Tag: history

the gnocchi of San Giovanni Bosco and their history – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

the gnocchi of San Giovanni Bosco and their history



The history of San Giovanni gnocchi has its roots in the principles of peasant cuisine, where the simplicity of local ingredients combines with careful preparation. There traditional recipe it is characterized by the combination of a few basic elements: potatoes, flour and eggs, which ensure softness, the presence of a characteristic earthy flavor and a very particular delicacy. The denomination “San Giovanni Bosco” refers to the patron saint of the Piedmont region and founder of the Salesians, known for his dedication to the education and well-being of young people.

The connection between this figure and a traditional first course could find a particular reference to a specific event or tradition linked to the saint, but the precise origins remain, in part, shrouded in mystery. Their preparation begins with cooking potatoeswhich are subsequently crushed and mixed with flour and eggs until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Careful processing is essential to guarantee the right consistency and lightness of the dish. At the end of the procedure, the individual gnocchi are usually scored with a fork to facilitate the adhesion of the seasoning. Tradition dictates that this delicacy is served on special occasions, such as religious holidays or significant family events. Their versatility allows you to combine them with different sauces, but one of the most popular combinations is with a beef ragout or with one light butter and sage sauce. Try the gnocchi from San Giovanni Bosco and you certainly won’t be disappointed.



Butter: history, production and quality – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

La Cucina Italiana


It’s the turn of the butter. There is no country in the world with so much richness and variety of productsnatural as the territory gives them or worked by expert hands in simple ways, which are ancient and at the same time the most contemporary. Continues voyage to discover our goodnessfrom the best known to the lesser known ones far from the production area.
The richness of butter is the result of essential processes that add only that little needed to transform the raw material into joy.

Butter

The butter – first inevitable, then criminalized – has forcefully returned. Even in haute cuisine, where there are those who mix it with water and then whip it to give it lightness and those who prefer the tastiest one from Campania buffalo. The sociologist Enrico Finzi speaks of «the revanche of butter, which derives from the organoleptic characteristics often connected to the pleasure (of eating and – more generally – of living) and the contribution it gives to recipes. The +6.7% of consumption in 2022 also concerned the Central-Southern Italy, historically linked to olive oil: Plutarch narrates that Julius Caesar, guest of Valerius Leontes in Milan, had to remind his officers to have good manners, as they were annoyed at tasting what seemed to them to be an ointment for the body.

There revaluation of butter (and its many variations) goes hand in hand with the qualitative improvement and diversification of production. Considered (wrongly and for a long time) to be a by-product of cheese, the great simplicity of processing guarantees its naturalness: emerges in the centrifuge or by surfacing when working with pasteurized or raw cream. Whey derivatives are of lesser quality; the those of the remote mountain huts in the Alps are better. Being a fat, a vehicle of flavours, it enhances the characteristics of the ingredients. That’s why it is ideal in risottos, indispensable in sweet doughsand a brushing is also good on the meat.

Butter identity card

HOW IT IS PRODUCED – For emergence of the cream, thanks to the long times, it acquires greater aroma. In the centrifuge (at least 6500 rpm) it guarantees the purity of the material.

NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS – It’s rich in vitamins A, D, K and E, essential for the nervous and immune systems. It should be used in moderation because it is accused of increasing cholesterol and fats in the blood.

CHARACTERISTICS – The color varies from white to golden yellow. The scent is harmonious and delicately aromatic, without peaks. In the mouth it has a neutral flavour. There must be no drops of liquid. Smells of cheese on the nose are symptoms of alteration.

CLARIFICATION – For frying, use the clarified butter which has a very high smoke point (does not burn up to 200°C). It is a normal butter, deprived of water and casein (the milk protein).

Befana: history, traditions and typical dishes – Italian Cuisine

Befana: history, traditions and typical dishes


He arrives with his broom and gives sweets to the good children and coal to the bad ones. The history of the Befana and the traditions linked to this figure

"There hag he comes at night with his shoes all broken . Or: "Theepiphany all parties take away . There are many proverbs and idioms handed down over time and linked to the feast of January 6. The last of the Christmas period, with many meanings and symbols, typical recipes and above all with many desserts surprises for the little ones.

Between sacred and profane

According to the Christian religion, Epiphany is the day on which the three Magi kings, coming from the East, as the second Gospel reports Matteo, following a star they managed to reach Bethlehem, in the manger where he was born Jesus to honor him with gods gifts. It is no coincidence that the word Epiphany derives from the Greek "Manifestation" and Befana is none other than one corruption lexical of this term. But January 6 is actually an important date since the times of pre-Christian antiquity. The ancients Romans, for example, on this day they celebrated the beginning of the year with celebrations dedicated to the god Janus and to the goddess Strenia, while at the time of the emperor Aureliano from December 25 (feast of the sun) until the twelfth day following that date a particular practice was introduced: to burn an oak trunk continuously since from coal product could have obtained benefits in terms of luck for the following year. Furthermore, always in ancient times, it was believed that in the twelve nights preceding January 6 the goddess Diana, flying in the sky together with other female figures, he could make the soil more fertile and more fruitful. It is therefore evident that the origins of these holidays, and especially of the Befana, the great secular protagonist of the Epiphany, are truly ancient.

From gods to witches

With the Roman church's condemnations of pagan rites, the previously celebrated female image began to take on another form. And from the divinities we passed to witches. Long skirt, apron with pockets, shawl, worn shoes, handkerchief in the head, a physical aspect that is anything but pleasant and inevitable broom: soon the iconography of the Befana as we know it today took over, also favored by the hostile climate of Middle Ages towards certain pagan representations. Yet there are also those who speak of a relationship with Saint Lucia, the saint of light, illumination and therefore of the "manifestation", or even of a legend linked to the Christian origin of this holiday. According to this version, the figure of the Befana could in fact be inspired by one old lady to which the three Magi would have turned for information on the road to Bethlehem. The woman in question, however, would have refused to help them, soon regretting it: the next day, realizing the missed opportunity to see Jesus, the old woman tried to follow the Magi but was no longer able to find the baby. And for this reason every year, on January 6, he goes to all the houses to bring gifts to children.

The stocking, the coal and the exchange of gifts

Whatever the true story of the Befana is, what is certain is that it is a figure closely linked to tradition Italian, despite some assonance with those of Celtic and Germanic origin. Suffice it to say that this word, used to mean a female puppet exhibited on the night of the Epiphany, was already widespread in the popular dialect of the fourteenth century, especially in Tuscany It is in the Lazio northern. Gruff character and, in some ways, a representation of the old year, ready to sacrifice itself to revive a new period of prosperity, the Befana over time has become a sort of Grandmother who rewards good children with gifts, sweets And treats (formerly also tangerines and fruit) and punishes the bad ones with charcoal. The dreaded charcoal which, however, can also become edible and a very simple dessert to prepare. But why on the night of the Befana there is the tradition of socks? Again there are several theories. One of these is inspired by a legend according to which Numa Pompilius, one of the famous seven kings of Rome, used to hang during the period of solstice in winter a sock in a cave to receive gifts from a nymph. However, this is only a hypothesis. And it doesn't matter: today the Befana continues to be awaited by everyone, even by adults (who, however, tend to exchange gifts that are less demanding than those of Christmas) and always remembering to keep alive the tradition of the stocking to be filled.

Befana from north to south

But what are the dishes always linked to this holiday? In almost all regions there are traditional recipes that continue to live, especially with regard to desserts. In Tuscany, for example, they prepare for the occasion i horses di Siena, soft biscuits with water, sugar, honey, candied fruit, anise, nuts and yeast, while in Versilia there are so-called befanini, citrus-based shortbread biscuits e rum, covered with colored grain. In Varese January 6 rhymes with pinsa, a polenta pizza prepared with corn flour and dried fruit, while in Liguria there are the anicini (aniseed biscuits), in Abruzzo the pepatelli (similar to cantucci, but based on black pepper, honey, flour, cocoa, almonds and orange peel) while in Puglia you go by purcidduzzi from Salento at cartellate from Bari. In Campania, finally, the arrival of the Befana corresponds with the preparation of the prima pastiera of the year.

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