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Healthy and beautiful with blueberries – Italian Cuisine

Small, delicious and rich of beneficial substances the blueberries, wild and not, they are miraculous fruits. They contain abundant antioxidants, organic acids, tannins and vitamins. The concentrated cranberry juice and the encapsulated extract is ready to use and are even prescribed by doctors to shock treatment natural, but certainly the consumption of whole fruits on the prevention front it is more effective. Because in nature the beneficial substances are wisely mixed in food to guarantee maximum bioavailability.

It is important to choose to fill up the substances contained and not to negate the beneficial effects of blueberries pairings and correct cooking techniques. As explained by Chiara Manzi, founding nutritionist of the European Academy of culinary nutrition and author of "Antiging con gusto" (Sperling & Kupfer): "to make the most of their quality blueberries should not be consumed with yogurt, as with milk, ricotta or cream, because casein inhibits the action of polyphenols , the main substance contained in these small fruits. Indeed, blueberries are the only fruits that contain polyphenols both in the skin and in the pulp and that therefore powerfully favor the production of antioxidants in our body. Therefore it is good to exploit them to the maximum avoiding, in addition to milk derivatives, to associate them with very caloric ingredients, which generate many free radicals, neutralizing the antioxidant power of blueberries ".

The good news, though, is that the polyphenols are heat-resistant, therefore blueberries can be cooked without losing their properties. “In the blueberry jam – continues Chiara Manzi- the polyphenols are still present, but for what has just been said it is good to choose low jams sugar content (less than 30%). The words "only fruit sugars" can be misleading because some jams are added of sugars obtained from fruit, but not only from the one in the jam. Therefore, it is better to check the percentage of sugar on the label ".

With blueberries a fullness of goodness
Numerous Scientific studies support the beneficial properties of this fruit. The one presented at the American Chemical Society in Boston, for example, shows that the polyphenols and flavonoids contained in blueberries strengthen the microciglia of the brain, of the fate of small broomsticks that cleanse it of toxins, bringing its operating speed back to normal, so the thought is more lucid. Waste disposal also has a preventive effect degenerative diseases of the brain and in general against memory loss.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, blueberries, in a dose of one cup a day, prevent thehypertension, reducing the minimum values by 10%. The anthocyanins contained in mirtilii, then, contrast the capillary fragility and all the disturbances derived from the cedimanto of the venous wall.
With blueberries also the view it improves, because the greater muscular elasticity allows a more rapid change of focus and the recovery of the visus in lack of light. Thanks to antiseptic substances contained in the small fruits, they are precious in the treatment of diseases of the urinary tract.

In the kitchen: just cooking and imaginative recipes
To take advantage of all the properties of blueberries the recommended dose is 100-150 grams per day, even frozen. For a healthy, efficient and delicious consumption of blueberries it is also important to choose the right cooking techniques. There vitamica C, of which blueberries are rich, it is thermolabile only if it comes in contact with oxygen. There vacuum cookingtherefore, it does not damage it. Pay attention to the addition of sugars to balance the sour taste of blueberries. You can choose natural and zero-calorie sugars with no marked aftertaste, like theerythritol, obtained from fermented fruit and also for sale in supermarkets.
"I would recommend this recipe – explains Chiara Manzi – a chocolate mousse 70% dark chocolate prepared by mixing the chocolate (also rich in polyphenols) melted in a bain-marie with the egg whites whipped, half normal sugar and half erythritol accompanied by blueberries ".
For those who want to indulge in a treat, there are so many sweet recipes, predominantly of the Anglo-Saxon tradition in which blueberries are the main ingredient: tarts and pious, cheesecake and soft muffin, also pancakes for breakfast they are often accompanied by fresh fruits or blueberry jam.
There are also savory recipes that combine the sour taste of blueberries with the flavor of other ingredients such as in the roasted, or in risottos – try the risotto recipe creamed with mushrooms and blueberries.

"Do it yourself" blueberries
Did you know that blueberries can easily be made grow on the terrace or in the garden? Just choose robust varieties that grow well even in the plains (like the red american blueberry) and are particularly lush. The fruits, many, are gathered from spring forwarded to the beginning Autumn. With one warning: they are very good and the birds are greedy, so they must be protected with a net or small scarecrows.

Silvia Bombelli
July 2016

updated in September 2019 by Claudia Minnella

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Omelette rolls: beautiful, fast and for all tastes – Italian Cuisine

The omelette is really a fast and versatile dish: try also to roll it up stuffing it with the ingredients you prefer or trying our recipes!

There omelette it is really the queen of quick and easy dishes to make: just beat eggs, add favorite ingredients (or leftovers in the fridge) and the dish is done. However, in order not to do "the usual omelette", we can present it sometimes in the form of a stuffed roll.
THE omelette rolls they are a fast and original way to propose something different on the table and there is really no limit to the imagination: they can be filled as you want.
Here are some examples of recipe, all signed La Cucina Italiana. Try it right away, even as a cold dish, ideal for picnics or lunch breaks in the office.

Omelette roll with feta and pumpkin flowers

For this roll, the trick of goodness is to make it … green. Peel, blanch and then sauté the herbs in a pan, which will then be added, chopped, to the beaten eggs. Pour the mixture over a baking tray, covered with baking paper, and after leveling it, bake the omelette at 180 ° for about 10 minutes. Let it cool, fill it with pieces of feta cheese and open pumpkin flowers. Roll it up and put it back in the oven. Finally, let it cool and serve in rounds.

Omelette roll with beans

The Fava beans they are a typical legume of the summer season. For this recipe, prepare the omelette in the pan as usual, but do not turn it, so as to leave the surface a little behind with cooking. Then place it on a baking tray, ready to be baked, but first garnish with flaked pecorino and broad beans. Roll it up and bake it for about 7 minutes at 150 °. Remove from the oven, let cool and serve in rounds on a bed of misticanza.

Omelette roll with ricotta and artichokes

Ricotta and artichokes it really is a winning combination in the kitchen, with that mix of delicate and pungent flavors. Use them to garnish your omelette roll. Do this: prepare the usual omelette in the pan. Meanwhile, cook the artichokes in the pan, cut into thin slices and work the ricotta with salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta cream on the prepared omelette, add the artichokes, roll, cut into round slices and the dish is ready.

Roll of speck omelette and monk's beard

To do this roll first of all, boil the monk's beard, to be crumbled together with the omelette mixture. Spread the mixture over the baking tray, covered with baking paper, and bake at 160 ° for about 15 minutes. Let the omelette cool, while you cut the speck into strips and make it crispy in a pan. Garnish the omelette with the bacon and hulled pumpkin flowers. Roll up and serve cut into rounds.

The most beautiful recipes with avocado and good ones … – Italian Cuisine

It will be because it is versatile, easy to clean and even faster to eat, in any case avocado is rightly entering the heart of us Italians. On social catches like that is a marvel, the fruit more photographed and cooked, from salads to cold pasta, and then creams, velvet and even sorbets, the important thing is not to cook it and eat it in freshness.

In the gallery above, the collection of our light first courses

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