Thursday, October 22, 2015

International food blog: INTERNATIONAL: Flavor Bases: Part 2 - ITALIAN: ...

International food blog: INTERNATIONAL: Flavor Bases: Part 2 - ITALIAN: ...: ITALIAN:   Battuto, Soffritto, Trito, Crudo Recipes below photos A  battuto   usually a very finely chopped mixture of  lardo  (cur...




INTERNATIONAL: Flavor Bases: Part 2 - ITALIAN: Battuto, Soffritto, Trito and Crudo Photos and Info

ITALIAN:  

Battuto, Soffritto, Trito, Crudo

Recipes below photos
battuto  usually a very finely chopped mixture of lardo (cured pork back fat), salt pork, pork fat, or pancetta with garlic and onions. It can also contain celery, carrots, chilies, and/or other chopped ingredients.  
Lardo battuto is cured pork fat pounded to a cream with herbs and garlic, used for stuffing or added to a broth or stew at the beginning or end of cooking. 
It becomes a soffritto when it is gently sautéed in olive oil usually a mixture of vegetables: usually onion, celery, 
carrot, garlic, herbs,and sometimes lardo or pancetta – sautéed in olive oil or butter until they become soft and caramelized, imparting their flavors to any ingredient that follows.
trito is the same as a battuto but doesn’t contain pork.   It’s very finely chopped onions, celery, garlic, carrot, and parsley.  
Crudo is a trito of raw vegetables and herbs or other ingredients that are added to a dish or sauce, and then cooked.   It can also be a mixture of raw herbs and vegetables that is put directly on (or mixed with) cooked food just before serving, as in Venetian risi e bisi (rice and peas) or pasta primavera.
Italians take their battuti and soffritti very seriously.  


Saturday, October 17, 2015

INTERNATIONAL: Flavor Bases: Part 1 - FRENCH: Mirepoix - Info and VIDEO

FRENCH MIREPOIX: 

mire·poix   meerˈpwä/
noun:  a mixture of sautéed chopped vegetables used in various sauces.
Origin - French,named after the Duc de Mirepoix (1699–1757), French general.

A mirepoix is a roughly chopped vegetable cut, usually a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery. Mirepoix, raw, roasted or sautéed with butter or olive oil, is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. Wikipedia

RECIPES USING MIREPOIX:

FROM EPICURIOUS

FROM BBC      (Click on "link" on BBC page to see all three recipes)

FIVE SOUPS FROM THE QUEEN'S TABLE  (Great pics)

FROM THE CIVILIZEDCAVEMANCOOKING - CROCK POT RECIPE

Video below photo of mirepoix.





All about mirepoix VIDEO LINK:  



INDIA: Cooking Staples: Produce

There are several staples in Indian cooking.

PRODUCE


  • Coconut (especially in coastal India)  
  • Green unripe mangoes  
  • Cluster beans  
  • Fenugreek leaves  
  • Bitter melon
  • Carrots  
     
  • Beets  
  • Cauliflower  
  • Bharta (eggplant)
  • Rhim Jihm (eggplant)
  • Cucumber
  • Indian Yellow Cucumber
  • Cabbage

  • Green peppers
  • Okra
  • Indian spinach
  • Amaranth greens
  • Drumsticks
  • Bottle gourd
  • Pointed gourd
  • Ivy gourd
  • Snake gourd
  • Taro Root
  • Flat bean
  • Tomatoes
  • Potatoes