What New Ingredients Are You Trying Out?

[Crouton]

Yesterday was a first for me, using achiote paste in making Mexican Rice. Not exciting, but new and very nice.

If you're new to achiote, definitely try the puerco pibil recipe from the movie One Upon a time in Mexico. It's easily found on YouTube and is shown being made by the director whose name escapes me. Absolutely fantastic dish and really opened my eyes to mexican cuisine.

[cbread]

Trying out a bunch of things I have never used before. Nothing quite as exotic as crocodile. Quinoa, fennel pollen, tomato powder, star anise.

[Darienne]

Yesterday was a first for me, using achiote paste in making Mexican Rice. Not exciting, but new and very nice.

If you're new to achiote, definitely try the puerco pibil recipe from the movie One Upon a time in Mexico. It's easily found on YouTube and is shown being made by the director whose name escapes me. Absolutely fantastic dish and really opened my eyes to mexican cuisine.

Thank you, Crouton, for that tip. Just loved the video. What a hoot! Will try making the achiote past next and using it for the dish.

[Crouton]

Yesterday was a first for me, using achiote paste in making Mexican Rice. Not exciting, but new and very nice.

If you're new to achiote, definitely try the puerco pibil recipe from the movie One Upon a time in Mexico. It's easily found on YouTube and is shown being made by the director whose name escapes me. Absolutely fantastic dish and really opened my eyes to mexican cuisine.

Thank you, Crouton, for that tip. Just loved the video. What a hoot! Will try making the achiote past next and using it for the dish.

I follow the recipe verbatim except I brown the pork in a Dutch oven first and use that as my cooking vessel... And I don't bother with the banana leaves. Everyone I serve it to has most likely never tasted anything quite like it and raves... The leftovers make great filling for tacos.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Crouton (log)

[Darienne]

Yesterday was a first for me, using achiote paste in making Mexican Rice. Not exciting, but new and very nice.

If you're new to achiote, definitely try the puerco pibil recipe from the movie One Upon a time in Mexico. It's easily found on YouTube and is shown being made by the director whose name escapes me. Absolutely fantastic dish and really opened my eyes to mexican cuisine.

Thank you, Crouton, for that tip. Just loved the video. What a hoot! Will try making the achiote past next and using it for the dish.

I follow the recipe verbatim except I brown the pork in a Dutch oven first and use that as my cooking vessel... And I don't bother with the banana leaves. Everyone I serve it to has most likely never tasted anything quite like it and raves... The leftovers make great filling for tacos.

Right. Forgot to add that I was intending to use lime juice and forgo the banana leaves. No idea of where one would get banana leaves where I live which is in the far frozen north in the middle of nowhere basically.

[andiesenji]

When you get to the city check at Asian markets. Banana leaves are available frozen and any city that has a fair number of SE Asians should carry them as they are used in so many applications.

They are even available online at Gourmet Sleuth.com

[nakji]

I have a banana tree in the garden - can they be used right off the tree? I know they have to be toasted/warmed up to get pliable, but are they treated any other way?

[Alex Parker]

Currently Im messing around with Grape Powder, Fenugreek, a lot of edible flowers, Rose Oil, and various vinegars and whatnot. Also doing weird things with textures lately as well.

alexP

[Big Mike]

I came up empty with my quest for veal bones this weekend. I had to order them special, how crazy is that? Anyway, while I was out and around I came upon some perfect dates, so I picked those up and made a little appetizer.

Prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed with toasted almond ricotta

Edited January 17, 2011 by Big Mike (log)

[andiesenji]

I have a banana tree in the garden - can they be used right off the tree? I know they have to be toasted/warmed up to get pliable, but are they treated any other way?

Both banana and plantain leaves can be harvested and used ass long as no pesticides have been used on them.

The inner, younger leaves are the best to use. One of my friends who lives in La Jolla, near San Diego, has a "grove" of banana trees of various types and uses the leaves in cooking, especially for the barbecue and smoker.

This site has the basic prep.

[Florida]

Sumac

I needed some for a fattoush salad I was making and the smallest bag they had at the store was 8oz. So now I have lots of sumac for which I will need to find some uses.

[Kouign Aman]

Cherimoya make a terrific milkshake or smoothie.

The newest strangers in the cupboard are fish sauce and black vinegar.

Cant think of a single thing to do w the latter. It reminds me strongly of worcestershire sauce, tho its also distinctly different.

[rarerollingobject]

Cherimoya make a terrific milkshake or smoothie.

The newest strangers in the cupboard are fish sauce and black vinegar.

Cant think of a single thing to do w the latter. It reminds me strongly of worcestershire sauce, tho its also distinctly different.

Drizzle it over sliced cucumbers, with some sesame oil, salt and garlic. Use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings. Use it in place of balsamic for salad dressings, it is interestingly different. Mix it with grated ginger, honey and some soy sauce and use it as a syrupy sauce for grilled chicken. You can braise pork in it, a la Filipino adobo, cut with a little sugar.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks to a suggestion by prasantrin I have a bottle of toyomansi in the cupboard. It's a blend of soya sauce and calamansi juice. I've used it to make her mom's recipe for beef and onions which is simple and fabulous!

Also on her advice I have managed to get Anna to hand over her bottle of coconut vinegar which I shall use the next time I make adobo.

And thirdly - also thanks to her I have a small bottle of anisado (philippine anise wine) that I am using to make tocino. It's in the curing stage right now.

[Darienne]

I could find no other incident of "toyomansi" searching eGullet except yours. Could you please tell me where prasantrin wrote of this ingredient and where you were able to find it?

A friend has two Calamansi trees and we have made marmalade from the fruit and this toyomansi sounds very interesting.

Thanks.

[Kerry Beal]

I could find no other incident of "toyomansi" searching eGullet except yours. Could you please tell me where prasantrin wrote of this ingredient and where you were able to find it?

A friend has two Calamansi trees and we have made marmalade from the fruit and this toyomansi sounds very interesting.

Thanks.

Wasn't discussed on eG. I found it at an asian market in Hamilton - which was rather surprising - because the coconut vinegar should have been the easy one to find and wasn't!

[Pierogi]

Cherimoya make a terrific milkshake or smoothie.

.....

I can *totally* see that ! Thanks for the idea, if another cherimoya or two cross my path. The texture is almost there, even without much blending.

[FrogPrincesse]

I got a couple unfamiliar citrus recently that I am not sure how to make the best use of: kaffir limes (the fruit, not the leaves), and a couple of yuzus. I am considering using the juice in cocktails. I read somewhere that I could zest them and freeze the zest for a later use. Any other ideas/tips?

I also got three gigantic watermelon radishes (green skin, pink inside) in my CSA. I've sliced them thinly to use them in salads but barely made a dent in my supply. I've been cutting the rest in little chunks and eating them as a crunchy and refreshing snack.

In the same CSA bag, I got a bunch of small Japanese white turnips that I was convinced were radishes, so I just ate them with butter. Thankfully they were extremely mild.

[Honkman]

You could try to use it in a braise. There is one in Daniel Boulud's book "Braise" which uses watermelon radishes with beef brisket and red miso. I haven't done this recipe but was planning to do it soon when i saw watermelon radishes last week at WF. You can see the recipe in google books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=sZPERTPwr4MC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=%22watermelon+radishes%22++braise+%22Daniel+boulud%22&source=bl&ots=ivkNF7uGCt&sig=TkMMkfGxqteuLYeR8nSjP9eCTqs&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks for the suggestion Honkman, that sounds good!

[Anna N]

XO sauce - for the first time my stir-fries actually have some taste!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Cherimoya:

Had one at my GF's house and the taste/texture was fascinating. Toots said that it was a somewhat over ripe fruit, and that one closer to ideal ripeness would be much nicer. Discovered that they're grown locally - in California - so getting them should not be too difficult.

Any preparation suggestions?

Thanks!

Shel, this might be too late for this season's Chirimoyas, but they're flat out amazing when simply quartered and popped in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. The result is something like the finest ice-cream you've ever had, but with a fruity texture (and of course the seeds). A good friend in Loja introduced me to Chirimoya this way about 4 years ago, and I was hooked.

They are also amazing gently candied in light syrup, and blendered with vanilla yogurt (remove the seeds and use only the pulp) as a shake.

And of course if you're looking for a use for the seeds, you can dry and powder them and use that to kill cockroaches (it's very effective.)

--

New to me ingredients this year were dried Suelleus luteus pseudoboletes from the pine forests of the next province over. I've grown very fond of adding a few little pieces to my pasta water when I'm going to cover that pasta with creamy mushroom sauce - it ups the perception of "buttery" without needing to add extra butter. Sooo tasty!

[Darienne]

Using for the first time this year was the Buddha's Hand citron. I had known about them for a few years but our trips to the Southwest were never in the season. Bought one in Albuquerque. Candied the flesh. Baked some of it into Shortbread cookies. Still have the syrup and next thing will be to try and turn the syrup into hard candies. Otherwise, the rest of the syrup will travel home with us.

[Kouign Aman]

Thai fish sauce.

I bought a bottle a year ago, for the 1 tsp needed in a satay marinade.

Recently, I used it sparingly in fried rice, where it didnt add much, and in a noodle/cabbage stirfry where it made a big impact.

A little goes a long way. Interestingly, the fish smell got stronger as the leftovers aged a day in the fridge.

[djyee100]

I got a couple unfamiliar citrus recently that I am not sure how to make the best use of: kaffir limes (the fruit, not the leaves),...

FrogPrincesse, you can wrap the whole kaffir limes individually in plastic wrap, and keep them in the freezer. They will last at least a year (I've been told). Cut off as much peel as you need at any time, and put the lime back in the freezer. That's how I keep my kaffir limes. The limes are most commonly used for their peel in Thai curry pastes.

My new ingredient(s): the different varieties of dates. I've always liked them, but I never paid much attention to them before. I used to buy a couple clamshells of medjools at the supermarket every winter, and that was that. About a month ago I became interested in the different varieties I saw at the farmers' market, and I've been trying them out.

Some dates I bought at the farmers' market today. They're from the Coachella Valley in southern California. The small, round, brown ones are Barhi; the medium brown oblongs are Cire (a variety particular to this grower); the blond, toffee-colored oblongs are Zahidi. The very dark brown oblongs look like Medjools, even though I didn't order any of those. The vendor may have popped a few in the bag as a bonus.

The dates have different tastes and textures. Barhi dates, for example, are soft, luscious, and very sweet. The Zahidi is not that sweet (for a date), and firm; they're good for cooking. Medjools are also very sweet dates and good for eating out of hand--one of my faves.