Tag: ingredients
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Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
Once you try mozzarella di bufala you can’t go back. It is the most amazing example of stretched cheeses and the taste is sublime. The buffalo milk imparts a higher acidity to the cheese and gives it its signature tanginess.
It is exceptionally versatile and you can use it raw in salads, melted on pizzas, cooked in lasagna, pasta and the list goes on and on.
Milk
Buffalo
Origin
Italy
Aged
No
Aroma
Milky and fresh.
Taste
Slightly tangy and a touch sour. It has an amazing texture caused by the curds being stretched and plaited.
Texture
Soft and elastic to a point then it tears easily. It melts extremely well and when cooked it can go creamy, releasing its moisture.
Look
Pure white with an edible almost imperceptible rind.
Serving
Here are a couple of serving suggestions that I like to make.
Raw with a drizzle of olive oil, some cracked pepper and basil from the garden.
The world’s tastiest toastie(mozzarella, tomato, chives and cracked pepper).
Manufacturing and Salting Method
The high acidity of the resulting curds allows it to be heated and pulled into long strands and plaited. It is then cooled and pickled in salty whey.
Wine
I am not a wine paring expert but the team at cheese.com say to try this with:
- Beaujolais
- Sauvignon Blanc
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Cumin
Cumin is the seed of a small annual herbaceous plant that is native to the Middle East and is in the same family as parsley and coriander.
It has a most wonderful warm earthy flavour and smell. You can use them whole, as an ingredient or garnish in their own right or grind them for use in your favourite garam masala or spice pastes.
Cumin pairs well with almost everything and it turns up worldwide in everything from drinks to snacks to main meals and desserts.
I have some recipes using cumin below for you. 🙂
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
This particular cooking ingredient is in PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents.
Enjoy,
PK
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MORE ON USING CUMIN
INDIAN CUISINE
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Tomato Passata
Tomato Passata makes the perfect tomato base for a lot of dishes. It is basically salted, uncooked tomatoes that have been pureed (after being strained of their skins and seeds).
It differs from tomato paste, tomato puree and tomato sauce in that these have been cooked and processed to varying degrees.
I use passata a lot because of its blank canvas versatility. I can build flavours into it to make rich pasta sauce. This sauce can then be reduces to make thicker tomato concoctions such as a sauce for Beef Parmigiana.
Dietary Info: Check the labels of a particular brand but home-made it is great for vegetarians and is gluten free.
This particular cooking ingredient is in PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents.
Enjoy,
PK
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Cheese: Pecorino Caciotta Saracino Cheese
Pecorino Saracino is a briefly aged Italian sheep’s milk cheese in the Caciotta tradition.
It is a enjoyable, light cheese that doesn’t try and steal the show but is tasty in its own right.
Milk
Sheep
Origin
Italy
Aged
4 – 6 weeks
Aroma
Very mild lactic aroma. This just means it has pleasant milky, slightly acidic smell.
Taste
Initially a mild tang, finishing with a very mild milky sweetness. It isn’t very salty and I find it sticks your mouth a little.
Texture
A semi-soft smooth cheese. There can sometimes be the slight presence of tiny cavities.
Look
A very pale yellow cheese with a thin yellow rind.
Serving
I like to include this on tasting/cheese plates and will happily munch on chunks of it right out of the fridge. I also like to add slices of it to green salads and it goes great in sandwiches and toasties.
Manufacturing and Salting Method
Handmade/traditional cheese making methods are used. I believe it is pressed into molds and brine salted prior to a brief aging.
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Bay Leaf Tree: Grow and Eat
The humble Bay Leaf tree is a must have in a kitchen garden. Once you try fresh or freshly dried bay leaves in your cooking you won’t go back to the store bought version. Like many herbs, they lose their fullest, layer rich aroma and taste as they wait in transport and store shelves.
I normally use one or two small leaves fresh from the tree. I haven’t found them to be overpowering like some websites suggest.
I use them whole in stews, casseroles, curries, the list goes on. I always remove them post cooking (bouquet garni bags make this easier). They give the liquid in said dishes a earthy almost bitter tang. By itself this might not sound tasty but it works with the other ingredients to make a dish tastier than the sum of its parts.
I also recently got into bay leaf tea. It is a refreshing change despite it being reminiscant of a cup of mild green tea. It is like drinking the Aussie bush. 🙂
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
This particular cooking ingredient is in PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents.
Enjoy,
PK
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GICICI’S WHAT’S GROWING IN PERTH?
Follow these links to see what to plant in a given month or read my monthly journal where I talk about what I am doing, have learned and have harvested.
JANUARY’S PLANTS OR PK’s Journal
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Whole Roasted Crickets
Entomophagy is the purposeful use of insects for food. Insects are not only very high in protein but this protein is very readily digested by our bodies.
I thought I would try insects for the first time and support an Aussie company at the same time. I am glad I did. In fact, Australia has some of the oldest traditions of eating insects as they are a nutritional bonanza. I might have to try ants next. 🙂
I bought some snack crickets (two different flavours, ‘chili and lime finger’ and ‘chili and garlic’) from the people at ediblebugshop.com.au. They are an insect farm in Sydney, Australia and export their product world wide.
The crickets are roasted to crunchy perfection and have a lovely nutty taste before ending in a spicy zing.
You can use them in all sorts of things like salads, tacos, wraps, stews and casseroles. Straight from the jar is may favourite though.
Give them a try and you won’t regret it.
Enjoy,
PK
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Cheese: Provolone Piccante
I am carrying on my affair with aged Italian cheese and am spending some time with Provolone Piccante.
It is made from cow’s milk and aged for several months. I have read that it is the type of rennet used that makes for the bitey piquant flavours.
I also learnt a new term. A cheese with an ‘open texture’ is one that has internal cavities formed during the aging process. Provolone is one such cheese.
I think this cheese should be in your top 10 essential cheeses to have tried. 🙂
Taste, Texture and Aroma
As this is a rinded aged cheese, there is a slightly discernible smell that rinded cheeses have. You either love or hate this smell but I wouldn’t call this cheese particularly pungent.
It has an initial sharp/bitey taste that is notably salty. If only aged for a few months I find it has a smooth texture.
Look and Feel
This is a firm, open cheese that is a lovely pale . I suggest you grate it finely when cooking with it.
Uses
I prefer to cook with it but it is also a good table cheese. Try it next time you make pasta or pizza and you won’t regret it. I also recommend shaving it on fresh bread and grated over bruschetta.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- Recipes using cheese
- More cheese varieties
- All GICICI ingredients
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Dairy Free Cheese: Cheddar Flavour
A friend of mine recently put me on to this tasty dairy free cheese from My Life. I am currently on a cow, goat and sheep’ milk cheese ‘tasting, cooking and of course blogging’ odyssey. So I was very interested in trying this product.
I used to only eat cheddar cheese growing up. So although my cheese tastes have changed a lot, I am not surprised I like this product. I did a taste test at my work where I told the tasters up front it was dairy free cheese. Everyone who tried it said they could tell the difference but that they liked it.
It is akin to a very mild, highly processed cheddar (the production method obviously involves molding it in to shape) that little to no texture. Again though it reminds me of the cheese I at growing up and my kids eat it now too.
I only have two more comments, one is price related the other is a cooking heads up. The first comment is that it is much more expensive than any comparable dairy product. Hopefully this comes down as competition and sales rise. The heads up comment is just a warning that it doesn’t melt at the same speed and in the same way as dairy cheese. You just need to experiment a bit to get it right and I have read it might just need higher temperatures.
Next for me is to try My Life’s Bio Cheese Original Flavour.
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Enjoy,
PK
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Australian Finger Limes
I was very lucky to be bought one of these remarkable edible bushes a few years ago as a birthday present. They are an annual fruiting plant in the same genus as citrus and are native to Australia’s east coast.
The fruit is quite simply unique and you can believe the recent restaurant hype they have attracted. 🙂
So how do we grow and eat Australian finger limes?
Taste/Aroma:
The long cylindrical fruit grows to about 6cm long and have a thickish green skin. These may turn brown as they ripen. Inside is the most amazing little globes filled with the most tangy juice you have ever eaten. These pop with a delightful crunch that makes you smile.
They smell and look amazing so I recommend you try them on their own or sprinkle the little globes over salads or cheese plates.
Flower:
Fruit:
Plant:
Planting/Care:
There is a school of thought that says these only fruit once every 2 years but I have had fruit every year on my 3 year old plant. I have had bumper crops and although it is April, I am still getting the odd fruit. If you are interested I keep monthly information Grow It Perth calendar (see link below).
It is in my standard soil profile which has organic matter, Perth sand and 10% clay by weight. I have fertilised with a standard vegetable raising fertiliser as opposed to a special native blend, with no problems. I also believe in several applications of wetta soil during spring, summer and autumn to encourage deep roots.
They can be hard to get in Perth so check your nurseries around January-February.
Enjoy,
PK
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Vegan Fish Sauce
Look I get it, no one likes to be labelled but sometimes labels help educate. I am a certified Omnivore and have no intention of following the vegan code to its fullest.
I am however very supportive of the Vegan ethos. To this end I like reviewing Vegan alternatives to meat based ingredients.
Recently, I ordered some Vegan Fish Sauce and here is the saucy truth. 🙂
I would say that fish sauce is not just nice to have, it is required to build up the flavour of many Southeast Asian dishes. So I am very happy to report that (at least the brand I tried) does a very good job and it would be hard to pick in a blind tasting as the look and smell are on par.
However the vegan version is unashamedly saltier and is ever so slightly missing a metallic taste that only meat can give. The Anchovies based version also has a several more levels of subtle tastes in its journey over the taste buds.
Yet in conclusion, Whilst I think this is a required ingredient in the Vegan’s cupboard, I recommend you use less of it than the fish based version when converting recipes. It is much saltier.
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Enjoy,
PK
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