PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A BASE FOR RAGU' OR STUFFINGS

Abstract

A process for the production of a base for rag or stuffings, comprising minced meat and vegetables, comprising a step a) of subjecting minced meat and optionally minced or chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients to a blanching in water at a temperature of 90-100 C. for about 4-8 minutes and a subsequent step b) of browning said blanched minced meat and optionally said blanched vegetables and complementary ingredients.

Claims

1. Process for the production of a base for rag or stuffings, comprising minced meat, vegetables and optional complementary ingredients, said process comprising step a) subjecting minced meat and optionally minced or chopped vegetables and complementary ingredients to a blanching in water at a temperature of 90-100 C. for about 4-8 minutes and subsequent step b) browning said blanched minced meat and, optionally, said blanched vegetables and complementary ingredients.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein, in said step a) only said minced meat is subjected to blanching and in said step b) said blanched minced meat is browned after the addition thereto of minced or chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein chopped vegetables are used with a particle size from 5 to 15 mm.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein said step a) of blanching in water at 90-100 C. is carried out by means of a continuous boiler.

5. Process according to claim 4, wherein said continuous boiler consists of a cylindrical body with a heating jacket, closed at opposite ends by end plates, provided with inlet openings and discharge openings having a coaxial cochlear rotor rotatably supported therein.

6. Process according to claim 5, wherein said minced meat is fed into said continuous boiler with a flow rate from 90 kg/h to 500 kg/h.

7. Process according to claim 1, wherein said step b) of browning is carried out by means of steps of: providing a turbo-cooker comprising a cylindrical body with a heating jacket, closed at opposite ends by end plates, provided with at least one inlet opening and at least one discharge opening having a coaxial bladed rotor rotatably supported therein; feeding a flow of said blanched meat and a flow of said minced or chopped vegetables that have optionally been blanched, as well as optional complementary ingredients, into said continuous boiler, through said at least one inlet opening, the inner wall of the turbo-cooker being kept at a temperature from 150 C. to 250 C. by means of said heating jacket and the rotor being rotated at a peripheral speed from 5 m/s to 10 m/s; discharging from the at least one outlet opening of the turbo-cooker a continuous flow of said base comprising minced meat and vegetables and optional complementary ingredients.

8. Process according to claim 7, wherein said minced meat of said base has a particle size from 2 to 10 mm.

9. Process according to claim 7, wherein, in said step b) of browning, said blanched minced meat is fed into said turbo-cooker with a flow rate from 90 kg/h to 500 kg/h.

10. Process according to claim 7, wherein step b) of browning is carried out at a temperature from 130 C. to 180 C., for a period of time from 1 minute to 5 minutes.

11. Process according to claim 7, wherein, in said step b), a flow of broth is fed through the at least one inlet opening at the same time as said flow of blanched minced meat and said flow of minced or chopped vegetables, as well as of said optional complementary ingredients.

12. Process according to claim 11, wherein said broth consists of said water used in step a) of blanching said meat and optionally said vegetables and said complementary ingredients and of fat released by the minced meat during said step a).

13. Process for the production of a base for rag or stuffings, comprising minced meat and vegetables and optional complementary ingredients, said process comprising steps of: providing a turbo-cooker comprising a cylindrical body with a heating jacket, closed at opposite ends by end plates, provided with at least one inlet opening and at least one discharge opening, having a coaxial bladed rotor rotatably supported therein; feeding a flow of minced meat and a flow of minced or chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients into said turbo-cooker through said at least one inlet opening, the inner wall of the turbo-cooker being kept at a temperature from 150 C. to 250 C. by said heating jacket and the rotor being rotated at a peripheral speed from 5 m/s to 10 m/s; discharging from said at least one outlet opening of the turbo-cooker a continuous flow of said base comprising minced meat and vegetables and optional complementary ingredients.

14. Process according to claim 13, wherein said minced meat of said base has a particle size from 2 to 10 mm.

15. Process according to claim 13, wherein said minced meat is fed into said turbo-cooker with a flow rate from 90 kg/h to 500 kg/h.

16. Process according to claim 13, wherein said process is carried out at a temperature from 130 C. to 180 C., for a period of time from 1 minute to 5 minutes.

17. Process according to claim 13, wherein a flow of cooking broth is fed through said at least one inlet opening, at the same time as said flow of minced meat and said vegetables and said optional complementary ingredients.

18. Process according to claim 1, wherein said minced meat is beef, pork, sheep meat, horsemeat, poultry or fish.

19. Process according to claim 1, wherein said vegetables are selected from the group comprising onion, shallot, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, and said complementary ingredients are selected from the group comprising salt, oil, pepper, garlic, rosemary, sage, mint, oregano, parsley, thyme, bay, cloves, basil, chives, marjoram, nutmeg, coriander, eggs, animal fats, butter, ricotta, cream, mushrooms, breadcrumbs and flour.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a two-phase system for implementing an embodiment of the process according to the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a mono-phase system for implementing an embodiment of the process according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0049] With reference to FIG. 1, a device for implementing the process according to the present invention comprises a continuous boiler, essentially consisting of a cylindrical tubular body 1, closed at opposite ends by end plates 2, 3 and coaxially provided with a heating jacket 4 (or a cooling jacket), intended to be passed through by a fluid, preferably consisting of water vapour or diathermic oil to keep the inner wall 5 of the body 1 at a predetermined temperature. The aforesaid fluid is continuously fed, by means of the inlet opening 13, into the aforesaid jacket 4 and discharged by means of the discharge opening 14.

[0050] The tubular body 1 is provided with inlet openings 7, 8, for the raw minced meat and for a constant flow of hot water respectively, and discharge openings 9 and 11 for the blanched minced meat and broth respectively.

[0051] Clearly, it is possible to envisage the presence of a greater number of inlet and discharge openings depending on contingent and specific needs.

[0052] In the tubular body 1 it is coaxially and rotatably supported a screw rotor 6, which, by rotating, causes a continuous mixing of the raw minced meat and hot water in order to allow a uniform blanching of the minced meat and a suitable aromatization of the hot water caused by the close contact with the raw minced meat, so as to obtain a cooking broth.

[0053] Simultaneously, the screw rotor 6 also advances the blanched minced meat thus obtained towards the discharge opening 11, positioned in the lower part of the tubular body 1, and the broth towards the discharge opening 9, positioned in the upper part of the tubular body 1.

[0054] When it exits the continuous boiler, the aforesaid cooking broth is fed, by means of the conduit 10, in communication with the outlet opening 9 of the continuous boiler and by means of the pump 15 applied to such conduit 10, into a turbo-cooker T comprised in the system according to the present invention.

[0055] When it exits the continuous boiler, the aforesaid blanched minced meat is fed, by means of the conduit 12, in communication with the outlet opening 11 of the continuous boiler, into the aforesaid turbo-cooker T. The turbo-cooker T, comprises a cylindrical tubular body 101, with a heatable inner wall 105, closed at opposite ends by end plates 102, 103, provided with an inlet opening 107 for the blanched minced meat, minced or chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients, and an inlet opening 108 for the broth, as well as a discharge opening 111 for a continuous flow of browned minced meat, browned vegetables and optional complementary ingredients.

[0056] Clearly, it is possible to envisage the presence of a greater number of inlet and discharge openings depending on contingent or specific needs.

[0057] A coaxial bladed rotor 110 is rotatably supported in the tubular body 101, whose blades 106 are arranged helically and oriented to centrifuge and simultaneously convey the flow of browned minced meat, vegetables and optional complementary ingredients towards the discharge opening 111. Heating means 104 are arranged coaxially and externally to the cylindrical tubular body 101, which heating means are represented schematically and consist of electrical resistors or sources of radiofrequency applied to the outer surface of the cylindrical tubular body 101 or a coaxial outer jacket intended to be passed through by a heating fluid, preferably consisting of water vapour or diathermic oil.

[0058] In the embodiment, wherein such jacket 104 is passed through by a fluid, such fluid is continuously fed through the inlet opening 113 into the aforesaid jacket and discharged by means of the discharge opening 114.

[0059] Using the above-described equipment, the process according to the present invention, in a non-limiting embodiment thereof, comprises a first step of rapid blanching of the minced meat and optionally the vegetables and complementary ingredients in boiling water, in the continuous boiler and a second step of browning of the blanched meat.

[0060] In one embodiment, the raw meat and the vegetables, previously chopped to obtain pieces with sizes from 4 mm to 8 mm, and optional complementary ingredients are mixed and fed as a continuous flow into the continuous boiler.

[0061] A continuous flow of hot water (temperature from 90 C. to 100 C.) is also fed into the continuous boiler.

[0062] After an average residence time from 2 minutes to 6 minutes in the boiler, which allows the pre-coagulation of the surface proteins of the minced meat, a continuous flow of blanched minced meat, blanched vegetables and optional complementary ingredients is discharged, and a continuous flow of broth deriving from the contact between the hot water, the minced meat, the vegetables and the optional complementary ingredients inside the continuous boiler is also discharged.

[0063] The aforesaid continuous flow of broth further contains the fat released by the minced meat during the step of blanching.

[0064] After separating the blanched minced meat, vegetables and optional complementary ingredients from the broth, a continuous flow of blanched minced meat and blanched vegetables and optional complementary ingredients, and a continuous flow of broth are fed simultaneously into a turbo-cooker, in which the bladed rotor 110 is rotated at a peripheral speed from 5 m/s (270 rpm) to 10 m/s (540 rpm), through the inlet openings 107, 108 for the blanched meat, blanched vegetables and optional complementary ingredients, and for the broth respectively. Due to the intense mechanical action exerted by the blades 106 of the rotor 110, said continuous flow is centrifuged against the inner wall 105 of the turbo-cooker, forming a highly turbulent, dynamic, thin, tubular, fluid layer, wherein the particles of such minced foods advance, driven by the blades 106, in substantial contact with the inner wall of the turbo-cooker, heated to a temperature of about 180 C. due to the presence of the jacket 104, heated to a temperature of 200 C., towards the discharge opening 111.

[0065] The kinetic energy imparted by the blades of the rotor together with the thermal energy supplied by the close contact with the heated wall 105 of the cylindrical tubular body 101 for a period of time of 1-10 minutes, preferably 1.5-3 minutes, bring about a uniform browning of the minced meat and vegetables, as well as the sterilization of such foods, which is also contributed to by the steam generated inside the turbo-cooker.

[0066] After such time, a continuous flow of browned meat, vegetables and optional complementary ingredients adapted to be used as a base for rag or stuffings and a continuous flow of water vapour, which is extracted by an extractor hood and discharged into the atmosphere or condensed with conventional condensing equipment, are discharged from the discharge opening 111.

[0067] In another embodiment, the flow of vegetables and optional complementary ingredients is added to the flow of blanched minced meat exiting the continuous boiler, before the step of browning in the turbo-cooker (FIG. 1).

[0068] In this embodiment, the flow of vegetables and optional complementary ingredients is fed through the inlet opening 109 into the turbo-cooker at the same time as the flow of blanched minced meat and the flow of broth.

[0069] In a further embodiment, the raw minced meat and the vegetables previously chopped to obtain pieces with sizes from 4 mm to 8 mm, and optional complementary ingredients, are mixed and fed as a continuous flow into the turbo-cooker, according to FIG. 2.

[0070] In this embodiment, all of the ingredients of the base for rag or stuffings according to the present invention are cooked directly in the turbo-cooker; in particular, the flow of raw minced meat is fed by the inlet opening 107, the flow of chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients is fed by the inlet opening 109. A continuous flow of base for rag or stuffings comprising browned meat and chopped vegetables and optional complementary ingredients is then discharged from the discharge opening 111.

[0071] The present invention is further described with reference to embodiments of the process, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLE 1

[0072] The minced meat, which has a particle size of about 6 mm, is mixed with the vegetables in cubes of about 10 mm and complementary ingredients (salt and pepper) before the step of blanching in the continuous boiler.

[0073] The process as described above comprises the following operating conditions:

[0074] Blanching in the Continuous Boiler:

[0075] Initially, the continuous boiler is filled to about one third of the volume thereof with water, which was brought to 96 C., then, a continuous flow of minced meat and vegetables is introduced through the inlet opening 7 with a flow rate of 108 kg/h and after an average residence time of 530 a flow of blanched meat and vegetables and a flow of broth start to be discharged continuously through the respective discharge openings 11 and 9 (T 80 C.) and, at the same time, a continuous flow of water at 96 C. starts to be fed through the inlet opening 8, with such a flow rate as to compensate the broth discharged from the discharge opening 9.

[0076] Browning in the Turbo-Cooker:

[0077] The continuous flow of minced meat and blanched vegetables discharged from the continuous boiler with a flow rate of 100 kg/h is introduced through the inlet opening 107 of the turbo-cooker 101 and, a continuous flow of the cooking broth discharged from the continuous boiler is introduced through the inlet opening 108 with a flow rate of 20 kg/h. After an average residence time of 2 minutes inside the turbo-cooker, whose heating jacket 104 was kept at a temperature of 200 C. and whose bladed rotor was rotated at a speed of 400 rpm, a flow of minced meat and browned vegetables (T 95 C.) is discharged continuously through the discharge opening 111.

EXAMPLE 2

[0078] The particle size of the minced meat is about 8 mm.

[0079] The chopped vegetables with a size of 6 mm and complementary ingredients (salt and pepper) are added to the flow of blanched meat before the step of browning.

[0080] The process comprises the following operating conditions:

[0081] Blanching in the Continuous Boiler:

[0082] Initially, the continuous boiler is filled to about one third of the volume thereof with water, which was brought to 96 C., then, a continuous flow of minced meat is introduced through the inlet opening 7 with a flow rate of 100 kg/h and after an average contact time of 530 a flow of blanched minced meat (T 82 C.) and a flow of broth start to be discharged continuously through respective discharge openings 11 and 9 and, at the same time, a continuous flow of water at 96 C. starts to be fed through the inlet opening 8, with such a flow rate as to compensate the broth discharged from the discharge opening 9.

[0083] Browning in the Turbo-Cooker:

[0084] The continuous flow of blanched minced meat discharged from the continuous boiler is introduced with a flow rate of 93 kg/h through the inlet opening 107 of the turbo-cooker 101 and a continuous flow of cooking broth discharged from the continuous boiler, with a flow rate of 20 kg/h is introduced through the inlet opening 108.

Simultaneously, a continuous flow of chopped vegetables and complementary ingredients is introduced through the inlet opening 109 with a flow rate of 31 kg/h. After an average residence time of 2 minutes inside the turbo-cooker, whose heating jacket 104 was kept at a temperature of 190 C. and whose bladed rotor was rotated at a speed of 400 rpm, a flow of minced meat and browned vegetables (T 95 C.) is discharged continuously through the discharge opening 111.

EXAMPLE 3

[0085] The raw minced meat (particle size of about 8 mm), the chopped vegetables (particle size of about 8 mm) and the complementary ingredients (salt and pepper) are added to the turbo-cooker, in the presence of a broth.

[0086] A continuous flow of minced meat with a flow rate of 100 kg/h is introduced through the inlet opening 107 of the turbo-cooker 101 and a continuous flow of chopped vegetables and complementary ingredients is introduced through the inlet opening 109 with a flow rate of 35 kg/h. A continuous flow of broth is also fed through the inlet opening 108 with a flow rate of 20 kg/h.

After an average residence time of 3 minutes inside the turbo-cooker, whose heating jacket 104 was kept at a temperature of 200 C. and whose bladed rotor was rotated at a speed of 350 rpm, a flow of browned minced meat and vegetables (T 94 C.) is discharged continuously through the discharge opening 111.