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Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Traditional Italian dish, with meatballs made of minced pork and beef, herbs and minced onion and garlic, and served in a rich thick tomato based ragu sauce. Can be served sometimes with shredded fresh basil or oregano and shavings of parmesan. As with carbonara, it tends to be served with garlic bread and side salad.
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Italian
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Calabresa Acebolado
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This dish is a bit of a mouthful to say and certainly to eat! A definite comfort food, it comprises pieces of pepperoni style Brazilian sausage, mixed with manioc (a starchy root vegetable like tapioca) onions and herbs and spices. It is then deep fried and served with a tomato style salsa. Very tasty and a very simple dish, this will fill you up and warm you up. A very similar dish is also found in Asia using other spiced meat.
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Brazil
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Tentacao
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Time for something sweet and a little alcoholic? You must try tentecao, a delicious vanilla and amaretto ice cream, served on the side with a cup of very strong Brazilian expresso coffee. The almond flavour of the amaretto is a perfect foil for the deep flavoured roasted coffee.’Tentacao’ also means ‘temptation’ and this certainly is! Can also be served with a sweet layer of pastry on the top and a compote of spiced red fruits.
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Brazil
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Lamb cutlets with garlic and rosemary
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Usually on every Italian menu, small trimmed lamb chops or cutlets are served steeped in fresh rosemary and garlic and pan fried or grilled. Served with sauté potatoes and vegetables, it is a hearty plate of food and delicious flavours. Tender pink lamb is enhanced by the earthy rosemary and garlic.
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Italian
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Minestrone Soup
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The classic and renowned Italian soup, comprising small pasta shapes, a rich chicken stock and finely diced vegetables such as celery, onions, tomatoes, carrots beans and herbs. Created in Ancient Roman times this soup is now served in many different ways, some finely and others much more chunky and hearty. A sprinkling of parmesan and a good basket of bread makes this really filling.
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Italian
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Napoletana pasta sauce
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An amazing vegetarian italian option. Crushed tomato, onion, garlic, basil and parmesan. Sounds simple but bursting with lots of flavour.
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Italian
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Osso Buco
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A dish invented in Ancient Roman Times and perfected over the years to a more sophisticated Italian meal, consisting of cross-cut veal shanks, braised in red wine, onions, celery and carrots and served with a gremolata on the top (optional).
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Italian
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Bruschetta
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Delicious slices of bread, rubbed with garlic and tomato and seasoned before grilling. Various toppings are served, the most popular being diced tomatoes and red onion with finely chopped garlic and basil. Can also be served with a pesto topping, and sometimes with roasted aubergine and mushrooms. Usually a starter, but can be purchased as a main course.
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Italian
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Brazillian BBQ
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Brazillian BBQ’s has become a very popular way of eating Australia, with grilled meats served directly on to the table by ‘passadors’ (meat carvers), dripping with juice from the selection of meats all on one long skewer. There is always a selection of lamb, beef, pork, and chicken as well as grilled Haloumi. You eat this until you can eat no more – when you have had enough, you simple flip over the ‘flag’ at the end of your table to signify you are totally stuffed! Copious choices of salad, again, you just eat as much as you want.
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Brazil
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Croquettes
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Croquettes are served with either chicken or beef and are determined as either ‘coxina’ (chicken) or ‘kibe’ (beef) and are mixed with potato, cream cheese,and battered before being deep fried. Kibe are made from beef using the same method but sometimes bulghar wheat is used inside, as the dish originates from Lebanon. Served with wedges of lime and a dip of tahini or spicy tomato salsa as a starter.
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Brazil
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Palmito Salad
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Palm hearts are the main ingredient of this dish which is a beautiful fresh salad using a variety of leaves, olives, red onions, crushed garlic and in some cases baby cherry tomatoes. Often served with a mayonnaise based dressing with extra lime and lemon, this dish has a very earthy flavour but is quite light and has a very distinctive taste from the palm hearts.The dish is often made more filling by adding shrimp and avocado.
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Brazil
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Empanadas
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Originally from Spain and Argentina, these have spread across the border to Brazil. Fillings can vary from chilli flavoured minced beef or lamb to a spicy mix of vegetables and cheese, enclosed in a triangular or crescent shaped pastry or dough and deep fried. Sometimes called ‘pastels’ in Brazilian restaurants, they are served as a starter with accompanying dips.
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Brazil
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Chianti
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In rustic Italian restaurants, you can still see empty bottles of Chianti grouped together and hanging around the bar or ceiling! Old Chianti bottles used to be covered in a basket weave, and often used to house a candle on your table, so that the wax dripped down the outside of the bottle! The wine itself is red and relatively light in comparison to heavier Italian wines such as Barolo. Chianti is produced primarily in the beautiful region of Tuscany, and is eminently drinkable!
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Italian
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Soave
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Another popular wine, this white wine is produced in the Veneto region of Italy, around the city of Verona, home to many Shakespeare plays! It is comparatively dry and was once the ‘in’ drink in the 1970’s but was overtaken by Pinot Grigiot towards the 1980’s
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Italian
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Peroni
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The most popular of beers served in Italian restaurants, it is not the cheapest one around but still sells more than any other. 5% alcohol, a slightly ‘hoppy’ taste but very refreshing when served in iced cold frosted glasses.
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Italian
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Guarana
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This is an energy drink now owned by the Coca Cola company and is a fizzy refreshing drink,not dissimilar to Red Bull. Brazilians claim that is has health-evoking properties as it is made from natural raw guarana fruit which is surrounded in mystery. It is a pinky brown in colour and the fruit itself is only the size of a coffee bean.
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Brazil
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Caipirinha
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A traditional Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaca (spirit) and served with sugar, lime and ice. Some restaurants substitute vodka for Caipirinha, in which case the drink is then called ‘caipiroska’ or ‘caipivodka. Strawberry is a popular fruity accompaniment with this spirit and if used, the name is again changed to ‘batida’ or ‘caipifruita’. Whichever way, it is a great cocktail to savour.
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Brazil
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