Tag: summer

5 great ideas for this summer – Italian Cuisine

The octopus and potato salad is one of the most popular. Why not try some variation?

The octopus it is always present in fish stalls because it is easy to fish it in our seas, but very often it is snubbed because in the common imagination it is very difficult to cook. Even if l'octopus salad is loved by all species in its most classic version, the octopus salad with potatoes!
Prepare the octopus it is really simple and only requires some care to keep the meat soft. Once ready you can use it in many ways and we want to recommend some tasty cold salad this season.

The properties of the octopus

The octopus has 57 calories per 100 grams of product and is therefore a recommended food for those who follow a low-calorie diet. It is low in carbohydrates and fats and rich in protein. Be careful not to overdo it, though, because the octopus contains cholesterol.

How to clean the octopus

First, make sure it is an octopus and not a dormouse. The octopuses have two rows of suction cups and not one, so check carefully.
Eliminate with a knife eyes and horny beak and then rinse it to remove any residue. If you really don't know what we are talking about you will ask for a clean octopus in the fish market or follow all the steps in our Octopus tutorial: a recipe for each tentacle.

Octopus cooking

If you use one pressure cooker 20 minutes will be enough to cook the octopus, otherwise dip it in a pot with cold water and some stalks of celery and cook for 50 minutes then let it cool in the pot. The water must not be abundant, it requires little.

Legend or truth?

Tradition has it that with a cork in water the meat of the octopus becomes very soft. Indeed it seems that this device is very effective, but there are other equally useful solutions. For example, the fishermen say that the octopus must cook in its water and therefore it should not be added too much water in the pot, as we said before, but only a drizzle of oil and a glass of water. Then, you should also avoid cooking salt because it makes the meat harder and wait for the octopus to cool down by itself in its cooking water. Never pass it under cold water.

Salads with octopus

With the octopus you can prepare many dishes and in particular of the delicious salads perfect this season. Here are some ideas for you. Browse the tutorial!

And here is a video recipe for a first one that tastes like the sea

Baked aubergines: the light version for the summer – Italian Cuisine

If you are looking for a light side dish to include in your diet, you have found it. Here the tips to prepare light and very tasty aubergines

A raw eggplant of about 400 g makes little less than 100 calories, contains 25 g of carbohydrates and 4 of protein. So let's say that we could include it among the light foods, if it weren't for the fact that once cooked, we entrust them with the burden of seasonings. 100 g of fried aubergines can touch 400 calories, while they stop at 150 if gratinated. But let's take a step back and try to think of a new road, or the possibility of cooking a large 400 g eggplant (which will suffice for two people) using only two teaspoons of oil (80 calories).

The critical points

Eggplants absorb seasonings as if they were real sponges, so we must reduce their ability to absorb water by drying them a little with coarse salt after cutting them. Once removed, we can proceed with the dressing that can be optimized with the classic brine technique. We then mix oil, water and other ingredients such as lemon juice to help us create an easily dilutable emulsion.

The extra trick

We already knew that baking paper was precious to save time and effort. And we also know that it is useful to prevent foods from burning after sticking to the pan. From a light point of view however, perhaps we had not considered the fact that it is a real resource to avoid having to grease our foods that bake in the oven. Baking paper = less than half of the seasonings, to simplify.

The useful tool

To distribute the emulsion as best as possible, use a special brush. Preparing the sauce in a bowl, you can easily season the food to be cooked, making small quantities of oil sufficient.

The recipe for light eggplant

Ingredients: An aubergine, oregano, chilli pepper, garlic, lemon juice, a few leaves of fresh mint, extra virgin olive oil, salt

Procedure: Reduce the aubergine in small cubes, prepare an emulsion with two teaspoons of oil, a tablespoon of water and half a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add garlic, chilli and mix. Coat a plate with baking paper, spread the eggplant and brush it with the emulsion. At this point, salt and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, decorate to taste with fresh mint leaves and serve warm.

The best packaged ice cream to eat this summer – Italian Cuisine

News, classics that return after long absences and gluttonies not to be missed: here are the best packed ice creams of 2019

When the temperatures rise on the beach and you run away to the bar to cool off, or when the afternoon is sultry and you don't feel like setting foot outside. Here he comes to take us to safety: the packaged ice cream.

There are many, of every type, shape and taste. It is an indispensable pleasure of summer and not only: how to choose?
Here the best packaged ice creams to taste this summer, among novelties, unmissable goodies and great returns.

Dive into the past

The packaged ice creams are iconic, so much so that some have remained in the collective imagination even after having disappeared from bars and supermarkets.

These days, vintage is always in fashion: directly from the 90's come back the magnificent Algida, ice cream cone required by the most nostalgic people.
From 80s instead returns the Rainbow Icicle, thanks to the appeal of the actor Stefano Fresi, who eats it in the recent film "C'è Tempo".

The most delicious packaged ice creams: the novelties

For the summer of 2019 many new flavors, combinations and unusual ingredients await us. For example: salted caramel and Macadamia nuts Australian for the new Motta ice cream, or ice cream a almond milk and berries, enclosed between two biscuits gluten free with cereals for the Amando Sammontana biscuit.

When the snack becomes ice cream

Among the best packaged ice creams there are also those that were originally not ice cream. We're talking about cookies Oreo, already on the market for some time, snacks Kinder Bueno, among the most eagerly awaited novelties of this year, but also of real pastry desserts, like i brownie. Discover them all in the gallery above.

The semi-artisan to try

If you are on vacation in Amalfi Coast, you cannot not taste the Ice Cream Kiss, a cone with surprise, famous since the 60s and produced by the Esagel family company. You will find it in selected places in the province of Salerno.

Choose your favorite ice cream in the gallery above!