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HOW TO STERILIZE JARS FOR HOMEMADE JELLIES

10/5/2016

JARS

BUY NEW JARS, OR IF USING OLD JARS, WASH THEM IN THE DISHWASHER, AS MANY AS NEEDED

CLEAN KITCHEN TOWELS, AS MANY AS NEEDED

TO STERILIZE THE JARS: PLACE THE JARS IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN SEPARATED BY THE KITCHEN TOWELS AND FILL THE SAUCEPAN WITH WATER. PLACE OVER MEDIUM HEAT TO BOIL ABOUT 30 MINUTES

ADD THE JAR CAPS TO THE WATER THE LAST 10 MINUTES

TAKE THE JARS OUT OF THE BOILING WATER AND FILL THEM WITH THE HOT JELLY

TIGHTEN THE CAPS ON THE JARS AND TURN THEM UP SIDE DOWN TO COOL. THE JARS WILL FORM AN AIR TIGHT SEAL. WHEN THE JELLY IS COOL, REFRIGERATE.

ASPARAGUS

FRESH ASPARAGUS ARE USUALLY SOLD IN A BUNCH HELD BY AN ELASTIC BAND

THE END PART OF THE ASPARAGUS IS VERY HARD AND IT'S NOT GOOD TO EAT

CUT THE END PART OF THE ASPARAGUS BEFORE TAKING THE ELASTIC BAND OFF

USING A POTATO PEELER, PEEL THE END PART OF THE SPARAGUS

CLEAN THE ASPARAGUS UNDER FRESH RUNNING WATER. CUT THE ASPARAGUS IN SMALL PIECES, BUT LEAVE THE TIPS A LITTLE LONGER, OR LEAVE THEM WHOLE.

ATICHOKES

ALWAYS USE GLOVES TO CLEAN ARTICHOKES OR YOUR FINGERS WILL GET STAINED

BREAK OFF THE OUTER HARDER LEAVES

CUT THE TIP OF THE SOFT LEAVES

PEAL THE STEM, TAKING OFF THE OUTSIDE HARD SKIN

CUT THE ARTICHOKE IN HALF

USING THE TIP OF THE KNIFE, CUT OUT THE HEARY CENTER

CUT THEM AS SMALL AS NEEDED FOR THE RECIPE. PLACE THE ARTICHOKES IN WATER WITH SOME LEMON JUICE, THIS WILL AVOID THEM TURNING DARK

IF THE RECIPE CALLS FOR THE ARTICHOKE TO REMAIN WHOLE, CLEN THEM AS ABOVE, BUT DON'T CUT THEM IN HALF. TURN THEM HEAD DOWN AS IN PICTURE.

PRESS AND ROLL THE HEAD OF THE ARTICHOKE TO OPEN THE LEAVES

OPEN THE LEAVES EVEN MORE WITH FINGERS

HELPING YOURSELF WITH THE TIP OF THE KNIFE, TAKE THE HEARY CENTER OUT

PLACE THE ARTICHOKES IN WATER WITH SOME LEMON JUICE, THIS WILL AVOID THEM TURNING DARK

HOW TO MAKE RISOTTO, THE BASICS !!!

11/4/2015

ALL RISOTTI START THE SAME WAY, THERE ARE JUST A FEW EXCEPTIONS, THEY START BY COOKING THE ONION (ALWAYS WHITE OR GOLDEN ONIONS, NEVER GARLIC !!!) IN EXTRA VERGIN OLIVE OIL, UNSALTED BUTTER OR A MIX OF BOTH.

THE NEXT STEP IS TO BROWN THE RICE WITH THE ONION, THEN ADD THE WHITE WINE AND MAKE IT EVAPORATE.

AT THIS POINT START ADDING THE BOILING BROTH AND STIRR CONSTANTLY. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BROTH ALREADY PREPARED YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE WITH SALTED BOILING WATER OR A BROTH MADE WITH A BOUILLON CUBE, BUT THE END RESULT WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

ONCE THE RICE IS COOKED, ADD THE GRATED PARMIGIANO AND A LITTLE MORE BUTTER.
THIS RISOTTO, VERY SIMPLE, IS ALSO CALLED RISOTTO AL PARMIGIANO, IF YOU LIKE, YOU CAN START TO PREPARE IT, THE RECIPE IS ALREADY POSTED.

MOSTLY ALL OTHER RISOTTI ADD ON TO THIS BASIC ONE, THE EXTRA INGREDIENTS ARE ADDED BEFORE PUTTING THE RICE (EXAMPLE: RISOTTO AL RADICCHIO) OR AT THE END, BEFORE ADDING THE PARMIGIANO (EXAMPLE RISOTTO ALLO ZAFFERANO).
NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE SECRET OF ALL RISOTTI, YOU ARE READY TO PREPARE THEM JUST LIKE AN ITALIAN !!!

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, THE ORIGINAL!!!!

10/31/2015

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

PARMIGIANO CHEESE IS USED IN A LOT OF ITALIAN DISHES: IT’S GRATED OVER PASTA, SOUPS AND RISOTTO, IT’S USED IN SALADS OR JUST EATEN ON ITS OWN.

THE PARMIGIANO CHEESE (THE REAL ONE IS CALLED PARMIGIANO REGGIANO) IS MADE ONLY IN ITALY: IN THE PROVINCES OF PARMA, REGGIO EMILIA, BOLOGNA (WEST OF RENO RIVER), MODENA AND MANTOVA (SOUTH OF PO RIVER ).
THE GRANA PADANO CHEESE IS VERY SIMILAR TO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO. THIS CHEESE IS PRODUCED MAINLY IN LOMBARDY (PIANURA PADANA, THE PO VALLEY). IT’S USED EXACTLY LIKE THE PARMIGIANO REGGIANO.
THE PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CAN BE FOUND WITH DIFFERENT AGING TIMES:
12 MONTHS (MINIMUM AMOUNT OF AGING)
18-24 MONTHS (OLD)
24-36 MONTHS (VERY OLD)

THE 12 MONTH PARMIGIANO REGGIANO IS VERY GOOD EVEN JUST EATEN IN CHUNKS, MAYBE WITH SOME HONEY, OR IN SALADS, THE OLDER PARMIGIANO IS BETTER TO GRATE OVER PASTA. MANY TIMES IT’S JUST PERSONAL PREFERENCE, WHATEVER YOU LIKE BEST. PERSONALLY, I PREFER THE FRESH PARMIGIANO, BECAUSE IT’S NOT AS SHARP.

ALWAYS GRATE THE PARMIGIANO FRESH, DO NOT BUY THE PRE-GRATED PARMIGIANO, IT CHANGES FLAVOR AND IT'S NOT AS GOOD.

RECENT STUDIES PROVED THAT THE VERY OLD PARMIGIANO REGGIANO (36 MONTHS) DOES NOT CONTAIN LACTOSE AND GALACTOSE, PERFECT FOR WHO IS INTOLLERANT!!
THE REAL PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, IN THE U.S, IS VERY EXPENSIVE, SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO FIND AND, IF YOU DO FIND IT, MANY TIMES IT’S ONLY THE VERY OLD ONE (36 MONTHS). I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THE EXTRA PRICE IS DEFINETLY WORTH IT!! DO NOT GET THE IMITATION !!
ONE THING THAT IS OFTEN DONE IS TO SUBSTITUTE PARMIGIANO WITH PROVOLONE CHEESE. THE FLAVOR OF THE PROVOLONE CHEESE GRATED AS IF IT WERE PARMIGIANO REGGIANO WILL CHANGE THE FLAVOR OF THE FOOD DRASTICALLY, I SUGGEST YOU DO NOT DO THAT!! BETTER NO CHEESE AT ALL!!

HOW TO USE ONIONS

10/25/2015

ONIONS

THERE ARE MAINLY THREE TYPES OF ONIONS COMMONLY USED: WHITE, GOLDEN AND RED.
WHITE AND GOLDEN ONIONS HAVE A MILD FLAVOR, THEY ARE VERY INTERCHANGEABLE.
RED ONIONS HAVE A MUCH STRONGER FLAVOR AND CAN’T BE USED IN PLACE OF THE WHITE ONES, THE RECIPE WOULD CHANGE TOO MUCH.

ONIONS ARE USED AS SIDE DISHES

OR SAUTEED FOR THE PREPARATION OF OTHER DISHES. THEY ARE READY WHEN THEY BECOME TRANSLUCENT.

SOMETIMES IN PLACE OF ONIONS THE RECIPE CALLS FOR: LEEKS, SCALLIONS OR SHALLOTS, USE THEM ONLY IF THE RECIPE CALLS FOR THEM.

DO NOT USE POWDERED, PRE-CUT OR FROZEN ONIONS.
ONIONS WILL LAST A VERY LONG TIME IN THE PANTRY OR REFRIGERATOR.

ONIONS ARE USED WITH CARROTS, CELERY AND SOMETIMES PARSLEY, FOR THE PREPARATION OF MANY DISHES.

THERE ARE MANY SUMMER DISHES THAT CALL FOR RAW ONIONS, IN THAT CASE IT’S BEST TO USE THE “CIPOLLE DI TROPEA” IF YOU FIND THEM. THE CIPOLLE DI TROPEA ARE FROM TROPEA, THEY ARE RED ONIONS AND THEY ARE KNOW FOR NOT REPEATING ON YOU ALL DAY.

HOW TO USE GARLIC AND HERBS

10/17/2015

GARLIC

GARLIC IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ITALIAN COOKING. YOU WILL FIND IT IN MANY RECIPES, BUT IT MUST BE USED PROPERLY.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS GARLIC CAN BE USED:
WHOLE WITH THE SKIN: USED MOSTLY WHEN THE GARLIC HAS TO COOK A LOT AND YOU DO NOT WANT FOR IT TO BURN OR MELT IN THE FOOD, YOU CAN TAKE IT OUT AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
WHOLE WITHOUT THE SKIN: EASY TO TAKE OUT OF THE FOOD AND IT GIVES IT FLAVOR BUT IT’S NOT TOO OVERPOWERING.
CHOPPED: IT GIVES A LOT OF FLAVOR, YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN IT.
SLICED: IT GIVES A LOT OF FLAVOR, YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN IT.
GARLIC IS BEST WHEN USED FRESH: NOT DRYED, POWDERED OR PRE-CHOPPED, THE FLAVOR CHANGES A LOT !!

HERBS

HERBS ARE USED A LOT IN ITALIAN FOOD. THE ONES THAT ARE USED MOST OF ALL ARE:
BASIL: MAINLY USED WITH TOMATOES, VEGETABLES, ETC..
ROSEMARY: MAINLY USED WITH MEATS ETC..
SAGE: MAINLY USED WITH MEATS, BEANS ETC..
PARSLEY: MAINLY USED WITH FISH, MUSHROOMS, CHICKEN BROTH, RISOTTO,ETC... BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN YOU BUY PASLEY, IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE CILANTRO, BUT THE FLAVOR IS EXTREMELY DIFFERENT.
OREGANO: MAINLY USED FOR PIZZA, TOMATOES, ETC.. THIS IS AN HERB USUALLY USED DRY.
EACH RECIPE CALLS FOR IT’S PROPER HERB AND SUBSTITUTIONS MAKE THE FLAVOR OF THE RECIPE CHANGE A LOT !!!
AND REMEMBER, MOST OF THE TIMES THE HERBS MUST BE FRESH, NOT DRY, UNLESS SPECIFIED IN THE RECIPE !!

HOW TO COOK PASTA AL DENTE

10/14/2015

PASTA AL DENTE

HELLO EVERYBODY AND WELCOME TO MY BLOG AND IN MY KITCHEN!
I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE BASICS OF ITALIAN COOKING, WHAT HAPPENS EVERYDAY IN ALL OF THE KITCHENS HERE IN ITALY. SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO BE VERY EASY FOR YOU AND PROBABLY YOU ALREADY KNOW THEM, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BUILD UP FROM THE BASIC AND ARRIVE TO THE MORE DIFFICULT THINGS.
TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT PASTA, MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT “PASTA AL DENTE”.
USE THE APPROPRIATE SIZE POT TO BOIL THE WATER: HALF A POUND OF PASTA CAN EASILY COOK IN A FOUR-QUART (ONE GALLON) POT. AFTER THE WATER HAS COME TO A BOIL, ADD SALT TO TASTE. THE SALT IN THE WATER IS VERY IMPORTANT OTHERWISE THE PASTA WILL HAVE NO FLAVOR. AT THIS POINT ADD THE PASTA TO THE WATER.
IT’S VERY IMPORTANT YOU DON’T OVER COOK THE PASTA, USUALLY YOU HAVE TO STAY 1 TO 2 MINUTES UNDER THE COOKING TIME WRITTEN ON THE BOX.
IF THE COOKING TIME ON THE BOX IS 5-6 MINUTES, YOU STAY UNDER ONLY 1 MINUTE, IF THE COOKING TIME IS 10 MINUTES, YOU CAN STAY UNDER UP TO 2 MINUTES, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO JUDGE DEPENDING ON THE PASTA YOU BUY.
AS YOU NOTICED ON MY RECIPES, AFTER YOU BOIL THE PASTA, YOU HAVE TO “JUMP” “COOK” THE PASTA WITH THE SAUCE A LITTLE LONGER, IF THE PASTA IS ALREADY COMPLETELY COOKED, IT IS GOING TO RESULT TOO COOKED BY THE TIME YOU BRING IT AT TABLE.

AS YOU NOTICED ON MY RECIPES, AFTER YOU BOIL THE PASTA, YOU HAVE TO “JUMP” “COOK” THE PASTA WITH THE SAUCE A LITTLE LONGER, IF THE PASTA IS ALREADY COMPLETELY COOKED, IT IS GOING TO RESULT TOO COOKED BY THE TIME YOU BRING IT AT TABLE.

WELCOME TO MY BLOG