Cozy. Pasta, pizza, parmesan, herbs… Italian gastronomy and its quality products

Why does Italian cuisine have so many followers? Of course, because this dish is simple and friendly, festive, fragrant and colorful! Through clever combinations and subtle spices, it excites the taste buds and one starts dreaming in front of the pleasure promised by the antipasti.

Antipasto? This is a delicious appetizer offered for lunch and dinner. They consist of smoked meats, clam salad, olives, raw or candied vegetables, ham garnished with figs… The whole application is oh so voracious and tempting!

And that’s not counting the soups, rice and pasta dishes, poultry, fish and seafood specialties, as well as delicious meats, pizzas and other desserts which also offer a very wide choice.

Italians make good use of aromatic herbs. The secret is to use them at the right time and in the right proportions, because Italian cooking is all about refinement.

Some kind of spaghetti! Some kind of spaghetti!

No, pasta is not fattening! And if we pay attention to the balance, it is precisely the amount of butter or oil that we must pay attention to.

Alongside tons of dried pasta, there is a must-have fresh pasta that is simply delicious. How about making it at home? If it requires skill, it’s definitely worth it.

Cooking is not only a matter of taste. Overripe, they become sticky, soft and unappetizing. Poorly dried, they lose flavor and are more difficult to season.

Always give very large volumes of water. Even for a small amount of pasta, 3 liters of water is needed. You will need 4 liters of water to cook 500 g of pasta.

Bring the salted water to a boil, add the pasta, stirring from time to time and letting it cook al dente, tender but firm to the bite. Then drain very carefully and add a little olive oil. Accompany them with fresh grated parmesan and chopped basil.

On the cheese side: parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta…

Its flagship product is, of course, Parmesan cheese. It is best after two years of drying and ripening. It gets stronger and stronger if allowed to age. You have to buy it in pieces, because it can’t be compared to grated Parmesan cheese stored in a packet.

Mozzarella is a white cheese that is often used in cooking because it melts easily. Isn’t that in most pizzas?

Other examples of cheeses: ricotta, made from whey and used primarily for fillings; and gorgonzola, with its bluish veins, which should be soft and chewy when cooked. Also mention bel paese, pecorino, fontine, provolone, and caciocavallo.

On the charcuterie side: Parma ham or mortadella…

Parma ham has long been knighted. Feeding the pigs with cheese whey, an ancestral method of salting and drying practiced in the hills gives this ham a unique taste. It is eaten in thin slices, like its cousin San Daniele.

Bresaola, very popular, is beef tenderloin that is dried, salted and eaten in thin strips. Their salami is in no way comparable to what we eat in France. It is a long sausage made from pork and spices which come in many variations. The most famous is Milan. In the same style: mortadella, also made with pork and spices.

Cotechino is a lightly salted pork sausage, weighing from 500 g to 1 kg. It is eaten sliced ​​with lentils or beans, or cold and in salads, after being cooked in boiling water.

Luganega is a long, coarsely chopped pork sausage, also called salsiccia. It is fried, boiled or baked and served with potatoes or lentils.

Herbs

It is their abundance that gives Italian cuisine a special flavor. Fresh, they develop precious fragrances. Basil has no equal: its incomparable taste perfectly complements salads, tomato sauces and soups. Laurel flavor roasts, stews, and soups. Oregano remains a must-have for pizza and stews.

Parsley, plainly flat, goes with everything. Rosemary goes well with lamb, pork, poultry and fish. Sage flavored veal and chicken cooked in wine.