Sweating, deglazing, leaving to steep — the verbs an Italian recipe hangs on.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
The seventeenth entry is affettare sottile, and the verb inside it is not one verb but two, spelled alike and conjugated alike, with nothing in common except their letters. The one this list wants is built on la fetta, the slice: affettate sottile l’aglio is cut the garlic thin, and l’affettato on a menu is the plate of cold meats. The other affettare comes down from Latin affectare, to strive after, and means to put on, to feign — affettare modestia is to make a show of modesty. From that second verb come the adjective affettato, mannered and studied, and the noun l’affettazione. English borrowed only the second branch, in « to affect » an accent, « an affected manner » and « affectation », and has no verb at all from the slice. So un tono affettato has nothing to do with a knife, while il prosciutto è affettato has nothing to do with airs, and only the noun beside the participle tells a reader which of the two words is standing there.
The words
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Verb (19)
stufareto stewVerbB2
Stufate la cipolla per due minuti.Stew the onion for two minutes.
rosolareto brownVerbB2
Rosolate la carne su ogni lato.Brown the meat on every side.
deglassareto deglazeVerbB2
Deglassate con il vino bianco.Deglaze with the white wine.
restringereto reduceVerbB2
Lasciate restringere della metà.Let it reduce by half.
sobbollireto simmer gentlyVerbB2
Il sugo sobbolle un’ora con il coperchio.The sauce simmers gently for an hour with the lid on.
brasareto braiseVerbB2
La carne si brasa nel proprio fondo.The meat is braised in its own juices.
affogareto poachVerbB2
Affogate le uova nell’acqua che freme.Poach the eggs in water that is barely moving.
fremereto tremble just below boiling pointVerbB2
L’acqua deve fremere, non bollire.The water should tremble, not boil.
sbollentareto blanchVerbB2
Sbollentate i fagiolini due minuti.Blanch the green beans for two minutes.
scottareto searVerbB2
Scottate la carne a fuoco vivo.Sear the meat over a high heat.
mantecareto beat to a creamy finishVerbB2
Si manteca il risotto con burro freddo.Risotto is beaten to a creamy finish with cold butter.
incorporareto fold inVerbB2
Incorporate la farina delicatamente.Fold the flour in gently.
impastareto kneadVerbB2
Impastate dieci minuti a mano.Knead for ten minutes by hand.
