Tag: COMING

The Chinese New Year is coming: the dishes to celebrate it – Italian Cuisine

It falls each year at a different time on our calendar, but always between January 21 and February 20. In this 2022 the celebrations for the Chinese New Year they start from February 1st and will last for the following 16 days, ending with the Lantern Festival. Two weeks full of celebrations, rites and events that welcome theyear of the Tiger, the sign of the Chinese zodiac that, in the next 12 months, will foster shrewdness and courage by replacing the Buffalo, a symbol of resilience, which accompanied us in 2021.

Great party on the table and in the street
Like all popular celebrations, the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, has its highlight in banquets to share with family and close friends in the name ofabundance: literal, with a number of superfine courses, but also metaphorical, with the use of ingredients that symbolize the prosperity. As for the western anniversary, the most magical evening is that of Vigil, with a rich man dinner among the domestic walls, lanterns to decorate streets and clubs and pyrotechnic games to illuminate the skies. To dominate mise en place and color arrangements Red, universal good luck charm.

Noodles, rice and dim sum
Unmissable on Chinese tables, they are no exception in festive ones: we are talking about noodles And dim sum. The former can be made of wheat, rice or potato starch, translucent like those of soy. The toppings are always rich with meat, mushrooms, dried fish, spring onions and spicy touches of chilli. THE dim sum are the typical ravioli, or jaozi, bundles, rolls and bao (soft sandwiches) with a thousand shapes and the most varied fillings. Also dishes based on enrich the table rice: sauteed with meat and vegetables or in the form of gnocchi (niangao), both salty and sweet, obtained from the "glutinous" one.

Sea and land specialties
Among the dishes that cannot be missed, the fish (whose word in Chinese sounds just like "abundance") and the finest fish specialties. Whether one of the most typical courses remains the controversial one shark fin soup (increasingly criticized because it puts sharks at risk of extinction), there is no lack of more sustainable alternatives such asabalone, particular monovalve mollusk, the oysters, i shrimp, lobsters and lobsters, sea bass, groupers and freshwater varieties such as perch, steamed and finished with elaborate sauces. A curious specialty is the "Squirrel fish", one carp carved and fried, served still sizzling, which resembles the shape of the animal and produces a "creak" similar to a squeak. They come from the farmyard duck And chicken, who keep company with pig, a symbol of prosperity around the world. The meats can be used in soups, in the fillings of ravioli or, as mentioned, in the condiments of vermicelli, spaghetti or lamian, the special hand-rolled noodles. But also be marinated, glazed, lacquered, roasted, plated: many preparations for sumptuous dishes of earth that are mixed on the table to be shared among the diners, in perfect "sharing" style.

How to toast?
According to tradition, even during the holidays you dine at you or, at most, sipping distillates of rice or other cereals. As the Fenjiu, made with sorghum, barley and peas, aged in terracotta jars, with which to toast at the restaurant Dao di Roma which, in its Christmas Eve menu, offers among others i Baozi Cha Sha Bao, small bundles of soft dough. However, in recent years, even in China, an increasing interest in wine has been developing and the most refined restaurants are starting, even here, to offer highly respectable bottles. Thus, in Milan Bon Wei combines a selection of Amaroni from the Historical Families, the Association that brings together the most important and ancient wineries of Valpolicella: an unexpected but successful marriage with dishes such as crispy yellow grouper with black garlic, duck Yan Shui boiled "water and salt", the rib of beef Guo Qiao with black pepper and taro, a battered and fried tuber, served with a pork and chili sauce. Brianza MU Fish, Nova Milanese's address for Asian fusion cuisine, accompanies the dim sum of its celebratory menu with the effervescence of Lambrusco Doc Spumante. Two proposals very much in line with what is happening in the East, where reds are much more appreciated than whites. Although we (and many sommeliers) would like to recommend a great Classic Method, from Franciacorta to Trentodoc. For a cheers … to the health of the Tiger!

Francesca Romana Mezzadri
January 2022

100% Italian peanuts are coming – Italian Cuisine

They are grown in Emilia Romagna and are smaller and darker than foreign ones: a made in Italy production from seed to shelf

Until a few days ago, if we wanted to buy some peanuts, the choice was practically obligatory towards a foreign product: peanuts from Egypt or Israel or the United States, for example. Now, however, the market launch of the first 100% Italian peanuts from seed to shelf.

The initiative

It is an initiative of Coldiretti, Noberasco and SIS, Società Italiana Sementi, a company of the BF agro-industrial group, according to which a national peanut supply chain has enormous potential for development and will see the entire sector committed to reactivating the agricultural and industrial aspects necessary to respond to a consumer request in the coming years which promises to be of great value (purchases of dried fruit have doubled in the last ten years in Italy) and which could lead to the cultivation of over thirty thousand hectares on the national territory.

How is the Italian peanut

Smaller, darker and with a particular taste compared to conventional types, but always rich in proteins, the Italian peanut seed is deposited in the field in April, while the harvest takes place in the middle or end of September; peanut cultivation requires peaty soils, high temperatures and many hours of light, all characteristics that blend with the Italian climate. Precisely for these characteristics, the region that has seen this cultivation most developed was theEmilia Romagna and in particular the area of Ferrara.

The rebirth of a supply chain

In reality, that of the Italian peanut is a return, the rebirth of a supply chain abandoned 50 years ago because it was not considered convenient and which will now allow the resumption of a know-how, research and employment segment of great importance. According to the promoters of the initiative, there is also the aspect of sustainability and of healthiness of the Italian peanut. The so-called food miles – that is, the km traveled by the product from the place of production to the place of consumption – will be almost zero, bringing important advantages to the quality of the product, the time and the effectiveness of drying, which in many cases will take place in plants "in the field". Just thedrying – fundamental procedure for product quality – is one of the aspects that will be investigated and probably placed at the center of future experiments.

Are you coming to me for a canape? – Italian Cuisine

Serve a canapé tray it is always an elegant way to kick off a dinner or an aperitif with friends.
By canapè we mean canapés, croutons and all of those small appetizers which can be served in a serving tray, to be consumed with your hands or with small forks and toothpicks.
Summer is the perfect season for aperitifs outdoors, so here are our suggestions to prepare summer canapés sensational.

Important trays

First, get yourself some very large trays because it is nice to fill them with canapes of all kinds.
More colors and varieties there are, the better!
Maybe choose serving dishes with a white background to highlight all the ingredients, or a light wood base.
You can also decorate the trays with some fig leaves or flowers to make them even more beautiful and rich.
Serve the canape standing up by offering it to your guests while they taste a glass of prosecco or a cocktail, or arrange it on the buffet table.

Pancarrè, bread or …

Here are all the options you have available to prepare canape bites.
To prepare the classics stuffed canapes with spreadable creams used as support the White bread.
For the crispy croutons opt for slices of baguette toasted or for gods cracker.
If you want to get your hands on the dough, make some shortcrust pastry boats or pastry salty to be stuffed with what you want.
If you want a slightly special base, make some mini pancakes.
For a light appetizer choose wholemeal or rye bread to combine with low-fat cheeses and vegetables.
For a delicious base, choose the white focaccia, Especially if there are children.
Finally, also play with the vegetables. Why not serve some cucumber slices as if they were croutons to be stuffed and gods cherry tomatoes cut in half fill yourself with mousse like little boats?
And how not to use watermelon and melon? Go ahead and find out how.

Practicality first of all

Make sure that all these little appetizers are easy to consume even with your hands.
Think about slices of bread or crackers to eat practically in one bite or make it so saucers, napkins and forks are close at hand.
The canapè is generally prepared with small canapés or bruschetta, perhaps with various types of bread, but you can also enrich it with mini portions of polenta, of cream puffs, of the roses of cold cuts, olives, fried and omelettes.
Everything must be practical to serve, handle and consume.

Butter and anchovy canapes

If you have never tried the combination butter and anchovies you really don't know what you are missing.
It's one of the best things in the world and everyone always likes it.
Just blend the anchovies in oil with the butter and then spread the cream on the toast.
To make the canapes more beautiful, use a pastry bag to create tufts of cream and decorate with caper flowers.

Canapes with fig pesto

That's right, pesto di figs!
It is prepared simply by adding one or two figs to the classic recipe of basil pesto and it goes very well in combination with salted ricotta.
You can use bread rolls, rye bread croutons or a hot focaccia.

Crostini with gorgonzola and figs

An extraordinary combination? Gorgonzola and figs.
If you don't like the intense taste of gorgonzola, replace it with growth which is a little more delicate, but equally creamy.
You can add an extra touch of sweetness by caramelizing the figs in a pan.
Complete the croutons with balsamic vinegar cream.

Canapé of cucumbers and salmon

A super light appetizer because it is prepared only with cucumbers and smoked salmon. There is no bread!
Cut the cucumber into fairly thick slices keeping the peel and then decorate each fattina with a salmon rose. You can enrich everything with one simple avocado mousse prepared by blending the pulp with lime, oil and salt.

Canapes of ham and melon

We will call them canapés even if there is no bread, as in the cucumber ones, but instead we use slices of melon cut into cubes. Above each slice place the raw ham and maybe a small mozzarella or cheese flakes and served as finger food.
It can also be done withwatermelon and the winter melon.

Whole wheat canapes with watermelon

Speaking of watermelon, here's an unusual but delicious idea.
Used as the basis of the dark rye bread and cut it into triangles.
Spread it with fresh cheese and then lay on each slice a wafer of watermelon, that is, a very thin slice, almost transparent. Complete with mint leaves and enjoy.

Gordon Ramsay Recipes