Any Italian cooks out there?
I love cooking and eating Italian food. I go off of recipes and my own sense of judgement when cooking so sometimes I alter a recipe I have found to make it better. But are there any tricks or special spices that improve the flavors that I may not know about? I am Irish, Norwegian and Cherokee so unfortunately my family has no special recipes or tips to pass on to me. Would appreciate any helpful answers given.
3 Answers to "Any Italian cooks out there?"
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A couple of tips you might not know:
1) If you make risotto, you'll see a lot of chefs on TV and recipes using arborio rice. Italians, though, typically use either carnaroli or vialone nano for risotto.
2) If you make pizza, most of the time Italians use cow mozzarella for this, not buffalo mozzarella.Like (1)
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oh, it's lovely to be italian. :)
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Best Answer (Chosen by Voting):
Posted by BarvoDelancy Mar 11th, 2013 at 12:09AM
I'm not Italian, but do a lot of Italian cooking. A few things to recommend:
- There is no 'Italian cooking' - Italy is barely a country. All of its regions have very strong, distinct identities and should not be treated as a homogenous mass.
- It's not all pasta and tomatoes. LOTS of beans and fish, especially the little oily fishes like fresh anchovies.
- Most regions have very simple recipes with few ingredients, but specific techniques. Because of this, you need the best possible ingredients.
- Pork fat is King. Get good bacon, pancetta, or lardo if you can find it and start your sauces with a bit of that. Makes a world of difference.
- Cook pasta in the largest pots you can find with tons of salt. Slightly undercook it, and then finish it in the pan with the sauce.
If you wanna know a specific recipe for something lemme know.
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Reply by TheHatterIsBack Mar 11th, 2013 at 12:11AM
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Reply by BarvoDelancy Mar 11th, 2013 at 12:13AM
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