Food is at the very heart of Latin culture. The savory aroma of a favourite dish can transport you back to a time and place half a world away. TLN’s lifestyle shows take you on a culinary tour while serving up the best food and recipes from Italy and Latin America. Buon Appetito! ¡Buen apetito!
Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add diced onion, carrot and Swiss Chard and season with salt and pepper.
View RecipeLasagne is an ancient food. The Romans were dishing it out during the heyday of the Roman Empire. A 14th-century cooking manuscript directs the cook to boil the lasagne noodles (made without eggs) in capon broth and then layer the noodles with grated cheese. In my version, freshly made noodles are layered with thin, lengthwise slices of eggplant and topped with tomato sauce.
View RecipeArrange a rack in the top half of the oven and preheat to 375º. Fill a large pot with water (at least five quarts) and bring it to a boil. Dump them all into the boiling water, cover the pot until the water boils again, then cook uncovered, for 10 minutes or so, until they are just cooked through ---- tender but still firm enough to snap. Drain the beans briefly in a colander, then put them in a big kitchen bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the hot beans and toss them so they're all seasoned. Let the salt melt and the beans cool for a couple of minutes.
View RecipeIn a saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the onion, and sauté over medium heat until the onion softens. Add the olives, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture and let simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and stir to blend.
View RecipeToss the asparagus with the olive oil; place the pieces in a baking dish and bake them until a knife is easily inserted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season the asparagus with salt and pepper and keep warm.
View RecipeCook the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms, onion, chile, broth or water, lime juice and lard or other fat in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to fry in the fat.
View RecipeSprinkle in the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and peperoncino. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Add the prepped, drained artichokes, and bring the soup to a rapid simmering. Cook, uncovered, until potatoes and artichokes are tender and the potatoes have broken down to thicken the soup, about 1 ½ hours.
View RecipeBoil unpeeled potatoes in water to cover until tender. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and put them through a potato ricer or food mill. Spread them out, season with the salt and let cool.
When they are cooled, pour over the eggs and sprinkle with half of the flour. Gather the dough together and knead, adding more of the flour as needed, until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Don't knead too much or add too much flour or the gnocchi will be heavy.
Artichokes were always reserved for special occasions in my family. We ate them stuffed on holidays. This is one of my mother's specialties. At the restaurant, we added a slice of pancetta, chopped, to the filling, which is a great variation. Serve these one per person. Pull off the leaves and scrape the meaty part of each one with your two front teeth. When you get through all the leaves, the heart is, many people believe, the best part.
View RecipeThis is a twist on the traditional panzanella, a classic cucina povera dish which is usually made with tomatoes and bread. In this recipe I have used a variety of vegetables and cooked them with sugar and vinegar to give them an extra kick! If you can find fresella, the Pugliese hard double-baked bread, in your local deli, I suggest you use it, otherwise good country bread slowly cooked in the oven will do. This dish can be served warm or cold and, if you increase the quantities, makes a lovely light lunch.
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