assassina, also known as spaghetti bruciati, is a Barese spaghetti dish. Its preparation is markedly different from other spaghetti dishes; instead of being boiled in salted water and finished in sauce, the pasta is cooked directly in the pan. A broth typically made of tomato sauce diluted with water is gradually added to the pan as the pasta absorbs it, similar to a risotto. As the spaghetti absorbs the sauce, it cooks directly on the pan surface, developing significant browning and a distinctive, crispy texture unique among pasta dishes.
