aphrodisiac risotto

For this Valentine's Day we are sharing one of our risotto recipes: THE aphrodisiac risotto to help you friends get in the right mood 😉

Many of you already know about the benefits of ginger, a powerful root that has been used for centuries in China.
Being related to cardamom and turmeric, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that make it an ideal natural remedy for nausea (during pregnancy and chemotherapy too), cold, flu and help digestion, thus stimulating appetite... 

It is also very good for people who regularly exercise because it reduces muscle pain. On top, it helps lowering blood sugars - making it a great anti-diabetic - and cholesterol, it is one of the oldest pain reliefs and it helps burning fats too!

According to some studies ginger protects the brain from Alzheimer and the body from infections.

pumpkin risotto

Despite all the differences that divide us, sometimes we are forcibly brought together by an external common circumstance like these days: the extreme cold weather!

As many areas of the world are going through some exceptionally freezing temperatures, we can only think about one thing to keep ourselves warm and happy:

Pumpkin Risotto 

with red ale ... optional

topped with (optional) crunchy bacon bites... 

  

foodies' basic necessities

Some weeks ago we talked to you about Chiara and her nonna's dairy, Latteria Bera founded in Turin in 1958.

Now you may think that any dairy is the same and all you can get is just dairy based products. Sure, they may differ locally, but it's always cheese, butter, milk, eggs and yogurt, and that's basically it.

Well, that's not the case with this historic latteria that is more to be considered like a gourmet dairy and a small production specialty shop 😎 

Today we would like to share with you what Chiara's basic necessities bag contained for us... just in case you needed some culinary shopping ideas when in Turin 😉

grissini: a royal treat

Most people outside of Italy are familiar with American breadsticks; most tourists in Italy and die hard Italians outside of the boot enjoy their lunch meats rolled up on a grissino or ... Italian breadstick.

bottom left: firt rate, bottom right: Turin style

Turin Chefs' Association

As the very first Italian capital, Turin also boasts the very first Italian association of chefs, cooks and kitchen professionals, from the HTM/cooking students to the restaurant owners. Founded in 1722, Associazone Cuochi Torino (ACT) is even older than the national Italian Cooks Federation (F.I.C.) (Italy got united into a whole kingdom in 1861) and back then, it already included women!
In the past centuries, wealthy families, especially the aristocrats, used to hire their own chefs/cooks and dine in their palazzos while restaurants, as we know them today, were not fashionable yet and cooking was a different profession.