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Underappreciated Ingredients

donk79

By donk79
in Cooking

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

I would say celery leaves, but now that I realize I have never had lovage that I can recall, I'm on the hunt.

 

I do love celery leaves in salads and soups.

Same idea, bolder flavor.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, chromedome said:

Same idea, bolder flavor.

The first time I had lovage it was a sauce drizzled on steak. Really memorable. It was served in a homey bar/restaurant and the lovage came from the cook's father"s garden. It didn't seem to be celery-like. I had to ask what it was.

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Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Thank you all for the lovage uses/info. I will try to get out and harvest some before this week's round of storms hit. Maybe a little potato salad or in a tomato salad, since my tomatoes have finally begun ripening. Maybe I can come up with a bloody mary salad of sorts.

Deb

Liberty, MO

chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

Thank you all for the lovage uses/info. I will try to get out and harvest some before this week's round of storms hit. Maybe a little potato salad or in a tomato salad, since my tomatoes have finally begun ripening. Maybe I can come up with a bloody mary salad of sorts.

LOL Funny you should say that.

 

The signature Canadian cocktail is the Bloody Caesar, made with clamato rather than tomato juice. At my restaurant I did a "Caesar, Caesar" with a heavily reduce clamato base added to the usual anchovies, garlic and such. Non-Canadian visitors needed to have the in-joke explained, but it was a good salad.

  • Like 3

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Someone mentioned verjus/verjuice previously--I second that! I bought some because a recipe called for it and now can't find the recipe, which I'm pretty sure was a bread recipe.

Deb

Liberty, MO

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

Someone mentioned verjus/verjuice previously--I second that! I bought some because a recipe called for it and now can't find the recipe, which I'm pretty sure was a bread recipe.

 

If you're looking for uses, you may find inspiration in the older topic Verjus.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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Porthos

Porthos

Posted
Posted
On 8/7/2020 at 11:21 AM, weinoo said:

Spanish smoked paprika is a wonderful spice  ...

I am fond of Penzey's.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

;

weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 8/7/2020 at 2:21 PM, weinoo said:

Spanish smoked paprika is a wonderful spice - and it comes in 3 heat levels. Great for sprinkling on corn, or potatoes, or...

 

11 hours ago, Porthos said:

I am fond of Penzey's.

 

I buy these - and always keep a fresh supply of all 3 heat levels - runs about $20 a year.

 

image.png.c5d7b2ebee13716f3850a5d7476c77b7.png

Edited by weinoo (log)
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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

 

I buy these - and always keep a fresh supply of all 3 heat levels - runs about $20 a year.

 

image.png.c5d7b2ebee13716f3850a5d7476c77b7.png

 

 

I haven't seen that brand before. Are those from a supplier online?

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, dcarch said:

Salt.

Overused, under appreciated.

 

dcarch

 

 

For me I'd say underused, esp in sweets and baking.Doesn't take much

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

For me I'd say underused, esp in sweets and baking.Doesn't take much

 

I always put a sprinkle of Kosher salt in my small batch marmalades. Good point. Along those lines one often sees a dash of sugar in some savory preps like SE Asian and the American South.

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, dcarch said:

Salt.

Overused, under appreciated.

 

dcarch

 

 

12 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

For me I'd say underused, esp in sweets and baking.Doesn't take much


Actually, I think in the first case it’s more that it’s used with too heavy a hand too often. I appreciate proper salting, and also think that salting properly is one of the harder skills for a cook to learn.

And of course use salt with a deft hand in all sweets.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

jmacnaughtan

jmacnaughtan

Posted
Posted

Lovage is a good call, and I'd also throw in savory - it has an aroma somewhere between rosemary, thyme and mint.

 

Button mushrooms get a hard time, undeservedly so. I use them all the time.

  • Like 4
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, jmacnaughtan said:

Button mushrooms get a hard time, undeservedly so. I use them all the time.

 

Agreed. You can keep your fresh shiitake - give me buttons. I often roast the packet to use during the week as it concentrates the flavor.   And what are those "lauded portobellos? - adults.   https://www.eater.com/2019/9/13/20863815/whats-the-difference-between-cremini-button-portobello-mushrooms

  • Like 3
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

Chilli, chili, chile. However you spell it, it lifts many a dish. It doesn't have to be blistering hot, although that can be good.  I add it to things and no one notices but they leave happily. Great with chocolate. I'll never forgive them for stopping selling chilli snickers!

  • Like 4

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted
On 8/9/2020 at 10:30 AM, chromedome said:

"lovage is to celery as anchovies are to fish and parmesan to cheese."

 

I describe it as "celery on steroids!" xD

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Fish sauce, as others have mentioned—it's been a real game changer for me.

Especially the good stuff like Red Boat.

  • Like 4

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

A tiny bit of acidity where more isn't appropriate.

I keep vinegar in a dropper bottle.

 

A tiny bit of malic acid adds "smack" to tartar sauce and the like.

 

This is a good topic. :smile:

  • Like 7

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

Star anise.  I add it to tomato sauces, soups etc. Discard before serving and no one knows it was ever there, but appreciates the umami it leaves behind.

  • Like 5

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

Lovage is a good call, and I'd also throw in savory - it has an aroma somewhere between rosemary, thyme and mint.

 

 

I'll second savory, which is something that's traditionally used a lot here in Atlantic Canada (though increasingly it seems to be an elderly/rural thing). I would have said "peppery thyme with a hint of sage," but that's the key to its versatility...it hints at a lot of different flavors.

  • Like 1

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

TicTac

TicTac

Posted
Posted

Garlic Chives - make a compound butter with these bad boys, happy times.

Marjoram - a fantastic, underappreciated herb.

Fresh Curry Leaf (was mentioned earlier) - finally bought a plant this year, came back from near death and is thriving.  Unreal flavour profiles.

Fresh Bay Leaf - Another fantastic flavour profile, totally different than its dried form.

Carrot Tops - Can be used in a salsa verde, many applications.

Zucchini leaves - super tasty when sauteed at high heat, highly nutritious.

'Weeds' - I say this loosely, but there are a number of edible weeds which are not only delicious but extremely healthy - Wild Spinach and Purslane to name but two.

 

 

 

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