Understanding Italian Cuisine, the Flavours, Passion and Simplicity
Understanding Italian cuisine is relatively easy with most culinary experts agreeing that Italian cooking is mainly about simplicity; simple recipes, quality ingredients, cooking techniques and passion. However ingredients and technique are some of the two most important components of Italian cooking.
Ingredients in Italian Cooking
Like any other good cooking, Italian cooking is all about ingredients. Many Italian dishes feature a few key ingredients. The first course may consist of pasta or rice with a seasonal ingredient like tomato or another vegetable. A typical second course may consist of meat or fish prepared with seasonal ingredients. Therefore, the ingredients you use will determine the quality of the Italian dish you prepare for your friends or family. However, there are various tips for choosing the right ingredients for your Italian dish.
Use the freshest, quality produce available. Although other types of cooking also require use of fresh produce, this is especially important for Italian cooking. Quality Italian cooking is simply not possible without the use of fresh ingredients. Italy produces some of the best quality fruits and vegetables in the world. There, you will find tomatoes with an intense taste and vegetables bursting with flavors. These produce are essential to Italian cuisine. Although it may be difficult to find Italian-produced vegetables in your country, consider buying your ingredients at farmer’s markets and if possible, buy organic. In many cases, local, organic vegetables and other farm produce taste better than produce that has been shipped in from across the country.
Once you find a source of fresh produce, it is still important to examine the vegetables and fruits you intend to buy to ensure that they are fresh. This is often easy to tell even without special expertise. Fresh produce should smell what it is, so avoid buying odorless fruits and vegetables. In addition, consider buying smaller vegetables, as they tend to have rich flavors and texture. However, if you find it difficult to get fresh produce in your local shops, consider making your Italian dishes when most of the required ingredients are in season. This way, you will get fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables at relatively lower rates.
Many Italian dishes are often prepared to celebrate or mark the passage of the seasons. Asparagus, zucchini, pumpkin, and radicchio are common ingredients for Italian dishes in spring, summer, fall, and winter respectively. Many people find the arrival of certain fruits and vegetables of the seasons something to celebrate.
Finally, consider buying produce in their whole state. For example, buy carrots with their tops still on. Stems, leaves, and ends help to preserve the flavor of fruits and vegetables. In addition, they provide the best visual cues for the freshness of the produce. In addition, consider buying organic meat and chicken.
Italian Cooking Techniques
Once you have found the fresh and quality ingredients you need, put them to use. Italian cooking is all about simplicity. However, developing your technique can make all the difference. A simple Italian dish like ajo ajo can be watery, sublime, or even messy depending on who is cooking. There are a few key tips to keep in mind when developing your technique.
Learn to season food, especially with salt. This is one of the most important techniques in Italian cooking. However, the seasoning should not be overpowering. There are two main types of seasoning ingredients in Italian cooking: salt and sugar. Many people add little salt to their food because of the health risks associated with salt and the fear of over-salting. Of course, you can always add salt later to your food, but adding salt to food that has already been cooked is a different seasoning technique than adding salt to food while it is cooking. When it comes to seasoning, it is important not to go too far in either direction. Just use enough seasoning to highlight the flavor of the ingredients in your dish.
Learn to use a knife. One of the most basic Italian cooking techniques that you need to learn is how to make proper use of a knife. Almost every Italian recipe will involve cutting one or more ingredients up. While many people know how to use a knife when cooking, you can save substantial amounts of time by learning to use your knife safely and correctly. How you cut your ingredients affects their taste and texture. Seasoning ingredients should be cut into thin or small pieces so that they mix well into the dish and main ingredients cut into even-sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate and retain their basic shape and identity.
Italian cooking is mainly about simplicity in ingredients and technique. Whatever cozy meal you decide to prepare, it is important to master the basic techniques of Italian cooking and follow the recipe carefully. Italian cooking is not difficult, just put your heart into it.
Italian cooking has some of the tastiest yet sublime foods in the world. In addition, Italian dishes are remarkably easy to prepare. With Italian cooking, you can easily substitute one ingredient for another and create dishes on the fly.
Italian Restaurant in Chiang Mai
Italics, a contemporary Italian restaurant, is located in the boutique hotel Akyra Manor, positioned just outside of Chiang Mai’s Old City. With another location in Bangkok that opened back in the spring of 2015, Michelin-starred chef James Noble is taking his innovative concept up to Chiang Mai to show off the restaurant’s use of Thai ingredients in Italian cuisine.
By using fresh ingredients from a bountiful local economy, and transforming them into a world-renowned cuisine, Italics has taken something familiar and enlivened it with an interesting twist. Italian food will always be cherished. From classics like pizza and pasta, to the combination of simple ingredients, it’s no wonder the world has fallen in love with the cuisine of Italy, making its transformation into something new and exciting at Italics an even bigger feat. But whether you’re looking for classic Italian fare or an innovative twist on something familiar, Italics in Chiang Mai is sure to please
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ITALICS
22/2 Nimmana Haeminda Road Soi 9,
Su Thep, Muang Chiang Mai District,
Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
T : +66 (0) 5 321 6219