Tag: herbs

Mussels scented with aromatic herbs – Italian Cuisine

They are prepared in no time and are perfect if served on toasted bread for an aperitif or as a sauce for a plate of spaghetti

The mussels are considered i clams less valuable, but their pulp fleshy and tasty makes them a perfect ingredient to prepare in many ways, starting from a spaghetti sauce, or filled for a tantalizing finger food or even stewed with aromatic herbs, like the recipe we offer you. Mussels are sold all year round, but the best time to consume them is from May to September, when they release their maximum flavor.

How to clean mussels

When buying mussels, make sure they are whole, with the shell well closed and shiny. Above all they must not emit a bad smell, indeed they must smell of the sea! Eliminate all open ones or with the broken shell, then, for clean the mussels, take them one by one and with a small knife, scrape the surface of the valves, removing all the incrustations and the byssus, that protein filament with which mussels attach to the rock. Rinse them under running water and let them open by putting them in a pot with a lid and cooking them for 5 minutes. Once opened, filter the cooking liquid that you can use for your recipe.

The recipe of mussels with aromatic herbs

Ingredients

1 kg of mussels, 300 g cherry tomatoes, 1 onion, 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 3 tufts of mint, parsley, 1 sachet of saffron powder, 2 dl dry white wine, extra virgin olive oil, salt.

Method

Clean the mussels and then let them open on high heat and covered in a pan with 1 dl of wine. Remove the cooking liquid and the shells left closed, shell the mussels open and put them in a bowl with the thyme leaves and the coarsely chopped mint and parsley. Keep some with the shell if you prefer. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. In a pan fry the thinly sliced onion with two tablespoons of oil. When it is golden brown it with the remaining wine. Then add the cherry tomatoes, half a bag of saffron, salt, mix and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Add the remaining saffron and mussels, mix and remove from the heat. Serve the mussels with the aromatic herbs accompanied with slices of toasted homemade bread.

In the tutorial some more tips for cooking mussels

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How to cook wild herbs – Italian Cuisine

Spontaneous herbs are found between fields and paths (being careful to avoid land treated with chemicals for agriculture), from the vegetable grower in the nursery, as well as being able to be grown on the terrace (just sow them in wooden boxes filled with universal potting soil ). I am a joker in the kitchen and a resource for natural medicine (infusing dried leaves in hot water).
Here are the main destinations.

borage (left, in the photo): emollient and diuretic. After cooking, it takes on a particular, almost sweet flavor, which makes it perfect in the filling of cakes and ravioli, in risotto or passed in batter and fried.

dandelion (on the right, in the photo): purifying and digestive. it is used fresh in salads (the tenderest leaves), boiled and sautéed in a pan, in soups and fillings.

Chicory, digestive and diuretic: it is mainly used cooked as a side dish or for fillings; the tender leaves are pleasant even raw in salads.

Poppy: analgesic and relaxing. The basal leaves rosette is used (before the plant blooms): cooked it is excellent in the fillings and for making meatballs.

Nettle: anti-inflammatory and rich in minerals. Seared in water, it is excellent for preparing sauces, soups, risotto, omelettes and pies. (Discover the recipes)

The suggestions of the Lady of the Herbs to use them to the top

Starred chef and patron of the Gardenia restaurant of Caluso (To), Mariangela susigan considers wild essences the pillar of his gastronomic creations. not by chance, she is the author of the book the cooking of wild herbs.

How should they be treated?
You have to wash them gently, dipping them in cold water and moving them with open hands. then they dry and cut with a very sharp knife (otherwise they are crushed) and on the bias (to break the filaments).

And in cooking?
You have to put them in strictly hot water and salty, without lid (otherwise blacken). They must be cooked until the stems are soft. Water must be preserved, it is an excellent vegetable broth.

You need to dive them in water and ice to keep the color?
Just for preserve them; otherwise just squeeze and widen them on a tray so that they cool quickly.

A trick of the trade?
before using them, whether it's a side dish, a soup or a filling, I always flavor them: I pass them in a pan with a cube of lard (which I then eliminate), garlic, maybe a sprig of marjoram.

On Sale & Pepe of May 2020

Flan of herbs recipe with crunchy wafer and egg sauce – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

600 g herbs
270 g flour
200 g milk
200 g fresh cream
120 g butter
4 eggs
3 yolks
seed oil
cornstarch
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Duration: 1 h 30 min

Level: Middle

Dose: 12 pieces

For the recipe of herb flan with crispy wafer and egg sauce, mix 250 g of flour with butter, until you get a sandy mixture; mix it with 50-60 g of water in which you will have dissolved a pinch of salt; cover the brisée and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Flour the work surface and roll out the dough 2-3 mm thick; carve out 12 discs (ø 9 cm). Place them in a pan covered with parchment paper, prick them with the prongs of a fork and bake them at 180 ° C for 12-13 minutes; Turn them
and cook them for another 2-3 minutes.
FOR HERBAL FLANS: Prepare them while the brisée rests: clean the herbs and boil them in salted boiling water for 1 minute; cool them in ice water, squeeze them well, obtaining a ball. Keep 30 g aside; blend the rest with the cream,
eggs and a pinch of salt. Grease 12 dome molds (ø 7 cm), and distribute the mixture of herbs. Bake at 150 ° C for 30-35 minutes. In the end, gently turn them out.
FOR THE CRISP WAFFLE: Blend the 30 g of herbs with 100 g of extra virgin olive oil; add 60 g of seed oil and 20 g of flour and blend again. Proceed with the preparation of the pods: Pour small quantities of the mixture into a non-stick pan, so that when spreading it forms disks of 4-5 cm in diameter. Cook them on a moderate flame for a couple of minutes, obtaining waffles; turn them over using a spatula and cook them for 1 more minute. Finally, remove them from the pan and place them to dry on kitchen paper.