On the roads of charm
The car slowly overcomes the next turn of the mountain road, outside the window is a familiar landscape: apple orchards. True, the Italian version is somewhat different from the usual near-homestead - the tree is not taller than human growth, thin, with bizarrely bent branches. I can not believe that this fragile creation of mother earth can "endure" up to 70 apples in the first year of its birth. However, the Italian "mommy" sparing regime of education: sunbathing 300 days a year. The remaining 65 winter days from low temperatures saves tempering: the trees are poured cold water, which, freezing, forms an ice coat, saving from frosts. The spectacle is unique: apple trees in thousands of icicles create a fairy forest with bizarre ice figures. Thus, two problems are solved: tourists have something to look at, and the trees will not freeze from the cold. In spring in South Tyrol or Trentino (northern Italy) is incredibly beautiful: the apple trees are blooming. There are thousands and thousands of them. Apples are grown for dozens of centuries, and young guys in i8 years do not hurry to leave their homes in search of the romance of big cities, and take over the affairs of the elders and head the big farm. After all, their great-great-grandfather grew apple-trees on this very land. The history of the "FROM: Italian Alps" apples began more than four centuries ago, when in search of unique conditions local landowners began to explore the sunny slopes of the Alps, seeking to find the ideal place for their gardens. The first experiments were successful and in the first year gave their fruits: red and incredibly juicy apples.
Then in the heat, then in the cold
Skeptical to all the "overseas" adherents of the season and Antonovka, after the first tasting of the products of the local gardens, they become confusedly embarrassed. The flesh is dense and juicy at the same time. But in moderation, without unnecessary splashing. On a smooth shiny skin is not a single spot, the shape of the fruit is smooth, smooth. By the way, only the local apples of the Red Chief brand can boast of an ideal elongated shape: "All thanks to our unique climate," Italian gardeners boast. Temperature differences in the off-season are only beneficial for fruits: at night, when the thermometer's column drops to zero, apples seem to shrink, and the morning sun fills them with moisture and oxygen again. Thus, local varieties differ in juiciness and resistance to transport.
Apple strudel
4 servings
Preparation: 90 minutes
Preparation: 35 minutes
- 50 g of sugar
- 50 g of breadcrumbs,
- fried in oil
- 40 g of sultana
- 20 g of pine nuts
- 2 tbsp. l. Roma
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. l. cinnamon
- grated lemon rind
- 1 egg yolk for glaze
- powdered sugar
For the test:
- 300 g of flour
- 200 g of oil
- 100 g of powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
- a pinch of salt
For filling:
- 600 g of apples
Sift the flour. Cut the butter into cubes. Mix it with sugar powder, egg, vanilla sugar and lemon zest until smooth and mix with flour. Wrap the dough in a food film and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Peel apples and thinly slice. Mix them with sugar, breadcrumbs, sour milk, nuts, rum, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. Roll out the dough and place it on a greased baking sheet. In the center place the stuffing and roll the roll. Lubricate the strudel with egg yolk and bake in preheated to 180 ° C oven for 35 minutes. Then sprinkle with sugar powder.
Is it true that all imported apples are treated with wax before transportation? No. Modern technologies of packaging and storage allow to avoid any chemical treatment of fruits. After harvest, apples go to the shops where they are sorted first. In order to avoid any shocks and damage, any transportation inside the workshops takes place on the water. Further, in large, spacious boxes with a capacity of up to 100 kg, they are placed in huge storage chambers, where a temperature of about 5 degrees is maintained.
Are premium apples a unique offer or just a marketing move? It's enough from the store shelf to take two packages of apples, premium and conventional, to feel the difference. The first will be as for selection: all of a flat shape, without dents and wormholes. In factories such apples are subjected to several stages of sorting. Each scan 72 (1) times from different angles. And if a damage (dent or wormhole) is detected, the computer will reject it in the baskets marked first grade or for recycling. These apples are grown in a unique climate: mountain air, temperature changes, fertile soil of the north of Italy give the apples grown in this area a unique taste. And they are a little more than usual: 50-70 p. per kg.
Golden Delicious is a strong apple with a smooth skin and a slightly elongated shape. Sweet, almost floral fragrance harmoniously blends with its yellow color, which becomes pinkish from the side where the sun rays of the Italian Alps fall on it. The taste is juicy and crunchy.
The Red Chief has a smooth, slightly waxy surface and an elongated shape. Granny Smith - a strong green apple of medium size. Tart and fresh taste combined with a bright, energetic green. The juice of this apple perfectly quenches thirst.
Braeburn - this red apple with a characteristic yellow green tint has a slightly asymmetrical shape. Large and strong, it has a sweet and at the same time rich taste. This apple is the pride of Italian farmers.