Improperly considered a cereal, buckwheat belongs to the polygonaceae family. Gluten-free and therefore particularly suitable for those suffering from celiac disease, or for those suffering from allergies to wheat, the buckwheat it is a food with remarkable nutritional properties. Meanwhile, it is rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, copper and some B vitamins, as if to say that it is a concentrate of healthy energy for the body.
At the same time it also produces beneficial effects on blood pressure, on the proper functioning of the thyroid, regulates insulin and is a useful support in case of anemia and viral inflammation. Among its properties it should also be remembered that it has a low glycemic index, and therefore it is suitable in the diet of diabetics, and helps keep the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood low. 100 grams of buckwheat contains 343 calories, of which 72 g of carbohydrates, 13 g of protein and 3,4 g of fat.
Considered in current opinion a minor cereal, erroneously as mentioned, it has undergone, over the years, an increasingly reduced diffusion due to various factors, first of all the lower productivity compared to wheat also due to the standardization of consumption and therefore a lower demand on the market.
However, due merits have been recognized for some time and he has been ennobled by returning to the menus of great Italian chefs. Among his supporters there is Cristina Bowerman, one Michelin star chef, of the Glass Hostaria restaurant in Rome, to which First&Food dedicated a long profile in February last year.
Graduated in Law, experience as a lawyer in an American law firm, then Graphic Design in a large studio, also in the States, multi-purpose chef always open to new things, a haute cuisine school in Austin, Texas at the university courses of the Culinary Arts Academy where he second degree, important training experience of discipline and technique, sharpness, definition and concentration of flavors at the Driskill Grill a real institution in the States, luxury hotel that hosted President Lyndon B. Johnson, Cristina Bowerman, frenetic and tireless protagonist of Italian haute cuisine constantly striving for innovation and change, has always kept alive that subtle common thread that binds her to her homeland, Puglia.
And she continues to devote constant attention to the world of flavors of cooking lived and discovered alongside her grandmother and mother, who involved her when they prepared lunches and dinners at home. If you ask her for an impression of her tastes from her childhood, she will answer without a shadow of a doubt: the tasty cavatelli with tomato and salted ricotta from her mother Cetta.
From the memories of the poor Apulian cuisine, of the spontaneous raw materials of her homeland, the dish proposed by the Chef for the readers of First&Food is born, a dish that combines flavors of land and sea, which goes perfectly with the current season , and offers in its simplicity of execution, intense flavors, scents of forest, freshness but also great health properties. A concentrate of everything.
Method
Ingredients for 4 people:
250 g of barley
400 g of mushroom broth
100 gr of mashed potatoes
40 grams of Grana Padano
320 g of baby squid
1 glass of white wine
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Onion
Procedure:
Toast the barley with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and onion. Deglaze with white wine and pour over with mushroom broth. In a pan.
On the side, sauté the squid cut into julienne strips with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and half an onion finely sliced.
About 2/3 minutes before the barley is cooked, add the potato purée, made with only boiled potatoes, and a handful of Grana Padano.
Mix everything well and season on top with the baby squid.
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