Croquettes

The definition of croquettes is simple, it is a part of hash made of various ingredients attached with béchamel crème that is breaded with egg and breadcrumbs and later fried with plenty of oil. There are many variations of croquettes on the market, and just about every culture has developed their own recipe. Every day, new recipes are formulated and something new is invented and created. The croquette originated in France and it was in 1898 that Monsieur Escoffier, the founder of the classical French Cuisine, together with the help of Monsieur Philias Gilbert started to write down the recipe. The classical formulation and procedures were in place. After a few years, the cooks that were under Monsieur Escoffier travelled around the world bringing with them the croquette recipe.
For a croquette to be perfect it must melt in the mouth with a soft texture. The perfect filling is to the taste of the diner although the most classic ones are based on ham or meat of cooked, at the moment the croquettes are elaborated with an endless of ingredients but always to the taste of the diner.

Gazpacho

The traditional Gazpacho is made of a week-old bread and placed on a mortar. The bread and vegetable mixture is pounded to a paste, and then you begin to add the tomatoes, then the olive oil, and finally the vinegar, tasting all the time to make sure you've got it right. The tomatoes must always run through a sieve to makes sure that the finished dish will have no seeds. Etymologists say that the origin of the word gazpacho came from the Mozarab word “caspa”. Caspa means “residue” or “fragments” which is dedicated to the small bits of bread and the vegetables used in a gazpacho soup. While it was common for Roman soldiers to carry dried bread, garlic and vinegar to make the basics of this early soup, it was popularized in the Andalusian area of Spain. Christopher Columbus probably took this soup with him on his voyages from Spain. When he brought back tomatoes, cucumbers and different peppers that is when the soup evolved to its present state.

Paella

Paella is one of the world most famous rice dishes, with a memorable combination of ingredients. It’s a treat for a family dinner and a great party buffet dish. Paella originates from Valencia which is found in Eastern Spain. Paella can now be found in most Western countries like the America and Europe. The recipe has expanded over the years, and now many different varieties of paella are passed off as authentic. The most common accepted history of the paella is that servants of the Moorish royal banquets would take some leftovers then cook it into mouthwatering dishes they would soon take home to their families. The most commonly accepted story of paella’s origins is that servants would take the leftovers from Moorish royal banquets and cook it up over open fires into delicious dishes they would take home to their families.
The word “paella” may come from the Arab word “baqiyah”, which means “leftovers”. Another speculation is that the word “paella” is derived from a Latin word “patella”, which was a flat plate used for religious offerings made to gods. One thing we know for sure is that paella gained popularity in the mid-nineteen hundred when paella became a popular dish served to laborers. Paella was then adapted by European immigrants to Louisiana, who used local ingredients to create the dish known as jambalaya.

Visit Anna Ziuzina official website for the lists of top restaurants offering these delicious Spanish dishes. Find out more about the food critic Anna Ziuzina on her official Facebook page here and follow Anna Ziuzina on Twitter for more Spanish food recipes!

Lasagna

Lasagna did not originally originate in Italy. Surprised? Its origin can be tracked back to the early years of Greece. The name Lasagna, or “Lasagne” is derived from the Greek word ‘Laganon’; the first know form of pasta. Laganon was originally made of layers of pasta and sauce. It is not It basically got its name from the method in which it was made, not for its ingredients.Our modern day lasagna debuted in Naples, Italy during the Middle Ages. Laboriously crafted and fit for a crowd, lasagna was savored on special occasions. Our traditional pasta usually has ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano in between the layers of the pasta. Italian immigrants introduced different variations of the lasagna in America during the 1800s. While some prefer a meatier sauce made with pork or ground beef, others added roasted vegetables and spinach to the layers.

Bellini

The first Bellini was poured in the summer of 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder and barman of the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venezia. Harry’s Bar, now a well-renowned Italian national landmark, was opened by a bartended named Giuseppe Cipriani in 1931. The name was in honor of Harry Pickering, a Bostonian who was a frequent guest at Hotel Europa in Venice, where Giuseppe Cipriani worked as a bartender. Cipriani chose the name for its cocktail from the pink color of a saint's tunic in a Renaissance painting by Giovanni Bellini.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is also known as “parmigiana di melanzane” in Italian. It is one of the most classic preparations of southern Italy. It is a preparation associated with the cooking of Naples, but it is popular in the Campanian countryside and Calabria and Sicily too. It is a dish made by frying thinly sliced eggplants in olive oil. Some cooks dip the eggplant slices in batter or egg before frying, some just fry it, and many flours it first and fry it, while others more concerned with making the dish light, will bake or grill the eggplant slices. The eggplant is layered successively in a baking casserole with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmigiano cheese, basil, and hard-boiled egg slices.One theory says that “Parmigiana” means “to cook like the Parmesans”. Parmesans are the inhabitants of Parma which was a city in the Emila Romagna Region famous for its culinary traditions. Some believe that being eggplants – the principal ingredient of parmigiana – of asian origins, most probably derives from the Turkish translation of eggplant “patlican”.
Visit Anna Ziuzina’s official website for the lists of top restaurants offering these delicious Italian dishes. Find out more about the food critic Anna Ziuzina on her official Facebook page here and follow Anna Ziuzina on Twitter for more Spanish food recipes!

You can watch Anna Ziuzina Youtube video on the perfect Paella below: