Gluten-free plumcake – gluten-free Plumcake recipe – Italian Cuisine

The gluten-free plumcake it is the last recipe I prepared for my celiac friends, it is a dessert enriched with philadelphia, which made the dough moist and fragrant. After shortcrust pastry, muffins and sponge cake I decided it was time to try my hand at these flours so delicate and difficult to handle for beginners. I used the gluten-free mix Caputo, but the leavened cakes, fortunately, with rice flour, cornstarch and potato starch are always good, so you can use a mix of these starches (I suggest 6 parts of rice flour 2 parts of starch and 1 part of cornstarch) or any mix for gluten-free cakes you find on the market.
Just keep in mind that changing the mix of flour could change the degree of absorbency, so consider whether to put a little less flour, or if it is instead necessary to add a goccino of milk. The important thing, as always, if you have celiac friends, is that you use all certified ingredients without gluten and that you do not contaminate spatulas and bowls with ingredients that are not gluten free 😉

Asparagus, spring delight: how to cook them without errors – Italian Cuisine

The season of the coming is coming asparagus! It is indeed the months from March to June those in which this typical spring vegetable is sold. Delicious and ideal for pairings with delicately flavored foods such as pasta, rice, eggs, fish and white meats, asparagus these days begin to appear on the markets in many different varieties.

Asparagus to be discovered
Large or thin, white, violet and naturally green, of which Italy is a great producer especially in Veneto, Liguria, Emilia Romagna, Campania and Puglia. Let's discover together the main varieties of asparagus with which to delight us at the table.

Green: tasty and variable in size, it is the most common and versatile asparagus in the kitchen. The Green of Altedo Igp is excellent.

White: large, with a gentle taste and renowned for its softness, it is also called "mangiatutto" because it has no waste. Its delicate color originates in cultivation, it grows in fact under the ground and is picked before the top starts from the ground. The pride of Veneto is the white asparagus of Bassano Dop and Cimadolmo Igp.

Violet: colorful and particularly tender, with an intense taste, it is picked as soon as it comes out of the ground. It lends itself perfectly to the preparation of both rustic and delicate dishes. Among the most famous varieties are the violet of Albenga with a buttery consistency without fibrousness Napoli, the violet of Naples and the pink asparagus of Mezzago d’Argenteuil.

Wild: long and thin, it has a rich taste that does not need to be enriched with sauces or too tasty toppings. The end of the stem, earthy and woody, should be removed, the rest should be gently scraped with a small knife or a potato peeler. During cooking, be careful not to break them.

Asparagine: with this term we define the very thin shoots of wild asparagus, ideal for pinzimoni, pies, omelettes and soups.

Mistakes not to be made
There are so many preparations based on asparagus: sophisticated or simple recipes, complicated or easy, all require special care in the preparation and cooking of this particular vegetable. Here are the most common wrong moves to avoid:

Choose them carelessly: when you buy them, check that they are fresh and intact, of a bright color and without dents. Fresh are tough, with the stem that does not bend but – if forced – it breaks. Check that the tips are well closed, upright and crunchy and that the firm but not woody stems have a uniform color, without spots. An extra eye for asparagus in the center of the bunch, because they tend to deteriorate faster.

Do not peel the remaining stem: in theory, once you have measured the asparagus – aligning it on the side of the tip and eliminating the hard part of the stem, on the other side – there would be no need to peel the part that remained attached to the tip. Mistaken. Tender inside, even the thin wild asparagus can be fibrous on the outside: arm yourself with potato peeler or a paring knife, and scrape it from the tip (excluding it) towards the stem, with a very light hand (you will not want to find yourself with asparagus in julienne!) .

Do not use the asparagus: tall and narrow, equipped with a basket and lid, the asparagus is the pot designed specifically for asparagus. For an optimal cooking they must be placed in the basket, closed in bunches and with the points facing upwards; the water in the pot should reach only half of the stem and do not forget the lid: in this way the stems will boil while the tips, softer, will steam, remaining more crispy. They will be ready when they "bow their heads". Alternatively, cook them lying down with steam, with a little water, checking the cooking because when the tips are ready the thicker stems will be a little behind.

Use the same cooking for all preparations: we saw that the asparagus is perfect for a perfect cooking. Choose it sand you want to cook the asparagus to serve them whole as a side dish, perhaps accompanied by a hollandaise sauce, the Venetian one with mimosa eggs or the classic fried egg, with melted butter and flaked Parmesan. For risotto, creams, mousses, velvety, pies, omelettes, salads or pinzimoni, you can scald them just in salt water if they are thick; but don't boil them: they would absorb too much water. Alternatively, use them uncooked: pass them in a pan after having cut the stems into slices, leaving only the tips whole and proceed with cooking, remembering to start with the washers and join the tips only later. Wild asparagus and asparagine, even if thin, should always be scalded. Remember that white asparagus is preferable to steam them, because if boiled they would absorb too much water due to their particular softness.

Throw away the scraps: don't make the mistake of throwing the eliminated stems; wash them, peel them and boil them in salted water or vegetable broth for about twenty minutes. Once cooked, you can blend them directly in the broth: it will be perfect to prepare an excellent risotto. Alternatively you can drain them and then blend them with a little butter and grated Parmesan, checking the density of the mixture by adding 1 boiled potato and a few tablespoons of the cooking broth: the cream obtained is a greedy one seasoning for pasta or, if you stretch it more, a particular one velvety, garnished with parmesan flakes, asparagus tips, buttered and some croutons.

Giulia Paganelli
March 2017
updated March 2019 by Claudia Minnella

DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE

The octopus boiled in Palermo – Italian Cuisine

It is one of the Palermo street food cult foods. If you are planning a trip to the Sicilian capital, take a walk along the seafront of the list of things to do Mondello to try the boiled octopus (purpu vugghiutu in dialect). In the fifties it was sold in the stalls of the seaside village and was cooked in huge pots, after being vigorously beaten on the rocks by the sea. Many will still remember the famous commercial with Monica Bellucci, made in the 1990s by director Tornatore for Dolce & Gabbana. The octopus was then pulled out of the pot with a fork and cut into pieces only when it had to be consumed. Today there are no more purpari but it is possible to taste this specialty in the restaurants of the square of Mondello, the Palermo's favorite beach, or in historic city markets.

Restaurant The corner of Mondello

A family with the sea inside, specialized in the art of octopus fishing. "My grandfather was one specchiarolo, from the boat he immersed the trunk in the water resting it on a large mirror to identify the octopuses and in this way he gave the directives to the fishermen on the maneuvers to be carried out ”. Speaking is the young chef (27 years old) Gaspare Giammanco of the trattoria L’angolo di Mondello that will celebrate a year of activity on May 16th. The dishes offered are those of the Sicilian maritime tradition. In the dining room the direction is entrusted to father Franco, thanks to his long experience in the restaurant world. The support of mother Patrizia Caruso, also of a historic local family, is fundamental. A passion, the one for fishing that involved Salvatore, the eldest son of the couple, from an early age who, after taking over "Provvidenza", the maternal grandfather's fishing boat, delights in fishing in the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mondello, squids, snappers and other delicacies that end up in his brother's kitchen. The restaurant is intimate and welcoming, decorated with the colors of white and blue. In summer, passing patrons can taste alone 6 € the boiled octopus to eat standing – as the purpari street food tradition wants – in the colorful ceramic dishes placed on an external counter.

Octopus boiled recipe from Palermo

Ingredients

Fresh octopus
2/3 lemons
Fresh parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
salt

Method

Wash the octopus well and put it in a pan with water. Add salt and bring to the boil. The octopus will be ready as soon as it becomes tender (check with a fork). The larger the octopus the longer the cooking time will be. Drain and place the octopus on a kitchen cutting board. Allow the tentacles to cool and cut well. Open the head in half, depriving it of the stomach and inedible parts. Season the octopus with oil, lemon juice and parsley. Serve in small pieces on a serving dish and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley tufts.

The advice of the sommelier

Excellent matching with the inzolia, native variety particularly widespread in western Sicily. It is a wine with a young character, characterized by a pronounced fragrance and freshness, thanks to its slender aromas and its minerality, which goes well with the sweet tendency of boiled octopus.

Where to eat the octopus from Palermo

The corner of Mondello
Via Mondello 15, Palermo
Tel. 091 6377921 – cell. 329 7010383