Italian Ingredients

Do you love cooking, but are sometimes unsure of the ingredients. Well here is a guide to some of the more common Italian Recipe Ingredients.

Amaretto - A liqueur made from apricot kernels and bitter almonds. You will ofter find this used in dessert recipes.

Amaretti - Small, dry biscuits (cookies) similar to macaroons. Made with bitter almonds, almond essence and egg whites.

Baccala - is salted, dried cod. You will need to soak it for at least 24 hours and changing the water often.

Bocconcini - means 'little mouthfuls'. And that's what it is, little balls of fresh mozzarella cheese stored in water.

Campari - A crimson colored spirit.

Carta di musica - This is a crisp, twice baked flatbread. Can use toasted Lebanese bread or lavish as a substitute.

Ciabatta - A crusty bread that is airy on the inside. The best type is wood fired.

Dried Porcini Mushrooms - A type of mushroom used to add intense flavor to dishes. Choose light brown or tan ones that are not crumbly.

Limoncello - This is a citrus based liqueur. Made by infusing lemon rind in pure alcohol. Serve chilled as an after-dinner drink or a fabulous palate cleanser.

Mascarpone - This rich, smooth cream cheese that has a high fat content. Used in both savoury and sweet dishes.

Mozzarella - A stretched curd cheese known for its melting qualities.

Pancetta - This is dried pork belly. It is generally used like bacon.

Pappardelle - Is a pasta. It can be fresh or dried and is a wide flat ribbon.

Pecorino - A hard cheese made from sheep milk. It has a sharp flavor and is used to grate over pizza.

Pecorino dolce - Known as sweet pecorino, is less aged and has a milder flavor.

Prosciutto - Is a dried and salted (cured) ham, generally served in wafer thin slices.

Radicchio - A red leafed salad ingredient that has a slightly bitter flavor.

Risotto Rice - This is the rice used for making Risotto. It is a short grain rice that is capable of absorbing much fluid while still maintaining it's shape and firmness. This is what gives Risotto it's creamy texture.

Scamorza - Very similar to mozzarella. A slightly salty cheese made from cows milk. It can be hung and dried and is often smoked.

Taleggio - This cheese has a pinkish-brown rind and a soft creamy texture. It is made from cows milk, has a strong flavor and becomes acidic with age.

So next time you are cooking Italian, you will be sure to know what ingredient to reach for.

Happy Cooking!

Lisa "The Crock Cook"

Recipe Stuffing Ingredients - Facts and Benefits

Recipe stuffing ingredients like cornbread, holiday sausage, cranberries and other traditional seasonings can go great with poultry. For example, roast turkey, chicken and duck. Now that more people are slowly getting back to traditional cooking because of the tight economic climate, more holiday cooks will be looking for holiday recipes.

Today we'll cover the many benefits and other tips to making one of the biggest holiday favorites. What's that? Cornbread stuffing, chicken stuffing and other stuffing favorites. With so many new cooks predicted to hit the kitchens, stoves and ovens this holiday season, its' important to know the basics of making a good stuffing. Because if you can pull it off, you'll be the envy of your family and friends.

Cornbread Stuffing and Chicken Stuffing Benefits

A good cornbread stuffing or chicken stuffing is not only tasty, but they're one of the warmest comfort foods you can make. Stuffing is a taste treat for the holidays or during any cold weather climate.

Contrary to popular belief, these two popular stuffing's is easy to make and very economical. Besides being easy to make and containing low cost ingredients, stuffing recipes stays with you a long time and can be nutritious.

Cornbread stuffing and chicken stuffing, often classified as a working mans food. Why? Because of its ability to fill you up and stay with you hours after you eat it, much like beans, or macaroni. That's why it's such a favorite side dish in northern and southeast climates during the chilly fall and winter months.

Stuffing Recipes Versatility

A stuffing recipe is also versatile, meaning you can add almost anything to it, much like a casserole. You can add fruit such as apples or cranberries, vegetables such as onion. Vegetables like celery, peas, parley, spinach, carrots. You can even make it a main dish by adding any chopped, sliced or diced meat of your choosing.

A recipe for stuffing is ideal for any left-overs you may want to get rid of in your refrigerator. Another reason stuffing recipe is so versatile? Because you can make it as heavy or light as you want to make it.

If you want to make it heavy add more butter, eggs or cream. If you want to make it lighter with less calories, because you're watching your weight, replace the butter, eggs or cream with water, chicken or turkey broth.

Yes, recipe stuffing ingredients continues to expand. In fact, the only limit to the scope of ingredients, seasonings and flavors is your imagination. You can experiment with seafood such as shrimp, lobster or even claims.

Bread Stuffing In The Bird vs. Bread Stuffing In A Baking Dish

More people choose to place the stuffing inside a turkey or chicken the traditional way. But with more calorie conscious and health conscious cooks emerging, the choice of cooking it in a separate baking dish continues to grow. By cooking bread stuffing in a baking dish and not inside poultry, you'll avoid the grease runoff associated with the traditional cooking method.

Stuffing Recipe Cardinal Rule

Whatever method you choose to cook your next stuffing recipe. Whatever recipe stuffing ingredients you choose to use, the cardinal rule for any stuffing recipe? Make sure it's moist and not dry - and everything else will fall into place.

Now that you have the basics, try one of the many good stuffing recipes available online

Cooking Tips And Substitutions - Tips For Substituting Ten Common Ingredients

A Combination Of Ingredients As A Substitute

By using substitutions when you are cooking a great meal, and if you do not have the specific ingredients for your particular dish, you will find that every ingredient has a substitute which could enhance the flavor of your dish.

With regard to tips on substituting ingredients, you will find that almost every ingredient can be substituted and will be as close to the original. Sometimes, you may have to use two or three different ingredients to be able to get the taste of the original.

The following list will give you an idea of the common substitution tips for ingredients that take place in everyday cooking.

Common Substitutes

Flour

In case you have all purpose flour and the recipe required self raising flour, add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to every cup of all purpose flour.

Baking Powder

If you do not have baking powder, you could use 1/2 cup buttermilk added to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and bring down the liquid in your preparation by half a cup or you could use 5/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1/4
teaspoon baking soda.

Crumbs with crackers

If bread crumbs are available and the recipe calls for cracker crumbs, in place of each cup of cracker crumbs, use 1 1/4 cups of bread crumbs.

Bread Crumbs

Similarly, if you need one cup of bread crumbs, and you do not have it, just use cracker crumbs (3/4 cup).

Corn Starch

If the recipe required corn starch and you do not have it, just use 2 tbsps. of all purpose flour.

Butter

If you do not have butter when the recipe requires it, use 7/8 cup shortening for every cup of butter or 7/8 cup of vegetable oil could also be used.

Buttermilk

If you do not have buttermilk, you can use plain yogurt with the same amount. You could also use 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar.

Sour Cream

Substitute a cup of sour cream, with 3/4 cup of sour milk or plain yogurt of the same quantity

Chocolate Substitutions

3 tbsps. of cocoa powder that is not sweetened, and 1 tbsp. butter is used in place of one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. For semi-sweet chocolate, use 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate and 1 tbsp. sugar.

Lemon Juice Substitutions

A simple substitution for lemon juice is vinegar in the same amount as the recipe requires.

The above substitutions for ingredients come in extremely handy when you find that you are all set to bake or cook, and find some of the ingredients are missing. By keeping this list in your kitchen as a guideline, you can make use of the ingredients that you have at your disposal instead of rushing out to the store.