POLENTA

Most people think of pasta as the quintessential Italian Dish, and this is true for much of the Peninsula, especially the south. Polenta, on the other hand, was the staple food of the poor in the North, especially those living out in the country. Prior to the introduction of corn in the late 1700s it consisted of grains and/or legumes mashed and cooked to a mush, and seasoned with oil, onion, fennel, honey, or whatever was available. Uninspiring, but certainly nutritious enough to keep people alive. 

With the introduction of corn things changed radically, as the land owners discovered that the new grain was more productive than the traditional grains, and they could therefore devote more of their land to crops that would bring them income if they had their tenant farmers subsist on corn. The corn was milled like the traditional grains had always been, and polenta came to mean corn meal mush. 

Polenta and Black Leaf Kale

 

Though Italians generally associate cavolo nero with Tuscany, it's grown throughout the land, and this recipe is from the Valle d'Aosta. It's generally served as a one-course meal. You'll need:

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours,

Ingredients:

·         Polenta made with a half pound (225 g) of corn meal (instructions below)

·         1/2 pound (225 g) dried white beans, soaked overnight in abundant water

·         A slice of cured lard or pancetta, minced

·         1 1/2 pounds (650 g) black leaf kale

·         Simmering meat broth (have a quart, or liter, handy, though you won't need it all-

·         -- unsalted bouillon will work if need be)

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Begin by boiling the beans in abundant water for 2 hours or until soft, salting them when they are just about done.

While they are cooking, make the polenta: Heat a quart (1 l) of water in a pot, and when it begins to boil lightly salt it and add the corn meal in a thin stream, stirring briskly. Continue stirring for 40 minutes, adding a hot water if it looks to be thickening too much -- it should be fairly soft. It will be done when it is creamy, and comes away easily from the sides of the pot.

And see to the rest of the dish: wash the kale and strip the ribs from the leaves. Cut them into thin strips and simmer them in broth to cover until cooked, about 40 minutes. When the kale is done, drain the beans and add them to it.

Turn the polenta out onto a polenta board and serve it with the kale and bean mixture, together with a tossed salad and a lively red wine, for example Sassella Superiore from the Valtellina, a Valcalepio Rosso, or a Garda Classico Groppello.

 

LASAGNE

LASAGNE

Lasagne is a wide, flat pasta shape and possibly one of the oldest. As with most other types of pasta, the word is a plural form, lasagne meaning more than one piece of lasagna ribbon. The word also refers to a dish made with this type of pasta in several layers interspersed with layers of various ingredients and sauces.

Lasagne originated in Italy, in the region of Emilia-Romagna A traditional Bolognese lasagne is made by interleaving layers of pasta with layers of sauce, made with ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. In other regions and outside of Italy it is common to find lasagne made with ricotta or mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, various meats (e.g., ground beef, pork or chicken), and miscellaneous vegetables (e.g., spinach, zucchini, mushrooms). In all cases the lasagne are oven-baked. Lasagne is typically flavoured with wine, garlic, onion, and oregano.

Traditionally, the dough was prepared in Southern Italy with semolina and water and in the northern regions, where semolina was not available, with flour and eggs. Today in Italy, since the only type of wheat allowed for commercially sold pasta is durum wheat, commercial lasagne noodles are made of semolina (from durum wheat).

ETYMOLOGY

There are three theories on the origin of the word "lasagne", two of which denote an ancient Greek dish. The main theory is that lasagne comes from Greek λάγανον (laganon), a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips The word λαγάνα (lagana) is still used in Greek to mean a flat thin type of unleavened bread.

Another theory is that the word lasagne comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot" The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin.  The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagne is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish.

A third theory proposed that the dish is a development of the 14th century English recipe "Loseyn"^[ as described in The Forme of Cury, a cook book in use during the reign of Richard II. This has similarities to modern lasagne in both its recipe, which features a layering of ingredients between pasta sheets, and its name. An important difference is the lack of tomatoes, which did not arrive in Europe until after Columbus reached America in 1492. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in a herbal written in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli while the earliest discovered cookbook with tomato recipes was published in Naples in 1692, though the author had apparently obtained these recipes from Spanish sources

   RECIPE

   ·         Cooking:
   70 min

   ·         Preparation:
   30 min

   ·         For:
   8 persons

 INGREDIENTs:

·         Lasagne: 500 g

·         Grated Parmigiano Reggiano 200 g

·         Bechamel: about 1 kg

BOLOGNESE SAUCE:

·       Carrot: 1

·       A dusting of pepper

·       Onion: 1

·       Olive Oil: 4 spoons

·       Milk: a glass

·       Butter: 50 g

·       Red wine: 1 glass

·       Salt

·       Bacon: 100 g

·       Minced beef: 259 g

·       Minced pork: 250g

·       Meat broth: 250ml

·       Pulped tomatoes: 250 ml

·       Celery: 1 rib

Prepare the meat broth. Then mince onion, carrot and celery and let them fry in a pan with the olive oil and butter.

Finely chop the bacon and a few minutes later, add it to the pan along with the chopped meat, then fry it all for a few minutes over high heat.

Add the red wine and let it evaporate keeping a high flame.

At this point add also the tomatoes, broth, pepper and a pinch of salt and let it cook in the pot partially covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding the broth remained and lastly the milk.

While your sauce is cooking, prepare the béchamel, remembering that for the lasagne  it should be fairly smooth. When sauce is ready, you preheat the oven to 160 degrees and begin to assemble your lasagne: Grease a rectangular pan (1), spread a couple of tablespoons of sauce (2) and line the bottom with pasta (3), then cover with a few tablespoons of béchamel (4). Then cover with plenty of sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (5). Cover with the other dough (6) and proceed in the same way to achieve the second layer.

Formed more layers depending on the baking sheet and until exhausting all the ingredients. In a saucepan, mix the sauce with a little of béchamel  (7) and finish your lasagne with a thin and light coating of the mixture (8). Finally, sprinkle your lasagne with plenty of Parmesan cheese (9) and bake the whole thing for at least 50-60 minutes. 

The lasagne will be ready when they have a beautiful colour and a golden crust. Once ready, remove from oven and let the lasagne cool for 10 minutes, then cut into the pan and serve while still hot.

FRIED FISH

FRIED FISH                                           





1 kilo of sardins                                               
olive oil
salt
lemon juice
flour
chopped parsley

Clean the sardins and leave them to seive. Roll them in the flour so that they are dry. Fry them in hot olive oil and when they become brownish put them on a plate. Add the salt, the lemon juice and some chopped parsley.

                                                                      

SHRIMPS

          SEA FOOD
           SHRIMPS



1/2 a kilo of shrimps
olive oil
salt
parsley
lemon juice

Clean the shrimps with water and cook them in low heat until they change colour.Don't add any water. When they are ready put them in a plate and add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and chopped parsley. Serve with fish or other kinds of sea food. Drink ouzo or raki.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7KFAprxC-VdS0ZYZ3l0YTVnYWM/edit?usp=sharing

The Mediterranean diet

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The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, southern Italy, and Spain. The principal aspects of this diet include proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of meat and meat products.

On November 17, 2010, UNESCO recognized this diet pattern as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Italy, Greece, Spain and Morocco.

Despite its name, this diet is not typical of all Mediterranean cuisine. In Northern Italy, for instance, lard and butter are commonly used in cooking, and olive oil is reserved for dressing salads and cooked vegetables. In both North Africa and the Middle East, sheep's tail fat and rendered butter (samna) are the traditional staple fats, with some exceptions.

History

Although it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Pioppi, Italy, the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s.

Mediterranean diet is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found

Health effects

The Mediterranean diet often is cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. One of the main explanations is thought to be the health effects of olive oil included in the Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet is high in salt content.Foods such as olives, salt-cured cheeses, anchovies, capers, and salted fish roe all contain high levels of salt.

The inclusion of red wine is considered a factor contributing to health as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.

Dietary factors are only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by certain Mediterranean cultures. A healthy lifestyle (notably a physically active lifestyle or labour) is also beneficial. Environment may also be involved.  There is an inverse association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the incidence of fatal and non fatal heart disease in initially healthy middle aged adults in the Mediterranean region.

A 2011 systematic review found that a Mediterranean diet appeared to be more effective than a low-fat diet in bringing about long-term changes to cardiovascular risk factors, such as lowering cholesterol level and blood pressure. 

 Interestingly, residents of the Mediterranean are also observed to have very low rates of skin cancer (which is widely believed to be caused by over-exposure to solar UV radiation); incidence of melanomas in the Mediterranean countries is lower than in Northern Europe and significantly lower than in other hot countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It has been hypothesized that some components of the Mediterranean diet may provide protection against skin cancer.

A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry shows that people who followed the Mediterranean diet were less likely to develop depression.

Nutrition according to  religions

Nutrition  has always played an important role in religion and it is expressed in different ways. We collected some information about the most important religions in the world.

Nutrition according to Muslims

Muslims cannot eat pork, camel or animals found dead and they cannot eat meat with the blood of any animal. The use of fermented beverages is forbidden, there are no restrictions on the consumption of legumes or grains and there are no prohibitions regarding the combination of foods. We must observe complete fasting in the month of Ramadan, two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset. During the course of the meals is advisable to use the right hand. Remember that you need to wash your hands starting from the right before to eat.

 Nutrition according to  Christians.

For Christians, there are no limitations, the only limit is generally for meat and sausages on Lent Fridays, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In these two days, they generally fast.

 Nutrition according to  Hebrews.

For Jews instead the issue of food is more complex, in fact, they divide the food into clean and unclean: vegetables are all pure,  while there are strict regulations about meat. First of all they do not eat pork or other animal that does not have the socket cut, also they do not eat game, shellfish and mollusk. Among fish and  birds  are allowed only certain categories such as chicken, turkey, goose. The animal meat can be eaten only if it is subjected to a ritual slaughter, immersed in water for half an hour, then salted for an hour and then rinse. Finally, for the Jews, you cannot eat meat and dairy products together, they cannot be cooked together and even the dishes with which they are cooked should be kept separate.

Nutrition according to  Hindus

Those who profess the Hindu faith believe that every form of animal life is sacred, so they are strictly vegetarian.

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Nutrition according to  Buddhists

Buddhists observing a rule laid down by the Buddha, have no particular limitations, only the monks who live in monasteries, do not take solid food in the evening.