Drying by Stefano Masanti

Drying by Stefano Masanti is a handbook for understanding how to dehydrate and preserve foods in a simple way, delving into the benefits.

INCREDIBLE VISUAL, TASTE AND AUDITORY SENSATIONS

Dried, dehydrated, freeze-dried, crumbly, crispy: in the gastronomic universe, these words, which evoke an absence of lifeblood, also communicate distinct visual, taste and auditory sensations. The delicate tuile of polenta that melts on the tongue, the concentrated essence of the dried tomato that is released on contact with the palate, the particular savoriness of the stockfish are all part of a repertoire of pleasant perceptions traceable to an extra dry state.

AN EXCELLENT PRESERVATION METHOD

The subtraction of the water contained in food, by heat or the passage of air, is a well-proven method of preservation, but also a system for changing the textures of the same in a radical way.
Having forced the frontiers of taste and exasperated those of aesthetics, the explorations of the most curious gastronauts move into this different sensory territory, where the texture of the materials affects the balance of the dish.

HOW THE MANUAL IS COMPOSED

In this work, Stefano Masanti examines various techniques for depriving foods of their natural moisture. He evaluates the results produced by different tools: the traditional oven, microwave, and desiccator, and offers a range of recipes to demonstrate how dried ingredients can play surprising roles in signature dishes.

RAW SALAD, COOKED, LIQUID AND DRYED

peopleDried

salad

4 leaves of Belgian lettuce

leaves of Treviso radicchio

leaves of Bassano salad
4 thin slices of carrot

thin slices of zucchini

thin slices

thin slices of tomato

thin slices of celery

sprigs of

parsleyLiquid

salad

50 g lettuce
10 ml extra-virgin olive oil

ml white wine vinegar

g xanthan gum
Salt and

pepperCooked

salad

25

g frisée salad
25 g baby spinach
10 ml extra-virgin olive oil

SaltRaw salad
Cut salads to

tasteCondimento
20 ml extra-virgin olive oil

g mustard

SaltDried

salad

Wash all vegetables thoroughly and arrange both salad leaves and vegetables in the baskets of the ventilated dryer and dehydrate according to the parameters expressed in the table on pages 22-23.

Liquid salad
Wash the lettuce and liquefy it with the help of a centrifuge or blender. Emulsify with the oil and vinegar, then adjust the salt and pepper and finish with xanthan gum to bind slightly.

Cooked salad
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet and add the frisée salad and spinach, previously washed. Cook for 20 seconds, moving the leaves around in the pan with a silicone spatula. Adjust salt and keep warm.

Presentation
Divide the salads, cooked, raw and dried, among the plates. Garnish with drops of liquid salad. Emulsify mustard with oil and salt and season.