“The month of April, already knows what Mai wants.” – Manfred Hinrich
The 25th of April Venezia becomes red: it is the celebration of the bocòlo (bud in venetian dialect), in addition to being Saint Mark, the celebration of the Patron Saint. Men give to their beloved a red rose bud.
Shortly after, it follows May, with no doubt the month of roses and at the AbanoRitz we have the perfect recipe to sweeten your spring:
CRYSTALLIZED ROSE PETALS
Wash and carefully select the petals of 8 roses, let them dry on a cloth and place them on a baking tray, sprinkle with 200 grams of sugar. Bake at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, let everything cool and serve it.
Remaining to the red of the rose, you can switch to lots of fruit and vegetables in season: strawberries, cherries, radishes, peppers, tomatoes, … At the Abanoritz we love the zero mile products and the healthy cuisine, so here are some little curiosities about the red fruits of May.
STRAWBERRY
“Imagine if blood was strawberry, if anger was a caress, if hate was a kiss in the mouth…”
Biagio Antonacci
Known since the ancient Romans, the strawberry is born from the fragara plant, very common and spontaneous in the Italian woods, usually cultivated in fresh soils in the sun or in half a shade.
Rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin C, fiber, polyphenols and with many other properties, strawberry has mainly few sugars and therefore it can be easily incorporated into diets for diabetics and obese people. This fruit is useful for rheumatisms, hypertension, fluid retention, stones, arteriosclerosis, liver diseases and cooling. Cut in two is a good remedy for the blisters of the herpes simplex, but also for burns if crushed and left to act for a few hours.
In the kitchen, the leaves can be used to flavor the meat, while the fruit creates pleasant and surprising combinations: from the classic jam to desserts, passing through risotto and sweet and sour sauces. We sincerely like them natural, with a little bit of lemon juice or covered with whipped cream for the greedier.
CHERRY
“Cherries, sweet, red and sensual as a kiss.”
Mogol
The elixir of long life, as well as being beautiful and greedy. Cherry has two main varieties: sweet cherry and black cherry.
Cherries are rich in vitamins A, B and C, mineral salts, zinc, copper, manganese and cobalt. Like strawberries, they contain levulose, the sugar suitable for diabetics who can then consume this without problems.
But cherries are not just a sin of gluttony, they are in fact a brake to cellular aging and some studies recommend a daily consumption of it to protect free antiradical provided by the daily dose of vitamin E. Important effects are also in fighting joint inflammations, in reducing heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases. Adding to the purifying benefits of the blood and detoxifying, draining of the liver and toxins, antibacterial and laxative, it seems that cherries also tanning sleep.
Nothing bad then to take advantage of this season to eat out of proportion, also because one leads to the other.
In the kitchen cherry is really used in every type of dish: sweets, cakes and puddings, excellent to flavor fish or meat, to make vinegar, risotto, jam and cooked in wine are a goodness. In Veneto, the best known preparation is the cherry under grappa: for 500 grams of cherries, use 500 grams of grappa and about 200 grams of sugar melted with 100 grams of water. Once closed, let rest the jars in the dark for 3 months. A treat!
