Tag: garden

The art of watering the vegetable garden (especially in times of drought) – Italian Cuisine

Savings, mulching, rainwater, intelligent irrigation: these are just some of the key terms for saving water in our garden, especially in times of drought. Watering is in fact an art, just as it is an art to know the vegetables that need a greater water supply, the most efficient irrigation systems and many other small, big tricks to water our beloved garden. Here is what they are.

They range from the most practical tips, such as keeping the watering can always close to the ground or giving water to our garden only at certain times, to more specific advice regarding existing irrigation systems. In all cases always remember that the first threat to the green thumb, whether it is a vegetable garden or simply a plant, it is to give too much water (even more than giving too little).

At this point the first rule, which may seem trivial, is to avoid planting vegetables that are too thirsty. Yes therefore a sage, rosemary, peas, some varieties of tomatoes and in general small plants, such as lettuce or basil. While in arid places it is definitely not recommended to grow watermelons, melons, pumpkins or cucumbers, notoriously hungry for water. Also there soil quality it is important: a well-worked soil allows the roots of vegetables to grow stronger and more branched, able to absorb every drop of water. It is important to work and ventilate the soil well before sowing, so that it is soft. We can continue to move it with our hands from time to time (paying more attention!) Even after the plants are born.

The second rule concerns how and when to water: it is recommended to do it only when you really need it (checking the ground) and it should always be done in the morning and / or at sunset. Meanwhile it is important to direct the water well, avoiding to distribute it unnecessarily. And then it is recommended to opt for a thrifty system, such as drip systems, which require water to arrive directly on the ground.

Indicated is also underground irrigation, which provides that the water flows in pipes arranged between the vegetables and penetrates into the soil thanks to small holes. Absolutely non-saving irrigation systems should be avoided. Also when using the watering can it is also good to keep it as close to the ground as possible, to disperse less water. Always remember how precious rainwater is and try to collect it and convey it.

One of the secrets to combat drought is in the so-called mulching, word not known to all and litmus paper to identify the true garden experts. That is the spreading of mulch (layer of material of various nature generally consisting of dried leaves, pine bark and various foliage) on the ground to protect crops from excessive insolation. Mulching is in fact an operation carried out in agriculture and gardening which consists of covering the ground with a layer of material, however keep the humidity in the soil, protecting the soil from erosion and the action of heavy rain, maintaining the structure and raising the soil temperature. It is an excellent system to retain soil moisture and can be made using different materials. Better to opt for the organic materials (gravel, bark, sawdust, pine needles), but you can also use plastic sheeting or cardboard.

Know the right soil and plants. Fundamental is then to know which plants grow in a given area and which have obvious difficulties in resisting, respecting the environmental context in which the plants grow and avoiding waste of resources and energy stubbornly making some plants grow at all costs wrong habitat. There is also a small consideration on the level of sun exposure of the green area: in this regard it is good to ask an expert for advice on the types of plants that are easier to grow than the need for light, the time of year and the temperature of the area where you live.

Emanuela Di Pasqua,
July 2017
updated August 2019

DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE

The good from the vegetable garden jar: the preserves of August – Italian Cuisine

Peppers, aubergines, courgettes and then all the fruit like melons, figs, plums. In short, there are many preserves in August that can be prepared at home to enjoy the best of summer all year round

These last days of August are the time to make you a precious gift: fruit and vegetable preserves, which will make you savor the taste of summer even when temperatures do not reach 15 °. Everything is now at its best: the aromas, the textures, the colors of peaches, plums, melons, figs, aubergines, and then again peppers, courgettes, tomatoes. Whatever the preserve you want to prepare, you are sure that the raw material is the best that you can find.

The best vegetables and fruit

To prepare preserves of August As a rule of art you will have to get perfect fruits and vegetables, which have reached full maturity, without any dents and from the skin and from the firm and compact pulp. For vegetables, follow some suggestions, to get the most delicious result possible. If you want to use aubergines, remember to lose them the water leaving them sliced in a colander with coarse salt for at least 30 minutes. If you prefer zucchini, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the part where there are seeds: you will avoid the risk of a tending taste bitterish. Do the same thing if you use cucumbers. If you are lovers of pepperoni, remember to do them toast in the grill of the oven for 40 minutes so that they can be peeled effortlessly. In this way they will be more digestible for everyone.

Aubergine, courgette and pepper pickles

What's better than a mix of vegetables in oil to accompany meat dishes, delicate cheeses or to prepare an intriguing appetizer with croutons covered with vegetables and garnished with an anchovy fillet? To achieve this preserve get yourself a courgette, an aubergine, a yellow pepper. Wash and clean the vegetables, removing the internal seeds of the courgette, the white filaments and the skin of the pepper. Slice the aubergine and put it in a colander with coarse salt and leave it for an hour, so that it loses water. Then rinse it and cut it into cubes, together with the pepper and courgette. In a large pot, boil water with half a liter of white wine vinegar and a teaspoon of coarse salt. Blanch all the vegetables for 5 minutes and then drain with the help of a slotted spoon. Fill the sterilized jars with vegetables, add some basil leaves and two cloves of garlic, mash well e filled up to 1 cm from the edge with extra virgin olive oil. Close with the caps, place the jars in a pan full of water, bring to the boil and sterilize for 30 minutes. Check that the vacuum has formed and then place the preserves in a cool, dry place. Let it sit for a month before tasting.

summer preserves

Dried tomatoes in oil

Prepare this preserve and you will become addicted to it for the rest of your days! Dried cherry tomatoes in oil are a real treat, to eat at any time of the day, alone, with crunchy bread or as a sauce for a delicious pasta. What you have to do is get some cherry tomatoes or datterini tomatoes, as you prefer, wash them and cut them in half. You then dispose each half with the side cut upwards on a covered baking sheet, sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt and one of sugar, add a few leaves of oregano, garlic cloves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake for three hours at 100 ° and when they are dry, place them in already sterilized jars, cover them with raw oil up to 1 cm from the edge, add a few basil leaves and close the jars with the caps. Put them in a large pot full of water, cook for about 30 minutes from the boil and then check that the vacuum has formed. Let the tomatoes season for a month before consuming them. Once opened, they are kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Red onion chutney

This preserve is perfect to accompany aged cheeses, white meats or simply to prepare delicious croutons to serve as finger food. Take a pound of red tropea onions, peel them and slice them thinly. Put them to fry a little at a time in a pan with extra virgin olive oil and when they are golden, add 100 g of cane sugar. Mix well and then add 200 ml of apple vinegar and two bay leaves. Blend the vinegar and then add two tablespoons of mustard to the ancienne. Mix well and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. A few minutes before turning off, add to the onions 50 g of raisins soaked and squeezed. Turn off, let stand a few minutes and then pour the compote into previously sterilized glass jars. Close each can and turn it upside down. Let it all cool down and then check that the vacuum has formed. Once opened, it should be consumed in three or four days.

Melon and ginger jam

Excellent spread on toasted bread for breakfast in the morning, this jam is also perfect on the table to accompany semi-seasoned or fresh cheeses. It is prepared with the white-fleshed melon, with a taste so sweet to remember honey. First, slice and clean a 1 kg melon from the seeds, cut it into small pieces and place it in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and pour it over the melon. Meanwhile grate a teaspoon of fresh ginger and add it to the bowl. Add 150 g of brown sugar, stir and leave rest a night in the fridge. The next day, pour the melon into a large pot and bring to the fire, cooking over a low heat until the melon pulp has melted. Mix well and then pour the contents into already sterilized glass jars. Fill them up to 1 cm from the edge and then close them. Turn them upside down and leave them until they have cooled. At this point, verify that it is formed the vacuum pack, otherwise put the jars in a pot full of water and boil them, separated by a cloth, for 30 minutes. Then place them in a cool place and let them rest for a month before eating them.

Fig, walnut and pine nut jam

Figs are among the most anticipated fruits of the summer. Why not prepare a jam so you can enjoy the sweetness of this fruit the rest of the year? Choose a kg of figs, both black and white, as you prefer. Rest assured that they are ripe to the right point, wash them, peel them and leave them to rest for an hour in a bowl with 100 g of brown sugar and the juice of a lemon. Then put the figs in a large saucepan, cook them for about two hours, or in any case until they have reached the consistency you prefer. Then turn off, add 500 g including shelled walnuts and pine nuts, mix and pour the contents into the already sterilized jars. Fill them up to 1 cm from the edge and then close with the caps. Turn the jars over and wait for the vacuum to form. Once ready, the preserves should be left to rest for a month before consuming them. Once opened, they are kept in the fridge for three or four days. The fig, walnut and pine nut jam is perfect to accompany aged cheeses, to fill bread slices for breakfast, or to garnish hand-made tarts.

Mulberry jam

Have you ever tasted them? mulberries? They have a very special taste, which will remain imprinted on every taste bud. To make a jam with this fruit, get yourself a pound and a half. Rinse them, remove the stalk, place them with 300 g of cane sugar in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the juice of a lemon. Stir and let stand in the fridge for an hour. After pour everything into a saucepan, add one cinnamon stick, a few leaves of mint and cook for about an hour. Then decant the jam into the already sterilized jars, close them with the caps and turn them upside down to create the vacuum. Let them rest a month before opening them.

The garden of taste by Emanuele Donalisio – Italian Cuisine

He shows less than his years and does motocross with a bit of unconsciousness, but when he enters the kitchen Emanuele Donalisio appropriates its 33 springs and a wisdom you would not expect. His curriculum, however, explains everything: from Turin, he started working with the "big" at 16 when, still a student at the hotel management Pinerolo, was chosen as a collaborator by the Maison Flipot steakhouse, and then moved, by newly-appointed, to Michel Roux, in London. Leave the stars, set sail on cruise ships, continuing to develop essential experiences.

"On board, get acquainted with all the kitchens and ingredients in the world: from the Baltic to the Caribbean," he assures. But it's just a coincidence, he says, if five years later, he found himself managing a restaurant in Ventimiglia, right there, in a city that acts as a link between his Piedmont and the sea in which he sailed, between Italy and the France of haute cuisine, among the Mediterranean products and the exotic cultivations in which the province is specialized. "My greengrocer is fundamental: I owe him the nasturtium that I brought you," he says as he answers incoming calls from various market stalls. "Ventimiglia means red prawns, much fish, but also mangoes, avocados and papayas better than in the countries of origin".

And the meat? "I am Piedmontese, I love cooking it, but I also pair it with fish, a bit like in the American Surf & Turf kitchen". From the medallion of beef with lobster, to the mullet with fois gras, to the tongue with the prawns, originality marries quality. "Based on the availability of the day, I invent new dishes, just give me carte blanche!"

Having joined the Jre family in 2016, at the first attempt, Emanuele Donalisio is under the lens of the prestigious Michelin who awarded him a plate and two forks. He also spoke about him New York Times, thanks to the unexpected visit of Pulitzer prize journalist Eric Lipton.

As a member of the JREs he was chosen for two consecutive years as a chef for the Vinitaly welcome lunch. For the occasion, he delighted guests with a soup of baby octopus in Rossese di Dolceacqua, infusion of pepper and crispy polenta.

The garden of taste, in Ventimiglia (Piazza XX Settembre 6, tel. 0184 355244), is open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday. Emanuele Donalisio offers three tasting menus to customers who are there (only 18): Signature Jre, dedicated to the association and more sophisticated; The neighbor's vegetable garden, all vegetarian, with the many excellences of the imperiese and LiberaMente, the largest, with 12 courses suggested by the market and the chef's imagination.

Recipe

Fish, nasturtium and melon sashimi

for 6 people

a bream of about 1.2 kg – 50 g of untreated nasturtium flowers – nasturtium seeds – 100 g of untreated nasturtium leaves – 1 netted melon – 1 lemon – 1 lime – 100 ml Curaçao – 100 g of sugar muscovado – 50 ml of dressing with sweet-and-sour Trebbiano vinegar – xanthan – extra virgin olive oil – Maldon salt – pepper

Prepare the fishand Cut 4 fillets from the fish and cut them so as to obtain a total of 12 rectangular pieces, remove them from any thorns, trim them and season them with oil, lemon and lime, then place them in the fridge covered.

Melon and sauces prepared Cut the melon, remove the seeds and, using a digger, remove 20-25 balls. Sprinkle with Curaçao and leave to marinate. Collect the melon pulp left in the mixer, add half of the nasturtium leaves and flower petals. Operate the appliance until a homogeneous sauce is obtained, add a pinch of salt and a tip of xanthan if it is necessary to thicken, a tablespoon of water if it is necessary to lengthen it; put aside. Prepare another sauce by blending the remaining leaves and petals (except for a few leaves and flower for garnish), a pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil, a tablespoon of muscovado sugar and half a tablespoon of sweet and sour Trebbiano vinegar.

Complete the dish Take back the portions of sea bream and make many vertical incisions at a distance of about 3 mm from one another without ever reaching the bottom. Arrange them on a steel tray and, with the aid of a torch, gently flame the surface. Place two portions of sea bream on each plate and grate on each 1 or 2 fresh nasturtium seeds.
Sprinkle the nasturtium leaves kept aside with the remaining bitter-sweet Trebbiano vinegar dressing, add salt and place them around the fish. Complete with the flowers, the melon balls, drained, and the two sauces.

THE VARNISHING Place the fish on the cutting board with the tail towards you and the abdomen down; cut the back deeply along the bone and remove the fillet. Put it on the cutting board, penetrate between the skin and the pulp with the knife and separate them.

by Daniela Falsitta,
photo by Michele Tabozzi
video by Diego Stadiotti

on Sale & Pepe in July 2019