Tag: French

Does Parmigiano Reggiano become French? – Italian Cuisine

The giant Lactalis, which already controls some historic Italian brands, has acquired the entire capital of Nuova Castelli, leader in the distribution of Italian PDO cheeses

Parmesan cheese becomes French: the giant Lactalis, which already controls other historic Italian brands such as Galbani, Parmalat, Cademartori, Vallelata, Invernizzi and Locatelli, has put a new flag on the Italian food industry. He took over, for 270 million, the entire capital of Nuova Castelli (approximately 80% owned by the British investment fund Chartherhouse Capital Partner), a Reggio Emilia company leader in the distribution of Italian PDO cheeses and the main exporter of Parmesan in the world, of which it produces about 105 thousand forms per year.

Thus it incorporates a company with a thousand employees, with 13 production sites in Italy and 3 abroad, which in 2014 invoiced 460 million euros, of which 70% thanks to the export of PDO cheeses. Not only parmesan, but also gorgonzola and buffalo mozzarella: the most popular brands within the Nuova Castelli portfolio are Castelli, Mandara and Alival. The French multinational explains, with a note, that it has "strengthened its leadership in the distribution of Italian Dop cheeses on international markets, where it is already a protagonist with a commercial and distribution presence in over 140 countries .

The path of the sale of Nuova Castelli had begun at the beginning of the year. Even if the group never confirmed it, among the offers that had arrived there would have been also that of Granarolo and some foreign funds, but the proposal of Lactalis, which is said to ready to "support Italian PDO products in the world", it was preferred to all the others.

Coldiretti and Cia Agricoltori had announced that they would do "everything to protect the Italian food industry from the onslaught of foreign multinationals" (there was also talk of setting up an Italian consortium). And the Agriculture Minister, Gian Marco Centinaio he had promised to defend the Parmesan cheese "without ifs and buts". But their outcry did not help to prevent the sale.

The fillet with green pepper, the meat as the French like it – Italian Cuisine

A fine cut cooked according to the French tradition with cream and butter. Discover the recipe of this kitchen classic

The fillet with green pepper is a traditional French dish, very rich, but very easy to cook. It takes a few ingredients, but of the highest quality, starting from the meat, which must be lean and tender. For this reason it is essential that it derives from the fillet of beef, a fine cut that is obtained from the rib and that is free of fats and nerves. Then serve green pepper, cream, mustard, Brandy.

The aroma of green pepper

The green pepper it is obtained from the fruit of the pepper plant and takes on this color when it is not completely mature. It can be stored dry, in brine or in vinegar. Green pepper has the characteristic of having a very fresh taste compared to the spicier one of the other types: it is herbaceous, balsamic and gives the maximum if kept as natural as possible.

Meat cooking

Deciding at which point the fillet is ready is subjective, but for this recipe it is essential that the heart of the meat is to the blood. In French it is said saignant cooking, to the blood in fact. To get it, keep the meat on high heat for two minutes, turning it on each side, then remove it immediately: in this way an external crust will form, but the heart will remain red and very hot, and aroma and taste will be guaranteed.

The recipe of fillet with green pepper

Ingredients
4 medallions of beef fillet, about 800 g, 150 ml fresh cream, 50 g butter, 3 tablespoons green pepper, 2 tablespoons mustard, a small glass of Brandy.

Method: First, take the meat medallions and wrap them with a kitchen string on the sides, so that they do not lose their shape during cooking. Crush a few grains of pepper and sprinkle the meat fillets on both sides with these, and press to adhere well to the surface. Heat the butter in a pan, brown the fillets two minutes per side, add salt and then place them in a warm dish. Crush the remaining peppercorns and add them to the butter, sprinkle with the Brandy and then add the mustard and fresh cream. Let it thicken and then put the meat fillets back into the pan, turn them a minute on each side, check them with salt and then serve. Pour the excess sauce into a gravy boat and leave it on the table for the guests.

In the tutorial some more tips for a perfect thread

how to make French fish soup – Italian Cuisine

A fish soup comes from France and smells like orange, fennel and saffron. Let's discover the secrets of the Bouillabaisse

There bouillabaisse it's a Provencal fish soup, typical of the city of Marseille, which takes its name from the French verbs boullir (boil) e abaisser (lower).
This dish, in fact, must be cooked over a very strong flame at the beginning and then very slow once it has reached the boil.
The Marseilles deposited the original recipe of bouillabaisse in 1980 to defend its authenticity, given that with the passing of the years this dish, as poor as it was, prepared on the beach by fishermen with less valuable fish, has become a dish elegant and refined. Just think that in 1789 the Parisian restaurant "Les Trois Frères Provencaux" added among the various ingredients the lobster. Today there is no single recipe for bouillabaisse, but infinite variations depending on the fish and crustaceans that are used.

What makes bouillabasse unique

What at first glance may seem like a simple fish soup, actually has a taste and a scent that characterize it making it unique and unmistakable. In fact, among the ingredients of the bouillabaisse there are the fennel, saffron and orange peel which give a very special note to the taste of fish.
These ingredients should be carefully measured in order not to cover the other flavors and to create a perfect harmony in the dish.

How to make bouillabasse

Are you curious to try this dish? Try our bouillabaisse recipe.
We have used the San Pietro fish, the prawns, the scorpion fish, the conger eel, the monkfish and the mullet.
We also have a fresher version of this recipe, that is the bouillabaisse gelatinata, perfect for the warmer seasons.

How to serve bouillabaisse

This soup should be served in one holster or in one bowl more rustic terracotta.
Fish should be covered by the cooking background which must be previously filtered.
The dish must be warm and accompanied by slices of dried bread in the oven, not roasted.
We also advise you to rub the bread with one fresh garlic clove to give it more flavor.
Add a little oil and some chopped fresh parsley.
Someone like to accompany the soup with a spicy sauce made of bread and garlic called rouille sauce.

Gordon Ramsay Recipes