Tag: moves

From shopping to recycling: 10 anti-waste moves and 14 recipes – Italian Cuisine

Wasting food is out of date! Here are some tips to inspire you to reduce waste in the kitchen, starting from shopping and ending with recycling!

Reduce it food waste is one of the priorities indicated in the2030 Agenda of the UN Assembly for sustainable development. In fact, in food there is the work of many women and men, the wisdom handed down for generations, technological innovation and human ingenuity; there are also earth, water, air and sun. Wasting food means throwing all this away and creating environmental, social, economic and nutritional imbalances.

A decalogue against food waste

If you too often throw food, but would like to change your pace, you can take inspiration from Decalogue developed byObservatory on surpluses, recoveries and food waste, born at the Crea, Food and Nutrition Research Center. This is not an exhaustive list of what to do or not to do, but a series of ideas to reflect and direct us on more sustainable consumption for the planet and for our health.

Discover the anti-waste handbook in the gallery

At the supermarket: shopping

The fight against waste starts from expense: planning it before going to the supermarket is a good move not to buy excess food and don't be tempted by offers. Also try not to go into a supermarket when you are hungry because it is empty stomach it might lead you to buy anything!
Pay attention to Expiration date of products: choose it closer or farther in time according to when you want to consume it.
Attend buying groups it could help you save money and buy zero km products.

Fridge and freezer: conservation

Waste is fought too storing properly the foods. Pay particular attention to fridge where there are fresh foods (the most wasted): the temperature must be 4 ° and each food must be stored in the more correct shelf for its maintenance. Place the older foods in front and those that can be eaten later towards the bottom of the fridge.

Remember that there is freezer! Fresh products purchased in excess can be frozen and stored in the freezer at -20 ° C. Alternatively, they can be first cooked and then frozen. In this way they can be used up to 3 months after the expiry date shown on the label. A food already cooked and frozen, after thawing it must be consumed only after having brought it to high temperature for a few minutes.

In the kitchen: use and recycling

Try to plan meals throughout the week and don't cook more than necessary. If it happens, maybe during a dinner with friends, share leftovers with your guests.

Finally, the fight against waste also passes through recycling: whether they are fresh products near the expiration date or leftover food, have fun recycling them in other dishes by working with imagination. Here is an idea of Crea.

Croquettes of bechamel, gorgonzola, raw ham and apple

Ingredients for 4 people

50 g of whole wheat flour
400 ml of fresh whole milk expiring
50 g of butter or 25 g of butter and 25g of extra virgin olive oil
50 g of apple
100 g of advanced gorgonzola
50 g of advanced raw ham
300 g of stale wholemeal bread
black pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste

Method

Make the béchamel, heating the butter / oil, and adding the whole wheat flour little by little, toasting over medium heat, until you get the roux, (the thickening base of the sauce) that we still toast for a while. Slowly add the milk (cold, to avoid lumps) by continuing to stir. Thicken for another 20 minutes without stopping stirring. Add the gorgonzola, the ham cut into small pieces and the grated apple. Pour into a large and low pan, and allow to cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours (even overnight). Keep the cold mass at a room temperature not too hot while shaping the croquetas, with the help of two spoons. Pass in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs and shape in the desired shape. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for 10 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes. To cook them, you can also fry them in peanut oil. If you don't cook them right away, you can also freeze them once breaded.

The anti-waste recipes

The slipper: the right moves to prepare it at home – Italian Cuisine

The ciabatta is a bread born in Veneto, with the classic flat and elongated shape, which is reminiscent of a slipper. The exterior is made of a crunchy crust, while inside there is a soft crumb heart. Its shape makes it ideal for rich fillings of cold cuts or vegetables.

bread ciabatta

Preparing the ciabatta at home is a long but very satisfying process: mixing the ingredients, seeing the dough rise, feeling the fragrant scent spread throughout the house … A ritual more than a simple gesture.

Following the instructions in the tutorial you will be able to make a fresh and fragrant ciabatta like your baker's. Get down to work!

How to clean the pumpkin in a few moves – Italian Cuisine

Native to the Americas, the pumpkin it is one of the most popular ingredients in the autumn and winter period, the true protagonist of many sweet and savory recipes.
It can have very different sizes, shapes and colors depending on the variety, and the most used in the kitchen are often so large that they have a weight and bulk that complicate cleaning and preparation. Fortunately, there are also small pumpkins with a thin skin that can be easily removed with a potato peeler. Furthermore, the pulp is usually compact and free of seeds and filaments. When it has any considerable size, with hard and lumpy rind, cleaning it and removing the peel can be more complex. It is enough, however, to follow some small tricks to render peel and clean the pumpkin a simple and quick operation.

Wash the pumpkin well
It is essential to clean the pumpkin thoroughly under running water, rubbing well with a brush if there is soil residue and dry it with a dry cloth.

The right blade
When cutting, put the pumpkin on the cutting board and with a sharp knife with long blade cut it in half; if it is very large, it is better to cut the rind by sliding the knife along the entire diameter until it is half open.

Seeds off!
With a special one corer or a spoon you can dig the pumpkin and remove all the seeds and filaments.
However, it is forbidden to throw the large and full seeds which, in addition to being a mine of mineral salts and fatty acids such as oleic and linoleic acid, are also rich in vitamin E and B. Once all the filaments have been washed and removed, I can be toasted : just cook them in the oven at 200 ° until they are golden, arranged on a baking sheet lined with wet and squeezed baking paper. Adding salt makes them perfect snacks for the aperitif.

Everything in pieces: precision and attention
Better to cut the pumpkin in quarters and then in eighths: the smaller the pieces, the easier it will be to eliminate the rind. Before starting, it is advisable to scrape the inner surface to eliminate any filament residues and to obtain a smaller knife, with a smooth and well-sharpened blade, which can be handled without the risk of cutting yourself. The blade must be inserted between the pulp and the peel, making it slide to peel the skin from the pulp. This can be done by holding the piece of pumpkin on the cutting board and holding it firmly with one hand, cutting it with the other hand to remove the rind. At this point the pumpkin is ready to be cooked, making sure to choose the most suitable format to the dish to prepare.

Every recipe, the right pumpkin
To season pasta or risotto it is better to cut it in cubes of about 1 cm on each side; if it is to be boiled or used in the soup preferable the cubes a little bigger, to prevent disfiguration during cooking. The cloves they are the right size for the oven, at 160 ° it will take about 30-35 minutes to cook.
A trick when added to other vegetables is to first pass it in the oven at 180 ° for a few minutes to dry it to prevent it from releasing too much water during cooking.
The whole pumpkin is maintained up to 2-3 months. Cut into pieces it is preserved in the fridge for a maximum of 2-3 days. If you want to stock it all year round, you can cook the pulp in the oven or steam, blend it and freeze it in well-sealed disposable trays.

"Peel" the pumpkin with the oven? You can!
Another way to peel the pumpkin quickly is baking in the oven. Cut the pumpkin into not too thick slices and then transfer them to the plate lined with wet and squeezed baking paper, cooking it at 180 ° for about ten minutes. Once warm, the peel will go away easily with a sharp knife.

Not only in the kitchen …
In addition to the carved pumpkin that now appears everywhere in the days preceding the Halloween party, the pumpkin lends itself to become original objects to embellish the table. If it is large, it can become one scenographic container to bring to the table a risotto or pasta seasoned with the pulp. Just trace a thin horizontal line on the rind with a felt-tip pen: following it, cut the top cap of the pumpkin with the knife at about 2/3 of the total height. After cleaning the inside from seeds and filaments and removing all the pulp with a digger, the pumpkin is ready for service. The smaller ones instead can be used as bowls or originals soup plates.

The pumpkin is also perfect to transform into centerpiece. After having washed and dried it is sufficient to cut a circle of 16 cm in diameter around the petiole with a knife, remove the cap and dig a large cylinder in the pumpkin, eliminating pulp, seeds and filaments. Just place a sponge for florists soaked in water in the center and insert branches and dried flowers of various colors and heights, following your own imagination, shortening them with scissors.
To create cute place card it is sufficient to choose small ornamental courgettes of similar size but of different shapes and colors, without defects. Polished and embellished with a note with the guest's name will make the table truly original.

Silvia Tatozzi
7 November 2016
updated November 2019 by Claudia Minnella

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