A trip to Italy turns up two culinary standouts that offer great health benefits
After one week in Italy, which included eating at least five pounds of pasta, I am reflecting on two culinary standouts that will be added to my home menu. My criteria for inclusion are taste, affordability, availability and nutritional benefits.
Balsamic vinegar from Modena is a rich, dark flavorful addition to a variety of dishes. The process for making balsamic vinegar originated in Modena and has remained unextreme changed. It has one ingredient — grapes. There are numerous studies showing balsamic vinegar benefits blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels. So adding it to a dish provides a nutritional bump.
For the richest taste I suggest buying the real thing. Look for the consortium logo, and the words
aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena.
With the aged balsamic you only need a small amount. So although the bottle might seem expensive it will last a long time. Balsamic is best for marinating, drizzled over vegetables, with cheese, finishing meat or fish, and surprisingly over ice cream and desserts. And, of course, salad.
I was served a farro salad during a wine tasting and it was a knockout. My group consisted of vegans, carnivores and everything in between and we all were bowled over. The name farro is commonly used for einkorn, emmer, and spelt. The farro bought in the United States is usually emmer.
Farro is in the wheat family so people with gluten sensitivity need to avoid this grain. One half cup of farro has 170 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein and 15% of the daily recommended zinc, magnesium and niacin. And as a whole grain it has a range of antioxidant polyphenols. Buy the whole farro instead of the pearled version for the greatest nutrition content.
The farro salad we loved contained basil, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Other ways to enjoy farro is in soups, as a replacement for brown rice or quinoa, or tossed with fresh herbs. A quick internet search provides hundreds of recipes.
Sheah Rarback MS, RDN is on the faculty of the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami.