Latest news with #Pecorino
Cision Canada
08-07-2025
- Cision Canada
Celebrate Summer the European Way: Fresh Kiwis from Greece, Abruzzo Whites & Late Harvest Wines of Bordeaux for Perfect Canadian Picnics
Enjoy the vibrant flavors of The Charming Taste of Europe this summer season TORONTO, July 8, 2025 /CNW/ -- As summer takes over parks, lakesides, and patios across Canada, The Charming Taste of Europe invites Canadians to embrace the simple pleasures of outdoor dining with a European twist. Highlighting the freshness of green kiwis from Greece's Imathia region, the vibrant character of Abruzzo white wines, and the golden elegance of late harvest wines of Bordeaux, these seasonal pairings are perfect for summer weekends and for continuing the festive spirit of Canada Day celebrations. Imathia's green kiwis are instantly recognizable thanks to their fuzzy brown skin and bright green flesh studded with tiny black seeds. They strike a delicious balance between sweetness and tartness, making them the perfect snack for hot summer days, whether you enjoy them alone, in a fruit salad, or alongside soft cheeses. Imathia stands out as a top-growing area, where farmers blend tradition and care to deliver consistently high-quality, flavorful, and refreshing fruit. To accompany these fresh flavors, the white wines of Abruzzo, especially Pecorino and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, offer brightness, elegance, and a refreshing character that's ideal for outdoor dining. Grown between the Apennine mountains and the Adriatic Sea, these wines reflect the region's natural beauty and coastal freshness. Pecorino delivers lively citrus notes and floral aromas, while Trebbiano is known for its delicate fruit, crisp acidity, and smooth finish. Both pair beautifully with classic picnic fare such as grilled seafood, fresh salads, soft cheeses, and light pasta dishes. Easy to enjoy and full of charm, Abruzzo whites bring a touch of Italy's sunny coastline to any Canadian summer afternoon. For a touch of indulgence, Bordeaux Moelleux wines bring brightness and balance to any summer picnic. Made primarily from Sémillon and Sauvignon grapes grown in the clay-limestone soils of Bordeaux, these wines are delicately produced using over-ripened harvests and careful vinification. The result is a pale yellow, expressive wine bursting with the fruity aromas of Sémillon, offering irresistible freshness and a subtle sweetness. Bordeaux Moelleux pairs perfectly with fresh appetizers, soft cheeses, fruit-based desserts, or even as a light aperitif to begin the picnic. With their airy, elegant style, these wines bring a sense of refinement and joy to warm summer afternoons. With summer in full swing, these European specialties offer a charming and delicious way to gather outdoors, whether for fireworks, barbecues, or park picnics. Just a few thoughtfully chosen ingredients can elevate any outing into a moment of pure seasonal joy. The Charming Taste of Europe is a campaign co-financed by the European Union to promote some of Europe's most distinctive agricultural and wine products. This summer, bring a taste of Europe to your picnic basket and discover why charm, quality, and tradition never go out of season. About The Charming Taste of Europe Europe, a place with timeless charm, is the birthplace of some of the highest-quality products in the world. The Charming Taste of Europe is a special project that introduces exquisite specialties to the United States and Canada, such as Italian and French wines, and fresh kiwis from Greece, that showcase Europe's charm, beauty, culture, history, art, heritage and unmistakable tastes. The mission of the Charming Taste of Europe, co-funded by the European Union, is to increase awareness of the merits and quality standards of select European wines and fresh fruits with promotional activities in the competitive markets of the U.S. and Canada. The Charming Taste of Europe is promoted by the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Abruzzo, the Association of Imathia's Agricultural Cooperatives and Union Des Vins Doux de Bordeaux. These European agricultural products, famous around the world for their outstanding qualities, will continue to be promoted with initiatives and events for consumers, journalists and trade professionals. For more information visit To Follow The Charming Taste of Europe Campaign: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European union or the European research executive agency (Rea). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The Star
29-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
How to avoid lumps in cheesy pasta sauce, according Italian physicists
A group of scientists figured out why hard cheeses like Pecorino sometimes goes lumpy when added into a sauce. — SIMONE FRAU/American Institute of Physics/dpa How do you mix cheese and hot water without making it lumpy? This is the question for anyone who has ever tried to make the popular Italian pasta dish cacio e pepe, which consists of pasta, the Italian hard cheese Pecorino and pepper. Physicists have now taken on the challenge of solving this complex culinary puzzle and sharing it with pasta enthusiasts around the world. In the journal Physics of Fluids, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, the University of Padua in Italy and other institutions report their findings – and provided what they consider to be a "foolproof recipe". Normally, fatty substances like cheese do not mix well with water, which is why starch is an important binding agent. Through tests, the research team discovered that 2-3% starch relative to the amount of cheese is optimal for a creamy, uniform sauce. With less than 1%, the risk of lumps is too high, while more than 4% makes the sauce stiff and unappetising. Heat is also crucial, as the sauce cannot tolerate much of it. Excessive temperatures destroy the proteins in the cheese, causing it to form lumps – a process the researchers refer to as the undesirable "mozzarella phase". That's why the water should be cooled slightly before mixed it with the cheese, the scientists say. "A true Italian grandmother or a skilled home chef from Rome would never need a scientific recipe for cacio e pepe," the study states. "For everyone else, this guide offers a practical way to master the dish." For those attempting the recipe, the researchers recommend preparing a starch solution – ideally with potato or corn starch – rather than relying on pasta water, where the starch content is unknown. Dissolve 4g of starch in 40g of water and heat it until it reaches a gel-like consistency. To this gel, add another 80g of water to cool the mixture. Only then should the Pecorino (160g in this example) be stirred into the starch solution until a homogeneous consistency is achieved. Finally, warm the sauce to serving temperature. Add pepper, mix in the pasta, and the dish is ready. The researchers had not only scientific curiosity but also a personal interest in the project. "We are Italians living abroad. We often have dinner together and enjoy traditional cooking," co-author Ivan Di Terlizzi from the Max Planck Institute is quoted as saying in a statement by the American Institute of Physics. Cacio e pepe, he said, seemed like an interesting dish from a physics perspective. "And of course, there was the practical aim to avoid wasting good pecorino." – dpa
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Two Italian wines from Tesco to drink with pasta
Two Italian wines from Tesco this week, both from the Abruzzo region of Italy . We are very familiar with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a great inexpensive, all-purpose wine that goes well with so many foods . Pecorino, a local grape variety that almost disappeared ten years ago, is less well-known. It has since been revived and is now used to make some excellent wines. Tesco Finest Pecorino 2024, Terre d'Abruzzo 12% abv, €12 (€9 with Clubcard) Lightly textured with rounded pear and peach fruits. This would make a great aperitif with antipasti, pasta dishes or with lighter fish dishes and creamy goat's cheese salads. From Tesco READ MORE [ Why you're serving your white wine too cold and your red wine too warm Opens in new window ] Tesco Finest Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2021 13% abv, €12 (€9.50 with Clubcard) Medium-bodied with smooth dark cherry fruits, a touch of spice and dark chocolate on the finish. Enjoy with most pasta or pizza dishes. From Tesco
Daily Maverick
18-06-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Courgette, caperberry & blue cheese risotto
Risotto is stirring stuff. But the key is not to stir too vigorously. A gentle touch, slow and easy, is what risotto is all about. That way, you'll have a lovely risotto with every grain of rice intact. Beats a mush any day. Caperberries are more powerful than the milder capers, and carry a heavy punch of flavour. Courgettes are not strong on favour at all, but this makes them a good carrier for other tastes in the mix. The stock and cream in this risotto make everything smooth and creamy and lighten the flavour profile, and of course cheese makes the world a happier place. And this a happy dish. Ingredients 350 g courgettes, topped, tailed and grated 1 red onion, chopped finely 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely 1 Tbsp chopped caperberries Olive oil 500 g arborio rice 1 litre vegetable stock 100 ml dry white wine 80 g blue cheese, crumbled 250 ml cream 2 Tbsp chopped parsley Parmesan, Pecorino or Grana Padano shavings for garnish Whole and halved caperberries for garnish Salt and white pepper to taste Method Rinse the courgettes under cold running water, dry and set aside. Top and tail the courgettes and grate them. Pour the stock into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat or leave it on the very lowest heat, just to keep it hot. Keep a ladle handy. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. It does not need to be caramelised. Add the wine and cook it down by half. Add this to the stock. Pour more olive oil into the pot in which you cooked the onions and heat it, then add the rice and stir well so that every grain of rice is coated with olive oil. If it does not seem to be enough, add more oil. Start adding the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring now and then, slowly and gently, just to prevent it from sticking at the bottom of the pot. Repeat until half of the stock has been incorporated. Continue adding the stock as above, until it has all or mostly been used up. If (and this is important)… if you feel that the rice is cooked perfectly before the stock is all used, stop adding more. There's no law that says you must use all the stock; 800 ml or so might well be enough. There is another law though: risotto rice needs to be just a little al dente, but short of crunchy. That's what you're looking for. Stir in the grated courgettes and cook gently for three or four minutes, then add the cream and bring it back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently while the cream incorporates. Just a couple of minutes. Now stir in the crumbled blue cheese, and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Let it simmer for a few minutes more for the cheese to blend in, then stir in the chopped parsley. You can grate some Parmesan, Pecorino or Grana Padano over to finish it off. Garnish with a few whole and halved caperberries and chopped parsley. DM
RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- RTÉ News
Here's what's in season in early summer and how to cook it
Normally at this time of year, we're just coming out of the so-called "hungry-gap", when the last of the winter crops has been harvested, and the late spring/early summer produce isn't quite ready to be picked. The gap is usually around March to May, but this year, the weather has been so warm, dry and sunny, that some growers are already harvesting height-of-summer treats, like strawberries, aubergines and even tomatoes. Climate change might have hurried along these fruit and vegetables that in 'normal' years are best eaten when the earth is cracked and the air buzzes with heat, but there is also a lot of early summer produce that is bang on time… Rhubarb Forced rhubarb season, when the tart spears are hidden away in cloches, deprived of sunlight to make them inch up faster and turn almost Barbie pink, is done and dusted. Now is the moment for greener, thicker rhubarb stems, harvested right through until July. "Technically a vegetable, rhubarb is easy to grow and so tasty. Unlike paler pink 'forced' rhubarb, which is grown in darkened tunnels, our rhubarb is field-grown, its blush-pink stalks stronger flavoured and more tinged with green," says Emily Lloyd, food lead at organic veg box company Riverford. Of course you can take the crumble route or be a little adventurous and have it pickled and served with oily fish like mackerel, but Lloyd also recommends simply stewing it "with a little sugar and a touch of ginger if you like, then serve with greek yogurt for an incredibly simple dessert or breakfast. Or mix it through freshly whipped cream to turn it into a fool – one of the easiest desserts you'll make, and so elegant." Broad beans These soft, slightly furred beans can divide opinion. A bag of them, still in their pods, requires setting aside a chunk of time to de-pod, blanche, and then peel each individual bean to remove the tough, translucent, papery case, to reveal the grass-green bean underneath – which, even after all that care and attention, can prove horribly mealy to eat. Frozen peas can seem like a much, much easier and more efficient option. But, if you're a broad bean fan, the faff to bean ratio is worth it. They peak in July but are cropping now and are best raked through a salad, eaten on toast with mozzarella, or blitzed with garlic, lemon, mint and loads of olive oil, salt and pepper from now until the end of July. In Italy, they're also eaten raw as a snack with Pecorino. Gooseberries If you grow these sharp, chandelier shaped berries, you'll know that picking them requires unbelievably thick skin – the spikes on the bush are medieval-style lethal. And the berries themselves are admittedly far less appealing to handle than blueberries and raspberries. They tend to need cooking, unless you love things that make your mouth pucker with sourness, but once cooked, they go silky and juicy. Top a bowl of custard with them, or add cream and shards of broken up meringue. Look out for the beautiful red varieties available, and scoff them between now and even into August (if we're lucky). Asparagus Hopefully you've already been nabbing every Irish-grown asparagus spear you've spotted through May. Keep going – they're in season until the end of June. "Compared to the year-round imports, which are not only less remarkable in taste and quality, they are often flown in, due to how perishable asparagus is, meaning there's a high carbon footprint attached," says Lloyd. "I love it steamed and dressed in a little olive oil and salt and then dipped into runny eggs as a replacement for toast soldiers. It's also gorgeous in a vegetarian carbonara – it pairs so well with dairy and creamy, cheesy flavours." Globe artichokes Like their seasonal compadres broad beans, globe artichokes are well fortified against being eaten, and effort is necessary to prise off their pointy petals and get to the meat inside. However, thanks to the plants being incredibly tall and sculptural, "you don't have to bend to pick them," says Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford. "Artichokes are one of my favourite vegetables to grow – big, brash and dramatic. They're always a talking point on the farm. I love them," he adds. They're in season from now until late July and the classic way to eat them is steamed, before dipping each petal in butter, but they're also pretty striking deep fried, and artichoke hearts can make a great dip with lots of molten cheese. "I especially like them in samphire and blue cheese pasta," says Singh-Watson.
