Tag: Exotic

Rice in 10 exotic recipes stolen from holidays – Italian Cuisine

With prawns, chicken, curry and vegetables and much more. Here is a collection of good ideas to enjoy rice even in the summer, searching for new and enveloping flavors

In Italy rice is mainly cooked in first courses. It becomes risotto in winter, while in hot weather we prefer it in salads. But it is enough to move away from Europe to discover that in many countries of the world it is such an important food to appear in every dish. Steamed or sautéed in woks, wrapped in banana leaves or simply boiled, it is the king of tasty and unexpectedly sought after recipes from which it would be a real shame not to get the right inspiration.
And before cooking it, flavor it with spices and taste it in unusual combinations, that's it the varieties rice ideal for preparing ethnic dishes.

Basmati

This name actually brings together 14 varieties of rice, whose consumption is increasingly widespread even in Europe. Behind the success of its oblong grains lies a unmistakable scent, able to lead us with the mind to distant goals even with a simple boiling. Poorly starchy and consistent even after cooking, it is perfect to accompany fish and meat dishes, but also to be served with mixed vegetables cooked in a pan or to prepare shrimp based rice salads. The trick to getting the most out of your beans is to wash it well under cold running water before cooking.

Black rice

The origins of this variety are ancient and very precious. Once reserved for the Chinese emperor and his clan, it was defined as forbidden because inaccessible to the people. Rich in flavor and consistent, it goes well with crustaceans and molluscs, but is also very good in cold soups or sautéed with vegetables and spices. THE'high antioxidant power of the substances it contains makes it even more interesting.

Red rice

Full of phosphorus and magnesium, is often confused with the common brown rice. Cultivated on clayey soils and more valuable than other types of rice, it is valuable to counteract the high levels of cholesterol in the blood. To fully enjoy it, try cooking it with black beans and cumin: you will be surprised by the aromatic complexity of the dish and you will benefit from a balanced meal. Alternatively, treat yourself to a fresh salad with red rice, cannellini beans, tuna and Tropea onion.

Thaibonnet

This Thai rice recalls in the scent of jasmine flowers: for this reason you will often hear him called Jasmine. To fully explore its potential, combine it with chicken or shrimp cooked in coconut milk, but also dare more unusual recipes, eating it with stewed fish flavored with ginger or sautéing it with vegetables, pineapple and turmeric.

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Discovering the feijoa, a super exotic New Zealand fruit – Italian Cuisine

The feijoa, super New Zealand fruit rich in vitamin C, is excellent both to eat fresh and as a special ingredient for cakes, cocktails and other preparations

In the panorama of the tropical fruits there are more or less sweet, versatile and nutritious. Among these i feijoa, particularly known and loved in New Zealand, deserve to be known and to be included in the superfood category, as they are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. The feijoa are characterized by a pulp with a pleasant sugary and exotic taste and, besides being eaten fresh, can be used for a wide variety of recipes and preparations.

All about the super beloved fruit in New Zealand

This small green fruit is native to Brazil, but is particularly famous and widespread in New Zeland, the main producer that every year records large quantities exported to other countries of the world. The feijoa are cultivated and eaten also in different countries of South America, in Russia, in Iran, in Spain and in Italy.

In appearance this tropical fruit, the size of a plum, can remember a small file, but once the green rind is deprived, the yellow and gelatinous internal pulp with small and hard seeds resembles that of a cucumber.
To make a superfood the feijoa is above all the extraordinary quantity of C vitamin contained in it, higher than that of mandarins and mangoes although similar or slightly inferior to oranges, guava and papaya. The fruit is also rich in fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium and minerals, while the leaves have antibiotic and antibacterial properties.

Flavor and use in the kitchen

The feijoa is extremely fragrant and delicately sweet; the flavor of the pulp can recall a mix of pineapple, strawberry and quince. The best way to savor it is to cut it in half horizontally and to eat the inside with a teaspoon, in the same way that a kiwi can be eaten, so as to absorb all its nutrients. If instead you want to use the pulp at a later time, for example to add it to one rich fruit salad or smoothie together with other tropical fruits, it is advisable to cover it with water and lemon to avoid oxidation, and keep it in the fridge. In the kitchen the feijoa are versatile and can be used in numerous recipes, as a substitute ingredient for bananas and apples. Raw and cut into cubes or slices can be added to desserts of various types, ice cream, but also to salads or cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. This tropical fruit is also suitable for garnishing cakes, pies, pancakes or filled cakes and with the pulp it is also possible to prepare chutneys, jams, jellies, preserves and sauces, to be used as an accompaniment to sweet or savory dishes.
THE flower petals, crunchy and with a slightly spicy taste, they can be eaten raw, baked in the form of chips, or you can prepare sweet and aromatic infusions.

Photo: Feijoa_Wikimedia_ACurrie.jpg
Photo: Feijoa_Flickr_Russellstreet.jpg
Photo: Feijoa_Flickr_4nitsirk.jpg

Exotic fruits but very Italian – Italian Cuisine

Bright colors, curious shapes and charm of the exotic fruits: the fruits that come from other continents are more and more loved from the Italians, so much so that today it is normally found on the market and in the wardrobes fruit and vegetables of the supermarkets. As it happens for others superfood vegetables, like the quinoa and the stevia.

Entrepreneurs renew their crops, and especially in southern Italy the exotic fruits have also arrived
Surprisingly, mango, papaya, goji & company have also made their way into the Italian countryside. Merit of some entrepreneurs (especially young people) who have taken on the challenge of renew their crops with more agricultural products trendy, those that today everyone wants in the dish. There are many initiatives and they are mainly concentrated insouthern Italy, where is the climate It is more suitable for exotic products. And so (soon) we will not be surprised to buy it anymore ginger of Puglia, le bananas of Sicily, the goji of Calabria.

Excellent quality and arrival on the shelves in a short time: here are the fruits and exotic plants "made in Italy"
Exotic fruits and vegetables "made in Italy" result of excellent quality and, in many respects, even best of those arriving from the most suitable regions. With an additional plus: they arrive on the shelves in short time against long trips by ship (or air) of the real exotic. So in the Italian countryside we begin to see plants of tropical fruits and exotic. And who knows what has happened with the Kiwi: introduced in our country about forty years ago, this fruit native to China has been so good for us to make of Italy the first producer world of kiwi. Will this happen also for mango, avocado, goji and stevia?

The avocado now it is cultivated in the Ionian area of the Sicily, in the south of Calabria and in Lazio southern
THE'avocado that you buy in Italy comes mostly from abroad, in particular from Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Guatemala and Antilles, countries where to control and guarantee the spinneret productive is complicated both on the level of respect forenvironment that on that of the respect of the workers. In Italy the avocado is grown in particular in the Ionian area of Sicily and in the south of Calabria, but also in the Lazio Southern.

The advantage? It arrives fresh in 48 hours, then in Sicily it is organic and "supportive", because it is cultivated on the lands freed by the mafia
The great advantage of the Italian avocado is the freshness: indeed in the turn of 48 hours passes from the orchard to shops against i 40-50 days of transport on ship, in cold storage, avocados coming from exotic countries. In Sicily, where more than one hundred hectares are dedicated to this fruit, we also produce theorganic avocado which has the added value of being "supportive" because it comes from social cooperatives and productive initiatives carried out on the lands freed by the mafia, and is processed in compliance with the criteria of solidarity, cooperation e social inclusion.

Avocado is one of the most complete foods that exist, as it contains a unique mix of fat vitamins, fiber and minerals
Undisputed protagonist of the "Budda bowls" that are depopulating all over the world and beloved by the stars of Hollywood thanks to his power Anti-aging, avocado is one of the most foods full (and energy) that nature offers us, since it is characterized by a unique mix of fats vitamins, fibers and minerals, has a low sugar content and a high content of lipids (about 23%) above all "Good" (like Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9).

The mango now comes from Sicily, and is so much appreciatedAbroad, to be completed mostly in northern Europe
Facing long journeys by sea or by air, the mangoes to arrive from South America up in our markets, often when they are still tending unripe, tough is "Pale". Instead those grown for about twenty years in Sicily I'm juicy, perfumed, desserts is very beautiful. And they are so appreciated abroad that they mostly end up in the northern Europe and to be well paid. A great satisfaction for the farmers who introduced them in the countryside between Messina and theEtna, To convert land dedicated to unprofitable products, also due to the climate change.

Why choose it? It has a high content of beta-carotene, B vitamins and vitamins C and E
The mango, fragrant and sweet, acidulous and with a background of pepper, is also appreciated for its properties nutritional, like the high content of beta-carotene, of B vitamins and of vitamins C and E, with effect antioxidant.

The goji is located from the north to the south, from the Calabria passing throughEmila Romagna until the Veneto
The goji is a plant native to Asia and is considered typical of the China, but also Italy is proving its vocation production. Cultivations of these small fruits they are found from the north to the south, from the Calabria passing throughEmila Romagna until the Veneto, and were introduced on the wave of the success of the berries of goji dried imported from the orient. But buying that Italian it can be consume even fresh.

The fresh goji berries consumed with petiole have nutraceutical, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
If dried goji berries recall dates, raisins, pine nuts and licorice, when fresh goji berries start with a hint of cherry and blackberry, to continue with hints of mango and papaya and finally a light almond-amarostico. If you consume col petiole (rich in precious antioxidants) give an original and delicate sense of spicy on the final. The red fruits of goji are known and appreciated since ancient times for their properties nutraceutical, anti-inflammatory and antioxidants and a true one "bomb" of polyphenols, vitamins, trace elements and ellagic acid.

The quinoa from the Andes has landed in the Marche, in Piacenza and in Irpinia, thanks also to the project "Quinoa Felix"
Native of the Andes, is a herbaceous plant that is considered one "Pseudocereal" because it produces very small and spherical fruits, rich in starch and protein from which grinding you get one bread flour. In Italy the first crops were introduced in the Marche from 2103. More recently they also arrived in Piacenza and Irpinia, thanks also to the project "Quinoa Felix", supported among others by the Food Science Institute of the Cnr of Avellino, who wants to introduce the cultivation of the quinoa in Europe.

Quinoa looks like a cereal, but it is a herbaceous plant: gluten-free, it is a concentrate of vegetable and mineral proteins
The great advantage of the quinoa is that it seems to all effects a cerealbecause its very small and spherical beans they are rich in starch and protein, and a milling flour is obtained from their milling. But it is actually a plant herbaceous, and therefore it is naturally gluten-free. Suitable, therefore, also to celiac, quinoa is a concentrate of good quality vegetable proteins and minerals, like the milk, but it is poor of fat.

The stevia, the beloved one sweetener natural, it fits well in south of Italy and will become "made in Siciliy"
It is the sweetener natural most beloved of the last decades: from this aromatic plant, originating from South America, one is extracted sweetener natural that provides a sweet taste to zero calories. This seedling looks like in the south of Italy it can be set well, so much so that a group of companies Sicilian has decided to invest in its cultivation and has closed a agreement with Stevia Natura, the French company that owns the only extraction plant in Europe, which will buy all the stevia production "Made in Siciliy".

The berries of aronia they started to be produced in Puglia and marketed fresh
Also said chokeberry, aronia is a native plant of the North America which is traditionally cultivated in some countries ofEastern Europe, especially in Poland and Russia. Since last year these berries, as big as a pea and from astringent taste, they began to be produced in Puglia and marketed fresh in a pan, like berries.

The taste is sweeter and the sugar content is higher, compared to a high content of polyphenolic compounds and vitamin K
Their plus is that they taste sweeter and pleasant thanks to the climate sunny of Puglia, which increases its size sugar rate. The aronia berries have a high content of polyphenolic compounds, like the anthocyanidins, from the action antioxidant, and I'm a good source of vitamin K.

Manuela Soressi
May 2018

Updated by Marianna Tognini
February 2019