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Cooking school: how to choose tofu – Italian Cuisine

Cooking school: how to choose tofu


Guide to buying tofu, a versatile ingredient in ethnic and vegetarian cuisine

Too often we talk about tofu as a soy cheese. It is called this because its appearance and texture are very similar to that of fresh cheese. This name, however, creates in the one who tastes it for the first time an incorrect expectation, that is a taste similar to cheese, while the tofu is not a cheese. Tofu is tofu, a product from flavor neutral and from polyhedral consistency, and precisely this "neutrality" allows him to have a unique and truly extraordinary flexibility, as well as the peculiarities that make it suitable for a huge variety of preparations, very different from each other. Before small secrets and precious tricks for to choose the best at the supermarket, let's make a small summary for all those who have not yet understood what we are talking about.

What is tofu?

Tofu is one of the many products derived from the fermented yellow soybean. Yellow soy beans, soaked in water, give rise to a white liquid, which then condenses. This condensed whey is mixed with the nigari, that is the residue that comes from sea water when the salt is extracted, coagulates, and becomes tofu. The tofu is then pressed into blocks in the shape of a parallelepiped.

The beneficial properties of this food

Unlike normal cheeses, tofu does not contain lactose, but vegetable proteins, flavonoids, Omega3 and 6, iron, and a lower percentage of salt. It is a product of ancient origin, it seems to have been invented by a Taoist monk in 160 a. C. in Asia and is still a staple food of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Once its properties were discovered, even the West began to use them, and with the advent of vegan cuisine, it is really very popular in our kitchens. Thanks to its components, the tofu has an infinite series of valuable properties: has a protective action on the heart, bones, stomach, circulation and immune system, and is able to slow down the aging process. It is rich in vegetable proteins, low in fat, and therefore an excellent substitute for animal proteins, very digestible, with the advantage of helping to keep cholesterol and triglycerides low. The latest research also recognizes a preventive power compared to tumors that depend on hormonal imbalances.

Best buy guide

Once purchased and stored in the refrigerator, it does not deteriorate as easily as other foods, and can be stored in its buttermilk for up to one month from the date of purchase. It is found on the market in various forms, from the dough to the creams, from the flavored ones, toasted to those completely processed. The best to buy is the completely white, genuine, natural, best if organic, that you can work yourself completely at home. Attention only to the fact that it should not be eaten raw.

How does tofu work at home?

You can marinate in lemon juice and aromatic herbs, or in shoyu (soy sauce) diluted with a little water, or it can be spread with Miso (fermented soy) and fermented for a few days. Thanks to its "neutral" base, these processes give it different flavors for all tastes. It can then be cooked in different ways: grilled, fried, breaded, cut into chunks and sautéed with various types of vegetables vegetables, or chunks can be used in vegetable soups or as a protein ingredient together with cereals such as rice, millet, bulgur, cus cus or quinoa. With tofu, every cook can indulge himself, creating new ways of cooking it, giving it new flavors. For those who prefer fresher flavors, the tofu cake, after being boiled for a few minutes in water, can be crumbled, and used as an ingredient similar to ricotta, for fillings and savory pies. It can also be blended with different components, according to taste, such as capers, olives, vegetables, flavored with salt or shoyu, apple vinegar, a little oil, mustard, making it a tasty cream to spread on bread or on crostini, as an appetizer or as a tasty and delicate snack. Its variations are truly endless!

If you are intrigued, remember that in all our School courses there is always some surprise and some news that you didn't even believe existed in the kitchen! All that remains is to register!

Texts by Giulia Ubaldi

Extra virgin olive oil, how to choose it – Italian Cuisine

Extra virgin olive oil, how to choose it


Extra virgin olive oil is the most common condiment on our table: a quality product that is not always recognized by the consumer. Here are some tips to choose well

Italy is at levels of excellence – also – in the production ofolive oil: a market worth about 2 billion euros, thanks to 250 million olive trees cultivated on 1.2 million hectares of land which makes the Belpaese the second European producer behind Spain. But to know what we bring to the table and avoid running into fraud and fraud, we need to be aware and know how to recognize what is good from what is not. Here are some tips to learn to distinguish theextra virgin olive oil from other oils and to choose the right one.

The classification of olive oils

Not all olive oils are the same: starting with the finest, here is the category of “Vergini” oils, of which “Extra Virgin” oils represent absolute excellence, always to be preferred.
Virgin olive oil. The legislation defines as "virgin" olive oils those "obtained from the fruit through purely mechanical (and non-chemical) operations and without any mixing or addition of oils of other nature". In general, the acidity levels (oleic acid) of this type of pressing can reach 2%.
Extra virgin olive oil. According to the minimum quality standards set by European legislation, we talk about "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" when yours acidity levels do not exceed 0.8% and when its extraction takes place exclusively by cold mechanical methods, ie at temperatures below 28 degrees. Cold extraction ensures that the oil does not undergo alterations caused by different thermal conditions.
Olive oil. Olive oil, which is commonly sold in supermarkets alongside extra virgin olive oils, is obtained from one blend of refined oil and virgin oil with a maximum acidity of 1.5%. By refined oils we mean oils subjected to chemical procedures aimed at lowering their acidity, bleaching them and sometimes even deodorising them: the frying oils, of that light and semi-transparent color, are refined.
Olive-pomace oil. It is the least prized of the olive oils on the market. It is obtained from a mixture of olive-pomace oils treated by the use of solvents and virgin olive oils. Its acidity does not exceed 1.5%.

How to choose oil: practical advice

It is not always easy to distinguish an extra virgin olive oil of inferior quality, also because not all the characteristics can be perceived to taste: for example, when tasted, it is impossible to grasp its acidity because the tickle in your throat that you feel tasting some variety of oil, above all the "strong" ones of the South, if anything, say of a high presence of polyphenols and therefore of beneficial elements for our organism. Here are some tips.

Read the label well … and the bottle. The labels are now "talking" and are the identity card of the product. On this fact, it is mandatory to indicate the geographical origin of the olives. The PDO designation of origin, for example, indicates that the oil was obtained 100% from Italian olives; to underline however that there are also extra virgin olive oils obtained from European Community olives which are not necessarily of inferior quality. But a little further cleverness is to look at those oils packaged in dark or foil-covered bottles: it is a precaution to prevent the squeezing of light and is usually a sign of a quality product.

Prefer filtered oils. If you let yourself be attracted by a label that reads "unfiltered" think about it for a moment: despite the aura of authenticity, the unfiltered oil is actually less stable. The filtered oil, on the other hand, ensures that the quality of the product lasts longer.

Eye to the price. It is really difficult for a good extra virgin olive oil to cost less than 7 euros per liter. Be wary of exaggerated promotions.

Open eyes and nostrils. Extra virgin olive oils have a bright color ranging from green to yellow, not a pale and transparent color. Also to the smell "they are recognized" with intense aromas. In conclusion. Odorless and colorless? It is not extra virgin.

Prefer organic oils. The quality of extra virgin olive oil can be threatened by the use of pesticides to eliminate parasites that settle in olive groves. But also the presence of acidity correctors.

How to choose, clean, fillet and cook sea bream – Italian Cuisine

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THE'sea ​​bream it is a fish that can give great satisfaction in the kitchen. Its fat and firm flesh can be cooked both in the oven and in the pan. Filleted, the sea bream fills your every dish with taste. Discover how to cook sea bream with the tips and tricks of Salt and pepper! But let's start with the basics …

How to recognize fresh fish

Buy fish at the fish market it is an act that can put us in difficulty if we do not have the tools to understand if what we are selling is really cool or not. Let's face it: if you don't fish for yourself, there is no certainty that the bream or sea bass you are buying is of the day. Of course, having a trusted fishmonger helps, but you're always the first judge of the freshness of the fish you're buying. So first use the nose and the eyes: smell the shop and the goods, you must feel thesmell of the sea. If the orange that reaches your nostrils reminds you of ammonia or something gone bad, change bench.

174382You will need eyes to see if the fish meat is firm and well colored. If the color it seems too vivid, be careful: additives may have been used to mask the state of decomposition of the food. In addition, always remember that you have thelabel to help you: here is the fishing date.

Examine the fish eyes: must be clear and bright. If the fish is old, they will be a little foggy. But in this case the meat will still be good. If instead the eye is vitreous, re-entering and tending to red, covered with a whitish patina, do not buy it at any price. The gills instead they must be of a beautiful intense red color. In the case of old fish they will be instead of a faded brick color. Outside the fish must have a metallic and clean color, brilliant. If it has a slimy appearance or is discolored or, worse, stained, it has exceeded the limit of freshness.

How to clean the seabream

If you don't know how to clean and fillet a sea bream and you prefer to have your fishmonger do it, do not buy already cleaned and cut slices or pulp, but ask that they be prepared on the spot starting from a whole fish. But let's learn together how to clean the bream. First of all it must be scaled: take a cutting board and cover it with a sheet of paper, so that the scales will not disperse on the kitchen surface. Holding the gilthead by the tail, slide the back of a knife along the entire length of the fish, up to the head. Then it's time to open the belly of the bream. Use a pair of kitchen scissors, insert the tips into the operculum and cut the meat towards the head, until it reaches the gills.

How to fillet the seabream

Here are some tips on how to fillet the fish. This operation will allow you to prepare the meat of the bream for recipes like that of fillets of sea bream in a crust with aromas.

174385While some fish such as turbot, sole and breed have 4 fillets, the bream has only 2 fillets. To extract both, place the fish on the targliere with the tail towards you and the abdomen facing down. After having scaled it, with the knife you engrave deeply along the bone, starting from the head.

Proceeding in the same direction, detach the fillet from the bone, then cut with scissors near the head and tail. This way you will have the first fillet. Repeat the operation on the other side. With tweezers it eliminates the small remaining spines. Then put the fillet with the skin on the cutting board, penetrate between it and the pulp and use the knife to separate them.

Among the classic preparations of Italian cuisine, the one ofbaked sea bream. When time is running out and ideas are scarce, just get the fish with soft and white meat, some spice or aromatic herb, a small tomato, put everything in a baking dish and start baking in the oven.

After cleaning the fish you can play around with a lot of recipes that include only the oven support and all the imagination you are capable of. If you have little time and want some suggestions, try the 10 best recipes for preparing Sale & Pepe baked sea bream.sea ​​bream in aromatic potato crust, thebaked sea bream with citrus fruits, thesea ​​bream with fennel and shallots or a great classic revisited: thelemon bream with salt crust.

The sea bream in foil is a second dish that combines lightness with flavor. This type of cooking has the advantage of enhancing the delicate taste of the meat of this fish, soft and white. There are many ways to prepare sea bream in foil, but we at Sale & Pepe recommend a quick and easy one. They will suffice very few ingredients: the sea bream and some smells – garlic, rosemary, sage – a little extra virgin olive oil and a lemon. Clean the fish and cover it with a few slices of lemon, a few sprigs of sage and a little rosemary. Close the foil and cook in the oven. It is a dish that is easy to prepare, but above all it appeals to young and old. You can embellish the cartoccio also with citrus fruits, potatoes, zucchini, onions and, why not, also with bacon and fennel.

Sea bream with salt

Among the recipes that use the oven support there is also that of thesea ​​bream with salt. This cooking technique works only for whole and non-sliced ​​fish. In fact, if the salt comes into contact with the meat, it becomes too dry or salty. The sea bream or the sea bass is the fish to which this type of cooking is best suited.

If you choose to use this technique, you must remember do not scale the fish: in this way you will prevent the salt from coming into contact with the meat. Furthermore – not just a benefit – at the end of the capture the salt will allow the skin to come off much more easily. Salt cooking requires that the fish is completely covered with large grains. In this way a hard crust will form which will isolate the fish, preserving its taste and humidity. Using this technique we will have to add only spices or aromas. Some variants include the possibility of mixing salt with whipped egg whites, to which you can mix aromatic herbs, citrus peel and even sugar. Try thesea ​​bream in salt with tarragon, pepper and oranges.

The salt bream is cooked in hot oven at 180 ° C. To calculate the cooking time, remember to take half an hour for each kilogram of fish. The delicious scent will tell you that the dish is ready.

Bream in the pan

The best way to prepare for pan-fried fish it is to use slices or single pieces of pulp, and not to cook the whole specimen. To prepare thebream in the pan we at Sale & Pepe suggest you take the fillets and cook them in the stew you prefer. Try for example i sea ​​bream fillets in zucchini stew, olives and tomato.

Grilled or grilled sea bream

Cook the fish on the grill it's simple: with the necessary precautions you'll get a really delicious dish. Between cooking strategies to prepare the grilled sea bream remember to keep the skin of the fish intact and not scaled, a fundamental rule to protect the pulp. If you have purchased slices for grilling, the leather should be "created", perhaps with a mix of salt and aromas and a brush of oil, or with a thick breading or flouring. You can also porchare the sea bream with a slice of bacon or lard.

Another key element to keep in mind is the distance of fish from the grill: place it only once it has become very hot and keep the bream at a distance of 10 cm, so as to ensure continuous, constant cooking without burning. Remember to brush the fish with marinade even during cooking, to prevent the meat from drying out. The cooking time will obviously depend on the size of the specimen.

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