This breading preparation flavored with carrot, tomato, parsley, paprika and turmeric is particularly suitable for gratinated or breaded fish and meat dishes, you can also use it with vegetable dishes but in in the case of a vegetable gratin you will have to add an ingredient, the next paragraph will explain why.
What is gratin: let's find out more
Gratin is a French word from which the Italian terms au gratin and au gratin derive, it is a cooking technique which aims to obtain a crunchy and tasty crust on a food which remains underneath softer and moister. The French origin of the term is not surprising if we know that it was a French doctor and chemist Louis Camille Maillard (1878-1936) who was the first to investigate the complex chemical reactions that are behind not only the gratin but all those cases in the kitchen in which it forms a crunchy brown crust on a food (for example in bread which remains white and soft inside) so much so that following this process it was given the name Maillard reaction. In a nutshell, the processes in question consist of the reaction between proteins and sugars, which is why we anticipated that a breading made up of flours and vegetables could be enough on its own to gratinate meat or fish (the proteins are already present in the dish), while in gratinating vegetables certainly requires adding proteins (usually cheese).
Where to use the vegetable gratin breading
As we mentioned, gratins or breaded fish and meat dishes seem to be the ones for which this vegetable breading is most suitable. For example, the recipe for baked chicken breast au gratin includes a "basic" version in which the gratin is obtained with a simple breading based on breadcrumbs, extra virgin olive oil and spices to taste. Tomato can certainly be added to the spices to obtain a more Mediterranean touch, as many chefs suggest, in the case of our preparation the turmeric and paprika will also add a touch of spiciness and exoticism. In white fish gratins (such as cod) spices are usually added at will and also pepper, obviously because the fish itself is not very tasty, this breading with the flavors of tomato, paprika and turmeric could be particularly suitable also for this type of gratin dishes. Essentially the rule is that you can flavor the gratin breadings as you like but in general where the raw material is less rich in flavor you tend to add more spices.