|
|
 |
Marinades and brines
|
Conserving food used to constitute a real problem that was difficult to solve without resorting to stratagems based on the use of salt or vinegar. These two substances are capable of preserving food by retarding the action of microorganisms.
Today, however, we are able to achieve this with refrigeration; marinades and brines are now chiefly used as interesting ways of preparing food.The term marinade refers to liquid preparations, either cooked or cold, that actually perform an antibacterial action and are highly appreciated by gourmets for the flavors they give to various foods. The way it works is that you either leave your meat, fish or vegetables to soak in the marinade for a few hours, or you use it during the cooking process. Marinating times vary a great deal, depending on the type of marinade and the kind of result you want to obtain, ranging from 2-3 hours (for fish and thin cuts of meat) to 12-14 hours (for thick cuts of meat and game). The longest marinating times are used for vegetables, which can take up to several days to marinate fully. One could safely say that marinades represent a highly creative area for chefs. Indeed, an almost infinite variety of ingredients can be used to prepare them, allowing you to flavor the dishes you are working on in a very personal and original manner. But you must never forget that the marinade should under no circumstances overshadow the flavor of the recipe's principal component, serving instead to enrich and enhance it. This is an important point to bear in mind, especially when using large amounts of vinegar. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MORE FLAVOR WITH COLD MARINADES |
|
| 1. |
Let's begin our survey with the cold marinades, which are an excellent means for adding flavor to meats and vegetables. For barbecue enthusiasts, we recommend mixing olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and using it to marinate meat and fish filets for a few hours before popping them on to the grill. If, instead, you intend to tackle a stew, you can prepare a spicier, more flavorful marinade, using whole cloves, pink pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg along with a medium-bodied red wine, as well as a little Marsala wine or cognac.
Game deserves a whole separate chapter because every type of animal, be it furred or feathered, requires a marinade with its own particular set of ingredients. As a rule of thumb, you generally use rosemary and juniper berries, although thyme also serves quite nicely for this purpose, as long as it's used in moderation. Cold marinades constitute a sort of blank check when it comes to giving free rein to one's creativity in the use of fresh, seasonal herbs, finely chopped and left to macerate in olive oil, vinegar and wine. Sage, chives and summer savory are a great way to start.
|
|
|
|
|
| 2. |
Cooked marinades will imbue your food with more flavor than the cold ones and they must be handled carefully. A classic marinade recipe, excellent for meat, calls for slowly boiling a finely chopped scallion together with a stock of celery, black pepper, fine herbs and a few bay leaves in white vinegar or wine for a few minutes. If the final flavor is too strong, just add a little water to dilute the mixture, although this expedient could upset the delicate balance of flavors.
When it comes to fish, nothing beats a sprig of thyme or marjoram put into a saucepan containing a blend of equal parts of white vinegar and wine. Cooks often enjoy surprising their dinner guests by combining mace (nutmeg leaves), fenugreek and other exotic spices, as well as ingredients like red beet or ginger. Once again, try not to go overboard.
|
|
|
|
|
| 3. |
The primary difference between a marinade and a brine is the presence of salt, a key ingredient when it comes to preserving foods. Generally speaking, a brine is prepared by boiling 4-5 liters of water with 250-300 g of salt, various spices (generally bay leaves, coriander, juniper and black pepper) and a few onions chopped into little pieces. Once cooled, the brew is filtered and used for conserving or flavoring meat and fish.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAÒR AND SCAPÈCE; WHAT A TREAT! |
|
| 4. |
Some special marinades are used to macerate fried foods, especially fish, giving rise to a family of dishes "in saòr", typical of northeastern Italy, or "in scapèce", part of the rich gastronomic tradition of southern Italy. The possibilities are practically unlimited, but blue fish that has been dusted with flour, fried and then marinated is probably one of the most rewarding examples of this process. When preparing these dishes you can also use pine nuts and raisins, indispensable ingredients when it comes to adding a sweet-and-sour tang to these little culinary masterpieces. In this case you'll have to wait at least a couple of days before tasting the final result. This way the fish will have had enough time to imbibe the flavors of the marinade as the sharpness of the vinegar, one of the principal components of these recipes, lessens.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXPERIMENTING IN THE KITCHEN |
|
| 5. |
The first step for anyone about to prepare a marinade is to make a preliminary taste-test of the vinegar to be used, in order to determine whether or not it's necessary to dilute it with wine or water to blunt the impact of its flavor. When it comes to selecting a wine, we recommend ordinary table wine. There is no need to use the fine wines in your cellar, unless you're preparing a marinade for braised meat: a dish of this quality requires an appropriately good wine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
)
