Whenever you see these words on a menu or as part of a recipe, traditionally they mean certain ingredients are used to prepare the food. Once you learn how to make Chicken Cacciatore, for instance, you can then transfer those ingredients to other meats and you'll expand your repertoire without effort. Pork Cacciatore, Turkey Cacciatore, Red Snapper Cacciatore, and Ham Cacciatore are all possibilities.
Enjoy this information and these recipes.
A la King: Typically some kind of cooked meat, served on English muffins or toast, covered with a bechamel or mornay sauce.
A l'Orange: Meats served with a sauce flavored with orange. Duck A l'Orange is the most common recipe.
Adobo: This is the name of the Phillippine's national dish. It consists of meat cooked with garlic, vinegar, bay leaf, and peppercorns.
Alfredo: This rich dish was created in the 1920s by restaurateur Alfredo di Lello. It is a cream or a white sauce made with with cheese and butter.
Amandine: Made with almonds, either coated with almonds or topped with the nuts. Also called almondine, but that is an incorrect spelling of the French term.
Au Gratin: Topped with cheese and/or breadcrumbs, then heated under the broiler or baked to melt and form a crust. Also the name of the French dish made with vegetables or meats layered in a casserole dish and baked until crusty.
Bruschetta: Bruschetta is a recipe in itself, made of toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with tomatoes. I like using this technique on meats. Fish bruschetta would be flavored with garlic, topped with tomatoes, basil and crisp bread crumbs.
Buffalo: A combination of foods and flavors personified in the Buffalo Chicken Wing appetizer. Blue cheese, a creamy sauce, hot sauce, and celery can be used in many recipes.
Cacciatore: The Italian word for 'hunter', this refers to food prepared with a rich tomato and vegetable sauce including herbs, onions, wine, and mushrooms.
Cajun: The cooking of Acadians, people living in the bayous of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. The food is spicy and peppery, and usually cooked in one pot.
Carbonara: A pasta sauce made with bacon, eggs, sometimes heavy cream, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Casino: Named for its origin: the Casino Restaurant in New York City. A topping for meats, usually shellfish, made of bacon and the holy trinity of green peppers, onion, and celery. Sometimes clams or oysters are simply topped with a seasoned butter and bread crumb mixture.
Cordon Bleu: Literally means 'blue ribbon' and is a name given to distinguished chefs. In cooking, it's a stuffing for meat made of cheese and ham; classically Gruyere cheese and prosciutto.
Creole: Typically cooking in the style of New Orleans with French accents, using tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. Creole seasoning includes many different varieties of peppers. Creoles were rich planters in the South, and their cuisine reflected their French heritage.
De Jonghe: Named after a couple who owned a restaurant in Chicago in the early 1900s. Meat, usually shrimp or other shellfish, layered with butter, bread crumbs, and garlic, then baked.
Diablo: Food cooked in a rich brown sauce made with garlic, onion, vinegar, and herbs; also called deviled.
Divan: Usually a meat cooked in a bechamel or mornay sauce and served with broccoli.
du Barry: A dish including cauliflower, named after Madame du Barry, supposedly in reference to her hairstyle, which was made of curls piled high and powdered.
Florentine: In the style of Florence, these dishes contain spinach and perhaps a white sauce.
Frangipane: A sweet pie or tart filling made with ground almonds. Also refers to a custard sauce flavored with almonds or other nuts. Also called frangipani. Named for Marquis Muzio Frangipani, an Italian count in the 16th century.
Italiano: In the style of Italy. This phrase has a very broad definition. Food is made using typical Italian ingredients like tomatoes, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and basil.
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