My friends and I did a great cooking class all about tomatoes with Olaiya Land Catering held in Delancey's dining area on one of their off nights. We walked away with four great recipes that we're all excited to make again on our own. In fact, I've already made three out of the four and am making her salad and tian again tomorrow. I actually can't get enough of her Tomato Salad with Sweet Onion & Mint. Stay tuned for that. It's a refreshing new summer tomato salad that'll knock your socks off.
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For now though... cooking tips we learned or had reinforced in class...
- "Never EVER" put tomatoes in the fridge - this causes them to lose flavor and get mealy
- When blanching or boiling vegetables you want to salt the water to the point that it tastes like sea water. Salt is what brings out the flavor of the vegetable.
- Cook with kosher salt, finish your food with other salts.
- Buy a good quality Dijon for salad dressings. Don't use Grey Poupon. (oops, that's what I always use.)
- Cut out the center of the garlic if it has turned green because it will have a bitter taste.
- Toast pine nuts before using them in pesto. This helps bring out the nutty flavor.
- Buy basil that is young and soft versus large and leathery.
- Use fresh corn within a day or two of buying it.
- When buying green beans, break off a piece and try one. A good green bean will taste good raw.
- To cut down on the strength of an onion, and to minimize the eye-sting when cutting it, you can soak it in water to tone down the sulfuric acids.
- Sharp knives make all the difference (you're telling me, mine are so dull I go crazy every time I cook). If you can’t easily cut a tomato with your knife, it needs to be sharpened.
- Use good olive oil as much as possible when cooking. It really makes a difference in the flavor of your food.
- Buy local when possible, domestic at the very least.
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