COOKING TIPS

Enjoy some Italian passion

Italian food by its very nature is simple, taking the finest ingredients to make mouthwatering dishes. Here we give you ideas and tips on how to use Napolina's products to create your own Italian masterpiece.

DRESSINGS

Dress to impress

As well as being a cooking ingredient, in Italy olive oil is used as a basic dressing for many dishes. It can be drizzled over freshly-cooked pasta, meats, fish or a salad.

Which olive oil type should I use as a dressing?
The best type of olive oil to use as a dressing is extra virgin. It has an intense, rich taste and should be used to add strong flavour to a dish. It is also ideal as a base for sauces and dips.

What about flavoured oils?

Flavoured oils are an ideal way to add flavours such as garlic and basil to dishes, without any of the necessary preparation or when fresh ingredients aren't available. Napolina has created four varieties of oils with basil, lemon & dill, sundried tomato and garlic.

They have multiple uses for many dishes. Why not try:

• Brushing Italian bread or pitta with garlic olive oil prior to baking for a quick and light way to create garlic bread. Ideal as a way to add garlic taste and flavour to dishes without having to peel and chop fresh bulbs.

• Drizzling basil olive oil over cooked pasta, using as a base for marinades and dressings or pouring over chargrilled vegetables for a Mediterranean way to 5-a-day.

• Giving fish a tasty touch by brushing with lemon & dill olive oil before baking or grilling, or just drizzling over smoked salmon.

• Adding sundried tomato olive oil to salads or using as a dipping oil for Italian breads.

 

SAUCES

The full flavour of Italy

In Italy, it is the pasta that is the focal point of a dish and they only use added sauce to 'dress' the pasta.

A basic tomato sauce is a cornerstone of many Italian dishes - it can easily be adapted with seafood, meat or vegetables - and enjoyed with many types of pasta.

Why does it matter what tomatoes I use?

The quality of the tomatoes used makes a real difference to an Italian tomato sauce. Starting with the best quality, authentic ingredients will give a superior end result to dishes.

Napolina only uses the finest tomatoes, which are picked at the peak of their perfection from the sun-drenched slopes of the Puglia region. They are then canned to seal in the rich flavour. Many Italian chefs use tinned tomatoes rather than fresh to create their sauces, because of the intense flavour. And for convenience they can be stored and used at any time of the year, regardless of seasonality.

What is Passata?

In addition to canned tomatoes, you may also see passata on shelves. This is simply tomatoes that have been sieved to remove the pips and skin. They are ideal for use as a basis for soups and sauces that require a smooth texture.

How do I use crushed tomatoes?

Crushed tomatoes can be used in the same way as chopped, plum or passata, but give a chunkier, more rustic texture to dishes.

Using pre-prepared sauces

If you don't have the time to make your own pasta sauce, Napolina has packed its passion and quality ingredients into a range of seven pre-prepared sauces, ideal for use on their own or as a base for you to add your own Italian flair. The varieties include tomato and basil, tomato and chilli, tomato and mascarpone, tomato and red pepper, carbonara and a bolognese sauce that can be used to create a traditional Bologna pasta dish or as the basis of lasagne when coupled with Napolina's white lasagne sauce.

 

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

The full flavour Of Italy

The Mediterranean diet is all about eating together as a family, savouring your food and enjoying simple but delicious dishes rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil.

We may not always have time for big family meals or elaborate spreads but there are easy ways to incorporate aspects from the Mediterranean way of eating into your everyday diet:

Olive oil

There are three common types of olive oil, which are standard, extra virgin and light and mild.

Standard olive oil is great for everyday use and can be used for the majority of cooking methods, from roasting to frying. Extra virgin olive oil has an intense, rich taste and should be used to add strong flavour to a dish. It is ideal as a basis for sauces, dips and dressings.

Light and mild olive oil is often used when an olive oil taste isnít required. Its mild flavour makes it ideal for every day use whether cooking sweet or savoury foods.

Vegetables

One of the common ingredients in the Mediterranean diet is the tomato. This versatile ingredient adds a rich fruity flavour to sauces, soups and starters and counts towards your five a day.

As canned tomatoes are a store cupboard staple, itís easy to use them in many dishes. If youíre making a soup or sauce crushed tomatoes offer a chunkier base, while passatas provide a smooth starting point to add your own Italian flair.

Oily fish

Oil-rich fish ñ such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, pilchards, kippers and herring ñ is a natural source of omega-3. A diet which contains omega-3 can help to maintain heart health, in conjunction with a varied and balanced diet.

According to the Food Standards Agency, everyone should eat at least one portion (140g) of oily fish a week, however there are restrictions on the maximum recommended amount for certain people.

An easy way to eat more oily fish is to stock up on canned varieties. They are easy to store and can be used at any time, and unlike fresh fish there is no preparation involved.

 

Perfect Pasta

Pasta is a staple food throughout Italy and is enjoyed across the globe. The average Italian will eat his way through over 28kg of pasta a year, compared to people in the UK who eat just 4.5kg a year. *

There are plenty of different pasta varieties to choose from when cooking, with many unusual names. In Italy, pasta varies in shape from region to region and different types of pasta are used for different sauces.

Which pasta, which sauce?

Some shapes are more suited to certain dishes than others. Different pasta shapes actually allow added sauces to cling in different ways. Thin and long pasta, such as spaghetti, is more suited to thin, liquid sauces such as tomato. Pasta that is more complicated in shape, such as fusilli, is better with thicker sauces as the sauce sticks better to the pasta.

Dried or fresh pasta?

Dried pasta has a firm, dense texture and is the easiest to use and store. It is widely consumed in Italy as it is suitable for many of the meat and vegetable-based sauces that Italians eat with it.

How to cook?

Always cook pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water in a large pan so it has plenty of room to move around. For an authentic touch, make sure you cook it until itís al-dente, which is how the Italians eat it. It literally means ëto the toothí ñ the pasta will be soft, yet still hard in the middle. Test your pasta after five minutes boiling time.

Why use premium pasta?

As well as being made to all shapes and sizes, pasta is also made in different ways. Premium pasta will give a different texture or taste to a dish. For example, Napolina Bronze Die pasta is extruded through bronze dies to create a rough, porous surface. When cooked, the rough surface of the pasta allows full absorption of added sauces.

* Source: UN.A.F.P.A