GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES

What is "dressing"? And why use it instead of the usual dressing in salads and vegetables? Our tips and 5 ideas for you

In Italy vegetables are mainly seasoned with oil and salt, at the limit with a few drops of simple or balsamic vinegar, some aromatic herbs and lemon juice.
But even if we move to other European countries or other continents, condiments become many and different and are called dressing.

From boiled potatoes to cesar salad

The cesar salad is the typical American salad with chicken, croutons and parmesan. You can season it with oil and salt, of course, but if you want to eat it as the Americans eat it, you must enrich it with a typical yogurt dressing.
And the potatoes? Have you ever combined them with sour cream as is used in northern Europe?
And have you ever tried serving as an aperitif raw vegetables cut into sticks with tasty sauces made with avocado, chickpeas, beetroot or other types of vegetables, legumes and fruit?

Why choose the dressing

Not convinced yet? Well, then to convince even the most skeptical of you to try to use the dressing we can say with almost scientific certainty that the Italian method of dressing salad is completely wrong.
Oil and vinegar, in fact, should never be added separately on the salad because being one fat and the other an acid remain separated. The oil sticks to the leaves while the vinegar separates into many droplets and does not stick to the vegetables.
Therefore, it is better to use a dressing, that is an emulsion in which the two condiments are quickly mixed before being added to the salad. Practically put oil and vinegar in a bowl and mix with a mixer.
The idea of dressing is none other than this, create an emulsion with a fat and an acid ingredient.
Then everyone can do it the way they want, or with the classic oil and vinegar (or lemon), or with many other seasonings.

Here, then, some recipes to prepare easy dressing, fast and light that will make your vegetables special. Always use fresh ingredients and prepare your condiments at home. Beware of the ready-made ones you find at the supermarket. We do not suggest the classic guacamole, hummus and tzaziki that we all know by now and that are better combined with more structured dishes than a simple salad, but with unusual sauces perfect for seasoning raw or steamed vegetables.

It is an aromatic mince based on black pepper and garlic, perfect to flavor a succulent plate of pizzoccheri, but it also goes well with meats, cheeses and vegetables

It has never happened to you that you need a steaming plate of pizzoccheri, fragrant and stringy, and then they suggested to season them with a teaspoon of a chopped scented garlic and black pepper, to add that extra quid to your superb dish? Do you know what it is? Of the pesteda, a mixture of spices, garlic and aromatic herbs, finely chopped, to give more flavor to pizzoccheri, but not only. The pesteda fact goes well with white and red meat, with young cheeses and gives an intriguing touch to fish fillets such as sea bass and sea bream.

Pizzoccheri: mistakes not to be made

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The ingredients of the pesteda

Apparently the pesteda seems only a mixture of salt and pepper, but as soon as you approach the nose, a scent of garlic pervades you, leaving you no more. At that point it will be impossible for you to taste any plate of pizzoccheri without being able to sprinkle over this fragrant preparation. Then asking the chefs, you will find that in the pesteda, in addition to salt and black pepper, are chopped Juniper berries, thyme leaves is dwarf achillea.

Yarrow dwarf, a plant that loves the peaks

It grows only in the regions of northern Italy above 1400 meters and up to 3800: the Adwarf chillea it is a perennial seedling that loves the heights and the cold temperatures. Made of small white flowers and lanceolate leaves, it emerges from stony soils, mostly with silica. It has always been considered a medicinal plant: leaves and flowers have diuretic and anti-hemorrhoidal properties. Almost all the Achilles are then used for the preparation of aperitifs and herbal liqueurs.

The recipe for pesteda

Take 120 g of coarse salt, 120 g of black pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 25 juniper berries, 20 g of yarrow dwarf and 20 g of thyme. Finely chop the pepper and salt in a mortar, apart from the garlic and then add the yarrow, the thyme and the chopped juniper berries. Mix everything together. Let the pesteda rest in a hermetically sealed glass jar for a week before using it. Thus preserved, it remains for up to six months. The pesteda must always remain moist: if it should become dry, moisten it with a few drops of grappa or red wine.

Tag: seasoning

Dressing: 5 ideas for seasoning vegetables – Italian Cuisine