Crave Bits

Tag: Pizza

  • Famous Cheese Recipes for Cheese Lovers

    Famous Cheese Recipes for Cheese Lovers

    Think about Cheese and the image which comes to our mind is melted cheese on pizzas, vegetables covered with melted cheese, cheese sandwich etc. The list is endless. Cheese is popular all over the world and is one of the ingredients loved by each and every heart. A person who loves cheese is entitled as turophile. In ancient times, there had been a special kitchen in Rome, which is especially maintained for the preparation of cheese. Every cuisine in this world is incomplete without cheese. In 16th century, it is known to be the currency in Denmark.

    Cheese is a food obtained from the milk of buffalos, cows, goats or sheep. It is formed by the coagulation of milk and milk must be acidified. Finally solids are separated out and given a final form. United States, being the largest producer produces 2000 varieties of cheese. It is a large source of protein, calcium and phosphorus.

    corn

    You must be thinking now cheese is ready and this is all about cheese, but actually now the picture starts. All the cuisines all over the world use cheese as special ingredients.  Every dish is incomplete without cheese whether it is margarita pizza, cheesecakes, Savory Corn tarts, Gratin of potatoes, pasta, fondue, macaroni, etc. The list is not completed here, rather it is endless. The preparation of these dishes requires cheese as the main ingredient, but they also require some other ingredients to complete its preparation and now we will discuss some of them.

    cake

    Oreo Cookie cheesecake is a much loved dessert by the children. It contains oreo cookies, melted chocolate and creamy cheese. Initially crushed down the cookies and mix it with butter. Then beat sugar, cornflour and cheese along with egg one by one. After this add vanilla essence and melted chocolate in it. Pour the solution over the crust and allow it to bake at 180 degrees C for 10 mins and then decrease the temperature to 100 degrees C for 2 hours. Allow it to cool down and then cut down the slice and it is ready. In every bite of these slices you will have a taste of creamy cheese on your tongue and after every bite the only thing you will speak is “yummy cheese”.

    margharita

    When you talk about cheese, slideshow of hot sizzling pizza flashes across your mind. Isn’t it? So here comes the best cheese based pizza’s recipe i.e.  Margharita. Take the dough and place it on the tray for pre-heating. Cover it with a layer of mozzarella cheese and spread a layer of pasta and basil leaves. Put the prepared material into the oven for 10-12 minutes. Now, after this drizzle down some olive oil and pepper on it. The pizza is ready to be served and cut down the slices too.

    gratin

    Cheesy dip items are all we want now days. Then how could you forget about gratin of potatoes along with garlic cream. It is a yummy dish with very easy recipe. Cut the potatoes and grate down the cheese. Now add salt and pepper to the potatoes.Now layer the pieces of potatoes and add all the grated cheese along with the garlic cream to it. If the bowl is empty add another layer of potatoes with the garlic cream and cheese. Cover it with butter and allow it to bake at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes. After the potatoes are fully cooked and surface of potatoes covered with cheese becomes brown, then it is ready to be served.

    cheese pasta

    If cheese and pasta lovers are together then four cheese pasta will be there in their menu definitely. This item is as cheesy as cheese. Initially boil the pasta in salted water and mix it with the olive oil. Boil milk with thyme, bay leaf, rosemary and onions and mix the butter with flour. Add both the mixture slowly along with the pepper and salt and stir it. Grate different varieties of cheese like Parmesan, Brie, Emmental and cheddar. Add this to the above sauce. In a pan, add garlic, chili flakes and tomatoes to it. Now mix it properly and serve.

    fondue

    Melted cheese is far more delicious and yummy than the melted chocolate. Here comes another melting cheese dish known as ‘Cheese Fondue’. Fondue is prepared with the help of melted cheese and is a popular Swiss dish known all over the world. Varieties of cheese such as Gruyere and Emmental are added to white wine. Now hot mixture is ready and next you have to add vegetables like baby corn, broccoli to it. Enjoy the cheesiness in every sip of this fondue.

    These are some recipes famous all over the world. So if you haven’t tasted any of these dishes, then what are you waiting for. Go to the nearby cuisine and place the order. Spend some cheesy moments with the cheese. Go cheesy, think cheesy and eat cheesy…!!

  • Festa Italiana: How to Eat Healthy at an Italian Restaurant

    Festa Italiana: How to Eat Healthy at an Italian Restaurant

    On days that you don’t feel like cooking, what do you do? For many of you, the likely answer is order a pizza. It’s true. The urban Indian audience has been fast developing a taste for Italian food. And it’s not just the promptly delivered, hassle-free pizzas that we go for either. For many of us today, bruschetta, pasta, and lasagna are standard choices when eating out. But what are the implications of an appetite for cheesy pizza, creamy pasta, and gooey lasagna for your heart and waistline? Obviously, adverse. So does that mean you have to give up on your favourite Italian restaurant in favour of your health? Or would you continue your liaison with Italian food, albeit with a guilty conscious? Thankfully, there’s an effective middle path. The two major variables in Italian food are pasta and sauce, and both have the power to steer you towards obesity and heart disease. That’s the bad news. The good news, though, is that they don’t have to. There are ways to make your experience of dining at an Italian restaurant easier on your conscience and your midsection.

    Good things first, authentic Italian is arguably one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. What accounts for this win? The answer is its star ingredients: tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, and basil. Studies have shown that lycopene, which is found in tomatoes, may help prevent breast cancer. One of the best ways to get cancer-fighting lycopene into your system is by consuming cooked tomato products: half a cup of tomato sauce has more than 20 milligrams. Plus, garlic, and traditional Italian herbs and spices like oregano, parsley, and basil are great sources of vitamins A and C. Olive oil is known to help lower cholesterol, fight heart disease, and burn belly fat.

    Notice how melted cheese isn’t on that list of power Italian staples? Italians typically use Parmesan or other hard cheeses instead, grated in small amounts for a big flavour boost. It’s the Americanised versions of Italian dishes that typically tend to be loaded with fat and calories. And it is here that you have to be careful. Here are a few guidelines on how to choose right from amongst your favourites when eating Italian.


    Pasta:

    Pasta with sauce

    Pasta is basically just dough made from durum wheat and water, extruded or stamped into various shapes and typically cooked in boiling water. It provides quick burning carbs and is lower on the calorie meter than traditional Indian staples like steamed rice. However, it’s not the pasta but the sauce that you need to be careful about. Sauces are the big players in Italian cuisine. As such, choosing your sauce carefully is crucial to your nutritional success. Marinara is a smooth basic tomato sauce that is virtually fat-free and delivers at least one serving of fruit in the form of antioxidant-packed tomatoes. Go for Arrabiata if you like your food spicy. It is basically the same as Marinara, but with red pepper flakes that give you an instant burn. Pesto is high on fat content, but most of that is healthy monounsaturated fat from olive oil. Besides, the addition of basil and garlic adds a concentrated punch of cancer-fighting compounds. Butter and Parmesan offers just fat from the sauce and quick-burning carbs from the pasta. Alfredo is the same as Butter and Parmesan, but with the addition of heavy cream. If you are looking for something heart-healthy and light, this is not the sauce for you.


    Pizza:

    Pizza

    Pizzas are family farourites. But a careless order can turn your pizza into a fat-loaded nutritional disaster. Opt for whole-wheat thin crusts instead of cheese-filled or deep dish ones. Veggie toppings are a good call. Think tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, and peppers. Skip the pepperoni, meatballs, and sausages – they add more calories than you might be prepared to bargain for. If you want meat on your pizza, go for chicken chunks. Avoid extra cheese. You could even ask for lesser cheese or no cheese at all and simply sprinkle a spoonful of Parmesan on top for flavour.


    Lasagna:

    Lasagna

    While the traditional recipe can be effectively altered at home to cut the calorie content, the restaurant versions are so loaded with fat that it is all but impossible to order a lasagna without dealing a heavy nutritional blow to your body. If you frequent Italian restaurants, it is probably a good idea to give this comfort food a miss.


    Bruschetta:

    Bruschetta

    Love bruschettas? This Italian version of chips and salsa has much more going for it than the bottomless baskets of fried tortillas. A full order will run about 600 calories — perfect for a table of four. Opt for the mussels. Low in fat and packed with protein, they make a good start to your meal.


    Penne alla Vodka:

    Penne alla vodka

    Here’s a tricky one. The alcohol gets cooked off, but before it goes it helps extract flavours that would otherwise remain hidden in the tomatoes. However, the caliber of the sauce depends entirely on what’s used in the house recipe. Ask your server if your dish is closer in color to the red of tomato soup or the washed-out pink of white zinfandel wine. If it’s the latter, look elsewhere.


    Chicken Marsala:

    Chicken Marsala

    Made with chicken cutlets, mushrooms, and Marsala wine, this preparation has all the potential for being full of health if the original recipe is followed. However, more often than not, in restaurants chefs get carried away with the prosciutto and oil and this simple staple may pack in a whopping 900 calories or more.

    Cannoli

    Cannoli

    This authentic Sicilian dessert consists of pastry dough stuffed with sweetened ricotta, a cheese that shares much in common nutritionally with cottage cheese. As long as the portion size is reasonable, cannoli is any day preferable over a 700-calorie slice of tiramisu. To keep it around 200 calories, look for a piece about 4 inches long. If served two to a plate, share them.

    Gelato:

    Gelato

    The Italian ice cream is made with milk instead of heavy cream. Although that doesn’t make it a zero-impact food, but it is undoubtedly a massive step above Haagen-Dazs.

    Now that you have the facts, tips, and tricks down, head out to your favourite Italian restaurant with confidence and enjoy a guilt-free Italian feast!