Best Of

Pasta with pecorino and peas Pecorino's bold, salty flavour adds character to a simple sauce; if you don't have it, Parmesan works well - just use a little less. INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 2 tsp plain flour 2 small glass of dry white wine 150ml (5fl oz) milk 150g (5/20z) frozen peas 125g (4720z) pecorino cheese, grated, plus extra to serve 350g (12oz) dried farfalle pasta METHOD 1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and chilli and cook for a few seconds more. Stir in the flour, then add the wine, and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the milk and stir. 2 Stir in the peas, then add the pecorino, and cook at a low simmer - do not allow to boil - for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightl...

GRECO–PERSIAN WARS. 480 BCE ◼ CENTRAL GREECE ◼ GREECE VS. PERSIA In 480 BCE, Xerxes I restarted  the Persian invasion of Greece that  had ended at Marathon 10 years  earlier, bridging the Hellespont (Dardenelles) with pontoons to transport his huge  army. Unable to oppose such a force, the northern Greek cities quickly capitulated and the Persians swept through Thessaly in central Greece. An anti-Persian resistance coalesced around Athens and Sparta,  however, and resolved to halt the invaders. The Spartan army under Leonidas marched to Thermopylae in Boeotia, where a narrow pass could be held by a small number of hoplites. Simultaneously, the Athenian fleet blocked the Persian navy at the Straits of Artemisium to the northeast.  Xerxes approached on August 18 with around 70,000 men, 10 times that of the Spartan-led defenders. He unleashed a  volley of arrows, followed by a headlong charge and an assault by his elite forces, the Immortals, ...