Do you know why Italian food is so popular everywhere around the world and has this incredible taste?
Well, all the savory and sumptuous taste is all because of the flavors and simplicity of the recipes.
Italy is a picturesque place to visit and one of the most popular tourist destinations. The country is famous for dozens of things, from scenic locations to fast cars to delicious food and fashion trends.
Italian cuisine is not only tasty but quite healthy due to a significant mix of natural food and ingredients with no involvement of artificial or processed food. Nearly all Italian meals are known for their vibrant color, rich taste, and marvelous presentation.
Italy may be viewed as a small country compared to other countries, but there are beautiful cities and towns with an amazing and distinctive taste. One of the significant aspects of Italian food apart from the food and ingredients is the use of particular ‘dressing’ that adds subtle taste to the entire food.
The regular dressing people use while preparing meals is usually quite creamy and full of fats and calories. On the other hand, the Italian dressing is known to be made from natural ingredients so are low in calories and fats.
The Italian dressing is used all across the world while preparing various meals such as sandwiches, meat or vegetable meals, or pasta salad.
You get little nutrition from the dressings available in grocery and retail stores, but the Italian dressing contains Vitamin K, which is quite efficient in the clotting of blood, keeping the bones healthy, and healing the wounds quickly. The Italian dressing also contains unsaturated fats that help to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
What does Classic Italian dressing contain?
The traditional Italian dressing usually consists of vinegar, vegetable oil, mustard, and honey. The preparation of the dressing may change due to its usage. Numerous dressings are made from natural flavorings and seasonings. The dressing may also contain different types of vinegar and oil.
The Italian dressing is usually salt and fat-free, and the calories it may contain may also vary. The nutrition label on some Italian dressing shows 1 serving equal to 2 tablespoons that may have 13 calories. The Italian dressing without the inclusion of added salt may have up to 85 calories.
The vegetable oil used in the preparation of the dressing may contain fat and account for the calories found in the Italian dressing. The regular fat included in the dressing range from 6 grams to 8 grams, which is quite low and usually mono or polyunsaturated, which helps lower cholesterol level.
The modern Italian dressing may contain a wide array of ingredients such as lemon juice, water, sugar, bell peppers, vinegar, corn syrup, garlic, onion, and a fine mix of certain herbs and spices.
The creamy Italian dressing contains similar ingredients with the addition of milk or other dairy products.
How to make Italian dressing at home
If you are worried about the calorie content of factory-made Italian dressing, then you can easily make one at home. The natural ingredients needed to make Italian dressing are commonly available, and you can buy them and start making a fabulous Italian dressing.
Many people have said that nothing beats the taste of homemade Italian dressing because the ingredients are fresh and natural, and there is no addition of any chemical preservative. Nearly all the Italian dressing you may find or buy from stores contains flavor enhancers, fatty oils, and chemical additives.
The ingredients for the best Italian dressing recipe ever are 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 olive oil
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and rosemary
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds and celery seeds
You need to place each ingredient listed above in a blender and then blend for half a minute. Then you can pour the combined mixture into a jar and then refrigerate. The mixture needs to be cooled for 4 hours, and then you can use the dressing. You can keep the dressing jar in use for two weeks. The flavor of the Italian dressing will enhance with each passing day as oils from the herbs add with other ingredients.
Where to use the Italian dressing
The Italian dressing can be made as quickly as 5 minutes if you have all the ingredients present in your home. The dressing you make can serve many purposes, such as making tossed salads and preparation of other food, which includes
- Pasta salads
- Sandwiches
- Wraps
- Green salads
- Marinade for chicken, fish, and beef
- Vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes; and
- Marinated olives
Making an Italian dressing at home is considerably less expensive than that which you buy from stores. The Italian dressing becomes one of the most common food resources in the spring and summer season when people love to eat light and healthy food.
Italian dressing is also one of the go to foods for most health conscious people who want to taste and devour Italian dressing if made at home, as the ones from the store contain loads of fats and calories.
You can even customize the ingredients and add or leave behind some of the flavorings or seasonings according to your taste preferences.
The Best Thing about Italian Dressing
The best thing about homemade Italian dressing is that all the ingredients, flavorings, and seasonings are natural with amazing taste. The dressing is gluten-free and has considerably fewer calories than the ones you get from grocery stores.
You can pour the Italian dressing on pasta or salad and serve it to your family or friends for lunch or dinner. One of the fantastic ways to devour Italian dressing is using them while preparing Italian marinated chicken.
Once you practice making the Italian dressing, then you can easily know the right balance of ingredients to give you a fulfilling taste. Even you should teach your kids how to make them and that way the kids can also develop an interest in cooking and preparing different sumptuous meals.
