Tag: feel

Feel like a perfect couscous? There are 6 things to know – Italian Cuisine

What we know as cous cous it is, in fact, a grain obtained from the processing of durum wheat flour and steam cooked, usually served with meat, vegetables, legumes, sometimes fish or dried fruit. Widespread in the Maghreb and throughout the Mediterranean basin, it is very popular in West Africa and the Near East – in Israel as in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. It is loved in France and Belgium, it is found in Spain and is also part of the Italian gastronomic tradition: in particular of Sicily, in the Trapani area, and Sardinia, in Carloforte.

177094 In Italy it is found in some pages of gastronomic literature since the sixteenth century and the cooking technique and the way of serving seem to have remained unchanged. And not by chance in the Trapani area, a San Vito Lo Capo, will be held very soon on Cous Cous Fest, a tribute to the tradition of Trapani, who wants it strictly with fish. Whether it is a legacy of Arab domination or an original reworking, it does not matter: couscous is now also part of Italian cuisine. In this adorable location full of Arab-Norman architectural references, the twenty-second edition of a festival celebrating food that will take place from September 20th to 29th will be held. has many features in common with the ancestor of Italian pasta, not least that of being an adequate response to the need for preservation of cereals even after a long period of storage (need for all the populations that had the need to face long journeys at sea). During the event there will also be a competition that will bring together chefs from all over Italy who try their hand at preparing recipes based on couscous. The scouting chef is promoted by Bia CousCous, the leading company in Europe for the production and marketing of couscous, main sponsor of the Cous Cous Fest.

The traditional procedure wants the semolina to come worked by rubbing with a little water until you get tiny balls; the grain obtained is then sieved to select the desired size. There are three types of couscous, depending on the diameter of the balls: the medium, the most common, lends itself to all recipes; the finest is used for desserts; the largest is not widespread. The fresh couscous is then steamed, dried and packaged.

In medio stat virtus

The medium couscous it is definitely the most versatile: it goes well with meat, fish, vegetables; it is excellent as a base for cold or warm salads, for light meatballs, for flans, even savory muffins.

The traditional pairing is with stewed meat – mutton or chicken according to the North African tradition – or with fish and shellfish according to the Sicilian and Spanish; there is also a spicy sauce such as harissa (a sauce made with red pepper, chilli, garlic, cumin and mint) and lots of vegetables and legumes, especially chickpeas.

With dried fruit, spices, sugar and honey it is a base of unusual and delicious desserts.

A special pot?

Let's talk about the couscoussiera – called taseksut in Berber – the special pot used for steaming non-precooked couscous: it is equipped with a hole basket and a lid (found in the most supplied housewares). Put the couscous in the couscous sauce and steam it in 2-3 times. Alternatively, you can use a large high-sided saucepan and a metal colander to enter the saucepan: in this case, you will need to seal the two pans well before couscous is cooked with a damp cotton cloth.

Traditionally the couscous should be steamed two or three times, but do not worry, it is fine precooked couscous, faster and easier to prepare – it has already been cooked for the first time and then dried.

Just put it in a baking dish, bring to a boil some liquid (broth, flavored water, etc.), pour it over, cover everything with a cloth and let the grains swell for a few minutes. To avoid overcooked or too raw couscous, the liquid / couscous percentages are 1 to 1.

But watch out for these wrong moves!

1_ No tap water! Do not use running water to prepare it, but vegetable broth light.
If you don't have it handy, you can create aflavored water adding toasted natural boiling water, toasted star anise, crushed garlic, a piece of fresh peeled ginger and / or 1/2 onion; set of salt.
If you use the pot, use this water to steam couscous, or leave it in infusion 10 minutes and strain it before pouring it over the precooked couscous.

2_Mai, never boil it in water as you do with pasta and cereals! Season the cooked couscous in the pan with a little oil and then pour the boiling liquid over it. Respect the proportion 1 to 1: the liquid must cover the couscous flush, do not submerge it.

3_Never mix the couscous in the absorption phase. Allow the liquid to absorb and cover the couscous container with a cloth. Once well swollen, first shell it with a fork; once warm, work it with your hands to shell it: i grains I must all be well separated. You can spread it on a dry towel to wipe it well with your fingers.

4_ Do not overdo it with oil. Once well shelled, add a drizzle of oil to your still – just a thread, it must not be too greasy – and then season the couscous according to your recipe or fantasy.

5_Non never salt the grains. In the case of a savory dish, season with salt the liquid you use or the seasoning, meat and / or vegetables or legumes that you will mix with couscous.

6_Never serve it cold! If it is not hot or lukewarm, the couscous should be maximum at room temperature. The cold facilitates the cohesion of the grains and the formation of lumps.

Choose the right recipe for you, avoid these "crimes" against couscous and enjoy a tasty and delicious single dish.

Francesca Tagliabue
June 2017
updated by Emanuela Di Pasqua
July 2019

Image Credits:
Cous Cous Fest Press Office

How to fry well to feel good – Italian Cuisine

Nobody can resist a good fry. To that crispy brown that encloses the aromas like a casket. But that hurts. Or better: it hurts if you eat too often. And if you don't follow some simple rules. Here they are

In front of a nice fried eyes light up, taste buds stir and stomach at any time and condition sends messages of wide availability. There is no doubt: frying on the table have something extra, which places them at the top of the preferences of children and adults. But they are not always light and digestible, to the point that the most intransigent nutritionists would want them completely banned from the menu. With some attention in the kitchen and a bit of moderation in consumption, it is not necessary to be so drastic.

But why are fried foods so good?

The secret is simple and it is all in the fact that, compared to cooking in water, frying takes place at much higher temperatures, above 160 ° C. High heat causes two important phenomena: it starts a series of chemical reactions that produce particularly tasty substances, and determines the formation of a superficial crust on the food that holds all the aromatic components inside, preventing it from escaping and dispersing.

Smoke point, red alarm!

Unfortunately, the fat used for cooking, which allows cooking at high temperature, determines the gastronomic merit of fried foods, is also the basis of their defects. First of all the oil residues absorbed by the food considerably increase the caloric intake: 1 gram of oil supplies 9 kcal. Secondly, the fats undergo profound changes with heating: at first, poorly digestible compounds (polymers) are formed which then, once the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke (the so-called "smoke point"), decompose in their fundamental constituents, developing an acrid and irritating substance (acrolein) which evaporates leaving in contact with food free fatty acids of which the potential harmfulness is ascertained.

The extra virgin olive oil beats everyone

Resistance to heat varies from one grease to another according to the chemical composition and the first thing to do to obtain a light fry is to focus on the fats that resist the most. Contrary to what many believe, the best choice is extra virgin olive oil: not only does it contain monounsaturated fats, more resistant, but it is also rich in antioxidant substances that protect the oil from the negative effects of heat. If the taste of extra virgin olive oil disturbs the palate, you can use the normal olive oil without any problems, possibly mixing it with peanut oil. Among all the seed oils, the peanut oil is the most similar in olive oil composition and the most resistant to heat. For some years now, some fats specially made for frying have been on the market. In reality, they are thought more with the mind of the gourmet than with a healthy attention: they allow to obtain crispy fried food but have a less healthy composition than olive oil.

Times and temperatures, a game of balance

The heat must never be such as to cause the fat to smoke: if a fried product is burned outside and raw inside, it means that the fat has been heated too much and this produces a violent dehydration of the food. Conversely, if the fried is not crunchy it means that the fat is too cold. Cooking times are also important and change for each food. Foods in their natural state must fry longer and at a temperature that is not very high to cook homogeneously. If instead they are previously breaded, the frying must be rapid and over high heat so that the breading can coagulate quickly without flaking.

Proteins and starches for guaranteed crispness

For a nice crust to form, we need the simultaneous presence of proteins and starches. For this reason in most cases the food must be prepared with a coating that contains starches (with particular exception for potatoes, which are naturally rich in starch). The coating can be a simple flouring (in the case of minnows, after having washed them in milk), while for vegetables and fruit you can resort to a kneading of eggs, flour and milk (or water), or you can make the typical breading (flour, then egg and breadcrumbs) for chops or larger fish. The coatings, however, must not be too abundant, they must adhere well to the food and the excess must be shaken away to prevent it from detaching and burning in the oil. But beware: even if prepared in the best way, a fried dish is still a fried dish: once a week it can enter the diet, but taking care not to take pictures Riccardo Lettieri. Illustration Karin Kellner / 2DM overdo the portions.

by Giorgio Donegani

Tarte Tropeziénne. You eat it and you feel immediately at Sain Tropez – Italian Cuisine

A dessert inspired by a grandmother's cake that became famous in one of the most glamorous places in France. Here's how to prepare it (starting with the chiboust cream)

There Tarte Tropeziénne is a very soft French brioche dough cake, stuffed with a special cream called chiboust cream.
The original recipe was invented in 1955 by Polish pastry chef Alexandre Micka who was inspired by a dessert that his grandmother prepared. In a short time he became the most requested dessert in his pastry shop Saint Tropez.

What is chiboust cream

The chiboust cream is one custard mixed with one Italian meringue.
It can be used to fill the Tarte Tropeziénne, but it is also excellent inside tarts and cream puffs and to eat by the spoon.
Preparing it is not difficult, but the process is a bit long because you have to make both Italian meringue and custard and then combine them at the end.
To prepare the Italian meringue, prepare a boiling syrup with 25 g of water and 70 of sugar and then pour it into a planetary mixer where you will be whipping up 100 g of egg whites.
The meringue is ready as it becomes shiny and compact.

To prepare the custard, instead, we advise you to read Custard: four recipes and some secrets

The dough that rises 4 times

After preparing the cream it is time for basis.
First of all, make the lievitino mixing 40 ml of whole milk with 4 g of dry yeast (or 12 g of fresh yeast) and 50 g of 00 flour.
Let it rest for about an hour covered with the film.
Then transfer it to a planetary mixer and add an egg and 150 ml of milk.
Run the machine and slowly add 100 g of flour 00, 180 of manitoba and 50 g of sugar.
When all the ingredients are mixed, add 60 g of soft butter.
Let rise for 12 hours the dough in a container in the fridge covered with film.
Then let it rise for two hours out of the fridge and after this time also roll it out giving it a round shape. It must have a diameter of about 24 cm.
Cover it and let it rise for another two hours.
Once it has risen, brush it with egg white and cover it with granulated sugar before cooking it in a hot static oven. at 160 degrees for 50 minutes.
If it cooks too much on the surface, cover it with silver foil and continue cooking for the remaining time.
Once baked, let the cake cool and then cut it in half and fill it with the chiboust cream.

Mini tarte for a buffet

With the same ingredients and the same doses, you can make small single-portion cakes.
Simply divide the dough after leavening in the refrigerator in many balls all the same size and let them rise a second time. A strange sprinkle like little sandwiches. Cut them in half and fill them with the cream.
A tasty snack, but also a pastry to eat with your hands.