Tag: secrets

Cotechino and lentils: all the secrets of a ritual dish – Italian Cuisine

Lentils are one of the oldest foods while cotechino was born during the siege of Mirandola in the 16th century. History, meaning, secrets and recipes of a must for New Year's Eve: a wish for a 2021 full of hope

This year, for everyone, the rite will be celebrated at home: cotechino (or zampone) with lentils as a first course of the new year. It is a greedy ritual, which combines the abundance of a very Italian salami – as far as possible from the light concept (semel in year licet insanire, we agree, given that it is the dinner par excellence) – the imposing meaning of first legume grown in history. There are testimonies of harvests carried out five thousand years ago, not to mention the social aspect, including the religious one: it is easy to think of the episode of the lentil dish between Esau and Jacob, one of the most cited in the Old Testament.

Castelluccio, the IGP lentils

The permanent presence of lentils after midnight on December 31st is due to the Romans that beyond the pleasure of taste, considered the legume as an investment for the months to come and gave it a full pouch – the leather bag to keep tied to the belt – on the last day of the year. The hope is that they would turn into sound coins, but badly they ended up in the pot. And for the less well-off, a real wealth remained, given the high nutritional value. Italy abounds in excellent lentils, starting from the two PGIs that touch Castelluccio of Norcia (on the border between Marche and Umbria) and the Apulian Altamura: the important thing is that before cooking them over low heat – they must be soft, but not undone – should be soaked in the night between 30 and 31.

Pico's (culinary) genius

As for the beloved cooked salami, it will not boast the spirituality of the legume, but it has medieval and noble origins, due (apparently) to the genius of Pico della Mirandola, in 1511: he advised the Mirandolesi, besieged by papal troops, to slaughter the few pigs left in the stables by putting the meat inside the legs and rind of the poor pigs, with lots of spices. Twist: the product was very good, perhaps fatter than those we will eat on New Year's Day but they were under siege and had other problems … Cotechino is zampone – so different in appearance – they still have the same filling: lean and fat pork, coarsely minced, combined with the animal's rind, very finely chopped. All flavored with pepper, nutmeg, cloves, depending on the secret hand of the butcher, also some artisan producers add cinnamon and even wine.

Cotechino and zampone

But then the difference? It is the casing: the pig's leg, strictly the front one, for the zampone; the natural or artificial casing for cotechino. The first is a little more consistent in terms of calories, because the rind of the leg releases fat during cooking, but the second also doesn't mess with calories. The content varies from norcino to norcino, but the skilfully spiced dough tends to include 60% of fresh lean meats (shoulder, leg, neck and shank pulp), 20% tender rind and 20% throat, bacon and bacon.

A Bottura passion

Where is it at the top? It cannot be said that far from Modena they are of poor quality, but the history and the only Italian IGP – for both – make the city of Ghirlandina and Massimo Bottura (who is crazy about it, he says so serenely) the Italian capital. Last question: better fresh or pre-cooked? It depends on the time available. In the first case, cotechino or zampone should be pricked, wrapped in a cloth or in aluminum foil, placed in a pot with cold water and left to boil for at least a couple of hours. In the second, however, 20/30 minutes in boiling water are enough. With the same producer, there is no match: the first wins …

Trentingrana, the secrets of production and the new 30 months – Italian Cuisine

It is said that it all began when in 1927 a Trentino cheesemaker went to Emilia Romagna to produce cheese and, once he returned home, began to create something very similar. Today Trentingrana is one of the 4 DOP of Trentino, together with Puzzone di Moena, Primiero and Spressa.

It all begins with the care of livestock and the territory, in a circular philosophy in the name of sustainability. Respect for livestock, first of all, which passes through the quality of life and nutrition, strictly GMO-free and without instilates. The landscape is thus protected by the presence of farmers who provide for the mowing of the meadows and the care of the high mountain pastures with important benefits for tourism and the protection of biodiversity. Trentingrana was born here.

Trentingrana processing: how it was born

The moment of pinning
(Photo: C. Carolei)

The milk arrives in the dairies every evening, on time to prepare for the night and bring out the cream. In the morning, early in the morning, the cream is removed and the milk is ready to be processed in the large copper boilers.

The same procedure, the same gestures, the same care are repeated every day, every day. Once in the boilers, the whey from the day before is added to the milk, rich in bacteria that are essential to start the transformation of milk into cheese. The temperature is brought to around 37 degrees and with the thorn, a specific tool of the trade, the curd is broken. Two twin shapes are extracted from each boiler, with steady and safe movements within linen cloths. The forms are placed for a day in plastic molds (in this phase the forms are turned over two or three times) and then in metal molds for two or three days. These are precisely what give the typical rounded shape to Trentingrana!

After two or three days we move on to the brine: here the forms remain to soak for 22-23 days in a solution of water and salt. Because the ingredients of Trentingrana are only three: mountain milk, rennet and salt.

Strange to say, the crucial step in the birth of cheese is the one in which the wheels are left to rest. What is called seasoning it is a crucial step because it defines the organoleptic characteristics which are then perceived by those who taste the cheese. The aromas and flavors are defined precisely in this passage, which normally lasts 22-23 months for Trentingrana.

The novelty, in such a particular and complex year, is the 30-month Trentingrana. A niche product, which will see the birth of only 2,500 wheels this year out of a total of 10 thousand given to the associated consortia, but which in the next few years may reach up to 5,000.

But what happens in those 8 extra months of seasoning? An even more intense bouquet of aromas and flavors, a rich and complex taste that remains balanced. Excellent in the kitchen to combine with a fish or meat carpaccio, in combination with honey or with a few drops of balsamic vinegar, cooked as a waffle in the oven to accompany first courses such as risotto and barley.

The forms of Trentingrana in brine
(Photo: C. Carolei)

The rift

It cannot be cut or opened: the wheel, once the seasoning is complete, "breaks". A process that is done strictly by hand with the typical small knives that are used to cut the grain. But beware, it's not for everyone. To do this, you need to know Trentingrana very well, to know how to "listen" to the movements and cracks that are created as the knives act inside it, until the shape opens and releases its first scents.

The first form of Trentingrana 30 months was split by the expert beater Franco Frattarsi, a Trentingrana consultant for over 40 years, at the end of a long manufacturing process born in the mountains, and which brings flavors, aromas and values to the mountains.

Eataly's secrets for saving energy in the kitchen – Italian Cuisine

From the "Sustainable Paths" initiative, a series of practical tips for energy efficiency also at home, which arise from the field experience of the Roman store

Four secrets that help reduce energy consumption in the kitchen: enhancement of seasonal ingredients, with preference for local productions; use of ingredients that use little water in cooking; cooking methods with low energy impact; reuse of waste in the kitchen. They are the magnificent four sustainable paths for cooking which identified Eataly and presented it as part of a larger energy redevelopment project for its stores, in partnership with Eni Gas & Luce.

Well then a tartare, made of fish, vegetables or meat, which is not cooked and maximizes the taste of the product. Green light to smoothies and centrifuges of seasonal vegetables, which give flavor to the dish embellishing it. Never throw away scraps such as bread, because as the tradition teaches of dishes such as Tuscan tomato soup, they can become the basis for large recovery recipes. Also be careful when buying, because a less acidic tomato, for example, allows faster cooking, as demonstrated spaghetti with tomato sauce with red datterini tomatoes which has become one of Eataly's flagships.

These are good practices in the kitchen which, if adopted, help save energy, both on the bill and for the environment. Sustainability has always been a theme dear to Eataly, but with the initiative Sustainable paths for a new energy, born from a partnership with Eni Gas & Luce, has become even more topical. Concrete initiatives that led Eataly to launch a campaign energy requalification campaign of its stores, which starts from the Roma Ostiense store, and which will be extended to the public with a series of educationals on the theme of sustainability in the kitchen.

With its 17,000 square meters covered, it is the largest and most complex of Eataly's stores, yet, as explained by Eataly's CEO, Nicola Farinetti, "we like to start with the most difficult because we have overcome the biggest obstacle. rest is a walk . And if an investment of only 100 thousand euros was enough for Eataly Roma's energy efficiency, it goes without saying that when you go down in size it takes very little to save a lot.

In the case of the Roman store, it was decided to focus on new technologies, but not by replacing the existing machines in the various departments. "It would have been simple and highly effective," says the engineer who oversaw the project. “But very expensive in environmental terms. This is why we have instead focused on good practices and technology that makes the environment smart, smarter ". Twelve sensors scattered throughout the three floors of the structure that communicate with each other and keep a series of parameters under control: primarily temperature, humidity and CO2. To simplify, they are sensors that tell an air conditioner to turn off or raise the temperature of a refrigerator, if the goal has already been achieved. The result is tangible energy savings, which led the Eataly store to reduce consumption by 20/25% in just a few months, with an estimated energy saving of 150 tons of CO2 per year.

“This experiment works as a leader, but we have already extended the experimentation to two partner companies so that they can adopt similar solutions, then there are the other stores we are already working on. And, again, there will be educational courses for the public, through our cooking courses, which will allow us to expand the audience even more. This is because we strongly believe that small efforts on the part of each can give concrete resultsSays Nicola Farinetti.