cereali integrali e farine integrali: il riepilogo

August 2, 2011 | Simona

Healing Foods: whole grains and whole-grain flours

Hosting the July 2011 edition of Healing Foods was a lot of fun. Healing Foods is a monthly event started in January 2010 by Siri of Cooking with Siri. It aims at focusing on a food item or, as in this case, a group of food items (whole grains and whole-grain flours), to highlight their health benefits. The event invites you to come up with healthy vegetarian recipes and you have responded with a series of very interesting dishes.

For each contribution I received, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a short quote or brief description that summarizes it — a small bite, a sample of the delicacy to be fully savored by reading the relevant post.

Vardhini of Vardhini's Kitchen contributes Tabbouleh using Quinoa
Fresh vegetables and herbs accompany nutritious quinoa in this refreshing salad, a variation on the traditional Middle Eastern dish

Vanessa of Sweet Artichoke presents Chia and amaranth crackers (gluten free / eggless)
"Amaranth is an amazing source of nutriments… its tiny seeds are very high in protein, in an amino acid called lysine and in minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium!"

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes contributes Eggless Oats, Cornmeal & Apple Scones
Dairy-free and eggless scones, satisfying and healthy (quite addictive, though) to be enjoyed with any spread you like for a quick breakfast.

Sukanya of saffronstreaks offers bulgur khichdi
"The goodness of broken wheat lies in its versatility, it can be paired with almost anything:" here it is paired with golden lentils, vegetables and tomatoes.

Janet of The Taste Space contributes Pomegranate-Lime Asparagus Quinoa Salad
"It had all the elements of a nice main meal salad with quinoa, asparagus and greens. The dressing is tart from the pomegranate molasses with a background of lime."

Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare presents insalata di grano e badenjan (wheat berry salad with eggplant yogurt dip) Badenjan, a Persian dip make with roasted eggplant and yogurt, is used as a dressing for cooked wheat berries.

Lata Raja of Flavours and Tastes contributes Whole wheat adai dosai
Adai made with whole wheat, barley, sorghum and legumes was as good as the one made with soaking and grinding rice, "as soft and very delectable."

Harini-Jaya of Tamalapaku presents Home Made Paneer Pizza with Whole Wheat
India meets Italy when homemade paneer is used as topping for pizza with a whole-wheat flour crust.

Krithi of Krithi's Kitchen offers Ragi Kaara Biscuits
"Ragi or Finger Millet is a very healthy whole grain… sometimes not desirable for the palate. But… here comes the healthy and tasty ragi savory cookies."

Krithi of Krithi's Kitchen offers also Ragi Dosa
"Ragi or Finger millet is a healthy whole grain. This dosa can be prepared when you want to try something new but also quick and easy."

Muskaan of A2Z Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine presents Quinoa oats mix vegetable crepe / dosa
"A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa is high in protein, the protein it supplies is complete, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids."

Reva of Kaarasaaram contributes Squash Sandwich with Brown Rice and Soya Mince
Grilled butternut squash sandwiches a filling of brown rice and soya mince that is chewy and spicy, and provides a contrast of flavour and texture to the squash.

Janet of The Taste Space contributes also Sushi Bowl with Asparagus and Avocado
A lively citrus-flavoured sushi bowl… The key to keep this a sushi bowl, and not a rice salad, is to include the toasted nori strips.

And another contribution from Janet: Bulgur and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint and Hazelnut
A seemingly simple salad but the citrus-spiked bulgur salad works incredibly well with the cantaloupe. As with any salad, quality ingredients make this jump to the next level.

tigerfish of An Escape to Food brings us Radish, Raisins and Cauliflower Quinoa Salad
A main-course salad kept light "by incorporating raw and/or lightly cooked (e.g. gently steamed or instantly blanched) ingredients such as raw radish, and blanched/steamed cauliflower."

Siri of Cooking with Siri presents Wholegrain Idlis
'You would not feel the difference either in taste or texture when compared to the normal ones. An added bonus is the extra serving of whole grains incorporated" in them.

Richa of Hobby And More offers Multigrain Multifruit mini bread Loaf
"These tiny slices have whole wheat flour, bread flour, flaxmeal and quinoa! And the fruits! Strawberries, blueberries and Apple! One whole mish mash of whole lot of stuff!"

Richa of Hobby And More offers also Blueberry Oats Semolina Laddoo (vegan)
A "Yummy Vegan Laddoo! (Not a truffle or a cookie, but somewhere in between) This one has blueberries, oats, semolina and some cashews and raisins!"

Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal offers Barley Coconut Milk Payasam
This recipe is based on the traditional Goduma Pradhaman (Whole Wheat Payasam). "The combination of cooked barely simmered in coconut milk with jaggery was an instant hit."

Krithi of Krithi's Kitchen offers yet another dish: Barley Upma
Krithi "recently discovered pressed barley or barley flakes which… can be substituted for rolled oats or quick cooking oats or poha(aval)… or rice" (in pongal).

Shobha of Food Mazaa presents Jowar ki Roti ( Millet)
Roti made with millet flour (Jowar atta, also known as Jowari, Juar. Rolling this roti is a bit difficult, so you can roll it between sheets of plastic wrap.

Devi Sujatha offers Dhebra- A Gujarati Delight

Ingredients:

Bajra/millet flour – 1/2 cup
Wheat flour – 1/2 cup
Besan – 1/4 cup
Semolina/ rava – 2 tbsp
Kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves – 1/4 cup (replace with fresh methi leaves, if available)
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
cooking oil – 2 tbsp
salt 1/2 tsp or to taste
live yogurt – 1/2 cup
oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix the flours in a bowl. Add rava and kasuri methi. Add oil, ginger garlic paste, sesame seeds and all the other seasonings to the flour. Now mix yogurt with little water and add to the flour mixture little by little to and make into a semi soft dough. Add water if necessary to bring out the required consistency. Cover the dough and leave it overnight to ferment or atleast for 4 hours.

The next day, before making dhebras, heat oil in a kadai, for deep frying. cover the work top with plastic wrap. grease it with oil. Make small balls out of the dough. Pat the balls flat with finger tips. Slip these to the hot oil. Fry in a medium flame until brown. Enjoy these dhebras with a dip of your choice. Makes a perfect heathy snack.

You can make this even healthier by adding Corn flour (Makka Cholam).

Denny of Oh Taste n See offers Baked Ragi Lauki Kofta Curry
Finger millet (ragi) flour is used as binding agent in these koftas, which are then baked instead of fried: "much easier and much healthier."

Anu of Anu's Healthy Kitchen contributes Corn Stuffed in Spinach Roti Pockets
Grilled fresh sweet corn has a great flavor and is a very healthy snack to bite into when you just are standing on your deck and watching the nature around.

Another contribution from Janet of The Taste Space: Millet Bowl with Spinach, Leek and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
"My mission: figure out how make the best fluffy millet. Because it isn’t just for the birds. Nutty and reminiscent of spongy couscous, I really liked it!"

R & R of Tadka Pasta presents Multigrain Bread Tune-up
"With a cup of whole wheat flour adding to the fiber content, the goodness of oats and the palatable notes from an entire cast of supporting grains, this is a recipe that we turn to often."

Vatsala of Show and Tell offers Brown rice Dosa
"I decided to make dosa with brown rice and I'm very happy with the result. After trying the dosa with brown rice, now I've stopped using white rice for dosa."

Brii of briggishome contributes oat and vegetable soup:
On the surface, it is a simple soup, but the cooking method is special: the soup is baked in the oven, and can be prepared to be eaten immediately or to be stored for future use.

Jaya of Desisoccermom presents Quinoa, barley and wild rice salad
"You can make this salad a day or two ahead to save on time and to let the flavors blend nicely. In fact, it does taste better the day after it is made."

Denny of Oh Taste n See offers also Whole wheat – wheat berry dosa
(and receives my apologies for misplacing her email and leaving out her second contribution)
"This is by far the crispiest dosas I had ever made – and healthiest too. Chock full of fiber from the whole grains. The batter itself is speckled with the outer bran of the wheat."

Simona of briciole prepared rye apple cake (torta di segale e mela)
A great cake for a sweet breakfast or to go with a cup of tea: rye flour, almond meal and an apple give to the cake a very satisfying flavor and texture.

Simona of briciole prepared also rye bread with thyme flowers and chive blossoms
Whole-wheat and rye flours meet blossoms from Simona's herb garden and the result is a lovely, healthy bread perfect for spreads and cheese.

Thank you so much to all who participated and contributed an array of beautiful recipes full of healthy whole grains and whole-grain flours. I am sure readers will find this roundup a great source of inspiration for enriching their diet. And thanks to Siri of Cooking with Siri for giving me the opportunity to host her event. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.

Before I proceed with some concluding remarks, there is an important piece of business to take care of: the assignment of two books to two participants. Excluding myself and Siri, I have received contributions from 22 bloggers, which I entered in a list according to the order of submission of their first contribution. The random number generator gave me as result 7 and 21, so the result is (drum roll, please):

Cooking At Home With Pedatha goes to Lata Raja of Flavours and Tastes
Sukham Ayu goes to Brii of briggishome

Congratulations to the winners!

And that concludes my roundup, which will be added to all the previous ones on the Healing Foods event page. As you read this, the August 2011 edition of Healing Foods is already under way, hosted by Amy of Savory Moments who chose the theme: zucchini and summer squash. Amy will be happy to receive your contribution until August 31, 2011.

Arrivederci a presto

whole grain

pane di segale ai fiori di timo e di erba cipollina / rye bread with thyme flowers and chive blossoms

July 25, 2011 | Simona

For the current edition of Cook the Books, we are reading Sarah Addison Allen’s novel Garden Spells. Not unlike a book I discusseda few months ago (Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch), Garden Spells is a fairy tale, and like all good fairy tales, it is a satisfying reading.

My favorite character of the novel is the good fairy, a.k.a. Evanelle. She accepts herself the way she is and also accepts other people the way they are, without trying to change their attitudes, actions or beliefs. What she does is giving them "things they may need" and she does so in the open. There is no hidden meaning in her actions, because she has no idea what specific need the "thing" will answer.

From the garden of the title, Claire, one of the two sisters who are the protagonists of the novel, gets herbs and flowers. She uses them in the preparation of dishes for her catering business and of drinks and preserves. Some of this products are meant to influence the eater/drinker. In this, then, Claire is different from Evanelle.

I am not a gardener, but I have a small space where I conduct experiments with varying degrees of success. Small and irregularly tended as it is, my garden is always a place of magic, though not of spells.

I have a set of foxglow plants (digitale) that are taller than the house^₁, a dark pink sweet pea (pisello odoroso) that is blooming with enthusiasm, sprouting radishes and red Russian kale, leaf lettuce, various members of the allium family, red and purple poppies (papaveri), a number of other culinary herbs (erbe aromatiche)

and chocolate sunflowers (girasoli)

I have never really used flowers in my dishes and reading Garden Spells made me want to perform a small-scale test. As I mentioned in my most recent post, I am trying to become better at using rye flour (farina di segale), which I get as part of my share in a grain CSA. My first rye bread adventure, a few months ago, did not go well, but as I was perusing a recent King Arthur Flour catalog, a recipe caught my attention: Canapé Pumpernickel Bread. I halved the quantities and shaped the dough into a 13-inch baton. I really liked the result: the flavor is complex, the texture rich with whole grains but still smooth.

I thought that this rye bread would lend itself to be enriched with flowers, so I harvested and added the following to the dough: the flowers of three sprigs of my lemon thyme, two chive blossoms and a few flowers of winter savory (santoreggia).

Chive Blossom — ensures you will win an argument. Conveniently, also an antidote for hurt feelings.

flowering lemon thyme

I don't know if thyme flowers have any special power (the Waverley Kitchen Journal at the end of the novel does not include an entry for thyme), but I am officially in love with the bread I made. The flavor of thyme is there and a light hint of onion. I think that next time I will be a bit more daring and increase the quantities.

This is the list of ingredients I used to make the bread. I am reporting the "volume" version, but I actually looked at the "weight" version, converted ounces to grams, then halved the quantities and weighed the ingredients accordingly.

3/4 cup [80 g] whole-grain rye flour (see my previous post)
3/4 cup [90 g] all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup [55 g] whole-wheat flour (I get this also as part of my CSA grain share)
1/2 cup [30 g] large flakes of rye bran that I sift off the stone-ground flour (see my previous post) [note that this is not the same as rye chops, but my approximation using an ingredient I have at hand]
1 tablespoon [14 g] gluten flour
1 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 cup [175 ml] lukewarm water
1 1/2 [22.5 ml] tablespoons olive oil
flowers from three springs of lemon thyme, two chive blossoms (florets separated) and a few flowers of winter savory

I followed the instructions as stated in the original recipe, except that I made one baton and let it rise on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I heated the oven to 375 F with an empty baking sheet inside and when the bread was ready to be baked, I sprinkled its surface with a bit of water, moved it with the parchment paper on the hot baking sheet and put it in the oven.

Slices of this rye bread are great served with spreads (like my roasted pepper and almond dip in the top photo) and cheese.

Back to Garden Spells, towards the end of the novel, there is a sentence that I really liked and I hope I won't forget:

When you're happy for yourself, it fills you. When you're happy for someone else, it pours over.

I think the same can be said about sadness. I spent a fair amount of time in my garden during the weekend, trying to focus on small tasks, as a reaction to the pouring over of sadness caused by reading news and watching images coming from Norway. As I mentioned in a previous post, I love Norway, I think that nature-wise it is the most beautiful country in Europe. Many times during my two visits, I felt like I was in a magical kingdom. It is difficult to grasp the reality of such an enchanted place being visited by unspeakable horror. I hope what happened will not change Norway. The country and its people are special and they will always have a special place in my heart.

¹ As Lori Lynn mentions in her comment, foxglove is poisonous. It is very common around here and reseeds itself. I keep it for two reasons: it's a beautiful plant and deer don't like it.

This is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books, hosted by Rachel of The Crispy Cook. You can find the guidelines for participating in the event here, and here is the announcement.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

I am also contributing this post to the July edition of Healing Foods, the event created and organized by Siri of Cooking with Siri and hosted this month by Simona of briciole (that would be me). I chose the theme of the month to be whole grains and whole-grain flours.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

pane di segale ai fiori di timo e di erba cipollina

or launch the pane di segale ai fiori di timo e di erba cipollina audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

rye flour, bread, thyme, chives

insalata di broccoli / broccoli salad

July 3, 2011 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Three weeks ago, on the table of Green Fire Farm at the Arcata farmers’ market, there was a small basket with three broccoli heads labeled “first of the season.” I put them all in my basket. I have a tried-and-true recipe for a broccoli salad that uses a miso and walnut dressing. But the broccoli heads I had in my hands asked for a lighter dressing and I complied. When vegetables are newly picked and grown with TLC, I like to prepare them simply so their flavor can shine.

As mentioned in an earlier post, vegetable star, super-healthy cavolo broccolo may one day decide to sue the Italian language for slander. In fact, calling someone broccolo is not a compliment: it means fool. According to my Italian dictionary, broccolo comes from brocco, which means stick; in times past, it meant shoot, sprout. Note that calling someone brocco is not a compliment either. A brocco is an incapable person, and also an inferior or worn-out horse. So, you can imagine what I thought the first time I heard the word bronco. And now, back to the broccoli salad.

Ingredients:

broccoli
olive oil of good quality
balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico) of good quality
sea salt
dry roasted hazelnuts (nocciole)

Wash and cut broccoli heads into florets. Halve large florets lengthwise to get bite-sized pieces. Peel the tough outer layer of the stalk(s), quarter if very thick, and cut crosswise into short lengths. Steam to desired softness. (I like both broccoli and cauliflower soft, but I know that not everybody shares my preference.) Remove from the steam basket and let cool in a salad bowl (insalatiera).

In a small jar, measure oilve oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. (I like my vegetables with a lot of vinegar, another preference that I cannot assume everybody shares.) Screw on the lid and shake well. Distribute some of the vinaigrette on the broccoli and toss gently. Crush hazelnuts with mortar and pestle and sprinkle on top of the broccoli. Toss again. Serve with additional vinaigrette on the side.

Like the recently presented zucchine al pomodoro, this is a side dish that challenges my self-control.

This is my contribution to edition #290 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Cinzia of Cindystar.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di broccoli

or launch the insalata di broccoli audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

[jump to Comments]

insalata di broccoli

Tre settimane fa, al banco di Green Fire Farm al farmers’ market di Arcata c’era un cestino con del cavolo broccolo e un biglietto con su scritto “primo della stagione.” L’ho comprato tutto. Ho una ricetta fidata per il cavolo broccolo che usa una salsina a base di miso e noci. Ma i broccoli che avevo in mano quel giorno chiedevano di essere conditi molto semplicemente e io ho ubbidito. Quando una verdura è fresca e coltivata con amore (qui si dice con “TLC” cioè tender loving care), mi piace prepararla semplicemente in modo da far risaltare il suo sapore naturale.

Ingredienti:

broccoli freschi
olio d’oliva di buona qualità
aceto balsamico di buona qualità
sale
nocciole tostate

Lavare e tagliare i broccoli a cimette. Pelare il gambo, tagliarlo in quattro per lungo se molto grosso, poi tagliarlo a rondelle spesse. Cuocere al vapore fino a che i broccoli non siano teneri a seconda del vostro gusto. Togliere dal cestello e far raffreddare in un’insalatiera.

In un vasetto di vetro, misurate olio, aceto balsamico e sale a seconda del vostro gusto. (A me le verdure in insalata piacciono con molto aceto, una preferenza che non posso aspettarmi sia condivisa da tutti.) Avvitare il tappo e agitare bene. Distribuire parte della vinaigrette sui broccoli e mescolare delicatamente. Fare a pezzetti le nocciole con mortaio e pestello e spargerle sui broccoli. Mescolare di nuovo. Servire con il resto della vinaigrette a parte.

Come le zucchine al pomodoro che ho presentato di recente, questo contorno mette alla prova il mio auto-controllo a tavola.

Questo è il mio contributo all’edizione numero 290 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn’s Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di Briggis recept och ideer ed è ospitata questa settimana da Cinzia di Cindystar.

Questo post contiene il riepilogo dell’evento.

mousse di fragole fresche con yogurt / fresh strawberry mousse with yogurt

June 3, 2010 | Simona

As I mentioned recently, “I have a relatively small number of cookbooks and treasure all of them.” Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest is part of my collection and it shows unmistakable signs of repeated use. One recipe from the book that I have been making for a number of years and that is a favorite with my husband and anybody who’s ever tasted it is the fresh strawberry mousse.

The word mousse, imported into Italian from the French language, refers to a dessert usually containing cream or eggs. The mousse under consideration here contains no eggs. It may be made with whipped cream (panna montata), but it can also be made with yogurt, like I do, and the result is a delicious fruity, fresh-tasting, and light dessert. My version of the recipe departs in several details from the original to answer my preference for lightly-sweetened desserts and my sensitivity to the flavor of corn starch (amido di mais), which make me decrease the quantities of both relevant ingredients.

I am delighted that Mollie Katzen has put a lot of her recipes online. The one for fresh strawberry mousse is shown in a way that reproduces the original page where it appeared. When I started experimenting in the kitchen, the graphic design of the cookbook’s pages made the recipes somewhat more approachable and gave me more confidence that I could follow them to completion and also adjust them as I wished: it was like adding my handwriting to that of the author.

Without further ado, here is my list of ingredients:

2 baskets of organic strawberries [see the Note below]
1/4 cup vanilla (superfine) sugar (zucchero), which I make by keeping immersed into the sugar in tall jars whole vanilla beans and/or split vanilla beans previously used to make ice cream, like this one, or this one)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (succo di limone)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from an organic lemon) grated with the Microplane zester
1 cup (8 oz.) firm non-fat yogurt [note the underlined adjective]

Note about strawberries: there are some foods I always buy organic and strawberries are one of those (this paragraph on strawberries and pesticide residues explains why).I usually buy strawberries at the farmers’ market by the basket (the commonly used green plastic baskets). I never bring the baskets home: I empty them in a bag and return them to the farmer for reuse. I weighed the strawberry once, but forgot to write down the result: I seem to remember it was 22 oz. or so.

To prepare the mousse, I follow the procedure as described in the original recipe. The only difference is that when I first cook the strawberries, I leave the pot uncovered (for no special reason: this is how I did it the first time and I have continued doing) and stop the cooking as the strawberries start to soften and juice, so I can’t say they look like soup.

The day I decided to take a couple of photos for a planned post, I looked at the pool of white yogurt in the middle of a sea of strawberry red and decided to play with it using a chopstick before folding it in properly. Mindful of my partiality for marbling paper, I swirled the chopstick and achieved a sort of combed marbled pattern.

After taking a few photographs, I folded the yogurt into the puréed strawberries. I usually serve the mousse as is, but for the photo op above, I decided to add a bit of chocolate shavings, to create some color contrast.

Try the original recipe, or my variation, or create your own, but please, do let this mousse tempt you. It is a great way to celebrate strawberry season, which in California, where I live, is blessedly long.

This, as you may have guessed, is my contribution to edition #236 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by yours truly.