When I was 19 years old I was invited to a “Pioneer” lunch at my friend Frieda house. She rolled out the red carpet for us with white tablecloths and fine China. It was my first experience with a “fancy” grown up dinner and I was wowed!
In California it is very common to enjoy all of the many delicious recipes and foods of Mexico. I first ate this soup in my 20’s, it was prepared by a friend who was not of Mexican decent but being from Southern California she always loved a good Taqueria! We were always on the look out for the best nachos or those huge burritos stuffed with carnitas, beans, rice, cilantro, onions and chili.
When we are living in Italy, I am often asked what “American” food is and the answer is not always easy. American food is an amalgam of all other foods, we love to eat Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian food, Japanese among many others. This is the food we eat. There aren’t many “true” American dishes. Of course there is the Classic American Hamburger, apple pie, all fruit and cream pies for that matter as well as many cakes and cookies.
Cacciatore means “Hunter” or Hunter-Style, it has an ancient history going back to the Renaissance, around the 1500’s in Central Northern Italy. It was usually made with rabbit or fowl that would be caught by the hunter when he was out for bigger game. Chicken Cacciatore is rustic dish made on an ancient hearth or out in the open with ingredients readily available in the forest or the Renaissance kitchen. These would be olives curing in the brine, the ever present wine and herbs such as rosemary and thyme.
Nothing says “Summer Picnic” better than fried chicken and coleslaw. I recently had a friend who told me she learned how to make “the best fried chicken ever!” She told me the step by step instructions. I guess the thought stayed in my mind because I have had the urge to make fried chicken ever since.
The first thing I had to do when I arrived home to California was cook up some Mexican food! My “go-to” dish was Chili Rellenos with green sauce. You can find my Chili Rellenos recipe in on www.thehomesteadtraveler.com, but here is the recipe for the Salsa Verde!
