Aldente vegetables: how to cook and what to consider

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Italy is notably noted in our diet. And sometimes it’s even a shame that in the minds of most compatriots, the Italian presence is limited to pizza and pasta. In this country, there is such a wonderful dish as vegetables "aldente" - and few people know about it. Most people do not even know what it is in principle. Sometimes the term is perceived as the name of a dish, when in fact it refers to a culinary technique.

What is "aldente"

This term can be translated by the Russian idiom "by the teeth". Basically, this method is applied to pasta (that is, pasta). The second most common object of application of the method is fig. However, in Italy, "aldente" vegetables are also very popular, which are interesting because they retain most of their "usefulness", in contrast to the same boiled or friedstatus.

What is "aldente"? This is the highest skill of the culinary specialist, who was able to bring the dish to such a state when the ingredients are soft and fully cooked, but there is a crispy crust on the outside. So the same "aldente" vegetables almost do not lose vitamins during the cooking process. But at the same time juicy, soft and appetizing. If you want to try al dente vegetables, the cooking method is quite simple - after heat treatment they are cooled rapidly, for example, by dousing with ice water or overlaying with ice.

Nuances and subtleties

Most often, "aldente" involves boiling. However, you can make such vegetables in a pan. The main thing is that there should be little oil in it, and after a couple of minutes of frying, you need to pour in a spoonful of balsamic vinegar. If everything is done quickly, you will get the intended dish.

If "aldente" is made from fresh vegetables, they will have to be cooked separately, as they all have different cooking times. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary hassle, many cooks freeze the mixture - this way the cooking time is equalized.

If your al dente vegetables are cooked by boiling, pour half a teaspoon of sugar into the pan before adding them. This amount will absolutely not affect the taste, then all the ingredients will retain their bright color.

Classic aldente vegetables

As in any other business, you need to start with the simplest. So, you've got al dente vegetables planned. How to cooktraditional set? 300 g of broccoli is taken and very quickly - a minute and a half - boiled in s alted boiling water. A frying pan with poured olive oil (we are in Italy!) Is heated. Very finely chopped garlic and ginger are sprinkled on it, plus cumin, white grain mustard and sesame seeds. As soon as the crackling begins to be heard, wheat sprouts, 100 g of peas in pods and boiled broccoli are added. Stew vegetables for about 7 minutes; so that the characteristic crunch remains, the bowl where the "aldente" vegetables are laid out is covered with ice.

Aldente ragout

Of course, a set of vegetables can be very different. In principle, aldente vegetables can include the entire crop of your garden. Remember: the main thing here is the method of preparation. Very interesting are the "aldente" vegetables, the recipe for which includes zucchini. This vegetable must be cut into long bars, and carrots - the same long straws. Leek crumbles like a carrot. Carrots brown very quickly in olive oil in a hot frying pan. After it, the onion softens for a minute, and zucchini, sprinkled with dry marjoram, is placed on top of these vegetables. With stirring, the dish languishes on fire for about four minutes, laid out on a plate, and only after that it is s alted and peppered. This is a prerequisite if you want to cook exactly "aldente" vegetables - the cooking method does not involve adding s alt during frying.

Vegetablealdente salad with shrimps

Frozen cauliflower, beans and broccoli are taken in equal amounts, plus half a bell pepper. They are placed in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drained through a colander and abruptly immersed in ice water - this is how the "aldente" vegetables are obtained. We will now tell you how to make a salad from them.

Oil (of course, olive oil) is heated in a frying pan, and plates of two cloves of garlic, a chopped small piece of hot pepper and a couple of sprigs of thyme are fried in it. When the oil becomes fragrant, peeled shrimp are placed in it and fried for a couple of minutes. Thyme sprigs are removed, aldente vegetables in a bowl are poured with shrimp oil (if necessary, it can be supplemented with olive oil), lightly sprinkled with lemon or lime juice. Shrimps mixed with olives and capers are placed on top of such a pillow. The salad is ready to eat.

And soup too

It should be noted the variety of dishes in which "aldente" vegetables are involved. The recipe for soup with them is quite simple. A 300-gram package of frozen vegetables is taken. What is included in it is not so important, the main thing is that the mixture contains corn and peas. Vegetables are thawed to half, chopped, finely chopped onion is added to them, and everything is thrown into boiling water together. When it boils again, three minutes are noted, after which the mixture is poured into a colander and lowered into ice water. Broth is cooked separately as a base - both vegetable and meat are suitable. One ofthe most interesting options can be a mushroom broth - without the mushrooms themselves or passed through a blender along with them. Vegetables are laid out on deep plates and poured with broth. You need to eat immediately! If the "aldente" lie down in a hot liquid, they will be saturated with it and soften. There will be no crunch left, get the usual ordinary vegetable soup.