Tag: cuisine

High blood pressure, what to eat to lower it and what to avoid at the table – Italian Cuisine

Regular consumption of certain foods can prevent and fight hypertension. Here's what to bring to the table to keep the circulation healthy

In Italy as many as 15 million people suffer from high blood pressure. This is revealed by data from SIIA (Italian Society of Arterial Hypertension). Adopting healthy eating habits can help to combat the problem. Nutrition, in particular, plays a fundamental role in preventing the disorder and limiting the risks of stroke, heart attack and many others. Let's see with the help of the doctor Nicoletta Bocchino, nutritionist biologist, what to bring to the table and what to avoid in case of high blood pressure.

The foods yes

"At the table," explains the nutritionist, "there must be foods rich in antioxidants such as kiwi, citrus fruits and red fruits such as raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, but they must be consumed far from taking drugs. Flavonoids, for example, in addition to protecting blood vessels from the damaging action of free radicals responsible for aging, promote the proper circulation of blood ". Even foods rich in magnesium and potassium are a panacea for those suffering from high blood pressure. "These minerals regulate circulation by lowering sodium levels in the blood. Vegetables and fresh and dried fruit are particularly rich . The daily menus should not be missing the fibers contained in large quantities in green leafy vegetables, whole grains and many other foods. "Regular consumption of these substances lowers the pressure and slows down the absorption of sugars and fats in the blood".

The foods to be limited

"To prevent and counteract hypertension, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of sodium in the daily menus both in the form of cooking salt and rich foods such as cheese, especially those aged, canned products, packaged snacks. , sauces. The consumption of fried and fried foods rich in trans fatty acids, harmful to the health of the arteries, must also be limited ".

Would you like to know more? Discover the foods that lower the pressure in the gallery one by one

And how do you make the pastry? 5 sweet recipes + one salt – Italian Cuisine

There is not one short pastry: from the classic to the oil one, from the vegan to the gluten free one, here are our tips to prepare many versions for different occasions

How many ways do you know how to prepare one? pie? Or rather, how many types of shortcrust pastry you know? We suggest 5, plus a salted version.

Shortbread with butter

This is the classic shortcrust pastry, the friable, buttery and enveloping taste.
Obviously everyone has his perfect recipe of the pastry, but we want to give you some more tips.
Always remember to work the butter, sugar and flour first.
Eggs should be added only at the end, when the butter and the flour have formed crumbs together.
The butter should be soft, but never melted and the eggs at room temperature.
You can add a pinch of yeast, but it's not essential.
The milk? Absolutely not.
This short pastry should rest in the refrigerator for an hour and can also be frozen.
To prepare the shortcrust with butter, work by hand or in a planetary mixer 150 g of butter with 300 g of flour and 100 g of finely chopped sugar with the rind of a lemon.
Then add a pinch of salt and 1 whole egg and knead the dough until it turns into a smooth and homogeneous ball.
Wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge.
To give a little softness to the pastry you can add a pinch of yeast and for a delicate sweet-salty taste contrast, use salted butter.

Tips for a perfect tart

Browse the gallery

Shortcrust with oil

This is the version from more rustic taste of the classic short pastry.
Obviously when we talk about oil we talk about extra virgin olive oil because the seed oil, unless it is of quality, in cooking takes an unpleasant taste. Extra virgin olive oil must be very delicate and fruity.
If you do not like the intense aroma of extra virgin olive oil, choose the coconut butter without fragrance and use it loose.
To prepare the shortcrust with oil, mix 280 g of 00 flour with 100 g of sugar, 1 large whole egg, 1 large yolk, 80 g of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, the grated lemon zest and a pinch of salt.
In this recipe you can also mix the 00 flour with a less refined flour like whole wheat or cereals.
Also in this case yeast is optional.
This pastry should rest in the refrigerator wrapped in foil for half an hour.

Shortcrust whipped

This pastry is used more for i cookies that for pies because it is particularly soft and almost melts in the mouth.
Once ready, put in a pastry bag and use it to prepare biscuits for dry pastries, but you can also use it, always inside a sac à poche, to make the base of a tart, stuff it and then make the classic grill as decoration.
It is prepared by adding 200 g of butter with 120 g of powdered sugar and 2 whole eggs. Then add 330 g of sieved flour 00, the rind of a grated lemon and a pinch of salt.
This pastry should not rest a lot and can be used as soon as it is ready.

Vegan shortcrust pastry

A short pastry without butter and without eggs, but really very tasty.
You can prepare it with rice flour, spelled flour or whole wheat flour mixed with flour 0 in proportion 50 and 50.
To prepare it, mix 500 g of flour, 250 g of brown sugar, 80 g of extra virgin olive oil, 125 g of water, grated orange peel, grated lemon peel and 12 g of baking powder.
If the pastry should be too dry add a little more water and if you want you can replace the water with a vegetable milk of your choice or well-filtered juice.
You can also add finely chopped dried fruit such as hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts into the dough.

Gluten free shortcrust

A perfect pastry for those who are gluten intolerant, based on rice flour.
More delicate and slightly more friable, suitable both for the preparation of pies and biscuits.
It is prepared by mixing 120 g of rice flour with 80 g of corn flour, a teaspoon of yeast, 80 g of brown sugar and 130 g of cold butter.
Then add an egg, a pinch of salt and the grated rind of lemon or orange and let the dough rest in the refrigerator.

Salted shortcrust

We conclude with a savory shortcrust perfect for the preparation of pies stuffed with vegetables, cheeses and cold cuts.
To prepare it, mix 500 g of 00 flour with 240 g of cold butter and 30 g of granulated sugar. Add 2 large eggs, a teaspoon of baking powder and 6 g of salt and kneaded like a classic pastry.
Leave to rest in the fridge and then roll out.

Browse now the gallery to get some more advice to prepare and use the pastry.

Ten recipes with asparagus – Italian Cuisine

The asparagus they are a typical spring vegetable: they are found on the market from March to June. There are more than 200 varieties, different in color, size and taste. The best known are the white ones of Bassano del Grappa and Verona, the green one of Altedo PGI, the Neapolitan violet.

Cultivated since the Egyptians, they have diuretic properties and contain very few fats, so they are indicated in slimming diets. They also contain lots of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and are rich in vitamin A.

How to clean

The asparagus have a woody part at the end of the stem that has to be removed by cutting it with a sharp knife. If the stem is still very hard or old, it should be cut up to 4 cm below the tip.

How to cook

The most common way to cook asparagus is to boil them. They are placed in a rather tall and narrow pot, filled with water up to the level of the shoots. These, softer than the stem, cook only with steam. For a more crunchy result, you can directly steam them, flavoring the water with lemon zest.

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