Tag: good

Because oats are good – Italian Cuisine

This cereal protects health and is excellent for those with weight problems because it provides many allied fibers and minerals in the line. Discover all the precious virtues

The vein it is one of the most consumed cereals at the table. Versatile in the kitchen, it lends itself to the preparation of numerous recipes from the Breakfast a dinner. It can be used, for example, in the Porridge of breakfast or in muesli of the snack. In addition, it is suitable for preparing soups, soups, pasta and salads.
The vein then it has the great advantage of being a mine of virtue. It is rich in fact of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, useful for the proper functioning of the organism. With the help of Dr. Sonia Croci, nutritionist biologist, let's see what they are and why it should be used in the kitchen.

She is a friend of the line

"Oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which gives satiety, regularize intestinal transit and reduce the absorption of sugars in the blood, thus preventing blood sugar fluctuations that are responsible for hunger attacks. It then provides prebiotic fibers that rebalance the intestinal flora by counteracting the proliferation of bad bacteria that promote intestinal health and weight, "explains nutritionist Sonia Croci.

It keeps the heart healthy and protects from aging

"The fibers that this corn is rich in favor of increasing the levels of" good "cholesterol in the blood: it contrasts the" bad "one thanks to beta-glucans and helps to keep the heart and arteries healthy. In addition, it is a source of "good" fats, such as the precious Omega 3, which in addition to fighting inflammatory states, protect against the damaging action of free radicals, responsible for aging, "explains the expert.

It is excellent for those who play sports

«This cereal provides the organism with a good supply of slow-release carbohydrates, useful to prevent the drops of tiredness during physical activity. It also contains a good dose of minerals, in particular potassium and magnesium, which are precious to promote post-workout and calcium recovery, which is essential for maintaining healthy bones. It also provides energy to the muscles because its grains are also a reserve of B vitamins, "says nutritionist Sonia Croci.

How to use it in the kitchen

On the shelves of supermarkets and specialized shops natural foods it is found in different shapes: grains, flour and flakes, pasta, baked goods, milk. "Flaked oats are ideal for a super energetic breakfast. THE flakes they can be mixed with milk or yogurt, oil seeds and fruit to prepare nutritious porridge and muesli. From the beans you get then a wholemeal and semi-wholemeal flour used to prepare not only bakery products, but also a variety of pasta rich in slow-release carbohydrates. Come on flakes instead, a milk, a yoghurt and a vegetable cheese are also obtained, which contain few fats, many fibers. Moreover, they are lactose-free and consequently, they are a valid alternative for intolerant people. To improve the taste, however, they often contain an excessive amount of sugar. The advice is to consume them in moderation, maximum two or three times a week, "suggests nutritionist Sonia Croci.

Would you like to know more? Discover in the gallery all the other benefits of oats

La pesteda, a good seasoning not only with pizzoccheri – Italian Cuisine

It is an aromatic mince based on black pepper and garlic, perfect to flavor a succulent plate of pizzoccheri, but it also goes well with meats, cheeses and vegetables

It has never happened to you that you need a steaming plate of pizzoccheri, fragrant and stringy, and then they suggested to season them with a teaspoon of a chopped scented garlic and black pepper, to add that extra quid to your superb dish? Do you know what it is? Of the pesteda, a mixture of spices, garlic and aromatic herbs, finely chopped, to give more flavor to pizzoccheri, but not only. The pesteda fact goes well with white and red meat, with young cheeses and gives an intriguing touch to fish fillets such as sea bass and sea bream.

Pizzoccheri: mistakes not to be made

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The ingredients of the pesteda

Apparently the pesteda seems only a mixture of salt and pepper, but as soon as you approach the nose, a scent of garlic pervades you, leaving you no more. At that point it will be impossible for you to taste any plate of pizzoccheri without being able to sprinkle over this fragrant preparation. Then asking the chefs, you will find that in the pesteda, in addition to salt and black pepper, are chopped Juniper berries, thyme leaves is dwarf achillea.

Yarrow dwarf, a plant that loves the peaks

It grows only in the regions of northern Italy above 1400 meters and up to 3800: the Adwarf chillea it is a perennial seedling that loves the heights and the cold temperatures. Made of small white flowers and lanceolate leaves, it emerges from stony soils, mostly with silica. It has always been considered a medicinal plant: leaves and flowers have diuretic and anti-hemorrhoidal properties. Almost all the Achilles are then used for the preparation of aperitifs and herbal liqueurs.

The recipe for pesteda

Take 120 g of coarse salt, 120 g of black pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 25 juniper berries, 20 g of yarrow dwarf and 20 g of thyme. Finely chop the pepper and salt in a mortar, apart from the garlic and then add the yarrow, the thyme and the chopped juniper berries. Mix everything together. Let the pesteda rest in a hermetically sealed glass jar for a week before using it. Thus preserved, it remains for up to six months. The pesteda must always remain moist: if it should become dry, moisten it with a few drops of grappa or red wine.

In the tutorial some more information on aromatic herbs that are used for pesteda

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Agrigento: a guide for a weekend between art and good food – Italian Cuisine

A weekend in the beautiful Sicilian city. To enjoy the artistic, literary and archaeological beauties; admire glimpses of enchanting nature and savor dishes and recipes of ancient tradition

Agrigento could be one, none, one hundred thousand paraphrasing the title of the most famous novel by Luigi Pirandello, to which the city gave birth. Those who visit this stretch of southern Sicily often simply visit the Valley of the Temples, without dwelling on the gourmet goodies and i places of art hidden of Agrigento.

Literary itinerary

You can decide to retrace the places mentioned in the Pirandello novels. Love for their land lives and lives in its writing that exudes Mediterranean nature. "Dominated, on the top of the hill, from the ancient Norman cathedral, dedicated to San Gerlando, the Bishop's Palace and the Seminary, Girgenti was the city of the priests and of the dead bells. From morning to night, the thirty churches with long and slow tolls woke up the cry and the invitation to prayer , taken from Old and young, the opera where the great writer and dramatist most describes the city and its churches. Among the most beautiful to visit, Santa Maria dei Greci with the visible remains of a Greek temple and St. Nicholas, directly connected to the archaeological Museum of Agrigento.

For food lover

The alleys of the ancient Girgenti they look decadent and full of charm. It starts from Rabato, old district outside the walls, until you get to the Bibbirria, the door of the winds towards the plateau of the Norman cathedral, symbol of the Christian reconquest and one of the oldest religious buildings in all of Sicily. During the walk obligatory stop at Holy Spirit Monastery: Here the cloistered nuns still preserve the original recipes of the conventual pastry shop. The dessert to try is the "celestial" pistachio couscous (not to be confused with the Arabic one, which is salty), an invention of 1300 made with pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, chocolate, walnuts, candied fruit, dates and spices. Saint Peter instead it is a church no longer used for worship and now converted into a multifunctional space from Temenos Cooperative (rich annual program of cultural and musical events) that also manages the restaurant Terracotta, an unavoidable stop for those who want to savor the goodness of the Sicilian fishery sea and the many Slow Food presences selected by Fabio Gulotta. An example is the girgentana goat cheese, autochthonous breed with majestic spiral horns saved from extinction by the breeder Giacomo Gati. Some specimens have been introduced in the Parco della Valle and can be admired in the large enclosure in front of the Temple of Concordia. In the central Via Atenea is instead the La Scala restaurant of the chef Vincenzo Santalucia, one of the promises of the new Sicilian cuisine.

Spring 2019. Almond Blossom (1/10 March)

In March there is one of the oldest folklore festivals in Europe: the flowery almond. A popular tradition of Agrigento that anticipates the arrival of spring through the flowering of the plant that symbolizes this stretch of the Sicilian coast. Every year the event attracts millions of visitors and folk groups from all over the world who perform in the shadow of the temples as a sign of dialogue between different peoples and cultures. On the occasion of the 74th edition, the association The Soste di Ulisse presided over by the two-star chef Michelin Pino Cuttaia, promotes an educational workshop (March 8, Palacongressi of Agrigento) to raise awareness on the issue of food waste.

Summer 2019. Sunrise at the Temples with granita (August / 1st September)

Also this summer will return the theatralized dawns organized by CoopCulture – every Sunday in August and September 1 – in the Valley of the Temples. An extraordinary show during which it will be possible to witness the sunrise, participating in a visit to the sacred area of the ancient city, led by an archaeologist and expert guides of the site. The visit will end with a special Sicilian breakfast based on briosce and almond and lemon granita (ticket € 20: admission, theatrical visit and breakfast at the Pietro Griffo Museum cafeteria).

Addresses for a weekend food in Agrigento

Where to eat
• Terracotta, via Pirandello 1
The restaurant has been repeatedly awarded the coveted Slow Food snail for the high quality of the raw materials used in the kitchen. Do not miss the selection of Sicilian historical cheeses.
• La Scala restaurant, via Atenea 72
The restaurant is intimate and welcoming, from its balconies you can admire the main beauties of the historic center. Among the cult dishes of the chef Vincenzo Santalucia: Pacchero with prawns, cuttlefish soup and cannolo with bitter orange sauce.
• Osteria Expanificio, piazzetta Giuseppe Sinatra 16
Housed in an old post-war bakery, the restaurant is located in one of the most beautiful squares in the historic center, a few meters from the Pirandello Theater. Ideal to taste the typical Sicilian cuisine.

Where to buy
• Infurna pastry, via Atenea 96
Historic pastry shop in the main course. The specialties are sweets with pistachios and almonds: shells, granules, curls and crunchy.
• Holy Spirit Monastery, Courtyard Santo Spirito, 9
The church and the monastery are of fourteenth century origin. Adjacent to the magnificent Gothic portal is the homonymous B & B. Every morning the nuns prepare breakfast with homemade products, including sweets typical of the centuries-old convent tradition: couscous with pistachio and almond paste.
• Wine shop CVA Canicattì, Valley of the Temples
The Park Authority has entrusted the management of the small vineyard under the temple of Giunone to the wine cooperative CVA Canicattì. The wine produced in limited edition is called Diodoros and part of the proceeds is used to finance the maintenance of the archaeological site. Diodoros and the other wines of CVA can be tasted in the sales outlet of the cooperative near the entrance to Porta V.

What see
• archaeological Museum "Pietro Griffo", Contrada San Nicola
One of the most important archaeological museums – exhibits 5688 exhibits that illustrate the history of the Agrigento territory from prehistory to the end of the Greco-Roman age – and the most visited in Sicily.
• Kolymbethra Garden (Combo ticket for Valle + Giardino)
Archaeological and agricultural jewel, entrusted to the Italian Fund for the Environment. An extraordinary place that contains colors, flavors and scents of Sicily. It tells the story of ancient Akragas with its finds and hypogea, excavated 2500 years ago. To be purchased at the FAI bookshop the organic jams produced with the citrus fruits of the Garden (lemon, mandarin, bergamot).
• Lucchesian Library, via Duomo 94
One of the hidden wonders of the historic center of Agrigento. Inside there are more than 45 thousand volumes collected on precious hand-carved wooden shelves.
• Palazzo dei Filippini, via Atenea 270
The former College of the Filipino Fathers is a precious art gallery. Extraordinary the gallery with over 100 works by the Palermo landscape architect Francesco Lojacono (1838 – 1915), nicknamed the "Sun thief".

Where to sleep
• Terraces of Montelusa, Piazza Lena 6
Delightful bed & breakfast in the heart of the historic center. Breakfast in the large terrace with a panoramic view of the domes, the sea and the temples.
• Foresteria Baglio della Luna, via A. Serafino Guastella 1 / C
Comfortable resort, a few kilometers from the city center, immersed in the peace and greenery of the Valle Park.
• Hotel Villa Athena, via archeological walk 33
Guests can access the Valle's tour directly from the hotel, affiliated with the Small Luxury Hotel of the World and the only 5-star hotel in Agrigento.