Tag: Dressing

Recipe Octopus roasted with sweet and sour dressing – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

800 g octopus
200 g cherries
100 g white vinegar
1 pc cucumber
laurel
marjoram
thyme
balsamic vinegar
sugar
butter
extra virgin olive oil
salt
butter

Duration: 1 h 20 min

Level: Easy

Dose: 4 people

For the recipe of roasted octopus with sweet and sour dressing, clean the octopus and boil it (starting from cold water) with a bay leaf, for about 20 minutes from boiling. Then turn off the heat and let it cool in its water. Peel the cucumber, remove the seeds, cut it into very small cubes and collect them in a bowl. Add salt and let them drain for 30 minutes, then squeeze them. Bring the white vinegar to the boil and pour over the cucumbers. Let them flavor for 10-15 minutes. Melt 50 g of butter with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Add the cherries and brown them, stirring for 30 seconds, add 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 ladle of water and cook for 1 minute. Remove half of the cherries, which you will keep whole, and cook the others for another 1 minute. Turn off, pitted the most cooked cherries and blend them with the cooking sauce, obtaining the dressing. Cut the octopus tentacles and roast them over a high heat with a film of oil, for 3-4 minutes, with marjoram and thyme. Serve them with the sour cucumber, the cherry dressing, the fruits kept aside. Complete to taste with fresh cherries and a few leaves of salad.

Extra virgin olive oil, because it is the best dressing for your salad – Italian Cuisine

Used raw for seasoning, it is an excellent ally for the body's health. Find out why with the help of a nutritionist

THE'extra virgin olive oil is the main food of the Mediterranean diet. It has always been considered the healthiest condiment. That's why it should be one of the most used ingredients in the kitchen to season raw, second and side dishes raw. It has a fruity taste that is excellent for giving a special flavor even to salads. Alone, or together with vinegar or lemon juice, it is the ideal dressing to flavor without the need to use other types of condiments, such as sauces, butter or yogurt. Plus, it's a real natural supplement. "It ensures good fats, vitamins and antioxidants that are good for your health and prevent many diseases. From cardio-circulatory to cancer ones , explains nutritionist Nicoletta Bocchino. To get the maximum of its benefits the ideal is to choose the one cold pressed. "It is more rich in nutritional and organoleptic properties", adds the expert. To preserve them at their best, it is always necessary to keep them in the dark-colored glass bottle sealed and kept in cool places. "Heat can cause oxidation and therefore rancidity of the product," suggests nutritionist Bocchino. Another suggestion is to pay attention to the quantities that are consumed. «To benefit from all its virtues it is better to limit yourself to 2-3 tablespoons a day. Extra virgin olive oil has a high caloric intake: a spoon contains about 90 calories, "warns the expert.

Keeps heart and arteries healthy

Extra virgin olive oil helps reduce the risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease. "It is rich in valuable antioxidants, including polyphenols that help reduce the accumulation of triglycerides and bad cholesterol in the blood, responsible for heart attacks and strokes. They also favor the "good" levels, "explains the expert. It also contains many "beneficial" fats for the health of the heart and arteries. «It ensures good quantities of Omega 3 and Omega 6, which have an anti-inflammatory action. They regulate blood pressure and promote the proper functioning of the circulation, "says nutritionist Bocchino.

Protects the brain

The essential fatty acids of which extra virgin olive oil is particularly rich are also good for the brain. "They act like real" anti-rust "substances on neurons, brain cells. They prevent degeneration and promote cognitive functions ", explains the expert.

Fights aging

Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent anti-aging oil. «It brings a great variety of antioxidants that block the harmful action of free radicals, responsible for the aging of tissues. It is rich, in particular, in vitamin E and polyphenols. These substances have a real protective action on the organism ", concludes the expert.

Dressing: 5 ideas for seasoning vegetables – Italian Cuisine

What is "dressing"? And why use it instead of the usual dressing in salads and vegetables? Our tips and 5 ideas for you

In Italy vegetables are mainly seasoned with oil and salt, at the limit with a few drops of simple or balsamic vinegar, some aromatic herbs and lemon juice.
But even if we move to other European countries or other continents, condiments become many and different and are called dressing.

From boiled potatoes to cesar salad

The cesar salad is the typical American salad with chicken, croutons and parmesan. You can season it with oil and salt, of course, but if you want to eat it as the Americans eat it, you must enrich it with a typical yogurt dressing.
And the potatoes? Have you ever combined them with sour cream as is used in northern Europe?
And have you ever tried serving as an aperitif raw vegetables cut into sticks with tasty sauces made with avocado, chickpeas, beetroot or other types of vegetables, legumes and fruit?

Why choose the dressing

Not convinced yet? Well, then to convince even the most skeptical of you to try to use the dressing we can say with almost scientific certainty that the Italian method of dressing salad is completely wrong.
Oil and vinegar, in fact, should never be added separately on the salad because being one fat and the other an acid remain separated. The oil sticks to the leaves while the vinegar separates into many droplets and does not stick to the vegetables.
Therefore, it is better to use a dressing, that is an emulsion in which the two condiments are quickly mixed before being added to the salad. Practically put oil and vinegar in a bowl and mix with a mixer.
The idea of dressing is none other than this, create an emulsion with a fat and an acid ingredient.
Then everyone can do it the way they want, or with the classic oil and vinegar (or lemon), or with many other seasonings.

Here, then, some recipes to prepare easy dressing, fast and light that will make your vegetables special. Always use fresh ingredients and prepare your condiments at home. Beware of the ready-made ones you find at the supermarket. We do not suggest the classic guacamole, hummus and tzaziki that we all know by now and that are better combined with more structured dishes than a simple salad, but with unusual sauces perfect for seasoning raw or steamed vegetables.