Hot Giardiniera – 5 Unique Uses For This Tasty Italian Style Condiment

So, you haven’t tasted giardiniera yet? Well, that’s OK because millions of people haven’t, but then again, millions have and they are singing the praises of this unique Italian style condiment. Here are five unique uses for mild or hot giardiniera that are sure to liven up your meals…

Introduction To Hot Giardiniera

Giardiniera is an Italian term that loosely translated means “from the garden”, and a garden is what you’ll find when you open a jar of this delicious garnish. Although styles and recipes of giardiniera differ, most include a banquet of hot or mild peppers, carrots, celery, pitted olives, and even cauliflower.

Both hot and mild varieties are available. Don’t let the term “hot” concern you though. While there’s a definite kick to the hot style, the heat is not so overwhelming as to numb your taste buds. Continue reading “Hot Giardiniera – 5 Unique Uses For This Tasty Italian Style Condiment”

Wines of Italy: The Famous Killer B’s

Italy has been famous for its wine and wine-makers since Roman times. Today that tradition continues as every region in Italy produces wine. In fact, the country of Italy has over one million acres of vineyards under cultivation, most remarkably indicating how much Italians love their wine.

Each region is special for a certain type of wine. Each type of wine enhances and complements the food of its region. Among the many appellations of Italy, are the wines of Tuscany and Piedmont, surely the most famous and sought-after. Wine-lovers the world over crave the renowned Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello di Montalcino, the famed Killer B’s of Italy’s heartland.

What makes these wines so special? First, they are all reds, and not just any reds. Each of these reds from Tuscany and Piedmont regions reflects what is best and most characteristic of the wines of Italy. Though made from different varieties of grapes, each is lusty, rich and dark. Like all Italian red wines, these varieties are made to go with food, tempting and gently caressing the palate in the consumption of fine Italian cuisine. Continue reading “Wines of Italy: The Famous Killer B’s”

Interesting Facts About Your Italian Restaurant Stromboli

While it might have a lot of calories, there aren’t too many dishes that can top a stromboli that you’ll find in an Italian restaurant. You may not have thought very much about where this particular dish came from or how it’s made, but you may be interested to learn.

Usually, a stromboli contains several different meats such as capocollo, salami, and pepperoni, as well as pizza dough, tomato sauce, a variety of Italian herbs, and several different kinds of cheese such as provolone and mozzarella. Rolling out the dough and then adding layers of meat and cheese typically prepare it. Then, the herbs are added for extra flavoring. The preparer will then roll in the dough so that it seals the ingredients inside and lets the flavors blend in an even fashion. After it comes out of the oven it is sliced and served.

There are a couple of different versions of how the stromboli first came about. Some say it started in the 1950s in Philadelphia, the brainchild of Romanos’ Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria founder Chef Nazzareno Romano. Others believe that Mike Aquino, Sr. made the first Stromboli in Spokane, Wash. in 1954. It is believed that the dish was named after the small island of Stromboli off of the coast of Italy. There is another story that says the dish was named after the movie of the same name. Continue reading “Interesting Facts About Your Italian Restaurant Stromboli”

A Trip To Italy Is Not The Only Place To Enjoy High Quality Meals

Often spaghetti and pasta comes to someones mind when they think about food with a taste of Italy. In reality, there is much more to discover to the dining experience. Yes, awesome pasta dishes are a major part of it, but it is far from all that an authentic Italy based restaurant has to offer its patrons.

Pasta dishes seem to bring out the Italy in any establishment that has it on the menu. Italians are known to make the best marinara and cheese sauces. What better to smother with those sauces that a large bowl of perfectly cooked pasta? Do not forget the Parmesan cheese and garlic bread to enhance the flavors. Bread sticks are a popular choice with all types of pasta and salads.

When trying foods of all types, try pairing them with a wine or other beverage to bring out flavors in not only the dinner, but the drink as well. Many servers and bartenders can help with the selections of wine that will go perfectly with the dish you have chosen. For example, white wine might pair well with a marinara while a dark wine enhances the flavor of a cheesy pasta. Continue reading “A Trip To Italy Is Not The Only Place To Enjoy High Quality Meals”

Best Italian Wood Pizza

Do you know what makes the best Italian pizza? It’s actually the fire wood. If you realized, many foods that is being cooked with fire wood, the taste will definitely never go wrong.

So, where will you go for when you would like to have a perfect Italian’s pizza? Do you have any favorite Italian place that you go to?

If you happen to be around Sri Hartamas, we would recommend you to visit one of this small Italian shops named “Eatalia”. Eatalia, previously known as Pizza Brava Restaurant, is established since 2003, with 7 years experience in serving authentic Italian food, we are specialized in wood fire pizza.

“EATALIA’s definition of Thin Crust Pizza, Just enough of a thin crust to be able to pick up pizza topping and deliver it to your taste buds.” Continue reading “Best Italian Wood Pizza”

The Influences of Italian Cooking

When people think of Italian cooking, most think about pasta and pizza pies. However, there are so many more dishes and influences that inspire those dishes. The history of the Italian people, as well as Italy’s geographical location, both contribute to the types of food. Italian culture is shown through its cuisine.

There are about 20 regions in Italy and different types of food can be found in each one. Long ago it was difficult for Italians to travel to other regions within Italy. This resulted in distinct styles and ways to prepare food in each region as few people were exposed to other types of cooking. So even though Italy does not seem to be a very large nation geographically, it still has a wide range of flavor.

Northern and southern Italy are very different in climate. The south has very warm weather while in the north the weather is cold. Dry pasta, like spaghetti and rigatoni, is found more in the southern areas because it is easier to dry in warm weather. Since it was more difficult to prepare dry pasta in the north, pastas like tajarin, pappardelle, and tagliatelle were more popular. Other types of pasta popular in the north were stuffed pastas like ravioli. Continue reading “The Influences of Italian Cooking”

Best Italian Food Restaurants in Singapore

Singapore is replete with options for dining and this makes it one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. People roam here on streets for days to get that local touch in taste. Those who love Italian, look for food outside Italy carrying an authentic flavour. Therefore, the native chefs who are trained at Italian restaurants, come with a signature style of their own in Italian – Singaporean cooking to please the local palate.

Offers to Please Your Palate

The region is full of such places where pizzas and pastas can be enjoyed in a luxurious setting on special occasions. These places provide the best food and wine pairings to draw a huge crowd at lunchtime on affordable prices. And, they have this custom to end every meal with an offering of cream-rich gelato. Talk to the expert chefs over here and you may discover that the cuisine is quite diverse in flavour while going from Sicily to Sardinia. It is difficult to decide on which is better when we compare the food of one region with another. Continue reading “Best Italian Food Restaurants in Singapore”

Italian Food – An Overview

Italian food is more than a form of nourishment; it’s a way of life in a country where family, friendship and feasts are all indelibly linked. Italian food is simple, vibrant and good for you. From roasts to risotto, pasta to preserves, soups to sauces, Italian food is popular all year round. Italian food is highly famed: greatly loved and tirelessly imitated the world over, it has been a source of endless pleasure and joie-de-vivre in countries far and wide. Italian food is not just for Italians, but for everyone.

Cooking

For hundreds of years Italian cooking has followed a very simple principle: food is best when it’s cooked fresh and in season. I am a great fan of Italian cuisine, and a firm believer that cooking is an art, not a task. Most traditional Italian dishes as we know today, are on the whole derived from simple peasant cookery, for example the Pizza, which could be found a couple of centuries ago on the streets of Naples being sold by street vendors to those that had no cooking facilities of their own at home. The regional cooking depends on a number of factors, not only as to what ingredients are most abundant each region, but also historical factors. The recipes of Northern and Southern Italian dishes are quite different and use different methods of cooking. With the exception of a few areas near lakes that exert a moderating influence, Northern Italy is too cold for olive trees to grow, and as a result much of the population used butter for cooking. Continue reading “Italian Food – An Overview”

Risotto and the Veneto Region Italian Food

The Italian food of the Veneto region poses a perplexing question: With so many dishes to choose from, how can anyone have only one favorite? Given the great regional variations within the region, not to mention between Veneto and the rest of the country, there are a lot of unique dishes waiting for you to discover them. However, if risotto is something you crave, Veneto is definitely for you.

Other than pasta, risotto is one of the most famous of Italian foods. And if some of the greatest Italian food dishes in existence are what you’re looking for, Veneto is a place you must visit, at least via the dinner table.

Risotto is a specific way of cooking rice, and is growing in popularity to take it’s rightful place alongside pasta in the pantheon of Italian food, like many specialties of the Veneto region. To make a true risotto, the rice must first be cooked in olive oil or butter.

The rice must be coated evenly in the butter oil, and toasted just until translucent. Broth is then added just a little at a time, the idea is to slowly saturate the rice with the broth, which helps it achieve it’s distinctive risotto texture. Unless the rice is toasted, it’s not risotto. Even if it’s served at the finest of Italian food restaurants, it just isn’t the same unless toasted. Continue reading “Risotto and the Veneto Region Italian Food”

Lobster Tails

Lobster tails are considered the favorite portion of the lobster for eating. The majority of lobster meat is in the tail and can be eaten plain, with butter or lemon juice. Lobster tails are available mostly as frozen, but you can get fresh ones also. They are available in small, medium or large sizes, ranging from 3 to 24 ounces. They are very popular with savvy cooks and are much easier to obtain than fresh lobsters since they can be stocked easily.

Once thawed, they can be grilled or boiled. The meat from the tails can be used in recipes requiring cooked lobster meat. The tail of a female lobster is more popular since it is broader than the male lobster’s as she uses the tail to carry her eggs. Tails of cold water lobsters are known to be healthier and do not get spoilt as easily as tails of warm water lobsters. Warm water lobster tails come from Florida, Caribbean, Latin America, Cuba and Nicaragua and have distinct yellow spots and a yellow band, while cold-water lobster tails generally come from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Continue reading “Lobster Tails”