Saturday, April 26, 2008

Italian Balsamic Vinegar For Luxury Recipes



By Daniela Colleo
There is a pleasure that has never known, and will never do, a decline or a negative trend: the pleasure for good food and good drinks.
Over the centuries men tried to improve their aliments sometimes reaching extremely high levels. For the most part of history, and most of the people, food was only something necessary and they tried to improve it in order to better chew and digest it.
But for luckier people, food was not only a matter of nourishment but a pleasure to indulge in.
In our present culture, for a great part of the world population, food unfortunately is still only synonym of survival. No matter how the food tastes and even if it really do any good to your body, as long as you finally have something in your stomach.
On the other hand, millions of people have the opportunity to get really much more food they can reasonably eat. Due to our eating habits, our younger loved are often obese or, in better cases, a little over weight. Poor populations cannot enjoy a proper meal, but funny enough also people who have too much food do not enjoy it and often their meals are partaken quickly, without any real need or desire.
In the middle of these two categories of humanity, there is a smaller group of people, wealthy enough to be able to afford whatever they want, who do not consider food just as a relieve valve to their rage or frustration or sadness, but a matter of culture.
In this environment, curiosity can originate luxury recipes for a very choosy and demanding taste.
One of the ingredients which concurs in creating luxury meals in Italian food is the balsamic vinegar of Modena which can be used with almost everything giving to the meal an unforgettable flavour.
This thick and aromatic vinegar is produced by the fermentation of Trebbiano grapes, which grow around Modena, and is left for at least 10 years in chestnut tree wood barrels.
Balsamic vinegar from Modena is nowadays known worldwide, but you might not known that two of its most exciting uses are as a topping for strawberries or for vanilla ice cream. Eating them with balsamic vinegar of Modena is an experience you should really not miss.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniela_Colleo http://EzineArticles.com/?Italian-Balsamic-Vinegar-For-Luxury-Recipes&id=1121108

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Monday, March 3, 2008

The Best Italian Cooking Recipes

By Echo Wang

Italian cooking is incredibly popular, and it is definitely among the richest and most varied anywhere. The problem is finding an easy Italian recipe to make, which is especially important if you are just a beginner. There are a few really great Italian cooking recipes that are ideal to try out, even for someone who has never cooked Italian food before in their life.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp is a very popular Italian food and shrimp scampi is definitely one of the most widely loved Italian cooking recipes. For this recipe you will need 1 ½ pounds large shrimp, 1/3 cup butter, 4 tablespoons minced garlic, 6 green onions, ¼ cup dry white wine, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare this dish you start off by rinsing the shrimp and setting it aside. Then you want to heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic for a couple of minutes until softened and then add the shrimp, green onions, wine, and lemon juice. You want to cook the shrimp until they are pink and firm, which should take about one to two minutes on each side.

Keep in mind that the trick to this recipe is to not overcook the shrimp. You can add a lot of extra garlic but make sure not to overdo it because you do not want to overshadow the taste of the shrimp. The dish is often served over pasta but can also be served on its own with some crusty bread.

Spaghetti with Mussels

Another of the most popular Italian cooking recipes is spaghetti with mussels. Not only is this considered as being one of the most delicious Italian cooking recipes but one of the easiest to prepare as well.

For this recipe you will need 3 pounds fresh mussels, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 2 whole cloves, ¼ cup dry white wine, 3 quarts water, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 pound spaghetti, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 cup stewed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper.

To prepare, you begin by scrubbing the mussels under cold water, and removing the beards and draining. Then you want to add the mussels, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and wine together in a large saucepan or kettle. Cover this mixture and bring to a boil, and then cook this over high heat until the mussels open. This typically takes about five minutes but times will vary depending on the cooking element.

Finally you add the garlic and cook briefly, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, broth and spaghetti, and then add the mussels to this. Stir and heat for a moment and serve hot.

These Italian cooking recipes are just examples of what authentic Italian cooking is really all about.

Echo Wang is a contributing Editor for http://www.aseni.com/ - Find out which cooking products, treatments & solutions will continue to be beautiful at any time. Our site is dedicated to providing information about cooking well options so you can continue to do it perfect, if want to more information, please visit [http://www.aseni.com/food-and-beverage/cooking-tips/ ]cooking-tips

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Echo_Wang http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-Italian-Cooking-Recipes&id=1018461

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