Tag: Coffee

The Indian Monsooned coffee arrives in Italy – Italian Cuisine

A coffee that tastes of the sea, with a long history, started with journeys from India to the United Kingdom in the eighteenth century and disappeared for centuries. Nespresso makes it live again with its Master Origin India and chef Marcello Trentini cooks it for us

In the kitchen one often wonders what flavor they tasted like food and recipes of the past, when there were no fridges, and salt and spices were rare commodities. There was a time when even coffee had a different taste, when the bags of precious grains traveled long journeys by land and by sea, on board the sailing ships and challenging the pitfalls of the pirates.

At the dawn of the coffee culture in Europe, from India the merchant ships departed to the ports of the United Kingdom, crossed the Indian Ocean and circumnavigated Africa using up to six months to reach the European coast with their load of green coffee. When the climate was humid the grains were wet, when dry they dried, taking particular aromatic notes. Until the opening of the Suez Canal in the 18th century, Indian coffee had another flavor.

The monsonated coffee today

Today this process is replicated on the Indian coasts and is called "monsoonization". It is practiced from June to September, when the monsoon winds are stronger, and it is a long and risky process. The "naked" green bean, without protective parchment, comes from the plantations to the Indian coasts facing the open sea. Thanks to moisture and strong ventilation, the beans swell and their size doubles; from the second week the color gradually changes, until it takes on straw yellow hues. The humidity rises from 10.5% -11% to 14% within 3 months, the beans must be ventilated continuously to avoid the formation of mold. These repeated climatic alterations alter the physical structure of the grain, giving rise to an aromatic and dense cup.

The new Master Origin India

Nespresso now brings this special "monsooned coffee" to Italy with the Master Origin India capsule, with further innovation. Traditionally this process is applied only to Arabica, but the producers of the Nespresso network apply it to Robusta, to add a new, unusual aroma to coffee. What do you know? Maybe someone remembers the limited edition Monsooned Malabar of Arabica only a few years ago. Similar, but today it is even more full-bodied, with a powerful character with notes reminiscent of black pepper, cinnamon, tobacco, cocoa and licorice.

The recipe of the chef Marcello Trentini

The chef Marcello Trentini of the Magorabin restaurant in Turin, 1 Michelin star, chose him to prepare a lacquered chicken with mushrooms. The chicken breast is first cooked at low temperature, to make it soft and juicy, then napped with a teryaki coffee sauce made with soy sauce and muscovado cane sugar. To pair it, an Espresso Martini prepared with 5cl of vodka, 1 Nespresso India and agave syrup.

Recipe Gattò of potatoes with coffee – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

650 g potatoes
2 eggs
Grated Grana Padano Dop
bread crumbs
nutmeg
butter
salt
pepper
grinded coffee

Duration: 1 h 40 min

Level: Easy

Dose: 4 people

For the recipe of coffee potato gattò, prepare the puree: boil 600 g of potatoes (keep aside a small one); peel, mash and mix immediately with a spoonful of butter (30 g), 3 generous tablespoons of grated parmesan (30 g), salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir for a while, then mix the eggs.
Peel and finely slice the remaining potato and incorporate it into the mashed pot, keeping aside a few slices. Transfer the mashed potatoes into a baking dish; cover the surface with the potato slices kept aside, grated parmesan, breadcrumbs and small flakes of butter. Bake the gattò at 180 ° C for 30 minutes. Baked and scented with a little 'coffee powder or with a few drops of coffee mocha.

Christmas coffee: little etiquette to make a good impression – Italian Cuisine

Is it offered at the table or in the living room? Already in the cup or in the coffee pot? Here are the rules of etiquette to serve him as a lady – and a bold idea: why not combine it with a savory dish? The starred chef Tommaso Arrigoni did it with this recipe.

The table of the Christmas it's a certainty: it starts with the starters and ends in front of one coffee, waiting for midnight or playing bingo with the children. While everyone gets angry on the list of aperitifs and cook for hours salads of reinforcement and canape, almost no one thinks of the tray of coffee at the end of the meal. So we end up taking orders by show of hands and serving guests on a table still full of crumbs. To avoid falls in style instead of the grand finale, here are some basic rules of the so-called "etiquette" to make a good impression. And an idea to surprise the guests, the starred chefTommaso Arrigoni.

The coffee tray
In addition to the cups with their teaspoon (resting on the saucer to the right of the cup) you bring a small jug with some milk and a sugar bowl with its teaspoon. A touch of style in addition, also offer a brown sugar and a bowl with whipped cream, for an exception to the rule. Do not forget the small square napkins – linen, cotton or cellulose, white, simple.

Coffee in the living room
The etiquette rule says that coffee is served in the living room and not in the dining room. Being able to do it is a good idea to get up from the table, take a little break and then be already sitting on the couch to chat until late. You need a stable table and a serving tray to serve. While the guests drink coffee, the landlady clears the table, even the tablecloth.

Clears!
If, for logistical reasons, coffee should be served at the table, it is essential to clear the table first. You take away everything, even the tablecloth and serve the coffee tray.

How do you get it?
The house is not a bar and therefore the guests to be polite will limit themselves in the requests of "mokaccini with cinnamon" and "express narrow double foam". However, having a decaffeinated coffee at home is a must, especially after dinner. Volluto is Nespresso coffee with notes of biscuits and cereals that also exists in decaffeinated version, where it preserves the same rich aromas and the same round body of classic Volluto.

Bon bon and chocolates
In addition to the coffee we bring nougats, chocolates, bon bon and small frolle – which will then be available to guests for the rest of the time. The dessert and fruit have already been served before clearing, at the table.

The water
To quench the guests, a tray with clean water glasses and two bottles, one of natural and one of sparkling water, is available.

The extra idea
Who said that coffee is only served at the end of the meal? The chefs today use coffee as a real drink, combining it with savory dishes, as appetizers and main courses. The chef Tommaso Arrigoni of the Innocenti Evasioni restaurant in Milan, a Michelin star, has combined Nespresso Volluto with an ideal recipe for the Christmas table: creamed cod, pumpkin, chestnuts and goat's cheese mayonnaise.