Tag: small

small guide to gluten free drinking – Italian Cuisine

Are grappa, whiskey, gin and vodka gluten free? And the liqueurs? Which cocktails are safe and which are not? How can a celiac orient himself in the purchase of spirits and spirits? We find out with expert guidance

A glass of grappa after dinner, an amaro, a fresh limoncello in summer, or a gin-based cocktail. Alcoholic beverages (always responsibly and with measure) are a pleasure, even for those suffering from celiac disease: but as in many areas of taste, those who cannot consume gluten must always keep their eyes open. "We have to make a distinction between alcoholic beverages," he explains Laura Diodovich, Project Professional AFC – AiC (Italian Celiac Association) Marche, which specifies: «it is in fact necessary to distinguish between distillates which are always good, and which do not necessarily have to bear the words "gluten free", as long as they are free of flavorings or other substances, and liqueurs. The latter are considered at risk: this means that they are only suitable if they have the wording “gluten-free” . From AiC therefore, you have a traffic light green for grappa, gin, whiskey, tequila, vodka etc., even when they come from raw materials containing gluten. How is it possible? We asked those who deal with spirits for work.

Gluten-free spirits: spirits, 100 per 100 safe

Luca Sala Trade Marketing Manager of Meregalli Spirits, a leading company in Italy in the distribution of national and international wines and spirits, explains how the gluten contained in the raw material of gin, whiskey, vodka, obtained from cereals, does not pass into the distillate because: «distillation serves precisely to separate the heavy parts from the light ones, leaving all residues as production waste. Also what is called "head and tail" or the initial and final part of distillate (where a trace could be found) is thrown away. Particular attention should be paid to Gin because some flavors are made by maceration, so they may have gluten . After all, the list of aromas that may contain gluten “is endless, but it's not just aromas that are at risk. To be sure of a gluten-free product, you should work in an aseptic laboratory, an environment that almost no one has in the distillery or liqueur factory .

More explanations about Gin come from the distillery Bunches of Altavilla: «Gin, if obtained through the distillation process, is to be considered gluten-free. In particular, Gin Mazzetti, being “London Dry”, is obtained precisely from the distillation of a macerate with traditional stills, which makes it gluten free . Absolutely sure is grappa, as the Mazzetti d'Altavilla experts demonstrate: "First of all, since it is a distillate that uses pomace as a raw material, therefore the skins and seeds (called grape seeds) of the grapes, gluten is not contained in the raw material . Secondly, the same distillation process foreseen in direct steam stills means that the final distillate, resulting from the condensation of the steam coming from the stills, cannot – even if there is a presence – acquire any trace of gluten through this processing method " .

Liquors without contamination

More complicated is the discussion with regard to liqueurs: contamination, explains Luca Sala di Meregalli, «occurs by presence in the raw material or by contamination by external agents. The same goes for the aseptic laboratory . To be sure of the absence of contamination, it is necessary to have certifications available. This is what they do in Mazzetti d’Altavilla: "our liqueurs are all consumable even by those with gluten intolerances. Not being distilled in purity, in this case the certification that the raw material does not contain gluten and does not foresee the possibility of contamination with materials containing gluten. For blended products, it would be good to indicate the gluten-free symbol on the bottle or on the packaging to ensure its consumability by those with intolerances. We are gearing up for this! " A brand or a legible wording on the label would certainly make life easier for those suffering from celiac disease, at least as regards the choice of what to drink.

Recipe Tart with small fruits – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients For the shortcrust pastry

225 g flour
150 g butter
100 g sugar
2 egg yolks
25 g bitter cocoa
salt

Ingredients For the ganache

220 g dark chocolate
200 g fresh cream or milk
15 g butter
10 g sugar

Ingredients To complete

strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
blackberries
white currant

Duration: 5 h

Level: Medium

Doses: 8-10

For the recipe of the tart with small fruits, dissolve a pinch of salt in the egg yolks by beating them with a fork. Sift the flour with the cocoa and distribute it on the work surface to form a fountain with a large "crater". Proceed with the processing as illustrated opposite. Place the butter at room temperature and the sugar in the center of the fountain and mix them very well; form a depression inside the handled butter and pour in the beaten egg yolks. Start kneading by adding a little flour at a time and continue until you have obtained a firm dough. Wrap it in baking paper and put it to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours (the ideal would be to let it rest for one night). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to 3-4 mm thick and line a mold with a movable bottom (diameter 22 cm) with it, trimming it to obtain a border of 2-3 cm. Prick the bottom with the tines of the fork, spread a sheet of baking paper on top and cover with dried legumes. Bake «white in the oven at 180 ° C for 15-18 minutes. Remove the tart, remove the legumes and baking paper, turn it out of the mold and let it cool.
For the ganache: chop the chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the cream to the boil
with the sugar, pour it over the chocolate, stir in the butter and blend with a powerful hand blender, until you get a very fine cream. Let it cool.
To finish: distribute the ganache in the shortcrust pastry shell and decorate with concentric circles of half-cut strawberries, white currant beans, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

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in the city the small green spaces multiply – Italian Cuisine

Urban gardens in Milan are multiplying. Small green spaces are increasingly meeting places for communities who decide to take care of themselves and the city

Milan is not only the city of unexpected views, hidden courtyards and post-industrial lofts, but also that of urban gardens. Wandering through the streets of the more peripheral neighborhoods, it is easy to come across small cultivated plots, squashed next to each other, separated by slightly danceable nets, but overflowing with vegetables: zucchini, eggplant is tomatoes in the summertime, cabbage is cabbage, perfect for making cassoela, in winter. For some years, however, urban gardens have begun to appear even in the most central or otherwise redeveloped areas of the city. Have you ever been, for example, to the flower gardens under the skyscrapers of City Life? Or, do you know "Cultivating" in Bovisa, theshared garden on the campus of the Politecnico di Milano?

Urban gardens in Milan, a phenomenon extended in time and space

Someone talks about fashion, but in reality that of the Milanese urban gardens is a phenomenon extended both in time and in space. In the economic boom years those who cultivated the garden did so for need or out of nostalgia of their peasant origins. Over time, the garden has become the pastime of those who have reached retirement (also because the municipal garden is addressed, by choice, mainly to the over 60s).

Making the vegetable garden: an activity that is good for the community and the city

Today, however, the garden is being strongly re-evaluated for its size community, but also how urban regeneration tool is social innovation. The urban gardens that have appeared in Milan in recent years have in fact become meeting points where one can take care of the city together, spaces of well-being where one can stay in contact with nature and places to rebuild a healthy and conscious relationship with food.

Milan, the city of gardens told in a book

In all, there are more land dedicated to these crops than one imagines: "In the metropolitan city area their extension, added up, is equal to over 850 hectares, We read in The city of gardens. Cultivating and building social relations in the small green spaces of Greater Milan, the book, fresh off the press, signed by Mario Cucchi, Daniela Gambino, Antonio Longo. An in-depth reading on the phenomenon of urban gardens in Milan, which tells us how the city is not only not alien to the phenomenon, but also that in the past it has already been the seat of some pioneering experiences.

Urban gardens, the first pioneering experiences

First of all that of informal gardens born in the 70s starting from the experimentation of urban forestation of Boscoincittà, promoted by Italia Nostra in the western area of Milan, in a space given in concession by the Municipality. Another emblematic example cited in the book is that of Garden of Aromas, the community garden that is located in the park of the former Paolo Pini psychiatric hospital in Affori, carried out with the aim of promoting the social reintegration of disadvantaged people.

From individual practice to a shared garden

Today they are counted in the metropolitan area of Milan 2255 vegetable colonies. Many of the urban gardens born in recent years are "Shared". Realities generated by the thrust of associations or groups that have particular social and / or ecological purposes and that are trying to "Rejuvenate" the figure of the orthist. They do this through the involvement of people with propensity and sensitivity to ecological-health issues, but also through the organization of training courses aimed at citizens.

Orto Comune di Niguarda, an emblematic case

An emblematic example is represented by theCommon Garden Niguarda, where spices and ancient varieties are grown. In five years, the promoting association, in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan and the Parco Nord body, has managed to transform a large piece of uncultivated lawn right inside the North Park in one of the liveliest and most original shared gardens in the city. Since 2015, the year of birth, they have been over six hundred inhabitants of the neighborhood who have cultivated it, giving life to various work groups: from the “Mani di fata”, which they create aromatic salts, dried herbs and floral compositions, to the beekeepers who produce organic wildflower honey. Part of the land was also used for the construction of a synergistic garden, that is grown in a completely natural way, without fertilizers or fertilizers.

From the social to the productive dimension

During the months of lockdown, the volunteers had to stop the initiatives open to citizens. Yes they are though data to be done to distribute fresh food to the neediest families in the neighborhood. An experience, that of direct support, which demonstrates how the social dimension can coexist with the productive one. A good example from which to start answering the question of our century: "If in 2050 68 percent of the population will live in urban centers, who will produce 80 percent of the food that – they say – will be consumed in cities ? "

How to have your own vegetable garden?

This new "green wave" is also due to a push from the Municipality of Milan which, since 2015, has focused on urban gardens, assigning numerous new parcels of land. The temporary concession usually takes place through area notices to which private citizens can apply on a voluntary basis, against an annual fee of 1 euro per square meter. Furthermore, the Municipality of Milan also promoted between 2012 and 2015 the concession to associations of spaces for the creation of shared gardens. Finally, numerous gardens are located in schools, and just recently, the office of the Food Policy of Milan has drawn up the Guidelines for the creation and management of "Educational Gardens".