Lasagna

Lasagna did not originally originate in Italy. Surprised? Its origin can be tracked back to the early years of Greece. The name Lasagna, or “Lasagne” is derived from the Greek word ‘Laganon’; the first know form of pasta. Laganon was originally made of layers of pasta and sauce. It is not It basically got its name from the method in which it was made, not for its ingredients.Our modern day lasagna debuted in Naples, Italy during the Middle Ages. Laboriously crafted and fit for a crowd, lasagna was savored on special occasions. Our traditional pasta usually has ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano in between the layers of the pasta. Italian immigrants introduced different variations of the lasagna in America during the 1800s. While some prefer a meatier sauce made with pork or ground beef, others added roasted vegetables and spinach to the layers.

Bellini

The first Bellini was poured in the summer of 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder and barman of the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venezia. Harry’s Bar, now a well-renowned Italian national landmark, was opened by a bartended named Giuseppe Cipriani in 1931. The name was in honor of Harry Pickering, a Bostonian who was a frequent guest at Hotel Europa in Venice, where Giuseppe Cipriani worked as a bartender. Cipriani chose the name for its cocktail from the pink color of a saint's tunic in a Renaissance painting by Giovanni Bellini.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is also known as “parmigiana di melanzane” in Italian. It is one of the most classic preparations of southern Italy. It is a preparation associated with the cooking of Naples, but it is popular in the Campanian countryside and Calabria and Sicily too. It is a dish made by frying thinly sliced eggplants in olive oil. Some cooks dip the eggplant slices in batter or egg before frying, some just fry it, and many flours it first and fry it, while others more concerned with making the dish light, will bake or grill the eggplant slices. The eggplant is layered successively in a baking casserole with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmigiano cheese, basil, and hard-boiled egg slices.One theory says that “Parmigiana” means “to cook like the Parmesans”. Parmesans are the inhabitants of Parma which was a city in the Emila Romagna Region famous for its culinary traditions. Some believe that being eggplants – the principal ingredient of parmigiana – of asian origins, most probably derives from the Turkish translation of eggplant “patlican”.
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You can watch Anna Ziuzina Youtube video on the perfect Paella below: