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Preparing Espresso: Do You Know the Four M-Rules?

You want to prepare the perfect espresso: full-bodied and with a fine crema. But how do you manage that? Do as the Italians do – and stick to the four M-rules. We tell you what is behind it and how to make espresso so that it tastes like in Bella Italia.

Espresso: elixir of life and science

Espresso is not only the elixir of life for the Italians, but also a science in itself. In the motherland of the “caffè”, the little black dress, which is popular all over the world, even got its own institute: the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano has a firm eye on the quality of typical Italian coffee and even has a formula for how the perfect espresso works. These are the ideal conditions:

6.5 to 7.5 g espresso powder
20 to 30 ml of water
86 to 90 degrees Celsius temperature
9 bar pressure
25 to 30 seconds brewing process
Apart from that, it depends on the following four M:

La Miscela – The Mixture
La Macinatura – The Grinding
La Macchina – The Machine
La Mano – The Hand

1. La Miscela – The Mixture

The quality of the espresso stands and falls with the bean. Lovers of a balanced, aromatic taste prefer a high proportion of Arabica beans. Robusta beans are the ultimate for friends of a strong espresso. This intense little black dress is particularly popular in southern Italy. In any case, the fresher the beans, the tastier the coffee. So it is better to buy small quantities and more often than to have large stocks at home.
An espresso bean is roasted more intensively and longer than a normal coffee bean. Therefore, it is typically very dark brown and has a soft sheen. The reason: when roasting for a long time, the aromatic oils escape. This also makes the bean more intense in taste.

2. La Macinatura – The Grinding

Would you like to grind the beans for your espresso yourself? A good idea: Because it doesn’t get any fresher! In order to achieve the best possible result, it is best to afford an espresso grinder with a disc grinder or conical grinder. Both produce homogeneous powder. Specimens with fly knives are less suitable, they chop the beans too unevenly, and the aroma is wasted.
In addition to the right grinder, the degree of grinding is important. It largely determines the taste of the little black dress. If the beans are ground too coarsely, the espresso will be too watery. If the degree of grinding is set too fine, it will become very dark and bitter. Just play around with the different options until you are satisfied with the result. If you are unsure, you can of course use already ground espresso beans.

3. La Macchina – The Machine

First of all, if you want to prepare real espresso, you need a portafilter machine. Because only it brews with the ideal water pressure of 9 bar. These machines are now available in all price ranges. You should pay particular attention to two things when buying: On the one hand, the machine must offer constant pressure and a constant water temperature. In addition, it should be easy to clean. Because old, rotten powder is a taste killer and also not harmless to health.
Tip: You should throw away the first two to three cups from a cleaned machine, they are pretty much undrinkable. The more coffee that runs through the machine, the better it gets. That’s why espresso tastes so good in Italian workers’ bars: a few hundred cups are served there every day.
Even if it is often confused: the Italian term “espresso” does not mean “fast”. There are two explanations. On the one hand the meaning “specifically” or “expressly”. In its early years, the little black beer was only brewed in a few bars and upon express request. The wake-up call, originally called “caffè espresso”, was a coffee “expressly or specially prepared” for the guest. Another explanation relates to the then new preparation with steam and brings espresso in connection with steam locomotives – also known as express trains at the time.

Incidentally, espresso was invented around 1900 in Milan. Incidentally, the Italians themselves usually simply call the pick-me-up “caffè”.

4. La Mano – The Hand

The quality of the beans and the equipment used is of course important. But the final touches of your perfect espresso are in your hands – and that should be taken literally. Take enough time to prepare the espresso. Warm the cup. Put the ground espresso powder in the portafilter and press it into the brewing sieve with the tamper, a kind of stamp. Feeling is called for here: if you press too hard, the water will flow too slowly when brewing. If you press too lightly, it will flow too quickly. It is ideal if the espresso first dribbles into the cup and the subsequent jet is reminiscent of a mouse’s tail.

The perfect espresso: balanced and with a fine crema

What characteristics should the perfect espresso have? Its aroma should be balanced and leave a pleasant aftertaste after drinking. The crema is also clearly a quality criterion. It should be between three and four millimeters thick, light brown in color and stable for three to four minutes. After dipping the spoon, it should close slightly again.

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Food

Preparing Asparagus Properly is Not an Art!

Asparagus is often said to have a certain complexity. Cooking asparagus properly is not difficult at all.

Tips for buying asparagus

The sticks must be bright and firm, the tips should be closed. If you rub two spears of asparagus together, they should squeak with freshness!

The best thing to do is to start thinking about it when you go shopping: local asparagus will be available from mid-April. Freshly cut, without long transport routes, asparagus simply tastes best. Check interfaces when shopping: They must not be dry or even moldy and juice should come out when you squeeze them. The sticks must be bright and firm, the tips should be closed. If you rub two spears of asparagus together, they should squeak with freshness!

Store asparagus properly

If you don’t want to overcook your freshly bought stick vegetables right away, you can wrap them in a cloth (e.g. tea towel) moistened with lemon water and keep them in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator for a few days (max. 3). If you want to freeze asparagus, you should prepare it ready to cook beforehand, i.e. cut off any woody ends and peel the rest. It is not necessary to blanch asparagus before freezing. Do not thaw the frozen asparagus before preparation, but place it directly in the boiling water.

Peel the asparagus properly

Before preparation, wash the asparagus briefly, pat dry, and peel with a vegetable or asparagus peeler. To do this, place the asparagus on your forearm and hold it with all your fingers except your little finger. Then use an asparagus peeler to peel from the bottom of the tip to the end of the stalk; meanwhile, turn the asparagus with your fingers. Green asparagus does not have to be peeled that far, the lower third is usually enough. With white asparagus, it pays to peel a little more generously, preferably starting under the head. Don’t throw away the asparagus shells! You can boil them for an aromatic asparagus broth that can be used to infuse creamy soups and sauces.

More about asparagus

Asparagus (lat. Asparagus Officinalis) belongs to the lily family. The perennial shrub grows to a height of about 1 m and has a woody rootstock. The asparagus buds begin to sprout at the top of the root. In spring from a soil temperature of 15 °C, the rhizome puts out many finger-thick sprouts that are white in color and turn green as soon as they come out into the open.

White and variegated asparagus

White asparagus has a typically fine asparagus aroma, is very tender, and has fewer bitter substances than other asparagus. The rungs are protected from the sunlight by mounds of earth to keep them white. White asparagus is cut 20 to 25 cm below the ground.

Green asparagus is cultivated without ridges, is tender and fine, but has a more intense taste. It is becoming increasingly popular and cultivated more and more often. Today, the proportion of green asparagus is over ten percent.

Purple asparagus contains more anthocyanins, which turns it purple. It originally comes from Italy and therefore needs more sun and warmth. Occasionally you can buy the slightly sweeter purple asparagus in Austria, more towards the end of the season.

That’s why you should eat asparagus

Asparagus consists of 90% water, the rest is valuable vitamins, minerals such as potassium, and hardly any calories (20 kcal per 100 g). It also scores vitamins A, C, and folic acid.

It’s a good thing that asparagus grows in spring, because it stimulates the metabolism, supports the liver and kidneys, and has a draining effect. However, people with a tendency to have kidney stones and high blood uric acid levels should be more careful with asparagus. Asparagus gets its typical taste from aspartic acid, which is important for the urea cycle and stimulates kidney function. After eating asparagus, the urine gets a peculiar smell.

Harvesting asparagus is manual work!

From mid-April to at the latest on St. John’s Day on June 24th, asparagus is harvested, as the harvest of the spear is known in technical jargon. Incidentally, asparagus can only be harvested by hand!

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Cooking Tips

4 Important Tips for Selecting and Preparing Sushi Ingredients

Here are some tips you will find helpful:

  1. Don’t forget to buy sushi fish or other seafood specially made for sushi if you are going to eat it raw. Otherwise, you run the risk of contracting parasitic and bacterial diseases. Handle convenience foods with care, carefully preserving raw ingredients while waiting to be cooked.
  2. Avoid cross contamination! Never let your raw ingredients touch anything other than the cooking and serving utensils from which you will be eating sushi. It is better to choose a regular seafood supplier with a good image.
  3. Don’t overload the rice with nigiri sushi or maki seasoning. Sushi rice needs air.
  4. Some side dishes (herbs) can be grown on the window or in the household. First of all, Daikon and Shiso (railings). They can be purchased in stores. Daikon keeps well in refrigerated place. Shiso is recommended to be planted in small containers as it grows quickly.
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