Tag: Expert

The vegan Christmas menu designed by the expert and cooked by us – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

The vegan Christmas menu that’s what you were looking for, right? We are not talking about obvious dishes based on vegetables and legumes, but about real special recipes studied with the scientific advice of the nutritional biologist Alvise Cavalieri and then prepared by our historic chef Joëlle Néderlants in the editorial kitchen.

With the presence of lentilsof the chickpeas and of soy the right amount of is guaranteed vegetable proteins, well assorted with the carbohydrates and fibers of vegetables, present in abundance. Finally, the pomegranate of the dessert is important for its tannins, astringent substances that not only refresh the flavor of the panna cotta, but also perform a useful antioxidant function.

The vegan Christmas menu of The Italian kitchen

Starter: Lentil and American potato pie

First course: Celeriac lasagne, chickpea cream and smoked tofu

Dessert: Almond milk panna cotta with pomegranate

Lentil and American potato pie

Commitment: Easy
Time: 50 minutes
Vegan

Ingredients for 4 people

500 g American potatoes
240 g boiled lentils
150 g soy milk
120 g carrot
100 g celery stalk
20 g cherry tomatoes in oil
1 small red onion
1 clove of garlic
marjoram
bread crumbs
extra virgin olive oil
nutmeg
salt
pepper

Method

Peel the American potatoes, cut them into pieces, place them in a pan with the soy milk, a pinch of salt and cook for 18-20 minutes with the lid on, until they begin to fall apart.
Season them with plenty of grated nutmeg and freshly ground pepper; reduce them to a rustic puree, with the help of a hand whisk.
Peel and cut the celery, carrot and onion into chunks. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and fry the chopped vegetables with garlic and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes; remove the garlic, add the chopped cherry tomatoes in oil and the lentils, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and flavor with the leaves of 2 sprigs of marjoram.
Distribute the mixture into 4 single-portion baking dishes (ø 8 cm), then fill with a layer of puree, leveling it well with the back of a spoon, and completing with a generous
sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven, at 200°C, in grill mode, for 10 minutes; Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 2-3 minutes and serve.

Celeriac lasagne, chickpea cream and smoked tofu

Commitment: easy
Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Vegan

Ingredients for 8 people

1.5 kg celeriac
700 g boiled chickpeas
250 g beets
200 g tomato puree
175 g smoked tofu
150 g vegetable broth
1 clove of garlic
smoked paprika
mixed seeds
lemon
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Method

Clean the celeriac and cut it into slices about 2 mm thick; cook them in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, drain them and dry them on kitchen paper.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a saucepan with the crushed garlic clove with its peel, add the puree, add salt and cook the tomato sauce for 15-20 minutes.
Cut 125 g of tofu into small cubes.
Blend 580 g of chickpeas with a pinch of salt, the vegetable broth and 60 g of oil to obtain a cream.
Brown the rest of the chickpeas in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, a sprinkling of smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds; then mix them with the diced tofu.
Wash the beets, dry them and sauté them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, over high heat, for 2 minutes; separate the leaves from the ribs and chop the latter.
Distribute a few spoonfuls of chickpea cream in a rectangular baking dish (30×18 cm); create a first layer of celeriac slices, overlapping them slightly; spread another layer of chickpea cream, add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, chard leaves, a few chopped stems, a few spoonfuls of chickpeas sautéed with tofu; repeat the operation two more times, finishing with a layer of chickpea cream, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, chard, sautéed chickpeas, a couple of tablespoons of mixed seeds and 50 g of grated tofu.
Bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and complete with grated lemon zest.

expert advice to become expert wine tourists – Italian Cuisine

Against the nostalgia of visits to the cellar comes the new podcast of the writer and winemaker Roberto Cipresso, recorded in collaboration with the sports journalist Federico Buffa

Getting to really know a wine it is by no means a simple undertaking. You can start from the nuances of color, from the olfactory hints, from the possible combinations to bring it to the table in the best possible way. Yet its most authentic charm can only be perceived after having listened to and understood it history. It is the principle on which that wonderful phenomenon which goes by the name of is based wine tourism, which over the last few years has led more and more Italians to rediscover the great little joy of visiting vineyards and cellars. Unfortunately, however, at the moment the movements are practically zero due to the global pandemic: so to continue your personal journey in the world of whites, reds & Co. even in such a complex moment you can think of relying Roberto Cipresso, internationally renowned writer and winemaker, who together with the sports journalist Federico Buffa has signed a new podcast entitled Divine. Stories of the history of wine.

Listening to wine to fall in love with it

The podcast in question, created by Storielibere.fm as part of a project curated by Francesca De Michele, will be available from November 16 on the platform Audible, for a total of 20 episodes of about 40 minutes. Through these contributions, Cipresso and Buffa intend to retrace the history and evolution of wine through eras, peoples and continents, starting from the most curious anecdotes and the events of vines, distant lands, centuries-old traditions that many of us still do not know. . A sort of all-round review of what is important to know to understand what we are pouring into our glass, in short, which starts from origins of the fermentation processes of the grapes to get to the professions and innovations that today are closely linked with the world of oenology.

The winemaker and writer Roberto Cipresso.

Tips for traveling in the name of wine

The podcast, of course, presents itself as the most heartfelt invitation to to travel, to ask, to discover and rediscover everything that revolves around the world of wine. "At this moment, unfortunately, we can only move with the imagination, but we hope to soon be able to go back to exploring the cellars live: the most beautiful stories, on the other hand, are discovered exactly where one least expected it," comments Roberto Cipresso. Yes, but what are the expert's advice for those who want to approach wine tourism in an intelligent way? "Surely the first suggestion is not to stiffen," explains Cipresso. "Behind the story of a wine there is always that of a human being: it is therefore essential to open up to confrontation, to be eager to know the other. Sometimes even trying to go beyond a first impact perhaps not exactly idyllic with the owner of a winery. Often, in fact, in the world of wine it is precisely the seemingly gruff people who leave the most beautiful memories in the hearts of travelers ".

For the rest, it is essential to maintain one open mind, because – as the expert explains – wine is like music: you can't really say that you love and know jazz if you completely ignore everything related to rock, classics, hip hop. "You can naturally be more passionate about aged reds, sparkling wines, natural wines, but it is important not to foreclose anything", continues Cipresso. «This concerns the types of wine as much as those of the cellar: one must not be snobbish towards the great manufacturer, because that's where we can understand trends, innovations, evolutions over time; and at the same time we must learn to know the smaller companies, because it is by digging among their extremely niche productions that it is possible to meet the real hidden jewels of the world of wine ".

Buffet: expert advice to avoid bacteria – Italian Cuisine

The buffets can be a real receptacle for pitfalls and bacteria. Let's go then to discover four types of food that experts advise to avoid

It will have happened to you at least once in your life to experience some more or less serious malaise after eating in a buffetbe it in a public place, in a private party or inside catering or refreshments for events or special occasions. Beyond the quantities of food that are often abused in these situations, the real problem is represented by its poor quality and basic rules of hygiene and food safety that too often are ignored by those who cook, organize and set up the buffet.

In the United States, the problem has recently been solved due to the alarming data collected. Indeed, it has been discovered that every year 1 in 6 Americans is subject to food poisoning caused by buffet foods that are altered or contaminated with bacteria. Industry experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention association, have therefore decided to draw up a handbook with the aim of providing some basic tips to follow, but above all a list of food at risk that consumers would do well to avoid in buffets.

1. Raw meat, seafood and eggs in contact with other foods

It must first be said that the impact on the presence of bacteria in food isincorrect storage of food. For example, it is essential that poultry, seafood, eggs and raw meat are kept in the fridge and served separately from other foods such as fruit, vegetables, bread and salad.

2. Raw or undercooked food

Not only storage, but also cooking can cause bacterial contamination in buffets. During the preparation phase, in fact, it should be checked with a food thermometer that the food has been cooked at a temperature high enough to kill the germs present, just as the correct cooking times should always be followed carefully. So when we participate in a buffet, we must carefully observe the dishes served and check that they do not have less cooked parts than others. For the same reason, all foods that should be served and consumed raw, such as, are also considered at risk raw meat and fish.

3. Food with a color and a suspicious appearance

Although the bacteria are not detectable at a glance, the appearance of the dishes can tell us a lot not only about cooking, but also about subsequent storage. These, once ready, should in fact be left to rest, but without staying too long out of the fridge, just to prevent them from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. For this the experts recommend to observe that the buffet foods have a uniform color and appearance, that they are intact and not withered and, of course, that they have an unaltered taste and smell.

4. Food potentially contaminated during the buffet

Sometimes, unfortunately, managing, cooking and storing food may not be enough to ensure that it is safe for our health. In fact, another risk factor is represented by unhygienic practices of the buffet diners. Contamination can in fact take place when customers use the same ladle to take portions of different foods or even their hands or their own cutlery. If you notice this type of behavior it is therefore preferable to notify the staff and also report the problem to the offender on duty.

We just have to pay attention to this type of food, prefer dry and less risky foods and learn to be good observers, both in buffets and in the restaurant sector in general.