David Ross

What are your thoughts on how to store ginger? Today I'm making a Chinese rib recipe and I have ginger in both the marinade for the pork ribs and also in the glaze I'll be using to brush the pork. When you have a knob of fresh ginger left after a recipe, how long do you find it will store in the fridge, and do you or have you ever freezed it?

I'm interested in a recipe for ginger tea. Do you just steep ginger in hot water, or do you also add some black or green tea?

A Japanese Chef once said that we should never buy the cheap stuff that's pawned off in the market as "sushi pickled ginger." He basically would be agreeing with what you've said-it's just sliced ginger with food coloring a little vinegar dripped into the mix. Not really a true pickle.

A local friend of mine saw that I was doing this Ginger Cook-Off and she sent me this photo of "ginger flower torch." She's from Malaysia and they use it curry and laksa. Apparently it's called a torch due to the vivid reddish pink color at the end of the flower.

I would be interested in a good recipe for candied ginger. I use it in my Holiday recipes. The cost to buy a small bottle in the spice section is terribly expensive so I would gladly make it at home.

I use ginger in both savory and sweet dishes, in Asian recipes and American recipes. This is my recipe for rhubarb chutney which I'll be making in a couple more months once the rhubarb starts peeking up. The ginger adds another layer of flavor that without would leave the chutney a little flat. I serve the chutney with rack of lamb. Ingredients- 2 cups chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 cup golden raisins 1 tbsp. currants 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp. salt Instructions- Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat and add the sugar, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Stir and cook until the mixture starts to simmer. Add the onions, raisins, currants, ginger and spices. Stir the chutney as it cooks, about 15-20 minutes. The chutney will start to thicken and the rhubarb will cook down. Add water if the chutney is too thick. Season the chutney with salt and let cool. When the chutney is cool, place in a container and cover and refrigerate. The chutney will go two weeks in the fridge or can be frozen.

You put a smile on my face by mentioning gingerbread. I haven't made it in a long time. Mother used to make it for dessert and serve it with huge scoops of whipped cream. I think I'll try making it again, but this time with another form of ginger. Candied ginger.

That looks like a delicious recipe, and I agree, one doesn't always need to get a hard punch when using ginger.

Ginger. The exotic, ugly little knob that releases and intoxicating perfume with flavor notes of pepper, citrus and tropical fruit. Yet none of those words fully describes ginger. It's only after we peel back the outer skin that we get that first waft of the unmistakeable scent of ginger. Ginger is a flowering plant whose rhizome, or root, is widely used as a spice, but also for medicinal purposes. Ginger is part of the same family of plants that includes tumeric, cardamom and galangal. Ginger originated in Southeast Asia, and is reported to have been domesticated some 5,000 years ago. It became a valuable trade commodity in the spice trade, and was used by the Greeks and the Romans. Of course, we think of ginger in cuisine, and ginger isn't just used in Asian dishes. However, a look at worldwide ginger production is also a reflection of the span of ginger across the globe. The top producer of ginger is India, followed by Nigeria, China, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand. But that's just a small part of the story of ginger. Ginger is used in all sorts of cuisines from around the world. Ginger isn't simply the knobs in the supermarket produce section. Travel to your local Asian, Indian, International or Mexican market and you'll find different varieties and cousins of ginger. For years I always wondered what those little spears were that garnished Japanese dishes. Was it some sort of vegetable or fruit. It wasn't until I became an avid fan of Japanese cooking programs that I learned about "young ginger." Ginger that is harvested when young. Sometimes pickled, young ginger is crisp, clean and refreshing yet not as strong as older ginger. Likewise, I was always intrigued by those little knobs at the local Asian market that looked like ginger but tiny in size comparison. So I bought a little. And got a big surprise. Fresh galangal is very spicy, almost hot like a chile, and highly fragrant and flavorful. It's sold fresh and also dried and gives soups an incredible depth of flavor. Well, as you can see, we have a lot of cooking to do. Let's join together and celebrate, discuss and present our best ginger dishes. This is eG Cook-Off #84: Ginger. See the complete The eGullet Cook-Off Index here.

Yes that's a great idea! I have a Cook-Off right now that is ready to go either today or tommorrow and then we'll put Rabbit on the docket. Thanks!

This isn't directly related to Valentine's Day Dinner, but I thought you might enjoy this vintage card that my parents saved. I'm not sure which one saved it, but Mother and Father left us a treasure trove of Valentine's cards. This one dates to about 1932 when they were both 6 years old. I'm thinking it could be printed off this page and snipped out to make a new card for your Valentine for dinner or with chocolates.

Thanks so much. I started using Za'atar regularly about a year ago. We have a company in Spokane, Spiceology, that blends a very good Za'atar. Most of their line is sold in local grocery stores and kitchen shops. I think that's a great start for your dinner.

I think I'm very boring when it comes to making sweets for Valentine's Day. I have a legal pad with scratchings to make some sort of tangerine cake with dried peel, (a recipe I did here at eGullet some 13 years ago). Then I thought of a passion fruit bavarois, but didn't have the motivation to go through all the steps. I may still do those, but not in time for Feb. 14. Instead, I'll make the old standby Lemon Bars. A sort of signal that I think Spring is coming to far Northeastern Washington State. Shortbread Pastry Crust- 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup melted butter Lemon Filling- 4 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp. minced lemon zest 6 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries For the Shortbread Pastry Crust- Heat the oven to 350 . In a bowl combine the flour, powdered sugar and melted butter and stir to combine. Using your fingers, pat the dough into the bottom of an 8”x8” square baking pan. Prick the crust all over with a fork to keep the crust from rising in the oven. Bake until the crust just starts to brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven. For the Lemon Filling- In the bowl of a mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and extract. Beat the mixture on low speed until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder, then add it to the lemon mixture. Continue to beat until the lemon filling is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the lemon mixture on top of the pre-baked pastry crust and return to the oven. Bake for 23-25 minutes until the lemon filling is set. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover the baking pan with cling film and chill in the refrigerator until the lemon bars are chilled and set, 2-3 hours. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and cut into six bars. Dust with powdered sugarand top each lemon bar with some of the fresh raspberries.

The basics for me are sauerkraut, (that I squeeze all the juice out of), Dijon and ketchup. Sometimes dill relish, but I've always thought about those garnishes I see on Chicago dogs.

I think I'll make that this week. Mother made it, but I've never made one so now is the time. We're seeing good big hard lemons in our markets right now. I detest the times of year when all we get are little lemons with thin skins and they're already soft when the supermarket puts them out.

I was thinking that it's time to revive our Citrus Fruits Cook-Off since this is the perfect season for citrus fruits. I'm seeing a lot of blood oranges in our local markets right now so starting to think of a new dish with blood oranges. Might be something sweet or maybe a savory blood orange dish. What are your best citrus dishes?

Well that was a surprise!

I absolutely detest that. And that's how they also make an omelette. A thin layer of cooked egg they fold into an omelette. And the diners gloat over it.

I think you're right. And I know anchovies, at least my Mother, were used in a lot of dishes back then.

My Mother bought the Wish-Bone Green Goddess when it came out. I've seen it in plastic bottles with the Kraft label at Walmart, and some supermarkets in our area have Green Goddess in the refrigerated produce section. It's still of course always best made fresh at home.

I've loved Green Goddess for years. Mother used to buy it when it first came out in supermarkets, but then it seemed to disappear for some years. I was happy when the original came back, but then I discovered a wonderful recipe for Green Goddess. The fresh dressing is so delicious, mainly I think because you use tarragon vinegar and fresh tarragon. It would probably be a delicious dip for chips and such for Super Bowl, and now I'm craving it as a dip for crispy chicken wings. This is a photo from about 8 months ago when I served Green Goddess with grilled chicken. Looking at the recipe now I'm not sure why I added bleu cheese but I remember it was delicious. For the Green Goddess Dressing- 5 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tbsp. chopped chives 2 tbsp. fresh tarragon 1/2 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp. anchovy paste 2 tbsp. tarragon wine vinegar (substitute apple cide vinegar) salt and black pepper Put the garlic, chives, tarragon, parsley and green onions in a mini-food processor and pulse the herbs to a fine mince. Spoon the herb mixture into a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, anchovy paste and tarragon wine vinegar to the herbs and whisk to combine into a creamy dressing. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Place in a container and cover and refrigerate while you grill the chicken.

This week I've been testing a new recipe and it's really delicious. The pretzel rolls aren't great, so I've got to keep working on those, but for Super Bowl I'll just buy good bakery rolls. I need to work on getting the outside of the pretzel roll a little more crisp and hard. The texture is nice and chewy and they have good flavor. A friend from Pennsylvannia sent me a requested recipe for Beef on Weck. The Weck Rolls that is. Out West most folks haven't heard of that type of bread/roll, so I'll give it a go. The beef is fabulous. A few years back I got interested in this technique for using eye of round for roast beef. It was a bit hard for me to think of using that cut for roast beef because in our family roast beef was always a rib roast. And eye of round is hard to find in the supermarkets up here, but there is a large discount store that always has it. Last week it was only $5 a lb which is a bargain. You basically blast it in a hot oven and take it out when it registers rare. It will continue to cook for a while up to medium rare. I actually only cook it to 115 degrees and let it sit to room temperature. It usually ends up at 125, which is the rare factor I like. The dressing is just mayonnaise, horseradish and Dijon mustard. I usually just like it like that, but added Swiss cheese for the photo. It will be a big hit at a small Super Bowl party for people to build their own sandwiches. I say small party because people love this sandwich and it would take a lot of roast beef to serve a crowd. For the roast beef- 2 lb. Eye of Round roast or sirloin roast, chuck eye tender roast salt and black pepper 2 tsp. caraway seeds 1 tbsp. olive oil 4 slices Swiss cheese 4 Bavarian pretzel rolls or brioche buns For the mayonnaise sauce- 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbso. horseradish sauce 2 tsp. caraway seeds Instructions Roast the beef- Heat the oven to 450. Place a rack over a baking sheet. Season the roast all over with salt, pepper and the caraway seeds. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and sear the beef until it's browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place the roast on a rack over a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. When the meat registers 115 on a digital thermometer, take it out of the oven. As the beef rests it will continue to cook to 125 for perfect rare to medium-rare. Cover the roast with cling film and let it chill overnight in the fridge. Make the mayonnaise sauce and serve the sandwiches- In a small mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, horseradish sauce and caraway seeds and stir to combine. Heat the broiler. Thinly slice the roast beef. Spoon some of the mayonnaise sauce on the bottom of a bun. Pile some of the roast beef on top of the bottom bun. Add sliced Swiss cheese on top of the roast beef and run under the broiler for just a few seconds to melt the cheese. Add the top bun and serve with chips and dill pickles.

For Superbowl I'm doing one easy recipe and one a little more difficult. This is an easy and quick recipe for fries using the unique spice Za'atar and a chermoula dipping sauce. I usually make homemade fries, but after creating and testing this recipe, these are just as delicious and so easy to make. Za'atar-Spiced Fries with Creamy Chermoula Dipping Sauce- Zatar-Spiced Fries- 1 lb. bag of frozen extra-crispy shoestring fries cooking spray 2 tsp. Zatar spice salt and pepper to taste Creamy Chermoula Dipping Sauce- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. dried red chile flakes 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. grated lemon zest 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary 3/4 cup Avocado oil mayonnaise 2 tsp. Zatar spice salt and pepper to taste Instructions Creamy Chermoula Dipping Sauce- In a bowl combine the coriander, cumin, dried red chile, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary and Zatar spice and stir to blend. Keep the sauce covered and refrigerated while you make the fries. Zatar-Spiced Fries Spray the fries with cooking spray then prepare the fries according to package instructions. When the fries are done cooking, spray again with cooking spray and sprinkle with the Zatar spice and season with salt and pepper.

Hard avocados here too. While all the stores have them at very low prices, they'll never soften enough to make my guacamole. That's ok, I've got some other recipes I'm planning to make.

I think a Bisque would qualify as a French Bistro dish. I've been making my Shrimp Bisque for years, but this time changed to Dungeness Crab Bisque. We've had a pretty good Dungeness season so far in the Pacific Northwest and I made a lot of crab dishes over the Holidays. Thankfully I saved all the shells and kept them in the freezer. The recipe works for shrimp bisque or lobster bisque, which I think would probably be more common on a bistro menu rather than crab. Lobster shells and shrimp shells work great in the base for the bisque. This is so rich, I felt guilty having a big bowl. But probably more indulgent was using bread, a lot of bread, to soak up the soup. Ingredients- 3 tbsp. butter, softened 3 tbsp. olive oil 4 cups Dungeness crab shells 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery 3 cloves garlic, crushed 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 cup canned, fire-roasted diced tomatoes 2 tbsp. tomato paste dash saffron threads optional 1/3 cup brandy 2 cups white wine use a dry white wine like chardonnay 2 cups clam juice 3/4 cup cream 1 cup crab meat salt and pepper to taste serve with baguette slices Place the softened butter and flour in a small bowl. Use a spoon to mash the butter and flour into a thick paste. Cover and reserve while you make the bisque. Heat a heavy stockpot over medium heat and add the 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the crab shells and saute, turning the shells in the olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and saffron threads. Add the brandy and pull the pot off the heat. Light the brandy with a match. When the flame has waned, return the pot to the heat and add the white wine and clam juice. Cover the stockpot and turn the heat down and simmer for one hour. Pour the bisque through a strainer into another stockpot over medium heat. Stir in the butter and flour mixture with a wire whisk. Add the cream and continue to stir until the bisque is thickened about 5 minutes. Stir in the crab meat and serve the bisque hot with baguette slices.