|
|
 |
Baking in foil and paper
|
| Baking things in foil and paper is easy and it's a great way to preserve all the deep flavors of the food being prepared. All you have to do is wrap the ingredients in a sheet of aluminum or special baking paper, put them in the oven for twenty or so minutes and Bob's your uncle! A technique anyone can master, which produces results worthy of a great chef. The crowning moment is when your guests open the foil or paper, unleashing all the exquisite aromas locked inside. |
|
|
|
|
| 1. |
From a practical point of view, an ordinary sheet of aluminum foil represents the simplest solution. It's easy to use, quick to wrap up and seal (just roll up the edges) and aesthetically pleasing when served at the table. As an alternative, you can also use oven paper. However, it is a bit harder to work with and, most importantly, a less attractive accouterment to set before our guests. The important thing to remember is that the foil or paper has to be well sealed so the cooking juices won't seep out. This is why you should never set food wrapped in foil or paper directly on the oven rack, without placing it on a baking sheet. This way, if there are any leaks you'll avoid the mess of baked-on drippings.
|
|
|
|
|
| 2. |
You can use the foil/paper-wrap method for raw items that must be cooked completely or for items that are already partially cooked and only need to be further flavored by means of this technique. Cooking times, obviously vary, but the temperature of the oven should never exceed 200°C. As for the amount of time in the oven, 15-20 minutes should be enough to enhance the aroma and flavor of any dish, whereas you'll obviously need more time for completely raw items. While fish should only take from 40-45 minutes, you'll need at least 90-100 minutes to cook meat this way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SELECTING YOU INGREDIENTS |
|
| 3. |
Any kind of food can be cooked in this practical fashion. The selected item should be spiced beforehand so you don't have to open the paper during the cooking process. Another factor to bear in mind is the amount of water contained in the food you select. You don't want to serve something that's going to spew steaming liquid and juices all over the plate as soon as the foil or paper wrapper is opened. Vegetables can often cause this sort of problem and so it's a good idea to remember to pierce the foil or paper wrapper on the sides in order to remove the excess liquids before serving this category of food. When excess liquids are a major concern it may be a good idea to opt for oven paper rather than aluminum foil, especially if you have decided to prepare a single large wrapped dish and to divide the contents into portions before serving. In this case it will be sufficient to make little perforations in the paper so that the excess liquids can escape during cooking in the form of steam.
|
|
|
|
|
| 4. |
A simple gilthead - gutted, scaled and dressed with salt, pepper and herbs - will take on a very special flavor inside a foil or paper wrapper in which we have included some cubed cherry tomatoes or finely chopped onion and sweet peppers sliced into very fine shreds.A foil or paper wrapping is also great for a combination of mussels, clams (already cooked and on the half-shell) and olives, together with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce; or spinach (previously sautéed for just a few moments with herbs, pine nuts and yellow grapes) wrapped in foil or paper together with a slice of gorgonzola or fontina cheese and then baked for around ten minutes. Meat lovers will have fun experimenting with chicken, which can be completely cooked in foil or paper. In this case, as well, we recommend checking the amount of cooking liquids produced, because you might end up "poaching" the meat. A smart way to avoid this problem is by adding ingredients capable of absorbing the juices, such as potatoes, for instance. We would like to conclude this section by encouraging you to also try fruit baked in a packet (especially apples and pears), but be sure to add a few cloves and use aluminum foil. As an alternative, you could add a teaspoon of powdered ginger, which will definitely add a uniquely zesty flair to your fruit treat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
