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Archive for the ‘italian cooking’ Category

Cooking simply means the preparation. This is for the purpose of eating through the use of heat. It comprises of a wide selection of methods, ingredients, and cooking utensils needed to bring out the flavor of the food that you are making and to make it edible as well.

Cooking simply means the preparation. This is for the purpose of eating through the use of heat. It comprises of a wide selection of methods, ingredients, and cooking utensils needed to bring out the flavor of the food that you are making and to make it edible as well.

With the appropriate process of selection, measurement as well as proper mixture of your ingredients in a step by step manner can be achieved. This is in order to create mouth watering dishes. The outcome of this is also affected by certain factors that you can input on your actual cooking. Such factors are your ingredients, cooking utensils, ambient conditions, and most importantly, the skills of the cook himself.

I’ve just returned from visiting my friends in Italy They live in Siena, a town 65km from the city of Florence. Siena is the town in Italy, where the famous ‘Palio horse race’ is paraded around their town square. You can watch this spectacle from a bar overlooking this square, (its not square but round). Its covered with sand so the horses don’t hurt themselves.

Florence is the ‘City of Marble’, used on main buildings, the city has a large catholic cathedral, it is covered in marble, it looks wonderful, the marble is quarried in the mountains around this city. Now, Green marble is no more so if you have some green marble, keep it, could be worth money in the future.

I’ve visited Italy because of Italian Cooking. I love Italian cooking, so does my wife, it doesn’t have to be fattening, there are lots of fine dishes which don’t pile on the pounds, most are cooked in Italy everyday and, this is the Italian cooking I want to learn about.

Learn Italian in just 55 days or less. Can it be done?
Yes.  With the same people that brought you some of my favorite language learning courses, Rocket Languages, comes your solution: Rocket Italian. Rocket Italian makes learning Italian so much easier, more fun, and less expensive than just about every other course out there, and best of all, fits all budgets–even stingy buyers’ like yours truly!
If you want to learn Italian and speak fluently within 8 weeks, this course CAN get you there.
Let’s find out more about this great product: THE GOOD
Like all the Rocket Language products (French, Spanish, etc.), Rocket Italian boasts 3 “easy learning games”. Are they actually easy? Oh yeah! Your Italian listening, vocabulary, and grammar skills are sure to increase dramatically with each of these interactive learning games, which generally work with multiple choice and flash card games. It’s a great way of learning anytime anywhere, as all you need is a Net connection. Or an I-Pod: you can download the audio lessons onto any MP3 device. But the bonuses aren’t all that’s good: I also really appreciated the easy organisation of the “main course”, which has 6 sections, including Greeting, Meeting, Food, and Drink, Travel, Arts and Culture, and a very useful one when you’re in Italy: Cucina Italiana – Italian Cooking. Overall, a pretty organised way of learning Italian fluently, and certainly doable in 8 weeks, as the course promises.
Last but certainly not least, this is all available to you for just $99.99. That’s a deal no matter what budget size you have!
THE BAD
As with most of the Rocket Language products, you don’t quite learn the business side of the language. If you’re wanting to learn Italian for business use, I’d recommend this product only as a compliment to other ones, not as an all-in-one solution. Likewise (and this is common sense, really), your Italian is only as good as how much you practice it in writing and speech, so Rocket Italian isn’t quite as good as having a real-life teacher or tutor. Make sure you practice what you learn with the program, otherwise you’ll never truly become fluent. THE FREE! This Rocket Language course has a better free course than most. It’s actually quite comprehensive; unlike the very short and not-very-helpful Rocket French free course, this one actually details many grammatical rules and vocabulary. On top of that, you get free audio pronunciation guides in each of the six free lessons. So overall, a great free course and one worth trying, if only to learn basic, basic Italian.
MY RECOMMENDATION
Can Italian really be learned in just 8 weeks? At first I doubted it, having heard the same tired (and false) promise from dozens of other online products. But after trying out Rocket Italian, I can say that, if you’re willing to put in the time, you can become molto bene in Italian no time. It’s really up to you to put in the time and practice. The course itself provides an excellent, VERY easy framework. That said, I’m giving Rocket Italian a BUY recommendation. Hey, if you don’t like it, just take advantage of the 8-week moneyback guarantee. If you don’t learn Italian the way you would have liked in 8 weeks, just get your money back. No loss, really. And that’s something everyone likes to hear.

Written by Ethan Parker our expert of the day.

You might have found lots of databases on Italian cooking through the Internet and be excited about trying to delve into the world of parmagiana, pesto, and pasta.

It would be useful to have on hand some basic ingredients that are found in lots of Italian cooking. By that way, you will be able to serve your Italian food most days without having to do an extensive grocery shop.

Lets look at the ingredients that you need to have in your grocery list.

Garlic: This may sound like a cliché to you, but this modest bulb has its own place in all Italian kitchens. Keep garlic in a dry and cool place, such as a pantry or root cellar. Look for bulbs with no discoloration on the bottom when buying garlic as these discolorations indicate moulding and age.

Tomato Sauce: You do not have to buy the expensive tomato sauce. The national brand or house brand at your nearby local grocery store will be fine in your Italian dish. Local made tomato sauce does not affect the taste of your Italian cooking. Try not to buy from the “pre-seasoned” blends, as you will be adding your own spices and herbs.

How to learn a language without going back to school.

NEW ITINERARIES CULTURAL ASSOCIATION is an Association of over twenty qualified teachers living in Tuscany who offer Italian Language and Culture Homestays to foreign students wishing to gain a better academic and working knowledge of the language.

As a guest, you will live in the home as one of the family and have daily tuition from one of the hosts who is a qualified and experienced teacher.

Since 1971, university students, opera singers, professionals and senior citizens participate in our homestay programs, using our individually-planned, tutor-to-student method.

WHAT WE TEACH

Italian grammar, with practical, everyday conversation based on the student’s personal interests and goals. Tutor and guest student plan lessons on basic, intermediate or advanced Italian linked to the history of art, music, history, commerce, literature and cooking.

WHERE THE TEACHING HOST FAMILIES LIVE

Accommodation is in comfortable homes of excellent quality, in or near Florence and the Chianti Wine Area.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY ITALIAN?

Enjoy the advantage of natural assimilation of the Italian language. Italian is a melodious and charming language. Enchanting to listen to, and a delight to speak.

An Italian home is an inviting one. Italians are fans of people and the homes that they live in have a welcoming atmosphere. Creating that atmosphere in your own home is easy to do with a little paint, arrangement of furniture, and certain accessories.

Good cooking, company, and wine are at the heart of an Italian; therefore, your decorating efforts should start in the kitchen. Italian decorations for the kitchen are very popular, so you shouldn’t have a hard time locating them. There are paintings and other clever things such as representations of spaghetti or meatballs that can be hung on the walls. The olive, a staple of Italian foods, is represented on many serving trays or other functional pieces for the kitchen. If you choose one thing and build on it, soon you’ll have things all over your kitchen that scream Italian.

Somewhere within this kitchen or in a dining room there should be a wine rack and at least four wine glasses, but preferably more. Wine is in the hearts of most Italians. They are famous for their vineyards and their love for their wine is obvious. White or red does not matter, but wine is a part of the Italian culture, and makes a wonderful addition to an Italian style decorated home.

If you are looking for the perfect combination of great food and the vegetarian principals, you need to experience Italian vegetarian cooking. You can have your favorite foods and still not violate your basic vegetarian guidlines. If you are new to the vegetarian lifestyle or have been practicing the discipline for years, you will enjoy some treate Individuals can enjoy some great recipes that embrace Italian vegetarian cooking.

To get started, you can enjoy some of several appetizers like Panzanella Salad, Rotini Salad with Feta Cheese and Black Olives, Italian Potato Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Pecorino and Basil Crostini, Rocket (Arugula) or Baby Corn Panzerotti, and Tomato Bruschetta.

Moving on you can add one of many pasta dishes to your vegetarian cooking regime. Some of these dishes are old favorites and some are brand new. These include Eliche Arrabbiata, Linguine with Spinach Pesto, Rigatoni with Gorgonzola, Fusilli with Sun dried Tomato Pesto, Courgette, Spinach and Wild Mushroom Lasagne, Cannelloni with Ricotta Cheese in Red Wine Sauce, Manicotti with Artichokes in Green Tomato Sauce, Capellini in Tomato and Basil Sauce, Conchiglie Genovese with Coriander Pesto, Spicy Vermicelli with Oyster Mushrooms, Macaroni with Cheese, Fettuccine In Creamy White Sauce, Tagliatelle with Tomato Sauce, Penne Pesto, Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic, Farfelle Marinara, and Pasta Primavera. There are also several gnocchi dishes that you can enjoy. They are Gnocchetti in Pomodoro Sauce, Potato Mushroom and Chives Gnocchi, Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi, and Pumpkin and Semolina Gnocchi.

Italians insist upon fresh ingredients in their food, and their herbs are no exception. There are a variety of fresh herbs common in Italian cooking. Most people are familiar with the little bottles of dried herbs from the grocery store, but if you haven’t prepared food with fresh herbs, you really need to give it a try. What’s the distinction between an herb and a spice? Spices are made from the seeds, root, fruit or barks of aromatic plants, while the herbs primarily consist of the leaves and stems. Herb plants contain oils which are very fragrant and add the distinctive aroma and flavor that Italian food is known for. A few of the most common herbs are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. Basil is a member of the mint family, and like all mint herbs, it is extremely fragrant when picked fresh. Basil leaves blacken when exposed to metal, therefore it is common in Italy to tear the leaves by hand before throwing the basil into a sauce or onto a dish. Basil is the primary herb for the famous pesto sauce. Oregano is another popular herb in both Italian and Greek food. Most people are familiar with this herb in tomato based pasta sauces and with meats. Italian Parsley, also known as flat-leaf parsley, is readily available in most grocery stores and is easy to distinguish it from the curly variety frequently used as a garnish. Italians favor this parsley for cooking because it has a much better flavor, while the curlier variety is best saved for garnishing your dish. Rosemary is another widely available herb and resembles a little branch from an evergreen tree. This is one of the most fragrant of all the fresh herbs and it will retain its flavor and aroma when dried. It’s excellent with vegetables and is often cooked into the dough of breads like focaccia. Sage has long, broad leaves and is the herb which flavors the traditional Italian Saltimbocca dish. Sage is also very fragrant so be sure you don’t use too much and overwhelm your meal. Thyme is another herb of the mint family, but in contrast to the other mints, it has tiny leaves that can easily be thrown whole into your sauce or dish. I use this herb frequently because its mild flavor goes well with everything and won’t overshadow the rest of your dish. There are some basic rules for cooking with fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are more delicate than dried and can lose some of their flavor when cooked too long. For slow cooked sauces and meats, you can add the fresh herbs at the last minute keeping their flavors and aromas intact. On the other hand, the oils in dried herbs are concentrated requiring a smaller amount of than fresh herbs in your recipes. A good general rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs needed in a dish. But remember, cooking is an art and you can use as much or as little as you like. The next time you want to spruce up an everyday meal, throw in some fresh Italian herbs.

Written by Joy Harrison our expert of the day.

Italy is one of the oldest countries in the world, and thanks to the geographical boundaries of the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps it has remained largely unchanged throughout history. Even during the Roman Empire, Italy was set apart. Legions that had been abroad always knew when they had returned to the mother country. Italian food history, however, reaches far beyond the country’s borders.

The spread of Italian food diversity began after the fall of the Roman Empire when individual city states began to uphold separate identities and traditions. Each region began to display its own unique way of cooking, right down to the formation of a meatball to the characteristic cheeses and wine produced in a locale. The north developed Tuscan beef, while black truffles were very popular in Marches. Provolone and mozzarella cheeses developed in the south, as well as a host of interesting citrus fruits.

Even today, the history of this food continues to evolve. Much of the changes now, though, take place beyond the shores of Italy. In America, for example, chefs like Mario Batali have fused classic dishes with American cuisine to come up with dishes that combine the best of both worlds. In cities and towns all over the country, chefs are taking traditional ingredients and combining them in new ways. In what could perhaps be called a full circle journey for pasta, some Italian Asian fusion restaurants are even beginning to evolve.

Learn Italian in just 8 weeks. Can it be done?

Well, I know I wanted to learn Italian, and fast, but I just never got around to it. Namely because some of the learn Italian products out there, like Rosetta Italian, are just too expensive.

Quite by accident, I stumbled across a brand new product from the makers of some reliable language learning products, Rocket Language. No surprise, it’s called (duh) Rocket Italian. While not the best Italian learning product out there, it’s definitely the most value for your money and the easiest tool I’ve come across. If you’re willing to put in the time and discipline, and practice Italian regularly, then YES, you can learn Italian fluently within 8 weeks!

Let’s find out more:

Il Buono (The Good)

Like all the Rocket Language products (French, Spanish, etc.), Rocket Italian boasts 3 “easy learning games”. Are they actually easy? Oh yeah! Your Italian listening, vocabulary, and grammar skills are sure to increase dramatically with each of these interactive learning games, which generally work with multiple choice and flash card games. It’s a great way of learning anytime anywhere, as all you need is a Net connection. Or an I-Pod: you can download the audio lessons onto any MP3 device.