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A MATTER OF NOURISHMENT

Chiara Gianelli – Nutrition consultant, Recipe developer, Food photographer

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(EN/ITA) Questions like⠀⠀ 🍪why this flour works better than the other one?⠀ 🍅how can I get a creamier sauce?⠀⠀ 🍌how can I make my pancakes more fluffy?⠀⠀ 🍞why my bread doesn't rise properly?⠀⠀ are pretty common but most of the time it's easier to just say "it doesn't work" than looking for a proper explanation. Does this happen to you as well?⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ 🙋But I'm one of those people who needs details and explanations. I love talking about what happens while you cook in terms of science and nutrients: having a basic understanding of how things work helps you to be more confident about what you are doing and it can get more people involved in cooking. That's why here or on the blog you'll often find some hints about the chemistry behind ingredients or preparations.⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ 📊For example, do you ever wonder why you add BAKING SODA to your pancakes and what happens next? . 📚#foodchemistrychat The most common raising agent used in pancakes is baking soda (bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate). As you probably know, sodium bicarbonate is a base with a pH of 9 and it raises the pH of a mixture when added into it (for an overview of pH values: 7 = neutral, higher values = basic, lower values = acidic). I’ve already mentioned bicarbonate within my tips on how to make the best homemade hummus. The bicarbonate will react with any acid in the batter, following a simple acid-base reaction that generates a gas (carbon dioxide – that’s why some bubbles and a light fizzing will occur in the mixture). When you heat the mixture, the acid-base reaction is accelerated. Chiara #amatterofnourishment . .⠀⠀ ITA >> Domande come⠀⠀ 🍪perchè questa farina è meglio dell'altra?⠀ 🍅come posso fare una salsa più cremosa?⠀ 🍌come posso fare dei pancakes più morbidi?⠀ 🍞perchè il mio pane non lievita bene?⠀⠀ sono piuttosto frequenti, ma alle volte è più facile dire "tanto non funziona" piuttosto che cercare una vera spiegazione. Capita anche a te?⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ 🙋Ma io sono una di quelle persone che ha bisogno di dettagli e spiegazioni. Mi piace parlare di ciò che succede in cucina in termini di scienza e nutrienti: avere una base di conoscenze di questo tipo [continua⤵]

(EN/ITA) Happy Valentine's Day! 💖 .⠀ All these years together and I've never celebrated this day with my boyfriend but last week I said "let me know which cake do you want because I want to make one for Valentine's Day". In the past years, we've never even thought if we wanted to celebrate or not, we've always decided to let that day pass and move on. But this time, with a mix of anxiety, love and all the feelings, I decided to avoid getting stuck in the usual rant "it's just something shops made up to sell highly-priced roses, I don't need a specific day to celebrate love, etc." and I made a cake to celebrate. Did you cook anything special today? Chiara #amatterofnourishment⠀ .⠀ .⠀ ITA >> Buon San Valentino! 💖 .⠀ Tutti questi anni insieme al mio ragazzo e non abbiamo mai festeggiato questa giornata, ma, la scorsa settimana, ho detto "fammi sapere che torta vuoi perchè quest'anno ne preparo una per San Valentino". Negli anni passati, per una serie di ragioni, non abbiamo neanche mai pensato se volessimo festeggiare o no, abbiamo semplicemente lasciato perdere questa festività. Ma questa volta, con un mix di ansia, amore e tutto il resto, ho deciso di non farmi incastrare dalle solite lamentele "è solo qualcosa di creato dai negozi per vendere delle rose a prezzi più alti, non ho bisogno di un giorno specifico per celebrare l'amore, etc." ed ho sfornato una torta per festeggiare. Hai cucinato qualcosa di speciale oggi? Chiara

(EN/ITA) What if, instead of trying to change everything at the same time, you decide to focus just on one or two simple things?⠀ .⠀ 🌎 #gift There are plenty of ways to choose more sustainable options for the planet or find simple strategies to reduce food waste: it’s not really a matter of complexity or perfection, but it’s more about being consistent. 📷 Discovering these reusable bee's wax wraps a few years ago helped me to reduce a lot the use of both cling film and tin foil: now (thankfully) there are a lot of sustainable options popping up everywhere but, some time ago, @beeswrap has been the first brand I heard about for this kind of wraps. They recently gifted me a pack of their wraps and it couldn't be a better time considering how I've been busy in the kitchen lately. . 💚Things I love: they are made with organic cotton and sustainably sourced beeswax, they are handy to use, versatile, and durable (plus, the scent is amazing but, unfortunately, will fade after a while). . 👀Things I was skeptical about at the begin: will this wrap keep my bowls covered properly? Would it last for a long time? Can I really wrap a lemon or a piece of cheese then use it again? But then, I learned that the answer to all of these doubts was yes (YAY!). Have you ever tried these wraps? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments 👇 Chiara #amatterofnourishment⠀ .⠀ .⠀ ITA >> E se, invece di provare a cambiare tutto contemporaneamente, decidessi di provare a concentrarti solo su una o due cose?⠀ .⠀ Ci sono tanti modi per scegliere opzioni più sostenibili per il pianeta o per trovare delle strategie per ridurre lo spreco di cibo: non è una questione di complessità o perfezione, perchè ciò che conta davvero è che certe scelte vengano fatte con costanza. 📷 Scoprire qualche anno fa questi fogli riutilizzabili fatti con cera d'api, mi ha aiutata a ridurre l'utilizzo dei classici usa e getta: ora (per fortuna) ci sono tante opzioni sostenibili sul mercato ma, un po' di tempo fa, @beeswrap è stata la prima azienda di cui ho sentito parlare [continua⤵]

(EN/ITA) Which are your favourite ways to DE-STRESS? Is baking one of them? .⠀⠀ These are some of the things that work well for me:⠀⠀ 🍞cooking and especially doing it from scratch (for example, making things like bread or focaccia... those recipes who require patience and several steps but also involve questions about the #foodchemistry behind each step)⠀⠀ 🌳going for a walk and spending some time outside⠀⠀ ✏thinking about what I'm grateful for (helps me to stay more focused on what I have rather than on what I don't have)⠀⠀ 🙋doing yoga⠀⠀ 🌞having a coffee with my boyfriend⠀ .⠀⠀ But I also appreciate how powerful smaller things can be:⠀⠀ 🍵making a cup of tea⠀⠀ 🌊being more aware of my breath⠀⠀ 👣moving, cooking, eating, reading, or working in a more mindful way⠀ .⠀⠀ Often we forget how small things can really make the difference! 📷 Soon I'll share the recipe for this pumpkin focaccia on my website so you'll have the chance to bake it and who knows... maybe it will help you to relax a little! Chiara #amatterofnourishment⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ ITA >> Quali sono i tuoi modi preferiti per gestire meglio lo stress e rilassarti?⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ Alcune delle cose che funzionano per me:⠀⠀ 🍞cucinare ed in particolare farlo partendo dagli ingredienti di base (preparare ad esempio pane o focaccia... quelle cose che necessitano di pazienza, tanti passaggi, tempi lunghi)⠀ 🌳uscire per una camminata e passare tempo all'aperto⠀⠀ ✏pensare a ciò per cui sono grata⠀⠀ 🙋praticare yoga⠀⠀ 🌞prendere un caffè con il mio ragazzo⠀ .⠀⠀ Ma anche cose piccole come:⠀⠀ 🍵prepare un tè⠀⠀ 🌊respirare in modo più consapevole⠀⠀ 👣muovermi, cucinare, mangiare, leggere, o lavorare in modo più consapevole⠀ .⠀⠀ Spesso tendiamo a dimenticare quanto possano fare la differenza alcune piccole cose! 📷 A breve condividerò la ricetta per questa focaccia alla zucca, così avrai modo di prepararla e chissà... magari potrai anche utilizzarla per distrarti un po' dai vari impegni quotidiani! Chiara

Sharing these homemade tagliatelle with a cocoa and coffee dough to talk about the chemistry behind cocoa 🍫 #foodchemistrychat Have you ever wondered where its taste comes from? Get the answer below! .⠀ 📉The flavour of cocoa (and consequently of chocolate) is related to all the steps that lead to the final product and that's why different brands can taste different. These changes are related to the chemical compounds involved in each step⠀ .⠀ 📚Theobromine is an alkaloid found in cocoa and other foods (including tea leaves) and often mentioned for its similarity with caffeine (it differs from caffeine only for a methyl group -CH3). To describe the taste of cocoa the attributes used are bitter, astringent, and sour. Theobromine is one of the compounds responsible for the bitter taste - the bitterness is increased thanks to the interaction of theobromine with other chemicals formed when the beans are roasted (they come from the thermal degradation of protein)⠀ .⠀ 📒(-)-epicatechin, well-known for being an antioxidant (one of the cocoa flavanols, part of the chemical family of flavonoids), is one of the compounds that contributes to the astringent taste of cocoa and it also has an influence on the bitterness. (-)-epicatechin is not the only antioxidant found in cocoa: there are also other catechins, anthocyanins, and leucoanthocyanins⠀ .⠀ 📉Citric, acetic, succinic and malic acid contribute to the sour note of cocoa: these are all organic acids formed during the fermentation-step during the process of the fruit of cocoa plants .⠀ 🍰🍩🍫There are SO many other interesting stuff to learn about food apart from its caloric content! Do you have any curiosity about chocolate? Let me know below👇 Chiara #amatterofnourishment

(EN/ITA) A recipe from the blog archives with updated photos: beetroot hummus! Have you ever tried it?⠀ .⠀⠀ Once you learn how to make the best homemade hummus (all the tips you need are on my #blog), you’ll start cooking it so often that the next step obviously has to be getting more creative in the kitchen and start exploring new flavours and ingredients. A creamy beetroot hummus is a great way to get started: pair it with bread, focaccia or crackers and some cucumber for the most simple appetizer or snack and use this tasty dip to easily increase the nutritional content (and the deliciousness) of your meal. For the full recipe ➡ #linkinbio. Chiara #amatterofnourishment⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ .⠀⠀ ITA >> Una ricetta dall'archivio del blog con nuove foto: hummus alla rapa! L'hai mai provato?⠀ .⠀ Quando scopri come preparare un ottimo hummus fatto in casa, inevitabilmente inizi anche a prepararlo più spesso ed il passo successivo risulta abbastanza ovvio: iniziare ad essere più creativi in cucina e ad esplorare nuovi sapori o ingredienti. Un hummus cremoso alla rapa rossa può essere il punto di partenza perfetto: abbinalo con pane, focaccia o crackers e del cetriolo per creare in pochi minuti un antipasto o uno snack e sfrutta questa crema di legumi per aumentare con molta facilità il contenuto nutrizionale (e la bontà) di un pasto. Trovi la ricetta per l'hummus alla rapa e per la preparazione di base sul mio sito. Chiara

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