I have loved this cookbook ever since I was 10 or so (around the time of my green eggs and ham experiment…).  It is called Cooking Up World History: Multicultural Recipes and Resoures, by Patricia C. Marden and Suzanne I. Barchers (Englewood, CO: Teacher Ideas Press, 1994).  The recipes are compiled from countries all over the world, from Africa to Australia, South America to Scandinavia to Scotland.  All the recipes are pretty simple, but delicious.  One of my favorites is Pollo alla Cacciatore (Chicken Cacciatore), from Italy, of course.  In fact, I’m making it tonight.

Ingredients:
1 4-pound chicken, cut into pieces (I use 3-4 chicken breasts, cut in pieces)
1/4 cup flour (I usually use more than this)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. basil
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Steps:
1. Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces.
2. Cover chicken pieces with flour.
3. Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat.
4. Stir in onions and garlic.
5. Add chicken pieces.  Brown on both sides.
6. Add rest of ingredients.
7. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hr. Stir frequently until chicken is tender.
I change the last step – saute the chicken until it’s cooked thoroughly.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and warm the whole thing for a while.  It’s much quicker this way.

This goes really well with garlic bread and salad, as, of course, most Italian dishes do.