Sicilian Sciabbó: Pork Ragù with Hints of Chocolate

Francine Segan | Fri, 01/05/2024 - 02:45
pappardelle with ragu
Photo: Antonio Gravante via Shutterstock
Difficulty Level
Low
Cooking Time
1 1/2 hour
Cost
Medium

This meat sauce specialty of the Sicilian province of Enna has an unusual ingredient: chocolate! Recipes for savory dishes with chocolate were published in Italy as far back as 1680 and include lasagna in anchovy-almond-chocolate sauce; pappardelle in rabbit-chocolate sauce; fried liver accented with dark chocolate; and polenta topped with chocolate breadcrumbs, almonds and cinnamon. It was such common practice to season foods with chocolate that Francesco Arisi, in his 1736 poem

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