Over the years, I have come up with a lot of different ways to save myself time and trouble while trying to remain true to the flavors in a dish.
I have always been the kind of person who looks at all the steps from A-Z in a recipe (and in work and life really) and tries to figure out how to go directly from A to K and then from M to S (or some such variation) without compromising integrity. This new series will give you some of my - not secrets exactly since I doubt I am the only person to think of these - culinary streamlining mechanisms.
I have a second coffee grinder used for obvious things like grinding spices, blitzing breadcrumbs and graham crackers, but also for concocting various mixes or powders that cut down on time when I am cooking. Here are a few examples:
- Mushroom concentrate
I find American mushrooms less flavorful than those I have eaten elsewhere, especially shiitake mushrooms. When making Asian dishes I often buy dried shiitake and rehydrate them in a mixture of soy, chicken stock and white wine. This led me to think of other uses I could find for dried mushrooms and I now grind equal amounts of dry shiitake and dry porcini into a very fine powder. I use this powder in my mushroom velouté and often add a teaspoon or so to stews or soups if I am trying to add an earthy dimension to the dish.
- Fish stock base. Recipe here.
As an avid home cook, it is incredibly useful to have fish stock to hand. It is also a bit of a pain to make unless you have a lovely relationship with your fishmonger who will give you fish heads (and you have excellent aeration in your kitchen). I use this anywhere fish stock is required, sprinkle some in the sauce that will accompany a fish dish and add some to the Bechamel that I make that constitutes part of a fish gratin. Mix some of this into some hot water with miso, add some greens and some chunks of tofu and you have an instant miso soup.
- Wasabi peas
Blitz wasabi peas in the coffee grinder. Mix them with breadcrumbs to jazz up a topping or schnitzel coating. I like to roll slices of soft goat cheese in the ground wasabi peas and top a green salad with the crunchy-creamy result. I also use them as a coating for mashed chickpea balls that I then bake and serve with drinks.
- Dried orange peel. Recipe here.
Dried orange peel adds a lovely, subtle yet tangy note to many soups and meat stews. It also adds a new dimension to tomato sauce. I make my own and very often blitz the peel to a fine powder so that I can just add a dash to whatever dish I am making, taste the result instantly rather than after hours of braising and then don't have to search for the piece of peel in the finished product.
- Bay leaves
I love the taste of bay and use a lot of it. Once it occured to me to blitz bay leaves, a whole new range of possibilities opened up to me. A delicious and simple way to cook chicken breasts is to roast them in the oven with just salt, bay powder and a dash of lemon juice. Sprinkle some on pork chops and serve with baked apples. Do you have shell on shrimp in your freezer? Melt a little butter, add some bay powder, some red pepper flakes, salt and a shake of fennel seeds and you will have delicious seafood in a few minutes.
Grinder shown above on sale here for kitchen paraphernalia collectors.
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