Tag: rich

Francesinha: the very rich Porto sandwich – Italian Cuisine

The francesinha, a rich sandwich made from meat, is part of the Portuguese gastronomic culture and is a traditional dish, easy to prepare and with many variations (and calories)

Except for those who follow a diet without meat and animal derivatives, you cannot visit the enchanting city of Port without being tempted by francesinha, a local gastronomic specialty of international renown. It is a rich sandwich, filled with various types of meat, sauce, cheese and other ingredients, which was invented in the 60s and which is part of traditional cuisine, loved by everyone and sometimes revisited with modern and original variations. The ease of preparation and availability of the ingredients, all popular and affordable, combined with the full-bodied and substantial result, make francesinha a unique and palatable dish.

Francesinha, the most delicious sandwich in Europe

If you thought that an American style multilayer hamburger or a very Italian sandwich filled with sliced cold cuts were the ultimate culinary transgression in sandwiches, you should think again. Hardly, in Europe, one can find a richer, more elaborate and delicious recipe than the Portuguese francesinha. This caloric sandwich, with a raw taste and a high number of ingredients, is a dish not to be missed, to try at least once in a lifetime in one of the many restaurants and clubs that serve it in Porto. It was precisely in this city invented in the 60s by the emigrant Daniel da Silva, who, after having lived in France and Belgium, tried his hand at a Portuguese version of the French grilled sandwich known as Croque Monsieur, stuffed with ham and cheese.

Classic recipe and variants

The classic recipe consists of a dish that is anything but light and very tasty, consisting of two slices of grilled bread filled with beef steaks, fresh Portuguese sausages, linguiça (traditional spicy sausage, similar to chorizo), fiambre (cooked pork ham), all covered with melted cheese and one sauce based on beer and tomato, and baked in a terracotta bowl. Most of the ingredients contained in the francesinha are very popular types of meat in Portugal, each characterized by a different flavor and level of flavor and spiciness, as well as by a different consistency. Of course it is also possible to use different sliced meats, sausages or meat, also based on what you have available. Usually the meat is cooked in a pan in butter or margarine.

If these condiments alone were not already sufficiently fatty and caloric, as well as the thick layer of sliced cheese, even more surprising is the preparation of rich sauce tomato sauce with which the sandwich is covered before being baked. For this sauce, which can be purchased ready-made in many Portuguese supermarkets, there is no standard recipe, just a large number variants. In addition to garlic base, onion, butter or margarine, tomato sauce and ale, you can for example add various types of meat (like bacon), a mix of instant soup and chicken broth, corn starch, bay leaves, dry Port wine, brandy, piri piri or hot pepper. The preparation is as simple, fun and customizable as the taste of the final result is incredibly complex.

In addition to the numerous ingredients and layers already mentioned, francesinha is sometimes served also with aaddition of fried egg and a bed of fries, and accompanied by a mug of beer. In short, rather than a dish, this sandwich represents the identity of the country, but also a real gastronomic challenge of resistance.

Photo: francesinha panino Portugese_Flickr_iNelsonRocha.jpg
Photo: Francesinha Portuguese Sandwich variant_adactio_Flickr.jpg

Snow peas, delicious legume of spring rich in properties – Italian Cuisine

Spring time, pea time. Also of green beans, of course, which are good, especially fresh. And what about the beans? And then, there are the jackdaws. They are good, sweet and full of health. Like the previous ones, it is a legume, not a vegetable, therefore in a nutshell, a real superfood. And in fact the owned jackdaws really do have many. Let's see together what they are, and then how to choose and prepare this gift of spring.

172558 First of all: jackdaws, unlike peas, you eat everything, both the seeds and the pod. This is why they are also known as "pea mangiatutto". There are two varieties, one more rounded and similar to the pea, in fact, and a flatter one, with little developed seeds.

172552 The best friend of the jackdaws is the gut: this legume really helps bowel regularity, primarily thanks to its high fiber content. Another feature of them is to be a remineralizing food, that is able to bring important amounts of mineral salts to the body. Among the many, they are particularly rich in iron – important for anemics. And of all this means that they are very good for fight fatigue. they many vitamins and so they are a legume, therefore, theirs protein intake, when combined with a cereal, it is equal to that of meat.

It's not over: like peas, they contain plant estrogens which help women balance the cycle menstrual, especially when it is painful and problematic but also to prevent osteoporosis. And then they are very low in calories, satiating and with the characteristic of contributing to reduce sugar absorption and fat: perfect for getting in shape before the summer, then!

Select beautiful fresh jackdaws, firm but soft, intact and free of yellowish or moldy parts. The jackdaws are easy to clean and prepare: just wash them and get rid of the petiole (and if they are a little harder, the fibrous thread that flows to the sides of the pod) and then cook them, boiled or directly in the pan. If we traditionally use rather soft (careful not to prolong cooking too much, to avoid that they fall apart), a suggestion is to try them in the more crunchy version, stirring them "to the east" to a point of cooking a little earlier than when you would normally light the fire.

172555 Theirs sweet and delicate flavor makes them really versatile in the kitchen. They can be steamed and simply eaten with oil, salt and lemon or vinegar. Sautéed and seasoned, with spices and other flavorings at will, such as roasted sesame seeds rather than almond grit. They are very good stew with tomato and enrich the salads of the good season: combine them for example with a hard-boiled egg but also with a fresh or preserved fish, for example a mackerel for a more decisive taste or delicious shrimps.

Aurora Quinto
March 2019

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Casatiello, rich homemade salty Easter – Italian Cuisine

It's right. It is from the earth that he has stuffed a 'simple' bakery product among the World Heritage Sites that comes from the Casatiello. Rich, simple, greedy, festive. In two words, a true heritage. In two others, a resurrection of the senses: Easter.

Flour, fats, cheeses and cured meats. And eggs, of course. In plain sight in this crown to exhibit and above all to share and sbafare on festive occasions (choose the delicious eggs, I recommend!). Eggs perched on top of the dough, whether it is salty, or in its sweet version. In any case, the casatiello is the traditional one donut rustic of the tradition Neapolitan Easter.

Like the pastiera, the Easter boast of Neapolitan patisseries, the casatiello was originally born to be consumed during the Easter lunch. In reality the tradition varies: for some it is typical of Holy Saturday; nowadays it is kneaded and also found in other periods of the year. But given its fantastically transportable format (without even needing to be heated) it has become a must for the picnic outside of Easter Monday (here's how to organize it in a few easy steps).

173077 Let's start with a little history of tradition. First of all, where does the name come from? From the cheese, probably, which abounds in the dough. Shape? Well, it's very typical of the Easter symbolism: can represent the crown of thorns (which then becomes a crown of light …) but at the same time its annular aspect is a call to the cyclical nature of the resurrection. Each egg (man?) Is caged in his cross, or two strips of dough in the shape of a cross from which it will be released on Easter. When – without wishing to be blasphemous – in this case it will ascend to the mouth: in filling our senses with this culinary delight, it is beautiful to recall also to the mind and heart the deeper meaning of this cooking preparation, since the real food nurtures something more that the body …

And we come to the substance. Here we deal mainly with the salty version, which is usually used accompanied by cold cuts and cheeses, and in particular soppressata and salted ricotta – next to broad beans, in perfect tasting time!

Recipe it's here. A prescription. Of course, because then the beauty is that, as good rustic preparation which is, everyone fires a little his version, which certainly depends on the family tradition but also on the availability of ingredients and the inspiration of the moment. For example: the salami par excellence with which it is enriched is the prized and popular Naples salami (coarse grain, lean pork and veal and hard fat of pancetta or bacon). Do you have Milan salami? Use that one! There are those who put the greaves. You want to know what the Neapolitan chef par excellence puts us, Antonino Cannavacciuolo? Salami and smoked pancetta, and pecorino, parmesan, spicy provolone and smoked scamorza with regard to the cheeses.

Vegetarian version very possible and delicious. Simply eliminate the cured meats in favor of the cheeses (one smoked always gives good taste) and replace lard or lard with a different fat – many use the oil extra virgin, but friability and taste vary depending on the fat used – which can also be a mix: try your combination!

Furthermore: while in the traditional casatiello and the enriching ingredients are mixed rigorously together with farina & c., many now perform the preparation strudel type, in order for it to be a heavy hand (literally! So much so that in Naples it is said: "Yes, indeed, nu casatiello!" to someone who can hardly swallow a concept …). Here too, a mix of the two versions can be optimal.

And speaking of versions: the casatiello also exists sweet. Along with flour, eggs, sugar, fats – here at pork is better to prefer butter, there is a crucial ingredient is the orange flower water.

And we close our excursion on the Casatiello with a debut. So he began to recite the website dedicated to him: "Easter, Jesus is risen. Everything is beautiful, even if it eats "or casatiello".

Carola Traverso Saibante
April 2019

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