Tag: modernity

10 recipes with stale bread: between tradition and modernity – Italian Cuisine

Not only recovered recipes, with stale bread, but real symbolic dishes of Italian cuisine plus other modern interpretations.

The bread, even the smell alone makes you hungry.
Fragrant and welcoming makes you want to buy them by the kilos and often, in fact, you buy too much! In the past it was practically impossible to advance, considered a precious and versatile ingredient so much so that even stale bread was reused to prepare genuine dishes for the whole family, from appetizers to desserts.
'' Woe to throwing away the stale bread! "

Mothers and grandmothers used to roll up their sleeves to knead that mixture of water and flour that had to be enough for several days. Now bread is easy to buy, just go to the baker and choose from the floured shelves. So it happens to buy in excess and leave it there to dry sadly in the paper bag. Yet the history of Italian cuisine has its roots right on simpler traditions, like that of stale bread, reused from north to south, all along the boot, in exquisite regional recipes from passatelli to anolini, from panzanella to ribollita, from frisella to pancotto or more modern interpretations.

So if you have overdone the purchase, you have two alternatives: freeze it when still fresh and then remove it from the freezer a few hours before use, or try one of these 10 recipes.

Pappa al pomodoro for 4 people

Start by browning a clove of garlic and a chopped onion in a nice drizzle of oil, then remove the garlic and add about 500 g of peeled and blended tomatoes, then bring to a boil, add a sprig of chopped basil and it is cooked slowly for about ten minutes. The stale bread is cut into small pieces and added to the sauce, stirring. As soon as the bread is well soaked, add about a liter of boiling broth, preferably meat. At this point add salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. At the end it turns off and rests for an hour, stirring often to mix the ingredients. It is served with a drizzle of good oil and fresh basil leaves.

Green bread dumplings for 4 people

Break 200 g of stale bread and soak in 125 g of milk. 250 g of ribs are boiled (only the most tender green part) then drain, squeeze and blend with the bread, which is also well squeezed. Incorporate an egg, salt and breadcrumbs if necessary (it must be a malleable dough). The dough is worked on a floured surface, divided into 4 pieces, each rolled up with the hands forming long loaves as big as a finger and cut into pieces of a couple of centimeters. At this point, boil the gnocchi in salted water for 5 'and, after having drained them, season to taste with tomato sauce, pesto or melted butter and sage.

Pennette with bread and anchovies for 4 people

Cut 50 g of stale Apulian bread into cubes and season with oil, the juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of chopped chives and marjoram, then bake at 160 ° C for about ten minutes, just time to toast them. The pasta is boiled and in the meantime 150 g of boned anchovies are browned in a drizzle of oil for a couple of minutes, wet with a ladle of cooking water and season with chopped parsley. Drain the pasta, dip into the anchovies, mix and serve with the toasted bread cubes.

Apulian bread for 4 people

4 beautiful slices of stale homemade bread are placed on a tray, rubbed with a clove of garlic then wet with a little water to soften them. They are sprinkled with abundant tomato pulp, chopped basil, oregano, salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Soft peach bread cake for 6 people

150 g of stale bread are soaked in a solution with 100 g of milk and the same amount of water, in the meantime, 2 eggs are whipped with 80 g of sugar, add the squeezed bread, 500 g of peaches, peeled and chopped and thirty of grapes. The mixture is flavored with a little grated lemon zest and rum to taste. Sprinkle a pan with butter, breadcrumbs and sugar and after having poured the mixture into it, bake at 180 ° C for 30 '. It is served with powdered sugar and other fruit to taste.

Drunken bread pancakes for 6 people

About 300 g of stale bread are soaked, covered with white wine. Mix 3 eggs, 70 g of sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add the squeezed bread and mix. The mixture is flavored with grated orange and lemon zest and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. At this point the flour is added, starting from 30 g and stopping as soon as the dough is quite thick, then dipped in small spoonfuls into boiling seed oil. Drain the pancakes obtained on kitchen paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, you can sprinkle them with a drizzle of honey.

Valle d'Aosta country soup for 4 people

300 g of stale bread are cut into large slices, then 200 g of Aosta Valley cheeses, such as Fontina and toma, are sliced. After placing a few slices of bread on the bottom of a baking dish, cover with a part of sliced cheese and a nice sprinkling of grated parmesan. Continue with another layer of bread, cheese and parmesan, for a richer pan you can make a third layer. At this point it is bathed in boiling broth of meat, but also vegetable broth and bake at 180 ° C for about twenty minutes. It is served steaming and racy.

Mondeghili for 4-6 people

It starts by soaking about 90 g of stale bread in 160 g of milk, then cut a nice piece of white rib of beef, already boiled, and mince it with a generous hectogram of mortadella and a tuft of parsley. Mix the mixture with 2 eggs, 50 g of grated parmesan, salt, pepper and the soaked and squeezed bread. About twenty lightly flattened meatballs are modeled, passed in beaten egg then in breadcrumbs, then fry in butter, turning them often until golden brown.

Ghiotta stewed cod for 6 people

The cod fillets, roughly 1 kg already desalted, soaked and boned, are cut into pieces, floured and then fried in a veil of boiling oil for a couple of minutes on each side. In the meantime, brown 50 g of crumbled stale bread in another pan with a tablespoon of oil and a clove of garlic for 2 minutes, so that it roasts but does not burn. The cod fillets are transferred to a pan greased with oil, 3 beautiful large tomatoes cut into fillets, 100 g of black olives, a tablespoon of desalted capers, the toasted breadcrumbs and seasoned with a drizzle of oil. It is baked in the oven at 180 ° C for about ten minutes, then it is taken out of the oven.

Tyrolean dumplings for 4-6 people

Beat 3 eggs with 250 g of milk. Cut 250 g of stale bread into cubes and mix with the eggs. At this point add 150 g of speck and 50 g of minced salami, a few strands of chopped chives, a sprig of chopped parsley, salt and nutmeg. It blends well and the mixture is left to flavor for one hour at room temperature. The flour is added to the mixture, mixing carefully then 18 balls (dumplings) are formed and lightly floured. They are cooked in a good boiling meat broth for 15-20 minutes, then served in broth, dry or fried in abundant butter.

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Discovering Chinese sweet soups, between tradition and modernity – Italian Cuisine

A popular Chinese food trend that never goes out of style is traditional sweet soups, from the well-known red bean soup to those with exotic ingredients such as lotus seeds and taro

Can a soup be a dessert? The answer is yes, and the proof is the tong sui, literally "sugar water", or one Chinese sweet soup of Cantonese origin based on water or coconut milk. As with many Chinese dishes, the tong sui recipe has been handed down for generations and sometimes revisited in a modern way, so much so that it has become a popular food trend among tourists and also exported abroad. Although the most famous is azuki red bean, a dish often associated with the Chinese New Year holiday, they do exist many variations of more or less sweet soups. Let's find out what are the main characteristics and the most popular and popular recipes.

Tong sui: from traditional food to food trend loved by young people

There Cantonese sweet soup was born in the post-war period in the provinces of Guangzhou and Shanghai, before reaching Hong Kong. It is here that in the 80's and 90's the first tong sui and che shops were born the original recipe gradually underwent the influence of Western cuisine. Just like the even better known Taiwanese bubble tea drink, Chinese sweet soup has also ended up becoming, in modern times, a widespread street food customizable with different toppings, such as fruit and tapioca balls, and available in an extraordinary and creative variety of flavors and colors. There is, of course, no shortage too specialized shops whose cooks faithfully reproduce and serve the recipes of their ancestors, paying the utmost attention to cooking times and methods, the balance of flavors and the selection of quality ingredients.

A sweet soup for all tastes and all ages

This dessert, looking similar to a soup, it has a more or less thick creamy consistency and is generally served at the end of a meal, in hot or cold version according to the seasons. Among the most famous sweet soups we find, as we have seen, that with azuki beans, prepared with dried lotus seeds, orange or mandarin peel and cane sugar, but also that based on black sesame, the Do you ever know lou, or a sort of cream-colored pudding prepared with sago starch or, alternatively, tapioca pearls, water, coconut milk and evaporated milk. Then there is no shortage of soups anymore sweet and delicate, including one made with sweet almonds, sweet potatoes or taro; those more exotic based on tropical fruit (for example mango and pomelo), red dates or peach gum; those flavored with spices (for example ginger or cumin) or local aromatic herbs and, finally, those that have inside them ingredients salty for us westerners somewhat bizarre, such as turtle meat or dried frogs.
In short, there really is something for all tastes and food preferences, with inevitable additions of superfood ingredients that can range from goji berries to gingko biloba.

Photo: Chinese sweet soup with dumpling_900_Pxfuel.jpg
Photo: Chinese sweet soup with pomelo and mango_900_Kyle Lam Flickr.jpg

Eat in Stockholm, between rigor and modernity – Italian Cuisine

In Sweden, and in particular in its capital, modernity has never been an obstacle to the preservation of the culinary tradition, indeed, it was the drive for rediscovery.

If the only thing you know about Sweden they are the chairs to which a bolt always advances after having assembled them, a trip to Stockholm it could be for you.
forget Ikea meatballs and let the "Venice of the North", term abused and not entirely true for a city that does not deserve comparison, you conquer with an elegant and clean charm, faithful mirror of its inhabitants.

The city on the east coast of Sweden is located on 14 islands, an archipelago with a wide variety of places, places and trends, perfectly linked to each other thanks to 57 bridges and is one of the most eco-friendly and eco-friendly in the world. Stockholm it counts roughly 70 museums and it seems that for any invention there is one, but the unmissable ones are the Vasa Museum (Galärvarvsvägen 14), literally built around the wreck of the ship Vasa, sunk in the port of the capital on 10 August 1628 and fished 333 years later, in 1961, perfectly intact, and Junibacken (Galärvarvsvägen 8), also known as the museum of Pippi Longstocking, although it would be more correct to call it the museum of the writer Astrid Lindgren. In this museum, designed for children, adults will especially be lost and run back in time among the tales of the most famous Swedish pen in the world.

Swedish tradition at the table

The inhabitants of the largest city in Scandinavia, among the most modern and technological in the world, are still very close to their own traditions, especially at the table, where the products of the territory are sublimated through the reinterpretation of national recipes with a very long history or during the festivity, culturally very important celebrations, where gastronomy occupies a prominent place.
For a people that lives about 8 months a year in the dark that in the light of the sun is understandable as one of the most important holidays is that of Mid summer: after Christmas, the Midsummer is the most important occurrence of the Swedish calendar, it is often even more important than 25 December. Characterized by a endless lunch, the day is the moment when the crowns of flowers are worn in the hair and you get free in dances drinking snaps (typical Swedish aromatic grappa) and swallowing a huge amount of sill, marinated herring served with the new potatoes, the chives and sour cream.

Lunch and markets

There light it is a fundamental element in the life of the Swedes: the children go to school very early in the morning and lunch is usually around 11.30, while for dinner it is not late and at 18 they are all ready. At lunch time is not lost, but the solutions are endless: come on hot dog on the street, or in a Pressbyrån, their kiosks, strictly with honey mustard and fried onions, to a quick snack in one of the beautiful markets of the capital. If the red brick facade of theÖstermalms Saluhall, referred to as one of the most beautiful covered markets in the world, puts you in awe of refinement and elegance, perhaps you are more at ease in the central Hötorgshallen. The name derives from the square in front of it, Hötorget, always very popular for the flower counters and is a typical Swedish market full of and fresh products and all that Scandinavian cuisine has been able to create good over time: the Krabba, wonderful brick-colored crabs, i Smørrebrød, buttered rye bread covered with fresh fish, the Ȃlgfalu, the Bloodpudding and other typical sausages and a large quantity of berries like le Mullbär and the Lingonberry. After a walk through the well-kept shop windows and tasting some specialties, all you have to do is sit at Kajsas Fisk (Hötorgshallen 3) and taste their excellent fish and ajoli soup or be tempted by the gravlax salmon, marinated with salt, sugar and dill , in pure Swedish style.

The world of herring

Fish obviously plays a fundamental role in Swedish cuisine and the ways of storing it are different and all the repositories of ancient knowledge dating back several centuries. The best way to savor something authentic is to dive headlong into the world of herring and some of the best can be tasted in Skansen (Djurgårdsslätten 49-51), the oldest and most visited open air museum in the world. In this park of historic buildings spread over more than 4 hectares of former pine woods, everything has been faithfully reproduced: the baker, the blacksmith, the ceramic craftsman, the food store. The park was designed to retrace the stages of Swedish history and therefore of its gastronomy, but also to bring children closer to the fauna of the place. After a tour of wolves, seals and educational farms, you are ready to discover a little gem hidden among the trees at the top of the park's hill: a couple of fishermen, originating from the island of Ornö, leads every morning to Skansen herring and salmon tails and the outdoor kitchen, smoking them, cooking them on a hot fire or frying them. Their baracchino is wonderful for simplicity and authenticity, but the herrings are worthy of the best kitchens and to enrich them on the counter are ligonberry, sour cream and pickled onions.

The restaurants

Swedish cuisine is true European comfort food, made of rich, enveloping and warming dishes, like the dishes of one of the most interesting restaurants in the capital's landscape: Tradition (Österlånggatan 1). In the heart of the island of Gamla Stan, a stone's throw from the Royal Palace, this place is the perfect example of how modernity in Sweden has never been an obstacle to the preservation of the culinary tradition. The menu includes not only typical dishes of the capital, but also the famous ones Kroppkakor, pork dumplings typical of southern Sweden, literally made to drown in a slightly colored butter and accompanied by the ever-present cranberry jam, or Kåldolmar, cabbage rolls with minced meat and a very tasty gravy sauce. To start with, however, the restaurant offers among other dishes a small bite of paradise: his staff Toast Skagen, pane toasted with dill shrimp and mayonnaise and red caviar and the typical butter. Everything from Tradition is authentic and good, as good as a grandmother would, but presented and told in a modern and interesting way.
If you wanted a refined cuisine and memory, leaving the modern twist, the place is right for you Pelikan (Blekingegatan 40), on the island of Södermalm, one of the most dynamic areas of the city.
The restaurant is one of the oldest, inaugurated in 1733, retains a typical Parisian brasserie style, high ceiling and dark wood counter; its menu is that of the Swedish tradition (to try the strictly local mushroom soup and salmon, accompanied by potatoes with sour cream), and its selection of brandy will stimulate the interest even of the less expert in the field.

Make fika and eat candy

A prominent place in Swedish customs is to make "fika", the coffee break, to try in real confectioneries or in places that we would be assimilated to bakeries. Stockholm has a very important choice in terms of baked goods and the places where to stop in an imperative manner are above all two, both city chains: Bröd & Salt and Fabrique Stenugnsbagerthe. Ask for a coffee and taste the Saffransbullar (small saffron sweet buns) or i Kanelbullar (with cinnamon and cardamom) and i Hallongrotta (shortcrust pastry filled with raspberry jam).
Making "fika" is not a mere habit, holds a prominent place in the Swedish mentality and is a daily ritual to which they take a lot and often from the bakeries to the pastry shops, whose products are essentially more demanding, as in the historic Sundbergs Konditori ( Järntorget 83), founded in 1785. In this space-time portal, Swedish coffee is free: you pay for a cup, but you can drink it without limits, while one of the strong desserts is Prinsesstårta, invented at the beginning of the 20th century and dedicated to the three daughters of the king of Sweden: cream, raspberry jam and cream, enrich a soft base of almonds, all covered with a layer of marzipan.
The setting of Swedes for sweets reaches peaks unthinkable with the ritual that closes the working week: get lost in supermarkets on Saturday afternoon and buy tons of candies, to eat and to give to loved ones. This is why, given the high cost of living in Stockholm, the right address is ÖoB, a very popular supermarket in the city, or 7-eleven, a chain open almost 24 hours a day.
If tradition is never enough for you, the icing on the cake could be Aifur (Västerlånggatan 68B), the local of the E-Type eurodance legend, born Martin Eriksson. At the moment, Aifur is the only entirely Viking restaurant in the world and is the result of the interest of E-Type for that historical period. Every time you book a table (and it is essential because the place is very popular and also a bit 'expensive), you enter the door being announced by a corpulent Viking who, with a horn, warns the bystanders of your arrival. The kitchen consists of grilled meat and vegetables (note the absence of potatoes, consistent with the discovery of the tuber only in 1492). Absolutely to try immersed in this typically Nordic decor (and for this you just stay in the bar without booking a table), the wine based on honey: the mead.
Stockholm is a city that is tremendously alive and full of souls: the charm of the cobblestones of Gamla Stan, the most bohemian part of the capital, is added to the rigor of the big streets, but if you really want to understand what makes the Swedes unique, maybe you should jump in a place that you would never dream of visiting as Italians: the cemetery of Skogskyrkogården (Sockenvägen, 122 33). UNESCO heritage site, this cemetery in the woods, will help you understand the Swedes' approach to life by seeing with your own eyes how they face death: with Nordic tranquility and Scandinavian serenity. Look for a fairly anonymous grave on a small rise: hidden in the woods you will find Greta Garbo.
Thanks to Christina Sanson, an Italian-Swedish tourist guide in Stockholm.

Text by Alessandra Borre